17 games down, three to go. During the Angels current, grueling, 20 games in 20 days stretch of their 2015 schedule, the have managed to go 10-7, and will close it up this week with a three-game series against the Tampa Bay “don’t call us devil” Rays. 10-7 isn’t a bad run considering what the Angels offense was coming into this stretch, and it has seen the Angels offense be a little bit better than it has been for the balance of the season. Averaging 4.3 runs per game over the last 17 days compared to the 3.8 runs they have averaged all year. Keep it up, offense.
Coming into this series, the Angels hold a lifetime record against the Rays of 88-63. Great. Except that also takes in to account all of those years where the Rays were the equivalent of a Pony League youth baseball team trying to compete with the 1927 Yankees. Since the Rays became an actual baseball team in 2008, the Angels are 25-31 against the Rays. Yeah, that’s less great. But, the Angels are coming off of a sweet four-game sweep of the Tigers, so the momentum is seemingly in their favor. Side note: Can they play the Tigers more often? Like, for reals?
Game 1: Garrett Richards vs. Alex Colome
I don’t about the rest of you guys, but I am starting to think that the dominance that we saw from Garrett Richards in 2014 was a bit of a mirage. Not that he’s a pumpkin posing as a pitcher, but that the future ace label may have been slapped on him a bit prematurely. His ERA currently sits at a nice 3.12, but over his last three starts it is at 4.43 to go with his 1-2 record. The Angels offense seems to be turning the corner, so maybe they can mask this funk that Richards is currently in, but I’d rather see Richards get back to doing what he was doing last year so that I can put my oxygen tank back in the closet.
Alex Colome is making his tenth start of the season, but only his sixth in the Major Leagues. He has only had one start where he has gotten through six innings so far this season, sports a 4.55 ERA and has a strikeout rate in Jered Weaver territory. Seems like the kind of pitcher that will either get thumped by the Angels, or that will toss a complete game shutout. There’s no middle ground with these types, folks.
Game 2: C.J. Wilson vs. Chris Archer
C.J. Wilson is C.J. Wilsoning again. In case of emergency, break glass labeled “Tums.” C.J. has a 4.76 ERA over his last three starts, but for the season, it sits at nifty 3.18 with a 3.49 FIP right next to it. Maybe just a bad stretch, but the Angels have seen bad stretches for Wilson go on and on and on and on ad nauseum. The main culprit, walks. Five of them to be exact in his last start against the Tigers. You were doing so well, Ceej. And you’re going to need to get back to doing well with Chris Archer up against you.
Chris Archer who, by the way, has been lights out over his last few starts. All he has done is go 2-0 with a 0.93 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 19.1 innings. Best bet for the Angels against this guy is…I don’t know… poison his lunch? Dude has a K/BB ratio of 4.1 which is third in all of baseball among pitchers with at least 30 innings pitched behind Max Scherzer and Corey Kluber. Two pitchers who I don’t think are actually human, but were built by an alien race that has a weird fascination with strikeouts. Normally, I’m not the throw in the towel type, but, damn, this one doesn’t look good.
Game 3: Hector Santiago vs. Nate Karns
Nate thinks that Hector is trade bait, and he expects regression. We have argued before about these kinds of things. I think Hector may have figured some stuff out. The only number of his that is glaringly abnormal from his regular work is his LOB%. Everything else is seemingly in line with what he has been doing since breaking into the big leagues in 2011. I’m in. Hook, line and sinker. I’m buying what Hector Santiago is selling this season. That is, of course, unless what he is selling spoils. But right now it’s not.
Karns is getting his full season’s worth this year. I say that because this is the first season where he hasn’t been in the minors. That makes him a rookie. It also makes him a pretty good rookie since he is sporting a 3.32 ERA and an 8.37 K/9. But he is also carrying a BABIP against of .228. Sounds like regression is in his future. And Wednesday sounds like the perfect day for him to regress.
After this series, the Angels are going to need their very deserving break. I imagine that they will look something like this on Thursday:
And I don’t blame them. I look like that whenever my kids want to play soccer in the backyard. Seriously, rugrats, I’m getting old. But after a four-game sweep of the big bad Tigers, the Angels probably feel like this right now:
AKA, the same way I feel when my wife says: “Hey, let’s have pizza for dinner.”
It has been a brutal stretch for everyone, but the Angels have pushed themselves to three games over .500 and to within four games of the juggernaut Astros. Win another series, take a day to relax, then it is off to New York. Sound like a good plan? I thought so. Hands in, everyone. On three, “Go team.” Ready? One, two, three “GO TEAM!”
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