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Gameday Thread: Angels @ White Sox (4/30/22 1:05pm start): Suarez on the mound

Just been reminiscing a bit lol and curious about everyone's first time see our favorite team play a home game? I will relate mine and feel free to share yours as well🙂
As I stated in my introduction thread, I essentially became a fan due to being obsessed with 'Angels in the Outfield'. I first saw it in the theater and when it came out on VHS, I begged my Dad to buy me a copy of it and when he did, no joke, I watched it easily 15 plus times a week lol. I was in second grade at the time and just loved everything about it. Started then to follow the team the best I could all the way in North Carolina and have been a fan ever since.

Fast forward to the point of this thread: It was 2000 and my Dad(Who was a truck driver then) asked me to go with him on a trip to California as he would need an assistant there. Me wanting any excuse to get out of school lol quickly said yes. I also in the back of my mind was going to wait for the right time to ask my Dad if we could see the Angels.

We dropped our load off and I 'helped him'. He then announced that we would need to get back on the road quickly.Naturally I said can we go to an Angels game please please before we go? He said he knew how much I loved the team but he just didn't have time to take me son sorry. Well of course I got very upset, he kept on apologizing, and then we took off. I put my head down while we headed out of town. I drifted off to sleep at some point and my Dad woke me up. I looked at him angrily lol, and he just put on a big grin and told me to look out my window. I huffed but did what he said...and I tell you gents it was one of the best moments of my life. We were pulling into the parking lot of the Angels stadium! I turned and looked at my Dad in awe and he just kept on grinning. I gave him a huge hug when we got out, told him I was sorry for being so upset, he told me it was ok he was just glad to see me happy and I could loosen up my hug around him a bit lol, and we went in.

Several concessions and screaming from me later gents lol and we came out with a win against the Orioles 2-1. The atmosphere was amazing, fellow fans were also especially when my Dad told them it was our first game, etc.

Sorry if a bit long gents, but this team truly is dear to my heart.😍😇
 

Gameday Thread: Angels @ White Sox (4/29/22): Herget starting, Fletcher playing SS

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-angels-hot-start-is-partially-taylor-made/

Interesting bit: they liken giving Ward a chance to how the Dodgers gave Chris Taylor and Max Muncy chances. It doesn't always work, but when it does...

Gameday Thread: Guardians @ Angels (4/28/22 1:07pm start): Detmers on the mound, no Ohtani

@failos THE GAME IS AT 6:38pm

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Gameday Thread: Guardians @ Angels (4/25/22): Lorenzen on the mound, Ward leading off

Pretty awesome that like Salmon, Erstad, GA and Edmonds we drafted and developed all of the current crop of outfielders in Trout, Ward, Marsh and Adell. The current quartet of OF's have been similarly solid.

Gameday Thread: Orioles @ Angels (4/23/22): Syndergaard on the mound

Gameday Thread: Orioles @ Angels (4/22/22) - Trout is back!

While it is probably the weakest element of the team--barring, perhaps, the lower half of the bullpen--the infield shuffle is one of the more interesting dangling question marks, as we go deeper into the season.

While we're only 12 games into the season, or 7.4%, some tentative observations are:

Velazquez is the best defensive shortstop on the team. And he's good - maybe very good. He plays with authority, fields cleanly, and just looks smooth. Evidently Joe Maddon agrees, because he's started him every night since he was called up. The big question is whether he'll be able to hit well enough to justify regular duties. So far he's been terrible (55 wRC+), but he has walked a few times and, well, it's early.

"The first two starts of Lorenzen’s effort to rejoin the rotation have been filled with promise. He had a bit of a hiccup against Houston, but the underlying metrics and improved individual pitch characteristics are definitely positive signs. Even if this experiment as a starter doesn’t end up working out for whatever reason, the changes he’s made to his repertoire bode well for his ability to continue to excel in a relief role, particularly as a right-handed specialist. And if he does stick in the rotation for the rest of the season, that would be a nice payoff for the pitching-starved Angels."

More: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/michael-lorenzen-throws-the-kitchen-sink/

 

Remember when it was his splitter that was unhittable? He now has a slider that is also tough to hit. His curve looks like it's getting better as well, and his high 90's FB is nothing to sneeze at. 


 

 

Gameday Thread: Angels @ Astros (4/20/22) - Ohtani on the bump, still no Trout

Gameday Thread: Angels @ Astros (4/19/22): Sandoval on the mound, Rendon back, Trout still out

Gameday Thread: Angels @ Astros (4/18/22) - No Trout (hand) or Rendon (stomach bug), Lorenzen on the bump

Ohtani (DH)


Trout (CF)


Ward (RF)


Mayfield (3B)


Duffy (1B)


Adell (LF)


Suzuki (C)


Velazquez (SS)


Wade (2B)

Gameday Thread: Angels @ Rangers (4/16/22) - Syndergaard on the mound, Ward's season debut

Gameday Thread: Angels @ Rangers (4/15/22) - Jackie Robinson Day

When you think of general tendencies of a contending baseball team, you want the following as a bare-bones template:

A handful of very good hitters, with a nice complementary cast of secondary average or better hitters.


A rotation with three or four guys you can count on - they don't need to be top-of-the-rotation arms, just good mid-rotation starters.


A very good closer, with two or three strong secondary relievers.


A rock-solid defense.

Gameday Thread: Marlins @ Angels (4/12/22)

Gameday Thread: Marlins @ Angels (4/11/22) - no Trout, Lorenzen's Angels debut

It was a rough series, especially considering that it was in Anaheim. You'd think that the Angels could, at least, manage a split, but it didn't happen.

Let us consider a few things:

The Astros are a very good team, and played great baseball. Timely hits--including lots of dingers--stellar defense, and excellent pitching. They are also clearly a better team than the Angels, but we knew that going into the year.

But that's just it: this is the beginning of the year. Teams don't remain static all year, but change. They go up and down, get hot and cool down. They--both as a team, but also individual players--"figure things out."

And yes, they won a game - against the Astros. And they really only got blown out once. Small sample size and all.

The Angels are too talented not to improve. I'm going to hold to my pre-season prediction that they'd win 90+ games. Maybe it is 88 or 89, but I don't think it will be 80. For that to happen, a lot has to go wrong - lots of injuries, in other words. Even "only" winning 88 games probably keeps them in a wildcard spot into September, which is the best fun we'll have had in half a decade or more.

Remember, this is a much better team than it was a year ago, at the beginning of last season. In that year, they lost two of their three best players for most of the season and ended up being close enough to .500 (4 games below) that they were, at worst, mediocre (or the low side of average).

Mediocre + improvements (e.g. much better pen) + relatively healthy superstars = a good to very good team.

Notice the phrasing "relatively healthy." I'm not predicting that Trout, Ohtani, and Rendon will play in 150+ games each. But if they can manage 400 starts between them, the lineup should be in good shape. Even just 350 starts will be pretty damn good compared to last year.