When Erick Aybar made his patented monthly base-running blunder in the first inning Monday night, it seemed like a sign that we should all brace ourselves for a long and painful night. And it mostly held true. After Aybar’s uh… let’s say “overaggressive” gambit on the bases the Angels didn’t get a base runner past second again until the sixth, by which point it was already too late.
The Halos now desperately need to win the next two to keep their postseason hopes intact. Most of me is rooting for them to come alive and ride a positive wave into the playoffs KC-style, but there’s also that little part of me that just wants this thing to be over. Won’t have to wait long either way.
Run Expectancy Rundown
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/15HzgjpxNyG1viMuUD8ftVPkabCxGT2eVO77u-L4Llvw/pubchart” query=”oid=1976391661&format=interactive” width=”623″ height=”389″ /]David Murphy and Collin Cowgill top the list because they’re the only guys with RBI base hits on the night. They were both pinch hitters in the ninth, of course. Everyone else mostly struggled, spraying a few singles here and there but rarely hitting the ball hard. David Freese managed the team’s lone extra-base hit.
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/15HzgjpxNyG1viMuUD8ftVPkabCxGT2eVO77u-L4Llvw/pubchart” query=”oid=1154832181&format=interactive” width=”620″ height=”341″ /]The Carlos Correa show continues. The young phenom homered, doubled, and singled on the evening and is now batting .375/.444/.750 against the Angels in 10 games. Fellow Angel killer Jose Altuve also had a three-hit game, because of course he did.
Starting Pitcher Scores
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/15HzgjpxNyG1viMuUD8ftVPkabCxGT2eVO77u-L4Llvw/pubchart” query=”oid=161400381&format=interactive” width=”584″ height=”293″ /]With two dingers allowed Monday night, Jered Weaver has now allowed nine home runs in five career starts at Minute Maid Park, surrendering at least one in each appearance. Let us hope the Angels never make him pitch there again. Dallas Keuchel, meanwhile, rebounded nicely from his career-worst start, holding the Halos to just one run in 7⅔ innings.
Bullpen Battle
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/15HzgjpxNyG1viMuUD8ftVPkabCxGT2eVO77u-L4Llvw/pubchart” query=”oid=1141913419&format=interactive” width=”620″ height=”315″ /]The Angels bullpen wasn’t all that bad and Houston’s bullpen wasn’t really all that good, the graph is just skewed because they’re both close to zero. Mike Morin was the only reliever to give up a run, but he didn’t really pitch poorly either other than one hanger to Altuve.
Game Flow
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/15HzgjpxNyG1viMuUD8ftVPkabCxGT2eVO77u-L4Llvw/pubchart” query=”oid=41272350&format=interactive” width=”619″ height=”315″ /]Don’t let the final score fool you, the Angels were out of this one early. This was the equivalent of a college football team putting in their practice squad in for the fourth quarter—the score narrowed, sure, but it was never really close.
Halo A-Hole
All the guile and deception in the world couldn’t make Jered Weaver suddenly miss bats away from the Big A.
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