Los Angeles Angels right fielder Josh Hamilton has got a big swing, but he hasn’t been connecting as often as usual for his new team in 2013. Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

How is it that owner Arte Moreno goes out and spends more money than anyone else in the baseball world two years running to pluck the best-hitting free agent on the market and his team gets worse?

Don’t you think he is sitting in the owner’s box quietly fuming, wondering just what the heck is going on with his sure-fire investments? Coup no. 1 was signing Albert Pujols for the 2012 season. Maybe he paid a little bit too much for too long, but did anyone believe that Albert wasn’t going to remain one of the premier hitters in the game for another four years or so? Well, it hasn’t worked that way, not yet at least.

Coup no. 2 was signing Josh Hamilton for the 2013 season. Once again it could be questioned whether Hamilton was paid too much for too long, but he was a stud hitter bound to produce big numbers for another three years, at least. Yet Hamilton has done nada.

And the scariest part of the whole shebang is that the Angels are fighting it out for the cellar of the American League West Division with the Houston Astros, not fighting it out for the division crown with the Texas Rangers. The Angels are two-and-a-half games ahead of the Astros and nine games behind the Rangers.

Now it is only mid-May, so all hope is not lost, especially given the way the Rangers forfeited its early-season lead last year. But after spending big and shaping what he thought might have been a World Series contender last year, Moreno couldn’t have been too happy to find himself as the boss of a team that missed the playoffs altogether. And the Angels are on the same grim path right now.

At the end of the baseball day Thursday Pujols was batting .238. He did have five home runs and 19 RBIs, which is OK, but his average is around his weight. Hamilton had four home runs and 11 runs batted in and was batting .213 and that’s primarily because he’s been on a hot streak lately. Each of these guys is earning around $25 million a year.

Now Pujols and Hamilton are perfectly capable of going on huge, month-long tears, where they do the Roy Hobbs-knock-the-cover-off-the-ball thing. Anyone who is a real baseball fan would like to see them break out of their slumps and get their numbers back into the stratosphere. This has nothing to do with being an Angels fan, though of course they are the most disappointed among the spectators.

From age 21 to 30, Pujols was being compared to the best players in the history of the game. Then, in 2011 he got stuck on 99 RBIs and a .299 batting average, the first time he missed out on 100 and .300 in his career. Last year he started very slowly, but ended up with 30 homers and 105 RBIs, but had the lowest average of his career at .285.

So what’s up with Pujols? There have been some injuries, but none that knocked him out for a season, or most of one. His on-base-percentage has sunk like the Titantic, over the last three seasons dropping from .366 in 2011 to .322 this season after a more normal .414 in 2010. Pujols is only 33, so he is not too old. But something is off, for sure.

As for Hamilton, for the last several years he has been the most feared slugger in the American League. He won a Most Valuable Player award. He won a batting title. Wherever he traveled he bashed dents into outfield walls with his line drives when his fly balls weren’t carrying over them.

Suddenly he can’t hit at all. Going into the weekend Hamilton had 41 strikeouts to eight walks. That’s the kind of flailing reserved for rookies who don’t recognize the curveball. Hamilton smacked 43 home runs with 128 RBIs last year and he is just 31.

It was considered very unlikely that the Angels would take a run at Hamilton after signing Pujols to a long-term deal the year before. It is almost impossble for the average fan to believe that both men lost their hitting stroke as soon as they moved to the West Coast.

And if baseball fans can’t fathom it, how do you think Arte Moreno feels? He thought he was hiring a modern-day Babe Ruth-Lou Gehrig combo. So far he probably feels he ended up with Abbott and Costello instead.

Author: Jason Evans

The 2012 Los Angeles Angels came into  the season with World Series aspirations and champagne bottle popping dreams. When you sign two of the biggest free agents of the off-season in Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson with a brand spanking new television deal giving the team more revenue this wasn’t all that off base. In actuality, the Angels finished a couple of games short of their goal of making the playoffs.

The Angels came into the season with some questions. Is Kendrys Morales healthy and can he make it a full season after missing almost two years after a broken leg? Who’s the closer going to be? Where does Mark Trumbo fit? How awesome is the rotation going to be?

Despite Trout’s historic season, the Angels couldn’t get around Texas and into the playoffs. Image: Tim Heitman-US PRESSWIRE

Well the start wasn’t exactly the best. The Angels were 6-14 on April 27 and after their walk off loss released Bobby Abreu and called up Mike Trout.  The Angels took off after that.  It took them a month but they finally crawled over .500. Mike Trout came up and did things on a baseball field that few of us had ever seen before. Whether you think he’s the MVP or not, he was the first person to have 30 home runs, over 40 steals and over 120 runs in the same season. Of course Trout wasn’t the only factor. It took Pujols a month to hit a home run, but he finished at .285 with 30 homers and 105 RBI.

Part of their problem early on was Mark Trumbo at third and Vernon Wells in the outfield. Trumbo looked uncomfortable and Wells was ineffective. When Wells injured his thumb, they had the ability to move Trumbo to the outfield and put Alberto Callaspo at third who is better defensively.  Kendrys Morales proved he could stay healthy for a season and hit 22 homeruns as the team’s main left handed source of power.

