Momentum has not been with the Angels much this season. It has felt like one slow climb out of a large hole, only have someone throw dirt on your face just as you reach the top. The team has been frustratingly inconsistent all season; hot for a spell, then seemingly disintereted for other stretches. But one walk off win can change the whole equation. A win like tonight can get the ball rolling if you consider that a) they came back against Felix Hernandez and b) they were the ones who took advantage of the ball bouncing for once.
Random Tanget
What the hell is up with the umpires? Too ridiculously bad blown calls tonight continued a trend of Angel vs Umpires. I can see the blown first base call, the ump was out of position but it’s common. The balk that wasn’t called in the ninth is a different story. When half of the crowd and the guy on second base all jump up at the same time (and lets face it, most of the crowd have a cursory understanding of the rule at best), then I’m pretty sure it’s a balk. At some point there needs to be a real discussion about the quality of officiating in these games. The umps have all lost their damn minds…
Game Notes
— Ervin Santana had one bad inning, but other than that he was pretty solid. 6+ innings is a good distance to go but what is more encouraging was the 8-3 groundout to flyout ratio, meaning he might be actually keeping the ball down a bit more.
— Just when I think I’m out on Erick Aybar, he has a game like tonight. The deak to get a double play was vintage sneaky Erick in the field. But his scoring from second on a sac fly was really the key to the whole game.
— Nice work by the bullpen tonight. Takahashi actually did what he is paid to do by getting two lefties out. Kevin Jepsen continues his out of body experience with a clean inning and Ernesto Frieri showed his old dominant self. Here’s hoping the bully can string a couple of these together.
— I think all Halo fans have a soft spot for Peter Bourjos. It’s not his fault that the guy currently roaming center maybe one of the next generation’s best players. It’s also not his fault that the corner outfielders are a living legend in the field and a key cog to the offense. But he is always ready to go and his speed will be a huge factor going forward, just like it was tonight.
Halo Hero
We are officially out of superlatives for Mike Trout. On the surface a 1-3 night is nothing special. But his three run homer got the Angels right back into it and his two RBI sac fly evened things up. It just seems good things will always happen when he is at bat.
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