Series Rewind: How Did it Get this Bad? – Angels Drop Series in Oakland

An Angel series loss to the Athletics in which we wonder how it really got this bad?

Game 1 – Athletics 8, Angels 0

Game 2 – Athletics 3, Angels 1

Game 3 – Angels 7, Athletics 4

Los Angeles Angels of AWESOMENESS

• Not much went right this weekend, but at least I got my prediction of Torii Hunter breaking his RBI and homer drought right.  That counts for something, right?  Right?  Hello?  Anyone there?

Los Angeles Angels of FAIL

• How did the offense get this bad?  This team is hitting like they are contractually obligated to get shutout once per series now.  This lineup has never been more than average this year, but I just don’t get how they have become so completely and totally inept.  It isn’t even that they aren’t scoring runs, they are barely even threatening to do so.  Their offense is now almost totally reliant upon home runs now, and they really don’t have that much power.
• Don’t for one second go and get all excited that Scott Kazmir allowed just two hits and two runs in his start.  He isn’t getting better, he just got lucky.  Anytime you walk six batters and dot two more in less than six innings, you shouldn’t sneak away with two runs allowed, more like eight.  I really just don’t see any signs of life from Kazmir that his 2011 season is going to be any better than his 2010 season.  Ironically, Trevor Cahill basically had the same performance they very next night and didn’t allow a single run.  But that might be more of a commentary on just how bad the Angel hitters are right now.
• Bobby Wilson didn’t do a whole lot to help his case to supplant Jeff Mathis next season by allowing three stolen bases and a passed ball in his lone start this series.  However, he did go o-for in his game, a very Mathisian thing to do.  Maybe if he just starts hitting worse than Mathis (assuming that is even possible), Scioscia will become confused and think that it somehow makes him a better catcher than Jeff is.
• Unfortunately, my other semi-prediction also cam true this series with Jered Weaver getting knocked down to a mere .500 thanks to yet another miserable effort from the Angel lineup.  The shame of it all is that Weaver should be a Cy Young contender this season, but the old-timer voters aren’t ever going to be able to see past his record.  Unless he goes on some sort of torrid winning streak to end the season, Weaver will be lucky to get any votes at all.
• It wasn’t a save opportunity, technically, but Fernando Rodney certainly did enough to make folks worry.  He may have escaped with allowing just one run, but that kind of performance isn’t going to make anyone fear him as a shutdown closer and it isn’t going to do anything to make Angel fans think that he is the solution at closer either.  Walden may have given up two hits in his setup outing, but his ability to generate so many swings-and-misses allows him to overcome his mistakes, unlike Rodney.

Halo Hack of the Series

Aybar didn’t necessarily do anything to cost the series, but his overall performance was a microcosm of the team’s struggles.  Failure to drive in runs when given the opportunity, looking completely and totally lost at the plate and letting his lack of focus in the field lead to two errors.  The Angels just don’t seem to have their heads in the game anymore and Aybar is like their king.