Sure the game ended in as miserable, shocking, and abrupt fashion as you could expect. But one can give the Halos some props in this game.
They have overcome a tepid 2-26 from the three players who got their own special press conference at the outset of Spring Training to remain competitive in games 1 and 2 of the season. (Oh, and just a hint, their last names begin with the letters T, P, and H). The bullpen, though responsible for the loss in this game, remains a very hopeful sign. Kevin Jepsen and Garrett Richards fanned nearly everyone they faced, no doubt easing the mind of manager Mike Scioscia for future bullpen escapades. And even Scott Downs' nightmarish 9th inning wasn't completely his fault.
Hitting Shin Soo Choo to lead it off isn't what I'd advise for effective relief, but getting Joey Votto to ground to first base normally results in an out. Not this time, as Albert Pujols, he of the formerly golden glove, showed further signs of tarnish, bungling a fairly routine play and allowing Choo to laugh all the way to a Reds 5-4 victory.
Game Notes
— Howie Kendrick and Alberto Callaspo carried the offense. Bet you won't be hearing that all too often this season. Or will you? Oh, boy.
— C.J. Wilson did a great job of giving fans #PMA because of his ability to #throwstrikes for the first three innings. But mirroring his 2012 first half/second half Jekyll and Hyde act, he unraveled in the fourth, walking two and surrendering a home run. His final line (6 IP, 4 R, 3 ER) still afforded him a "quality start," but the Angels are going to need better from the No. 2 starter going forward.
— The offense will wake up eventually, right? For that to happen, the Angels will need to see Albert Pujols get a ball out of the infield. Then, said ball will need to land on grass before someone's leather glove. It's not that hard, Albert. Vernon Wells just did it.
— Brendan Harris continues to look solid. He leads the team in batting average (1.000) and has a walk to go along with it. Shut up about sample sizes!
Halo A-Hole of the Game
We've already taken digs at Mr. Pujols aplenty in this post, but his game-losing error that wasn't called an error and inability to hit the backside of a barn have landed him 2013's inaugural A-Hole of the Game.
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