Come on now, come on guys. Seriously, there’s no way this is happening for real guys. No way Santana goes and gives up 4 home runs in 5 innings to add to his terrible losing streak which has now extended to four games. His ERA is so horribly ugly that’s I intentionally won’t write it just to save you from the horrors that would be sure to come if you laid your eyes on such ungodly atrocities. Unfortunately that is my job here, to deliver this pain to you in the written word, and I’ll have to let you in on a little secret. Well it may not be such a secret because I saw everyone talking about it on Twitter earlier, but Santana’s 4 home runs allowed in today’s game is the worst in his career. For all his talk about being one of the four aces on the Angels he really isn’t pitching like a guy you’d want at the top of your rotation.
The fact is that this isn’t all because Santana has turned into junk; the stress brought on by the Angels underperforming offense is affecting the entire team in big ways. Our pitchers are becoming too fine on the mound, they’re pressing to degrees so bad that they’ve lost control of the strike zone; and don’t forget about how bad the hitters have become with the strike zone as well. It’s become a mental slaughtering that our team is having a hard time dealing with, they just can’t manage to pull themselves through games. Once they bring out the super glue and put some of the mental pieces back together they’ll be able to get through tough games and get back into the rhythm of baseball.
But dear God why is it taking so long????
It’s no surprise the bullpen was the first to go (mostly because they suck and it was bound to happen anyway) because the offense is giving them too many close games to work with and the mental fatigue it’s put on them is killing them on the mound. We all know how susceptible to pressure and stress our bullpen has been the past few years, it’s just the matter that right now they’re neck deep in a stress-pool that the players have handily built for themselves. I hate to agree with this statement, go ahead call me mean names on the internet if you feel you must, but I believe that it’s true that the Angels problems lie on the fact that Pujols has not hit a homerun yet. Well no…now that I’m actually looking at that statement it’s actually pretty dumb, what I mean to say is once Pujols finally hits his first homerun it will bring the team back to its feet. The moment that Pujols hits his first bomb it will be a glorious moment, because guess what, it’s the moment EVERYONE is waiting for. That moment will instantly pump the life back into the team, or at the very least the offense. That single event will get the ball rolling on the team getting back into shape, and if you disagree with those last few sentences then please cordially take your hand and give your face a slap for me.
Game Recap
- Santana has a terrifically horrible game at the Trop today, giving up 5 runs on 4 homeruns before he was yanked in the 5th. After the bullpen Santana was always the next one to succumb to mental distress, we’ve all seen his go on streaks where he’ll give up 4+ runs for around 3 to 4 games, usually in terribly demeaning fashion. He’s deep in a gutter right now and someone needs to save him, or I should say 9 someones, or one Pujols however you look at it. Whatever gets the offense rolling is really what’s gonna help Santana here, whether it be the call up of Mike Trout or Pujols’ first HR (depending on whichever comes first), it’ll be the same factor that leads to the pitching staff getting it together as well. Oh, and speaking of Mike Trout…..
- Say I’m speaking too soon, whatever, but it’s gotten to the point where the Angels need Mike Trout to save them. I know we’ve all been calling Mike Trout the savior of Angels baseball for some time now, and funny enough this is just the exact time for a savior. The Angels desperately need a spark plug, and with the way Trout has been playing in AAA (400./463./.600, 1.063 OPS) it’s become apparent that the minor leagues have become nothing but a chew toy for Trout. Bring him up now before the Angels become something to officially panic about, it really just kills me to see the Angels throwing games at all of the aged players while their young superstars have to earn each game they play. Oh, and while I’m looking at minor league stats I should mention that Hank Conger is hanging right up there with Trout, hitting .357/.390/554 with an OPS of 943. Just thought you’d like to know that fact.
- After Wells 0-3 game with a GIDP I’m beginning to think he might need to move over to make room for Trout. In different circumstances I would want Wells to have longer to prove himself, but the Angels are in desperate need of help and Mike Trout is exactly what they need. Wells has to lose playing time so Trout can play, or maybe even Torii Hunter could take some more bench time just because that would be such a Torii Hunter thing to do. He’s already offered up days in RF for Trumbo, but would he be willing to take time off for Trout or Wells as well? It would be a shame to take playing time away from Hunter, especially since this will probably be his last year as an Angel, but if he really wants to win it all with this team he just might need to ride a little more pine to get there.
- Small note: yes I do love David Carpenter. When I saw the first tweet confirming his call up I said to myself “yup, savior of the bullpen, here he is” with absolutely no sarcasm involved. He may not have achieved that status yet, but with his 3 K game today he’s getting pretty close. He also pitched 1.2 innings today, and with this short-but-so-far success in expanded relief he might be a guy that can come in during the 6th for the starter if he’s struggling and hand the ball right to the set-up guy. We’ll only be able to tell with time, but it seems to me this is a guy that will bring much stability to this pen. What is it with relievers who rock the glasses being so good?
Halo A-Hole
I blame the hitter friendly confines of Tropicana field for the Angels losing effort in todays game. Maybe in a less “hitter” oriented park Santana might stand a chance and the offense isn’t crippled by his terrible start. I bet if Wells wasn’t batting 5th the Angels would stand a better chance of following Trumbo with some rallys. This is my last ditch effort to find any excuse imaginable to try to rationalize the Angels horrible start to the season. It’s just the first month. Once Pujols starts hitting the team will follow. They’re just finding their stride. They’re pressing.
Well you know what guys, today it’s Tropicana Field.
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