Boxscore Breakdown #76: Because someone had to – Angels 3, Mariners 2

The Angels won this game because someone had to. Whether someone deserved to remains to be seen. This game had everything for the fan who likes seeing inept baseball. Guys swinging and missing at 3-0 pitches. Guys swinging at 3-0 pitches and hitting into a double play. Multiple wild pitches. Multiple sacrifice bunts.  It was really like neither team wanted to win the game, but like I said, someone had to. Go Angels?

Angels 3, Mariners 2

Run Expectancy Rundown
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/14-0J7KMBSlYCVEU89IQEKuP_rO9Iu3PVjIfjX69K_Hw/pubchart” query=”oid=1976391661&format=interactive” width=”623″ height=”389″ /] Kole Calhoun seemingly won the game in the eighth only to have the bullpen ruin things. Fortunately, he got chance to come back and score the winning run the very next inning. Of course, Calhoun didn’t receive any help from Albert Pujols and that impossibly unclutch double play.

[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/14-0J7KMBSlYCVEU89IQEKuP_rO9Iu3PVjIfjX69K_Hw/pubchart” query=”oid=1154832181&format=interactive” width=”620″ height=”341″ /] Despite his game-tying homer, Seager ended up on the negative side of the axis. Nelson Cruz had the biggest of days, but that is all relative. The worst day belonged to Mark Trumbo who now rocks a .265 OBP. But please, tell me again how much the Angels should never have traded him.

Starting Pitcher Scores
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/14-0J7KMBSlYCVEU89IQEKuP_rO9Iu3PVjIfjX69K_Hw/pubchart” query=”oid=161400381&format=interactive” width=”584″ height=”293″ /] Felix Hernandez did Felix Hernandez things, except for the part where he seemingly got hurt and had to leave the game. Hector Santiago was pretty outstanding himself and arguably could have even come back out for the eighth inning.

Bullpen Battle
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/14-0J7KMBSlYCVEU89IQEKuP_rO9Iu3PVjIfjX69K_Hw/pubchart” query=”oid=1141913419&format=interactive” width=”620″ height=”315″ /] Huston Street made the one mistake to Seager to extend the game and force the Mariners to basically empty their entire bullpen. Somehow they had three different relievers with wild pitches in this game.

Game Flow
[googleapps domain=”docs” dir=”spreadsheets/d/14-0J7KMBSlYCVEU89IQEKuP_rO9Iu3PVjIfjX69K_Hw/pubchart” query=”oid=451609002&format=interactive” width=”619″ height=”316″ /] Things got pretty crazy in the late innings, but my favorite tidbit was how the Pujols GIDP took the Angels from a 93% win probability all the way down to a 63% win probability.

Halo Hero

An argument could be made that he should get this award twice for this game.