Duren, Duren

3 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

So much for that Adell breakthrough - he's back to "vintage form." Consider:

• Hasn't had a multi-hit game since May 8
• He hit .144/.212/.389 in May, 0-7 with 6 Ks in June so far, which means he's hitting .134/.192/.361 since the beginning of May
• He's struck out 21 times in his last 11 games, or 33 AB. Meaning, 21 of 33 AB have been Ks!

 

At least it looks like he's trying. You can see his body language at the plate after some bad swings. And he threw himself into the stands in a futile effort to make a catch. He just has lost self confidence and has regressed. At this point there's not much more than can be done other than letting him have his 500 at bats and hope that he works his way back to being decent. 

At least they delayed the inevitable a bit in the ninth. But bottom line still shows a sweep against and another bleak streak of bad play. 

At least Pillar hung in for a good at bat. The most professional veteran player on the team now, but on his ninth team in five years! 

Moustakas and last year's pickups would also be severe upgrades. 

Washington talks about prioritizing process over outcome. 

Well the process is hardly improving. Virtually no one can handle pressure. And the outcomes are a foregone conclusion. 

Not to dump on him specifically but I called an error on Neto as soon as I saw the play developing. The pressure of getting the third out in that jam got to him. And of course Garcia gets wild immediately after on the next pitch and hits a batter forcing in a run. Followed by more floodgates opening. 

Little League teams have more poise. 

Moniak is just overmatched by major league pitching. He swings and misses at many hittable pitches or fouls off some that should be crushed. As well as being badly fooled constantly. Every now and then he bloops a hit but can't sustain any success. 

It's embarrassing for him and reaching the point of desperation. 

At least Canning's game  stats are impressive. Even with a loss pending. 

Which makes it even more frustrating. These rare great starts are few and far between. And can't be wasted. 

Nice quality start so far barring one pitch. A shame if it's wasted. 

One really bad pitch by Canning. And he paid for it. A foot or two lower and the line drive hits the wall below the homer line. 

Now Let's mix in some pathetic defense. Canning lucky to escape. 

More disconnect. 

From a full count and a runner on first to a called third strike and an easy caught stealing. Two out on one pitch without the bat being swung. 

And Adell steadily working his way down to the Mendoza line. 

I wrote in the game thread last night that he needs time in AAA. But I didn't expect it to happen. He was supposed to be the ace, and he started the season nicely. 

When his confidence is fragile, even seemingly small things can trigger a bad reaction. I noticed on many occasions how a bad ball/strike call against him seemed to factor into him having a bad inning. And sometimes just one bad call can really setup a chain of negative events for him. Whether because of anger, loss of confidence that the ump will give him the benefit of close pitches or just overcompensating and throwing fat pitches instead of trying for the corners. 

Best case scenario is that he resets and fine tunes his control and technique. And gets enough confidence when he's called up. Worst case is that he doesn't. And then becomes a roster problem going forward. 

As well his future contract/free agent status is based on days on a major league roster. So time in the minors suspends his major league numbers and pushes his status further into the future. Where it may be questionable for how long his major league career lasts. Other teams would definitely give him opportunities if the Angels trade or release him. But he will have to prove himself all over again.

Surreal that Detmers once threw a no hitter and had some great rookie outings. I guess it was before there was a book on him and he had to deal with higher expectations. 

He cracks easily now under the first bit of pressure. Even the Fox broadcasters couldn't believe the terrible ball/strike call for Bliss. A few minutes later the game's out of reach. He just has no confidence or command.

If the roster wasn't so thin I'd send him to AAA for the season to rebuild his confidence and work on things. And start from scratch next year. With this lineup there's little margin for error but he is just prone to giving up big innings every game. 

Not that this patchwork expansion level lineup can be expected to bail out pitchers or give them much run support. 

At one point the Yankees only had 4 hits but had scored 7 runs. Enough said. 

I only have the Yankee broadcast. I muted it after they laughed about the terrible ball/strike call the batter before Sandoval gave up the home run. Seems to have rattled him. As adversity usually does. 

What to do about Adell if he goes over 500 at bats and stays around this level of play? Seems he's just regressed  to who he was before. If he can't break through then what is his future? He was one of the positive stories, but is trending severely downward. 

Good riddance to the Yankees.  And their fan invasion. 

You see this trend all over the place in all sports. The mid tier veterans are being squeezed out by younger, cheaper prospects. The few elite stars remain, both for production and drawing power. And it's entirely because of the financial structures. Whether with salary caps, draft pick losses/fines, budgetary parameters of each team. 

But depending on how much of a contender a team is they may break discipline and add more veterans for a  short term push. And that's when the selling teams need to be at their most persuasive. Recency bias plays in, so potential trade bait guys have to be healthy and playing decently just before a prospective trade. 

Anderson, Ward and Rengifo are currently productive. If they can sustain it then they may attract a solid offer each. Trading all of them would be radical. The polar opposites of last year's deadline moves. And it would literally turn the Angels into a near minor league team the rest of this season. 