The pitching rotation on the other hand was shaky. Jered Weaver proved why he’s a top five pitcher in the major leagues, winning 20 for the first time in his career and pitching a no-hitter.  He went 10-1 in the first half with a ridiculous 1.96 ERA. Everyone else had trouble. C.J. Wilson was very inconsistent and is getting off-season elbow surgery to remove some bone chips. Dan Haren had a back issue that hampered him. Ervin Santana was also inconsistent. The Angels needed to make a move and did so acquiring Zack Greinke. Greinke went 6-2 and looked very comfortable down the stretch. The bullpen started shaky then improved with the acquisiton of Ernesto Frieri who didn’t give up a run for two months and then struggled the rest of the way.

Looking towards 2013 there are plenty of things to like. Mike Trout for a full season is one of them. Albert Pujols will probably have a similar if not better season than 2012, but also be more comfortable in his second year. Weaver and a healthy Wilson can be a strong 1-2 combo at the top of the rotation.

For all the good things, there are question marks. Haren and Santana’s options are going to be declined and Greinke is going to be a free agent. The Rangers will go hard after Greinke and the Angels can’t afford to lose him. If they don’t they are going to have to fill holes via trade because the free agent market appears to be pretty shallow. The bullpen needs some overhauling. They need a lefty to go with Scott Downs. Jason Isringhausen will probably retire and LaTroy Hawkins may or may not be brought back. They have to decide whether or not Frieri will be the closer moving forward of they have to go and get one.

There are questions in management too. It appears that there is some disconnect between GM Jerry Dipoto and manager Mike Scioscia. Arte Moreno came out and said both would be back next year, however if the Angels stumble out of the gate like last year could it cost Scioscia his spot?

The hitting has some questions too. Torii Hunter is a free agent. As I talked about in a post on halohangout, Hunter’s good numbers in 2012 were deceiving so will he be brought back? Who’s the real Mark Trumbo. Is it the guy who had a monster first half, or the guy who only hit .227 in the second half? I think they could use an upgrade at third from Alberto Callaspo, would it be Kaleb Cowart or someone from outside the organization?

The Angels have all the components to win in 2013. They almost made the playoffs in 2012 and the team may be a few tweaks away from winning the whole thing. I fully expect the Angels to be a contender in 2013, however, work needs to be done in order for that to happen and certain players will need to step up to the challenge. If the right things are done, it could be a very fun summer in SoCal.

For all your Angels coverage, be sure to visit Halo Hangout.

So good and underrated. – US PRESSWIRE

The baseball season is coming to an end and I, for one, am unhappy about it. The end of the baseball season means the start of the baseball off-season, an off-season full of trade speculation, free agent signings/analysis, hirings, firings. It’s all moderately interesting but it’s not real baseball and real baseball is superior to all tangential happenings of said. This very moment, I am watching college football. College football! I ate chicken wings for dinner. Chicken wings! The times and seasons, they are a changing. We can’t stop it but that doesn’t mean we have to like it.

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The Angels welcome the Chicago White Sox to town for a weekend series that hold many more playoff implications for the visiting team, than for those playing a home. Los Angeles, who shocked the baseball world last Fall by signing C.J. Wilson and Albert Pujols on the same day, who added a Cy Young winner to their rotation in mid-season, and who employ the game’s brightest young star in Mike Trout, are a full four games out of the second Wild Card slot and in third place in their division.

Realistically, the Angels don’t have much of a shot to make the playoffs in 2012. But they can put a serious dent in Chicago’s chances, and keep their own slim hopes alive, with a big weekend.

L.A.’s chances aren’t completely dashed, of course, but they wasted a big opportunity over the past few days, including wasting a gem of a performance by Zack Greinke on Thursday night. While the Oakland A’s, the club the Angels are most immediately chasing for a playoff berth, were dropping two of three in Detroit, the Halos couldn’t capitalize and gained no ground in losing two of three to a depleted Texas squad.

Pujols go off to a rough start, but rebounded nicely in 2012. Image: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

The Angels have been not without some inner turmoil this season, either. Long-time hitting coach Mickey Hatcher was fired in May after reports that he and Pujols weren’t getting along. Pujols, it should be noted, was in the midst of the worst first month-and-a-half of a season in his career. Was it coincidence that Pujols perked up around the time Hatcher was replaced? Probably. Guys who make close to $30 million per year usually do so because they are pretty darn good hitters already. I doubt anything Hatcher said or didn’t say would have caused Pujols to temporarily forget how to hit.

Fitting then, since he and Pujols signed on the same day, that Wilson has also had a run-in or two with the Angels’ coaching staff. Following his latest start, once in which his former teammates knocked him out of the game in the third inning, Wilson and manager Mike Scioscia reportedly had a lengthy closed-door meeting; the second such meeting between the two this season.

Wilson had a strong first half, but has posted a 5.79 ERA since the All-Star break and walks have been an issue. It appears as if Wilson and pitching coach Mike Butcher disagree on the best way to attack hitters; which is to say that Butcher prefers Wilson to, you know, actually throw strikes and work within the zone. Wilson apparently thinks trying get hitters to chase in a better method.

