Angels Series Versus Mariners: In Dire Need of Heat (52, 53, 54/81)

It's funny that during the hottest weekend of the year in Anaheim, the Angels couldn't find a way to turn up the heat. I'm going to be honest, I was on vacation at the river this weekend and wasn't able to catch any of the games, but on paper, it doesn't look pretty. I decided to bunch up the weekend series because: 1. It's easier for me this way, and 2. Because the farther Angels fall out of playoff contention, the less ink they deserve.

The key phrase here is "on paper." On paper, the Angels have one of the best, if not the best, teams in all of baseball. The Angels have 4 starters that could be aces on many of the league's pitching staffs. They have a Hall of Fame-level first baseman who could be spoken in the same breath as some of the best baseball players of all time. They have a versatile Rookie of the Year runner up who is exceeding even the highest of expectations in his power-hitting, sophomore tour. They have a deeper outfield than the Pacific Ocean, with Peter Bourjos and Vernon Wells coming off the bench. Their full-time DH is a switching hitting, ball crushing Cuban Missile and have one of the best defensive, double-play combos in baseball up the middle, and yet the Angels are 8 GAMES OUT OF FIRST PLACE! I still haven't even mentioned their historic 2012 Rookie of the Year, potential AL MVP, Mike Trout, yet.

The reality of the situation is that for all of the Angels talent, they have produced in the clutch. Their situational hitting has been atrocious all year. Their bullpen has been an up and down roller coaster of inconsistency, and, with the exception of Jered Weaver, the Angels starting pitchers have underperformed throughout large stretches the entire season.

The pitching situation is a mess, and Mike Butcher is starting to feel the heat. The Angels pitching coach got thrown out of the game last night for getting in the face of umpire Mike Estabrook for his strike zone on Weaver.

For those of you that don't play MLB 12: The Show, I'll confirm your suspicions. The Angels main three coaches (Mike Scioscia, Mickey Hatcher, and Butcher) have negative stat-modifier in every category that affects your team. The Angels have already done the right thing by axing Hatcher, which ended up coinciding with an immediate offensive spark plug with the call-up of Trout and the promotion of hitting coach Jim Eppard.

The Angels need another spark to light up the tail end of this season, and while getting rid of Butcher's negative statistics won't have any effect this late in the season, the Angels should really bring a fresh face and some clean air into the clubhouse. I hear Troy Percival will be throwing out the first pitch at the Angels game versus the Indian today. Maybe he can stop by and squint the Angels bullpen into shaping up.

I honestly don't know if the Angels will make the playoffs at their current pace, but they are by no means out of it yet. The teams that win the World Series aren't always the teams with the best record; they're the teams who get hot at the end of the season and ride it all the way through October. Angels just need to get hot in this final month and a half, but with the Angels lack of consistency, finding enough kerosene to keep it going might be tough.

TNT Connect, But Angels Fall Short (40/81)

Angels All Stars Mark Trumbo and Mike Trout (TNT) each blasted solo home runs, but it wasn't enough to overcome one mistake pitch by starter CJ Wilson as the Angels fell 3-2 against the Baltimore Orioles.

The Angels struggled to find their offense last night, but managed to do everything else right. Wilson threw only one mistake pitch to Oriole's first baseman, Steve Pearce, who turned it into a 3-run home run, but in a game where your offense isn't getting a lot of hits, one mistake can be costly.

You may or may not disagree with me, but for the Angels, their biggest problem right now is without a doubt situational hitting, more specifically hitting with runners in scoring position.

Over the past 8 games, the Angels are 13 for 69 (.188 average) with runners in scoring position. You stretch that out a few more games into June and that number only gets worse. The Angels aren't having trouble hitting home runs (even Peter Bourjos has a couple); they're having trouble hitting the ball when runners are on base. Granted, the numbers above don't take into account the Angel's trademarked small-ball like sacrifice flies, sacrifice bunts, and Trout scoring from first base, but the numbers are alarming.

If the Angels don't start hitting the ball in key situations, their luck is going to run out, their home runs are going to start decreasing, and they will start piling up loses because no team can sustain the Angels current winning percentage without being able to hit the ball in the clutch. We haven't heard from the guy in awhile because the offense had been so good for most of May and June, but its time to see what batting coach, Jim Eppard can do to turn this pattern around.

Don't Look Now, But the Angels Have a Two Game Winning Streak (19/81)

The Angels won their second game in a row by stomping on the visiting Chicago White Sox tonight, and beating them 7-2.

It was Peter Bourjos bobblehead night tonight, and White Sox second baseman, Gordon Beckham, couldn't wait to get his hands on one (above).

Here's the rundown from tonight's game:


Albert Pujols hit his second home run of the season, a three-run shot to center field, and hopes to be turning a page. However, his other three at-bats were nothing spectacular, but let's see where this goes.

Longtime Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher was fired last night, and the original 2002 World Series coaching staff now has only two remaining members: Mike Scioscia and first base coach Alfredo Griffin. The Angels are now 1-0 under new hitting coach, Jim Eppard, and fans couldn't hope for a better start than that.

To clarify, Hatcher was not the problem for the Angel's hitting woes this season or any of the previous seasons in which the Angels underachieved offensively. However, since he was  unable to solve the problem, he becomes expendable. General Manager, Jerry Dipoto talked about bringing some fresh air into the clubhouse, and I think that's just what the Angels needed. Eppard has been with the organization awhile and has worked with guys like Mark Trumbo, Mike Trout, and Howie Kendrick in the minors where they were tearing it up offensively. I think he'll bring a great feeling of familiarity to the guys and get them relaxed. It's like sharing the dugout with your old Little League coach now in the majors.

Also, unlike Hatcher, I think Eppard, 52, still has all his teeth.

Interesting note, Jerome Williams is undefeated at Angel Stadium. Since joining the team late last year, Williams has made seven starts at home and has won each one of them. Also, as an Angel, the guy only has one bad start. Quit the talk about Barry Zito being the best fifth starter in baseball, the underrated Williams is shutting opponents down.