It finally happened. It took an absurdly long time—21 games, for those counting—but it finally happened. No, not Mike Trout tallying his first base hit with a runner in scoring position, nor Andrelton Simmons making a play no one else on earth even thinks about, and not even the Angels at last scoring more than five runs in back-to-back games. What happened was far more important than any of those: fan favorite Johnny Giavotella finally notched his first extra-base hits of 2016: a double and a rally-capping three-run homer.
It’s no secret that things were going poorly for Johnny G heading into last night’s game. Among players with at least 40 plate appearances this season, his .292 OPS was the second worst in the game. As a result, he’d started to lose playing time to Cliff Pennington, whose career .658 OPS suddenly provided a huge offensive upgrade. After Tuesday’s game, which raised Giavotella’s OPS by nearly 200 points, that may no longer be seen as the case. And to have such a big game against his former organization—one that provided him few chances to succeed at the MLB level—had to be icing on the cake for him.
The Angels have now scored more runs (15) in the first two games of this series than they have in any other three- or four-game series this season. Let’s hope they can keep it up Wednesday and finish the sweep.
Run Expectancy Rundown
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/1BgHxflyPLknksqFBTclF9N7aa9x63VEfD0QAWMZb30s/pubchart” query=”oid=1976391661&format=interactive” width=”623″ height=”389″ /]For once, the Angels actually came through in the clutch. Giavotella, Trout, Yunel Escobar, C.J. Cron, and Carlos Perez all had hits with runners in scoring position, helping the team go 6-for-11 in those situations on the evening. Cron and Escobar both reached base four times, while Trout, Rafael Ortega, and Albert Pujols reached twice each. Kole Calhoun was the only starter without a hit.
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/1BgHxflyPLknksqFBTclF9N7aa9x63VEfD0QAWMZb30s/pubchart” query=”oid=1154832181&format=interactive” width=”620″ height=”341″ /]The Royals absolutely clobbered Jered Weaver on Tuesday—tallying six doubles, two singles, and a home run in six innings—but had perhaps the worst sequencing imaginable. That a team can notch seven extra-base hits and end up with only four runs, while the other team notches only two XBH but nine runs, is a great example of how unfair baseball can be at times. Jarrod Dyson and Salvador Perez both had two doubles, and Mike Moustakas blasted his seventh home run of the year.
Starting Pitcher Scores
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/1BgHxflyPLknksqFBTclF9N7aa9x63VEfD0QAWMZb30s/pubchart” query=”oid=161400381&format=interactive” width=”584″ height=”293″ /]Jered Weaver didn’t fool anyone but still managed to escape with a win. His four strikeouts matched a season high, but so too did his runs allowed. Batters are currently hitting .286/.350/.527 against him, which does not bode well for the future.
Edinson Volquez‘s ERA more than doubled after Tuesday’s dreadful outing. The 12 hits and eight runs he allowed are the most for him in any start since June 2013, well before Ray Searage turned his career around.
Bullpen Battle
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/1BgHxflyPLknksqFBTclF9N7aa9x63VEfD0QAWMZb30s/pubchart” query=”oid=1141913419&format=interactive” width=”620″ height=”315″ /]Mike Morin and Greg Mahle shut down Kansas City for the final three innings, with Mahle making his first multi-inning appearance. Thanks to early leads, the Angels continue to steer clear of the scary part of Royals’ bullpen. Joakim Soria and Chien-Ming Wang pitched again Tuesday, with a little help from Danny Duffy.
Game Flow
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/1BgHxflyPLknksqFBTclF9N7aa9x63VEfD0QAWMZb30s/pubchart” query=”oid=451609002&format=interactive” width=”619″ height=”316″ /]The Angels had to fight back from two separate deficits, putting the game away for good with their five-run rally in the fifth.
Halo Hero
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