Game Recap 9/23/11 — How The West Was Lost — Angels 1 A’s 3

We come here to both bury the Angels AL West hopes and lay blame for the predicament they now find themselves in. Tonight’s game was a microcosm of what has been plaguing the Angels all season: lack of the big hit when needed. As a result, the Rangers are now on their way to the playoffs. The Angels…there’s still a faint pulse, but this patient is on life support.

Angels 1 A’s 3

Game Notes

— You have to feel for Jered Weaver. Tonight, he did what an ace is supposed to do. He kept his team in the game, going 8 1/3 of mostly solid baseball. He did surrender two solo home runs but that type of performance should have earned him a win.
— Mike Trout is going to be a star someday, but right now he is still a kid in over his head. What started out as a glorious preview of the next great Halo has dissolved into a string of strikeouts and lack of overall production. His late season slump doesn’t damper my enthusiam one bit for what next year brings, though.
— I don’t care what Gubi says, Howie Kendrick should have swung at the 3-1 pitch in the 8th with the bases loaded. It was a better pitch to hit and might have given the Angels the lead.
— Gotta hand it to Torii Hunter – dude leads in both words and actions. You knew he would have something to say about the outcome and, for a moment, I thought his home run would light the offensive fuse. Guess I was wrong.

Halo A-Hole

I like Maicer. I really do. He seems like a decent enough guy and he delivers in the clutch more than any other Angel, but he is also Exhibit A of the need to upgrade at 3rd base. His error in the 8th cost the Angels the game and, most likely, the playoffs.