I think it might be time to break out the Cardiac Kids moniker for these Angels. The club was a mediocre 16-13 in one-run games entering August, but are 16-3(!!) in such games since. Nine of their last 12 victories overall have come by a single run and four of five on their current winning streak. The only team in baseball with a higher winning percentage in one-run contests than the Angels, who sit at a diabolical .666 (32-16), is the Pittsburgh Pirates (.679).
That they’re beating the world in one-run games in the second half is undoubtedly a good thing—it’s the only reason they’re still in the playoff hunt—but it’s tough to know what it actually says about the team. The point’s been made again and again that winning one-run games isn’t a repeatable skill, so the idea that the Angels have some sort of magic formula working doesn’t pass the smell test. What’s more, the club’s lack of one-run losses seems to have more to do with them being absolutely clobbered when they lose. Sure, their 10 walk-off wins are the second most in the American League, but so too are their 26 blowout losses. There’s no denying this club has come through in the clutch more often than not lately, but they’ve been the benefactors of some very fortunate run distribution as well.
Be sure to give thanks to the baseball gods as you sit down to watch the game tonight.
Boxscore Breakdowns
Series Takeaways
Thank Goodness for Freese and Johnny G
It’s amazing what can happen when half of the lineup isn’t occupied by a cluster of sub-replacement hitters. Since returning from the disabled list at the start of September, David Freese is batting .329/.368/.524 with two home runs and 10 doubles. Johnny Giavotella, meanwhile, is 4-for-8 with two triples and a double in three games back from his eye issues.
It’s tough to understate just how huge it is to have their bats back in the lineup every night. Neither guy is much more than an average hitter in the grand scheme of things, but even average is miles ahead of whatever the hell Taylor Featherston, Ryan Jackson, Conor Gillaspie and company were doing in their absence. While a hot stretch for one of the latter guys means that maybe they’ll be maybe average for a week, a streak for Freese or Giavotella can have them producing at an All-Star level for an extended time like they are now—with a higher floor comes a higher ceiling.
Mike Morin is Back
Mike Morin earned the first save of his career Sunday afternoon, putting the final touch on what’s been a remarkable turnaround from an incredibly ugly start to the season.
Morin had the seventh-inning gig locked up coming into the year but lost it after a rough April/May (6.00 ERA in 15 appearances) and then got hurt. He continued to struggle in his first few outings back from the DL and was shuttled back to Triple-A until rosters expanded. Since returning to the bullpen in September, though, the right-hander owns an 0.82 ERA and 17-to-1 K/BB ratio in 14 appearances. Gone are the hanging change-ups and middle-in fastballs, replaced by more well-placed offerings and a swing-and-miss slider that might end up being a second plus pitch.
Mike Scioscia says he’s going to take a closer-by-committee approach to the final week of the season, but his best bet might just be sticking with Morin. He misses bats far more than Trevor Gott, doesn’t have homer issues like Fernando Salas and Cory Rasmus, and is effective against both righties and lefties unlike Cesar Ramos and Jose Alvarez. Do it, Sosh.
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