Angelsjunky

Of course there are folks who are always in Blue-to-Green or always in Orange-to-Red.

So let's make a scale of Zones: BLUE: We're going to win no matter what! No one can stop us! 100 wins here we come!!! GREEN: Everything looks good - just the usual bumps in the road. Should win 90-something with relative ease. YELLOW: Starting to get worried here - some signs things could get worse. ORANGE: Major concerns - the team is definitely not what we thought it was. RED: We're screwed!!!! Time to AO on yo asses! I'd say we're comfortably in the Yellow Zone, but closer to Green than Orange.

Here are the reasons: 1) The starting pitching is not good. It isn't necessarily bad, but with Weaver out and CJ Wilson seemingly unable to recapture his #2 form, the Angels are left with five #3-5 starters. And even Weaver wasn't pitching well. 2) The offense might not be as good as hoped. This is my least concern of the three because at worst it should still be very good, and could be great, but it might not be as good as we hoped it would be, and not good enough to carry a mediocre pitching staff. 3) The bullpen "hiccup." Or is that hiccups? While it has been much improved since last year thus far, there is still the sense that there are no truly dominant relievers on this team. But again, we're only seven games in. I've been predicting a 13-14 April as I think it will take them time to figure things out and gel. But beneath the 2-5 record are some worrying things...let's hope they get ironed out.

"We'll settle for third."

Really, Chuck? Did you read my post? Evidently not. It has nothing to do with the article itself but the pictures. Relax.

Have you looked at their lineup? It begs to different with your assertion that they are "by far the best team..." As for the OP, good post. The AL East might actually be the most interesting division in baseball with no clearly dominant team, but no clearly bad teams. I do think it is too early to write DIckey off - I mean he's had two starts. Give the old guy a chance.

I stand by what I perceive based upon the footage and pictures that I've seen. Wrong call? Probably. A terrible one? No, at least not based upon the actual footage.

I disagree, and it has nothing to do with reading Fangraphs or which team someone is a fan of. Brian, just because you're completely unable to get past your own bias doesn't mean others can't. I'm just expressing what I see, not what I want to see. To be clear, I'm not saying it was a good call, just not as bad as people are making it out to be - and that's because of Pierzynski's handling which made it look much worse. It was actually a fantastic pitch with incredible break.

Yeah, its going to be Richards. Perfect opportunity for him. If he does well, I wouldn't be suprised if he knocks someone else out of the rotation when Jered gets back.

You guys are way over-reacting. It wasn't a terrible call at all - check out the Fangraphs article because you can see through slow motion that it was at least close to the strike zone when it crossed the plate. It is just that Pierzynski did poor glove work.

I'd say its a pretty significant concern and if you're not at least a bit worried you're in denial. Look at the Fangraphs article linked and check out the trends in his velocity over the last few years...not good.

If you want to be exact, the Angels were 3-8 through the first two weeks of 2002. I'm not sure what that has to do with 2013, but just informing you.

Here's his triple-slash for today: 1.000/1.000/4.000 in 5 PA. Nice day. Here's another fact which, in my mind, bodes well: Albert didn't have 2 HR until May 16th last year - his 37th game played. If he's gotten over the starting slow bug then we might see, if not vintage .330/1.050 Pujols, a very good .300/.950 Pujols.

Edge: Pierzynski

Give it a chance. As I said in another thread, this team will take time to figure itself out - its got a lot of new parts. My guess is that it will hover around .500 in April, maybe a tad worse, start picking up steam in May and be red-hot in June. Patience, amigo.

Relievers in first three games: 0.73 ERA, 12.1 IP, 15 Ks That's pretty awesome.

Except the bullpen has been awesome in three of four games.

For better or worse the first two games are likely to be very high scoring. Vargas and Hanson are probably going to get lit up in Texas, but the Angels should keep pace. As for Darvish vs. Weaver...that should be a pitching duel. Darvish looks unreal this year.

When you know baseball is here: Watching Trout waddle around the bases again.

Thanks, Chuck. My post wasn't a tweet, so it takes a bit of patient (and reading comprehension) to get it. I'm feeling optimistic, just not gonzo. We need to give this team some time to come together, but they will.

First of all, the sky isn't falling. Its three games into the season. I know that Hamilton and Pujols are 2-23, but let's give this some time. That said, the Angels are going to Texas for a three game series. Chances are they leave Arlington 2-4, even 1-5. If either happens, don't panic! My preseason prediction (not sure if I voiced it here) is that they'd be around .500 in April (13-14?), start warming up in May and be hot in June and hopefully strong for the rest of the year. But remember that this is a relatively new team - lots of new faces and it might take a bit to see how it all fits together. But I think it will. The most encouraging thing so far is how good the bullpen has been - that was one of the team's Achilles' heels going forward. And even if Trout takes a step back and Pujols and Hamilton don't return to peak form, they offense is going to score some runs. The only significant question, in my mind, is the starting pitching. But even then at worse it will be pretty average (but not poor). Best-case scenario and it is actually pretty good (but not great). To put it another way, at worst the Angels will have an average pitching staff and a very good offense, which makes for an 85-90 win team. But that's at worst. More likely the staff is above average and the offense excellent, which makes for a 90-95 win team. And if everything gels just right then this team could win 95+ games. So hang in there, but also temper your expectations, especially in April. Let the team figure out who they are.If they're under .500 on June 1st, OK, we can panic.

Blanton is what he is. He's pretty much the definition of a #4 starter. The reason Jerry signed him, though, is that his particular style will make him good in Anaheim. The logic being that overall he'll be above average.

Josh Hamilton isn't injured.

Trout has sucked too, it is just that his paycheck is half a million.

...that the first three home runs of the year were hit by Iannetta, Kendrick, and Callaspo. Way to go, bottom of the lineup!