It was as if a fairy tale had come to a shuddering, depressing, fiery end. Joe Blanton, bringer of home runs, feigning effectiveness as a major league starting pitcher the past few weeks, decided to lay a new rotten egg. The latest trick of his was to surrender four home runs to the second-to-last-place Cubs. It's difficult to put into words just how badly the Blanton signing has backfired in Angels GM Jerry Dipoto's face, but the results speak most of the story: it's been an unmitigated disaster.
In other news, Albert Pujols hit career home run number 489, and Josh Hamilton's 12-game hitting streak is now over. It sure was fun while it lasted.
The Angels can still finish the first half with a winning record if they take the next four games in a row, so it will still be interesting to see just where these Halos are, come the All-Star Break. But for one dismal game, they looked anything but contenders.
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Game Notes
— When Blanton singled in the sixth, he was the Angels' first base-runner of the night. Albert Pujols was thrown out in the first inning on a single that he thought would be a double.
— Interesting to see Mike Scioscia replace Chris Iannetta with Hank Conger late in the game. Sure, it may have been to get the veteran starting catcher, and I am woefully blowing things out of proportion. Or, the balance is shifting ever so slightly in favor of the young, one-time top prospect in Conger. The plot thickens…?
— It's amazing how strong Albert Pujols still can be, despite basically being able to only hit on one good leg. The lumbering first basemen crept ever-closer to the 500-HR mark on Tuesday, and may just eke the big 5-0-0 before 2013 ends. It will be fun to watch, that's for sure.
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Halos A-Hole of the Game
That beard is so gross.
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