Weaver and Wilson and 3 days of wishing

[Angel Oracle]

Until Vargas returns, and then it becomes and 2 days of wishing.

One wonders where we would be if we had real 4th and 5th starters and Weaver and Vargas hadn't been DL'd.

That's where the club will become a contender again, putting real MLB starters into those 4th and 5th spots again.

[DW711]

The Angels need to change a bunch of things, but the ones they actually can do...

 

Get Ianetta and Callaspo off the team asap.

[Jay]

True that Williams gave up 4 runs yesterday, but no offense and abysmal defense is a recipe for failure.

[YouthofToday]

Callaspo is a league average 3B. Iannetta is a bit better than a league average C.

They aren't the problem. The problem is starting pitching and the nearly $400 million Arte lit up like a Star Wars bonfire on the Albert Pujols and Nightmare Child.

[DMVol]

Until Vargas returns, and then it becomes and 2 days of wishing.

One wonders where we would be if we had real 4th and 5th starters and Weaver and Vargas hadn't been DL'd.

That's where the club will become a contender again, putting real MLB starters into those 4th and 5th spots again.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but add to your list of "what ifs"---what if DiPoto had checked the calendar and realized that this was a "Good Ervin" year and kept Santana? And for good measure, decided to tender Torii Hunter a qualifying offer rather than siging Hamilton?

[Angel Oracle]

I do wonder about why Hunter wasn't at least tendered. He would have been an excellent one year bridge to Calhoun in RF, and saved $112 million net from not signing Hamilton to use maybe on a Garza in the off-season provided he wasn't a $100 million man.

[nate]

Callaspo is a league average 3B. Iannetta is a bit better than a league average C.

They aren't the problem. The problem is starting pitching and the nearly $400 million Arte lit up like a Star Wars bonfire on the Albert Pujols and Nightmare Child.

 

... Maybe on offense.  Defensively they are f'n awful.

[Angel Oracle]

Alberto Knoblauch is not a good guy to have at 3B currently. I just hope this scatter armed throwing issue isn't permanent.

[stormngt]

Until Vargas returns, and then it becomes and 2 days of wishing.

One wonders where we would be if we had real 4th and 5th starters and Weaver and Vargas hadn't been DL'd.

That's where the club will become a contender again, putting real MLB starters into those 4th and 5th spots again.

3 days of wishing is correct!

[Mudville]

Between Callspo, Trumbo and Ianetta yesterday the A's scored 4 extra runs they didn't deserve.

[eaterfan]

Between Callspo, Trumbo and Ianetta yesterday the A's scored 4 extra runs they didn't deserve.

 

There are 162 games everyone is going to have some bad ones defensively and sometimes multiple guys will have them on the same day. A one game sample isn't the best way to judge players. That being said, none of them are playing well defensively this season and Ianetta and Trumbo never were good defensively. It's just that one game doesn't prove or disprove that.

[Angelsjunky]

Blaming Callaspo and Iannetta is like a heroin junky blaming his coffee habit for his life woes. It isn't the biggest problem, or even a major concern really, unless you have no other major problems.

 

The big problem this year, as AO rightly put it, has been the 3-5 spots in the rotation and the suckage of Pujols and Hamilton. Even if Pujols and Hamilton didn't recover their superstar level and were just stars, that would have been then Angels a lineup with one superstar, two stars, a few above average regulars, and a couple average regular - a potent lineup without major weakness. But because those two stars have been average or worse, the offense has gone from being one of the best in the league to a bit above average. Couple that with Spahn and Sain and you have a 46-50 team.

[Chuck]

AO you missed your chance for a great title.

Should have been Weaver, Wilson and Three Days of Wincing.

[Jimmag]

I suggest you carry a rabbits foot, 4 leaf clover and horse shoe on the other three days.

 

You can't win them all however, 2 out of 5 is unacceptable.

[Mudville]

There are 162 games everyone is going to have some bad ones defensively and sometimes multiple guys will have them on the same day. A one game sample isn't the best way to judge players. That being said, none of them are playing well defensively this season and Ianetta and Trumbo never were good defensively. It's just that one game doesn't prove or disprove that.

All three of them have been poor defensively this season. This is not a one game sample size opinion but it was one game where you got a sampling of each of them being incompetent for the price of one ticket.

[yk9001]

Wilson and Weaver and three non-achiever.

[tdawg87]

I suggest you carry a rabbits foot, 4 leaf clover and horse shoe on the other three days.

You can't win them all however, 2 out of 5 is unacceptable.

Lackey has pretty big feet so carrying around one of his shoes is a little impractical.

[Tyler]

I can't believe Dipoto wasted a year of Trout putting this garbage out there. Truly mind-boggling.

[Reveille1984]

Since June 1st:

 

Hamilton: .228/.275/.434, 10 BB, 40 K

Trumbo: .193/.255/.400, 13 BB, 41 K

Iannetta: .197/.319/.250, 2 XBH

Pujols: .249/.333/.457

 

Williams: 7.25 ERA, .940 (!) OPS against

Blanton: 5.00 ERA, 48 hits in 48 IP, 13 BB

Hanson (before injury): 5.10 ERA, 1.552 WHIP

 

 

I mean, even if we had average and not terrible 3-5 starters, the bulk of our lineup (outside of Trout and Kendrick) are either injured or having some of the worst seasons of their careers. 

[nate]

Of course it is a total coincidence that all of these players are having bad years and it has nothing to do with the manager...

[rageous]

Vargas' injury makes it even harder.

For a while Vargas was the best starter on our team and when he went down, it pretty much made it necessary to pitch Blanton and Williams and cost the team every game they started.

[Kenny]

I can't believe I was calling for Williams to be in this rotation, earlier this season.

[Angel Oracle]

Williams did pitch better yesterday, and I'm still convinced he can be a solid #5 starter with the stuff he has.

This season can be one that prepares him for the potential of being a rotation regular in 2014.

 

Then re-signing Vargas leaves only a righty to stick between Wilson and Vargas in the rotation.

Not a tremendous #3 necessarily, but just a decent/solid one.   If only Richards could harness his stuff and improve the mental aspect on the mound. 

[Reveille1984]

Williams pitched better yesterday?  I didn't watch much of the game, but his stat line sure looks terrible (5 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 3 BB).

[jsnpritchett]

Williams pitched better yesterday?  I didn't watch much of the game, but his stat line sure looks terrible (5 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 3 BB).

 

Well, "better" is a relative term.  It was only "better" because his 3 starts before yesterday were just flat-out godawful. 

 

So, yeah, 11 baserunners and 4 ER in 5 IP is "better" than 8 baserunners and 6 ER in 3 1/3 IP in his last start. 

 

Still doesn't mean it was good.