The August 25th, 2014 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Angels continue to search for pitching, a look at Richards’ recovery and much more…
The Story: Bartolo Colon, Scott Feldman and Trevor Cahill were all placed on revocable waivers this weekend.
The Monkey Says: Colon is the prize of the group, but he is widely considered unlikely to make it to the Halos via either a block by the A’s or a legitimate claim from the Dodgers or maybe Tigers. Feldman is said to interest the Tigers as well. He has the best chance of making it through as his contract runs through 2016, so teams may not want to make that kind of commitment, the Angels included. Cahill also stands a chance since he has a hefty salary in 2015 and is only just now bouncing back from a nightmarish first half of the season. The good news in all of this is that with these players all hitting the waivers at the same approximate time, it will be harder for teams to block the Angels as they would run the risk of suddenly getting stuck with more financial commitments than they can afford.
The Story: A look at some other pitchers the Angels could target via trade.
The Monkey Says: Mat Latos is the dream, but the Reds have been very silent about making any moves despite dropping out of the race. Latos is unlikely to clear waivers and, frankly, is more likely to be dealt in the offseason. The theory that A.J. Burnett might finally be open to playing on the West Coast as he closes out his career is an interesting one, but again, he probably won’t get to the Angels on waivers.
The Story: The Angels’ bleak search for pitching.
The Monkey Says: Here they suggest that the difficulty in even pulling off a trade means the Angels might be better off standing pat. I’m actually kind of on board with that theory, especially if they roll with a tandem starter arrangement with their fifth starter once rosters expand in September.
The Story: A look at what a patellar tendon tear means to Garrett Richards’ recovery.
The Monkey Says: Richards went under the knife Friday and the tear was said to be in a “good spot” so that bodes well, especially after what this article suggests. However, it does sound like there is a possibility that Garrett might lose some velocity as a result, at least for a little whiel. Fortunately, he has some to spare.
The Story: The importance of Garrett Richards.
The Monkey Says: The great stat called out here is that the bullpen is already the most heavily worked since the break and it is only going to get worse without Richards. As much talent as their is, the other starters really need to step up to avoid having guys burn out. That being said, Dipoto may have been wise to continue adding bullpen depth. Scioscia will be able to mix in competent relievers like Pestano, Thatcher (once he gets healthy) and Bedrosian in September to try and give the main relievers a rest.
The Story: ZiPS projects who will win the AL West based on how the A’s and Angels split their remaining head-to-head games.
The Monkey Says: The gist of it is that if the Halos took 7 of the remaining ten, they’d almost certainly win the division. Now that they’ve already dropped two, that will be hard to pull off. The good news is that even if they split the ten games evenly, the Angels have a slight edge thanks to the small lead they built going into this last weekend. We’ll have a much clearer picture of where these two stand after their four-game set in Anaheim this week.
The Story: Angel stadium suffered significant water damage after a pipe burst early Friday morning.
The Monkey Says: Consider that Tim Mead use $15,000 as an example of an insignificant amount and you get an idea of how bad it is. The team store and other areas were apparently damaged, but there is not expected to have any impact on the upcoming homestand. The actual impact may be on the stadium lease and renovation stalemate between Arte Moreno and the city. With the stadium now literally falling apart, this could either prompt the sides to compromise or polarize them if one side tries to leverage this incident too much.
The Story: The 6.0 quake in Northern California was a first for some Angels.
The Monkey Says: What a bunch of rookies.
The Story: Josh Hamilton is heating up after switching to a lighter bat.
The Monkey Says: Hamilton had always used one of the heaviest bats in baseball, but this certainly doesn’t assuage fears that he is losing bat speed. At least it is working… for now.
The Story: Mike Scioscia is not worried about Mike Trout’s recent slump.
The Monkey Says: His slump is only relative. His average has taken a small dip, but he’s still hitting for plenty of power. The bigger issue is just that he is striking out a ton again. This is something he and Don Baylor are apparently trying to remedy. Trout just needs to find the happy medium between good patience and attacking the ball aggressively. He’s a superhuman, so he should figure out it in short order.
The Story: Wade LeBlanc is glad he chose to return to the Angels.
The Monkey Says: I’m going to withhold judgement on that topic until we see him pitch tonight.
The Story: Gordon Beckham is happy to get a “clean slate” in Anaheim.
The Monkey Says: Maybe the change of scenery will do Beckham some good, but he looked just as lousy as he did in Chicago in the two starts he made this weekend. Apparently, he is going to be the de facto DH against lefties going forward. I’m still not sure why the Halos didn’t want to use Grant Green in the exact same role unless they are worried about his back or have reservations about his defense.
The Story: The decline of Albert Pujols is unprecedented.
The Monkey Says: Great article. The massive dive in walk rate is truly shocking and seemingly self-inflicted. Pujols has totally changed his approach, apparently due to health issues. Barring a sudden rejuvenation of his lower body, the decline will only get worse. The next seven years of this contract are going to be a blast.
The Story: A look at the improvement of Garrett Richards this season.
The Monkey Says: Mechanical adjustments? Shifting on the rubber? Gosh, those sound like things a pitching coach might suggest. Remember that the next time you call for the head of Mike Butcher. He gave the Angels an ace, so shut up.
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