Why do the Angels insist on making it so hard to be positive about them?
I should be writing now about how excited I am to see that Ervin Santana’s arm is actually OK after all. I should be following that up with glowing remarks on Kelvim Escobar’s long-awaited triumphant return to the field.
But no, I once again can’t help but focus on the limp offense and the Bullpen of Doom. That inspiring start by Kelvim Escobar went to waste thanks to another no-show performance by the Halo bats and Jose Arredondo and Jason Bulger decided that throwing strikes was overrated as they flushed Sunday’s game down the toilet.
I’m not even upset or depressed over the Angels’ woes anymore. I am severely pissed off. I never had any intention of turning this into a hater blog, but I just can’t seem to help myself anymore. We all know the Angels are a better team than this and just keep waiting around for them to flip the switch and become a contender-caliber team like they are every year. The problem is that the Angels seem to waiting for the flip to be switched as well, only nobody knows where it is or who is in charge of turning it to the ON position.
Good News:
- I simply demand that Ervin Santana pitch every game with bloody tissues sticking out of his nostril. It was a far cry from the Curt Schilling bloody sock game, but Santana really shut up all the doubters who had become convinced that his arm was about to fall off (wait, one of them was me? Dammit, stupid me).
- I don’t want to alarm you, but Howie Kendrick has had a hit in four of his last five games and even drawn three walks over that span while only striking out once. How delightfully not awful of him. He’s still The Human Rally Killer, but at least he showing a pulse again.
Bad News
- Want to know how far Vlad Guerrero has fallen? Justin Verlander intentionally walked Bobby Abreu to get to Vlady… and it worked. Guerrero promptly swung at a hard fastball in on his hands grounding into a double play to end the threat (a feat he would repeat again two games later). I want to give Guerrero the benefit of the doubt that he has been injured, but he simply doesn’t have the bat speed anymore to be swinging at stupid pitches and hoping his quick hands and power bails him out. It pains me to say it, but perhaps it is time to move Guerrero down in the order until he proves that he deserves to bat clean-up again.
- I really hate being right. I predicted another bullpen meltdown this weekend and that it would even come by way of Jason Bulger. One grand slam later and I am wishing I had just shut my damn mouth.
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