Game Rewind: Blown Away – Red Sox 9, Angels 8

That game is going to haunt me for a long, long time.  My I am just still in shock, but that is the single-most painful regular season loss I can think of in the last few years.  I am now so terrified of having to play Boston in the ALDS that the first thing I did after the game (after vomiting, that is) is see if is mathematically possible for the Angels to still win the AL West but lose enough games so that Detroit finishes the season with a better record.  I just don’t see how any good could possibly come from the Angels having the return to Fenway Park in the playoffs.

Yeah, Mike, I am pretty pissed off too.

How much can possibly go wrong for the Halos in that stadium in one night.  Three different leads they blew.  First a three-run lead courtesy of the Angels middle infield screwing up two double plays on consecutive batters.  Then a two-run lead was flushed down the toilet because Mike Scioscia still hasn’t figured out that Kevin Jepsen is only good for one inning.  And finally a one-run margin was stolen from the Angels by the home plate umpire, with an assist to Brian Fuentes aka Public Enemy #1 to Angel fans.

I am a big proponent of never blaming the umpiring for a loss, but since when does any umpire give a chump like Nick Green the benefit of the doubt TWICE in one at-bat with the game on the line.  Tito had Green out once on a check swing and then again on that alleged ball four which was CLEARLY a strike.  I just want to know when Tim Donaghy changed his name to Rick Reed and started officiating baseball.  Just look at the screen capture below (pitch #9) from the MLB Gameday application.  Now I know that it isn’t official, but does that pitch even look borderline to you?

What do the Angels have to do to get a win in Fenway?  Is it even possible?  They finally showed some offensive resiliency, and still this garbage happens.  I just can’t take it anymore.  I really can’t.

Angelic Accomplishments:

• At least the Angels finally hit again.  The Red Sox fielders helped them out a bit but, Juan Rivera and Mike Napoli both had extra base hits and RBIs which is great for both of them.
• Howie Kendrick got it done at the plate again tonight.  They need to have him in their a lot more.  Might I recommend teaching him to play left field?

Devilish Details:

• Hey, Juan Rivera, DIVE YOU ASSHOLE!!!!!!  I am sure I am not the only one who thought that Rivera could have laid out for that game-winning single.  And what the frak was he doing playing so deep?  He should have been positioned in at least five more steps in so he could prevent that exact kind of his from happening.  Maybe he was just feeling defeated and quit on the ball, but that is no excuse.  Scioscia should bench him for at least one game as a punishment.
• I am convinced opponents should purposely load the bases when the Angels bat, they are just awful with the bases juiced.  Twice tonight they had three ducks on the pond and they didn’t get a single run out of either situation.  Sonuvabitch
• Saunders was good tonight, but he can’t possibly get away with letting the lead off man reach almost every inning and still expect to last long in a game.  That’s how you get yourself into ridiculous innings like he did in the sixth inning where he pitched very well and still coughed up the 3-0 lead.
• As if losing wasn’t bad enough, but now Vladimir Guerrero might be hurt after getting drilled in the ribs by a pitch.  Every time he starts heating up, he gets hurt.  Unbelievable.  Even if it is a day-to-day injury, the Angels now might now have Vlad, the ultimate Ranger killer, for the all-important Texas series that starts Friday.  Just wonderful.
• Not to rub salt in the wound, but I just realized the Angels still couldn’t pull this one out despite the Red Sox being without their three best hitters (Kevin Youkilis, Victor Martinez and Jason Bay) and top two relievers (Jonathan Papelbon and Billy Wagner).

Halo Anti-Hero:

• Brian Fuentes

I should give this to the home plate umpire Rick Reed, but ultimately the ninth inning choke job is on Brian Fuentes who just needed one more out and couldn’t get it done, despite facing two lefties and then three straight slap hitting righties.  That shouldn’t happen to a closer… ever.