Ohtani&Trout

Why swing at the first pitch? Cycle gone. 

Just now, TroutField said:

Lots of hard hit balls hit right at guys throughout this slump, I have noticed.

Yes. He has been unlucky lately. 

3 minutes ago, eligrba4ever said:

Sho-Time's hitting stats are beginning to look less lofty.

He still has a 150 wRC+ despite his slump, which are elite numbers. He'll get going soon enough.

Trout now 13/13 in SBs.

Just now, TroutField said:

Damn Kinsler really heated up quickly, let’s hope he can keep it up 

.647 OPS now. Really impressive, considering he was in the low 500s not long ago.

Double shy from a cycle!

6 minutes ago, Ace-Of-Diamonds said:

Look at Trout's K rate in 2014. He's never seen this level of pitchers before. He'll be fine.

He's obsessed with his K rate but doesn't mention that he also walks a lot and hits for power and hits everything hard (and has and will have a high BABIP).

Ohtani the walk machine. His OBP is now almost 90 points higher than his BA, despite not getting hit by a pitch thus far.

Just now, JarsOfClay said:

Scioscia didnt cause Calhoun to suck but he's certainly not helping him figure it out. And if it doesn't work out, move on already. And how many games does Johnson and Bedrosian have to blow to stop using them?

And the team looks like their sleepwalking through the game, and that's on the manager - no one else.

It's Scioscia's job to put the team in the best possible position to win, and he has failed to do so. This team has lost so many winnable games when Scioscia puts the likes of Bedrosian in close games. Giving Calhoun almost everyday PAs for 2 months despite an OPS under .400 is another huge reason why this team is underperforming. Batting Pujols 4th is another reason. Etc. etc.

The only silver lining to the Angels missing the postseason is that Scioscia's reign of terror will end. 

2 minutes ago, JarsOfClay said:

No one is putting a gun to Scioscia's head and forcing him to play Calhoun everyday, or put Pujols in the clean up spot, or bring in Bedrosian in a close game.

Stop with the excuses and fire his ass already.

This is true. Scioscia didn't cause Calhoun to suck, but he isn't helping by giving him nearly everyday PAs for 2 months now.  That's inexcusable. He's on pace for perhaps the worst season in MLB history.
Also, batting Pujols 4th despite below replacement level production. Letting Bedrosian pitch in close games. Etc.

Just now, BackUpTheTruck said:

Upton would win a triple crown if he went to Boston, and J.D Martinez would forget to hold the bat correctly with the Angels. 

Angels need to stick with trades and homegrown talent. Free agents seem to bust in Anaheim.

Ohtani was a free agent.

2 minutes ago, beatlesrule said:

As long as people are posting negative stuff in this thread, I'd like to point out that JD Martinez is having a better season than Upton and so far, his contract is looking better than Upton's. Since they signed a similar deal, I am comparing them because the Angels could have went with Martinez instead. Right now, the Red Sox made the better choice.

Good point. 

1 minute ago, GrittyVeterans said:

It's super annoying how people nitpick every pitch he makes and every swing he takes.

He's a rookie doing things no one has done since Babe Ruth

People just want him to succeed and be the best version he can be.

Just now, Angels#1Fan said:

Sorry but I'm not buying your analysis.

I think you're being hyper-critical.

YMMV

 There was no analysis. It was an observation.

Just now, ADHB said:

No it’s called missing your spot. Maldonado is not calling for a hanging breaking ball or splitter right down the chute. 

Missing your spot by throwing strikes constantly on 0-2 and 1-2 counts? No.

2 minutes ago, ADHB said:

WTF are you even talking about? If Ohtani does in fact throw a mistake pitch that ends up right down the middle on an 0-2 count, it isn’t because the catcher told him to. Your bias is way too obvious.

No bias here. Ohtani has thrown mostly nothing but strikes on 0-2 and 1-2 counts. That's called "pitching to contact". And luckily, the contact they made didn't end up being hits despite mostly being hit in the air.

Ohtani is the last pitcher one would want to pitch to contact

Ohtani is not a pitch-to-contact kind of guy. He needs to use his stuff to generate strikeouts, not contact. 

Look at that shit. 1-2 pitch in the middle of the plate. SHRUG HIM OFF, PLEASE.

Just shrug him off, Ohtani. Shrug him off. 

This is the third time in the last 4 PAs that Ohtani threw pitches right down the middle to the Tigers on 0-2 counts.

Yup. You just don't risk running into an out with Trout at the plate. Just plain dumb decision making right there.

Just now, ADHB said:

Yes, other than the fact that Maldonado has caught him every game except one.

That doesn't mean he's comfortable with him. I've seen him shrug him off many times. Wasn't Richards pissed off at Maldonado against NY?

Besides, there's also a colossal difference in the team's ERA when Maldonado catches compared with when Rivera catches.

Just now, nando714 said:

I forgot Ohtani hasn’t pitched in like 10 days 

wonder if there’s rust the first few innings

Maldonado is catching, too.  I don't think he's very comfortable with Maldonado catching him.

Of course they should. But yet he's not only on the roster, he's batting 4th. Mindboggling. 

Do the Angels want to make the postseason or not? Pujols is dragging this team down. The Angels would probably be 3 wins better had they just kept Cron and gotten rid of Pujols.

Currently 4 games behind the Mariners and 5 more losses than them after 1/3 of a season. Absolutely pathetic.