AZMike

He would have struck out looking in the bottom of the 9th with 2 out

I could've live with him getting plunked

1) HOU, 34-65 [+12.5] 2) MIA, 37-61 [+9] 3) CWS, 39-58 [+6.5] 4) MIL, 41-58 [+5.5] 5) MIN 43-54 [+2.5] 6) SD 45-56 [+2.5] 7) CHC, 44-54 [+2] 8) TOR, 45-54 [+1.5] 9) SF 45-54 [+1.5] 10) NYM 44-52 [+1] 11) LAA 46-52 The Angels are well on their way back into a protected draft pick.

Angels are better than the Cardinals in that department. Cardinals lead MLB in GIDPs. Angels are second. Only thing the Cardinals have over us is the best record in baseball. Wins are a false stat.

I strongly suspect we're going to see some bunting jackassery from EBar

In terms of average contract value (used to calcualte luxury tax) we're actually about a $165M team.

trade value dropping by the minute

"that might've been ball four" -- Rojas proof that the philosophy of Mickey Hatcher lives on.

Pujols is a partner, ergo he outranks Scioscia

I'd argue the battery if Mathis and Chatwood is better than Iannetta and Blanton

We paid $125M for a slower, poorer hitting version of Peter Bourjos

According to baseball reference dWAR JB Shuck has -0.5 dWAR. This means Mike Trout is supposedly a WORSE outfielder, by far, than JB Shuck (!) Due to yesterday's 7th and 9th inning performances, Trout and the Angels overall added to their sizable leads for dead last in clutchness.

It's super irritating that Moreno seems to have no problem setting suitcases of money on fire to sign ridiculous deals for Hamilton, Wells, Pujols, Mike Scioscia and others yet pulls all kinds of petty nickel and dime nonsense with our best young players.

We may have won the Hot Stove League but the Blue Jays won the hot stove ALCS and the Dodgers won the hot stove World Series.

In the past I've said rentals should only be done if getting into the playoffs is a virtual certainty, the rental can increase the chances of a team going deep into the playoffs. Rentals can be worth a lot because things like short series elevate the important of having a top of the rotation pitcher or elite position player. Acquiring Teixeira in 2009 was fine by that standard. Every move since losing Morales in 2010? not so much. Under the new rules (no draft compensaton, one game playoffs for wild card), I'd say rentals are only a good idea if it's very likely the team will outright win the division. Greinke trade when we were 5 games back in the division, with an especially thin farm system? not good.

Hamilton 2-4 HR

Scioscia for Donnie baseball and Carlos Marmol

you realize the most cost effective way for Moreno to get Scioscia off the field without having to buy out his contract would be to promote him to GM, right?

With Pujols, Hamilton, Iannetta and others on this team I fully expect God to be regularly involved with the Angels DL in not more than 2 years

Napoli as a 1B/DH > Pujols. F'n Reagins

I wasn't aware of that. Imagine if the Cardinals had kept Pujols around One of my cubicle mates at work though is a Cardinals fan. He regularly thanks me for the Angels taking Pujols off their hands

Not sure about that as runners not named Trout haven't been getting on consistently, but he certainly leads the league in GIDP by a ludicrous margin. Problem is Moreno considers Pujols a "partner", which means he outranks Scioscia and Dipoto.

The 2013 Angels assuming ZERO moves (except a couple re-signings) since Morales' unfortunate injury in 2010: Bourjos Segura Trout Morales Napoli Trumbo Aybar Kendrick Conger Weaver Corbin Chatwood Saunders Skaggs with a much stronger minor league system due to NOT giving up draft picks to sign big free agents, for about three quarters of a billion dollars cheaper.