I expect maybe one of those three to be traded and maybe some other more minor deals. Admitting a full out rebuild doesn't seem to be what Arte ever wants to admit. 

Just now, DMVol said:

I know he had success in Texas but Washington hasn’t impressed me as a great strategist. This team gives up a lot of outs on the bases and makes a lot of fundamental mistakes. 

The more I watch this season, the more evident it is that there is a shockingly severe lack of baseball savvy and discipline. So many situations that could have been productive just fizzle away into nothingness. And Washington doesn't seem to move the needle at all. 

This really wasn't well strategized or executed. They had to get  Rengifo to third but didn't even try anything other than hitting away. And then, no patience again.  And suddenly three outs materialize from just a couple of pitches. 

Calhoun again hitting it hard but right at a glove. So much for sacrifices. And it ends in a whimper. 

Now it gets interesting! Tying run on second, no out. Execution and fundamentals in play. 

Classic underdog game. Hanging in there and keeping it close against a good team. One more inning to keep scoreless and hopefully a surprise rally. 

Interesting how just about  all the broadcasters of most teams seem to fraternize with each other and have detailed knowledge of their working relationships. Obviously a smallish fraternity and part of the job networking process. 

I didn't know that this game was televised here but I flipped after the hockey game  to a station with just "MLB coverage" written up. Just in time me to see the second Yankee run. 

Disgusted how the Yankee fans have taken over. Funny how eastern fans seem to dominate at West Coast games. And hardly ever the reverse. Economics in the north  east  historically not so great behind the western migration? Or mostly tourists? I see this in all sports when eastern teams play on the west coast. 

Washington was supposed to be primarily a teacher and introduce a more dynamic philosophy. So far, a third of a season isn't enough to judge by. But the results are mixed. 

The team runs more, but makes tons of base running errors. Managerial decisions are a factor, but I would blame some of the players too. They just don't seem to have good instincts or baseball savvy to assess an ongoing play. And often seem indecisive.  Youth could be part of the reason. Especially those with minimal minor league experience. Teaching and coaching can help, but the talent and instincts need to be there to begin with. 

On defense the same issues keep resurfacing. Fundamental ball handling, smooth  execution, indecision, positioning. Teaching and coaching can help, but if the skills and confidence are lacking then there is only so much that can be improved upon. 

The team still depends on the home run to score. That hasn't changed. Personnel is a big factor. All the teaching and coaching won't change the approach of veterans with careers based on trying to power each at bat. Youngsters should be more receptive.  But certain situations require small ball basics. Even the most grizzled veterans should be able to execute a bunt, hit and run, go the other way, and so on in some situations. Non productive outs have been killing this team for a long time. I don't see much progress here though Washington has tried to have a more dynamic approach. It just hasn't worked out as hoped for so far. Again, talent, willingness to change habits, confidence are factors. 

Washington wasn't a pitching oriented coach, so his coaches have more responsibilities for mechanics and philosophy. But he does make the game decisions about how long to leave pitchers in and the bullpen sequencing. With major advice from the pitching coach of course. A repetitive mantra, but it comes down more to talent and confidence more than anything else.

Washington seems to be good at encouraging players and working on their confidence. But he's dealing with a compromised roster. Limited in talent as well as experience in many cases. And early on he has shown to be stubborn in some instances. But this could be part of his learning experience. After all, he had no background with this organization and these players. 

The reality is that neither he or anyone else can work miracles. So with lowered expectations I just hope that by the last part of the season we do see progress. Better play, fewer mistakes, confidence that they can win more close games when the chances are there. 

In the end,he is likely a transitional manager. Probably intended to stabilize things for a few years. While the roster ideally is restocked with younger players who will respond to his style. 

New management, ideally with new ownership is needed. The entire system needs an overhaul. And a long term disciplined plan. 

But as things stand, the most that can be hoped for are some shrewd trades prioritizing solid prospects and progress from the younger core.

But the season does continue. And maybe, at least for the loyal fans, a respectable and competitive game by game showing. Even as likely underdogs in every series. 

I've paid for MLB Extra Innings so feel obligated to get some use out of it. Of course I can watch other teams, depending on which games are available any given night.

But I record most Angel games and watch them usually late at night when I can fast forward at my discretion. 

Technically I watch about the same number of games as in recent years, but much less in real time or completely. I often start off in real time to see how things develop. Which has been mostly been bad.  Then the fast forwarding gets serious. But if I see a lot of action speeded up I'll rewind and watch what happened. 

Road games are often horrible to endure because Extra Innings uses the home feeds. And most of the broadcasters are nothing more than cheerleaders with no objectivity. 

And local baseball broadcasts from all cities are like three hour infomercials, plugging tickets, promotions, local events and individuals connected to their team. 

If the Angels were competitive I'd watch much more in real time.