Boxscore Breakdown #4: Devil Magic – Royals 4, Angels 2

Yep, turns out that the Royals still have that devil magic working for them. The Angels cannot beat. It cannot be done. God may be on their side as a team named the Angels, but the Royals have aligned themselves with the Lord of Darkness who possesses far more power. ABANDON ALL HOPE.

Royals 4, Angels 2

Run Expectancy Rundown
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/1m1JKUrBgwlk2Dsx1hQqUoFrnjgVfVI1hFO1v64MTO9c/pubchart” query=”oid=1976391661&format=interactive” width=”623″ height=”389″ /] David Freese continues to make Scioscia look smart for batting him clean-up against lefties while Kole Calhoun finally figured out how to hit it where they ain’t and Mike Trout did Mike Trout things. Albert Pujols was just brutal, which is really saying something seeing how Chris Iannetta took the golden sombrero. The real shame here is Johnny Giavotella had multiple opportunities to stick it to his old team and failed to do so. Show some pride, son!

[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/1m1JKUrBgwlk2Dsx1hQqUoFrnjgVfVI1hFO1v64MTO9c/pubchart” query=”oid=1154832181&format=interactive” width=”620″ height=”341″ /] I’m pretty sure that Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas only are able to hit when facing the Angels. Nobody else. Just the Angels. Of course, Kendrys Morales haunted the Halos again, though he was a net negative on the day.

Starting Pitcher Scores
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/1m1JKUrBgwlk2Dsx1hQqUoFrnjgVfVI1hFO1v64MTO9c/pubchart” query=”oid=161400381&format=interactive” width=”584″ height=”293″ /] Jason Vargas wasn’t great, but the Angels let him off the ropes a few times. Hector Santiago, in typical Santiago fashion, was on the verge of a pretty solid start, but he couldn’t close the door in the fifth. I’d argue that was more Scioscia’s fault though for leaving him out there and not bringing in Vinnie Pestano to face Cain.

Bullpen Battle
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/1m1JKUrBgwlk2Dsx1hQqUoFrnjgVfVI1hFO1v64MTO9c/pubchart” query=”oid=1141913419&format=interactive” width=”620″ height=”315″ /] The Angels had their shots against the vaunted Royals bullpen but couldn’t cash in, even when Yost elect not to bring in a lefty to face Joyce and paid the price. The lowlight for the Angels was the miserable performance of Fernando Salas who has revealed himself to be the non-union Mexican equivalent of Kevin Jepsen.

Defensive Dynamics
Just like in the ALDS, the Royals made all the defensive plays they needed to to keep the Angels in check. The Halos, less so. I can’t recall a specific defensive failing that led to a run, but I can conclude that Angel relievers probably shouldn’t attempt pickoffs anymore. They don’t seem to end well.

Game Flow
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/1m1JKUrBgwlk2Dsx1hQqUoFrnjgVfVI1hFO1v64MTO9c/pubchart” query=”oid=41272350&format=interactive” width=”619″ height=”315″ /] The Angels never really had control of the game, but they never really totally lost control either. At least not before Fernando Salas actively tried to get himself demoted.

Halo A-Hole

The strikeout in the third and the GADP, that’s Generic Albert Double Play, in the sixth single-handedly submarined the Angels’ rally efforts.