Wilson’s been knocked around during the second half. Image: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

Either way, given the disappointment that has been this season for the Angels and that the club has already yielded to a star player once this season, you have to figure that at the very least, Butcher’s job may be in jeopardy. It wouldn’t shock me if Scioscia’s isn’t as well, but many time, managers are given he option of replacing coaches before they get the axe themselves.

Ordinarily, you see a staff that has been as sable as the one in Anaheim and you assume the manager has full backing of the front office, but the Angels have quite a bit of money tied up in Wilson over the next four seasons and after a rough campaign his year, he’d be a tough guy to trade. Unless he and the coaching staff get on the same page, even more changes could be coming to the Halo dugout.

Oakland has seven meetings remaining with Texas this season, so if the Angels can right the ship, they might still be in play for the post-season appearance hat seemed a mere formality during the Winter. If they wind up falling short, it will interesting to see how much patience Arte Moreno is willing to display.

Pujols left in the middle of a game, his boo-boo being announced as tightness in a calf muscle. He was a little bit hurt and it was a little bit precautionary, though he did not play in the next game either. Better to have tightness than a pull. It’s hard to know just what this means for a team that had some of the grandest aspirations in the sport before the season began, but at the moment is hoping for a wild card spot in the playoffs.

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The New York Yankees are going to win the American League East. Baltimore made good sport of things for a while at the start of the season, but right now the Orioles are hanging on by their fingernails to second place. They might yet fool everyone and pick off a playoff spot, but I’m thinking by the time the end of September rolls around the Orioles will be out of breath and maybe not even holding on to a winning record. It’s just taking them longer than usual in 2012 to go away and perhaps it does bode well for the future after two decades of futility. Could be the Orioles will follow the Pirates’ path just one year later.

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That’s with MVP candidate and leading hitter Joey Votto on the disabled list for most of it. Thursday, that was with second-base star Brandon Phillips sidelined with a minor ailment, too. These are not the Three Musketeers, the Reds are more like the 25 Musketeers. Oh yeah, some guys are hot like outfielder Ryan Ludwick, who has almost been matching Albert Pujols’ recent surge in average and power.

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Texas Rangers 11, Los Angeles Angels 10 (F/10)

The Angels were fully prepared to sweep the AL West-leading Rangers. After leading much of the game, Texas forced extra innings. The Angels promptly took a 10-7 lead in the top of the 10th inning thanks to a home run from Chris Iannetta and the second home run of the game from Albert Pujols. The Rangers rallied back to score four runs in the bottom of the inning in part thanks to RBI contributions from Nelson Cruz (who went deep), Mitch Moreland, and Elvis Andrus. Andrus had four hits in the game, while his teammate Ian Kinsler had three hits and a home run of his own. Wednesday marked two straight games in which Albert Pujols homered twice.

Elvis Andrus drove in the winning run in an exciting 10th inning on Wednesday night. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-US PRESSWIRE

New York Yankees 12, Baltimore Orioles 3

Tired of losing to the Orioles, the Yankees plated 11 runs in the first three innings of this game to run away and hide. Robinson Cano homered and drove in four runs, Curtis Granderson also homered while scoring two runs, and Derek Jeter went 3-4 and drove in three. J.J. Hardy was 3-4 with a solo home run in defeat.

Chicago White Sox 3, Minnesota Twins 2

Alejandro De Aza delivered with a run-scoring infield single in the eighth inning that wound up being the difference in this contest. Jake Peavy held the Twins at bay with another excellent start. The veteran right-hander went eight innings, allowed one earned run, permitted just seven baserunners, and struck out eight. Danny Valencia was kind enough to homer for Minnesota.

Tampa Bay Rays 4, Oakland Athletics 1

Alex Cobb delivered a strong performance, going seven innings while allowing one run and striking out six to get the win. He got offensive support from Carlos Pena, who doubled, homered, and drove in a pair of runs. A Brandon Inge solo homer was all the A’s managed to get in this one.

Seattle Mariners 5, Toronto Blue Jays 3

Eric Thames punished his former team by hitting a two-run homer against them to tie the game in the fifth inning. The Mariners added a pair of runs on RBI singles from John Jaso and Dustin Ackley. Colby Rasmus had two hits and hit his 19th home run of the season for Toronto in the loss.

Kansas City Royals 5, Cleveland Indians 2

Luis Mendoza pitched 7 1/3 innings and allowed just two earned runs to lead the Royals past the Indians. Lorenzo Cain had two hits, a run scored, and one RBI in the victory. Carlos Santana, who many expected to have a huge 2012, hit a solo home run in the loss. Santana has battled injuries and ineffectiveness, so his line sits at a disappointing .235/.364/.397. Hey, that’s a lot of walks though.

Detroit Tigers 7, Boston Red Sox 5

Detroit did most of its damage in their five-run fifth inning. Prince Fielder, Miguel Cabrera, and Delmon Young all homered to lead the Tigers past the Red Sox in the third game of the series. Carl Crawford homered for the Red Sox, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a terrible start from Aaron Cook.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Pittsburgh Pirates 8, Chicago Cubs 4

The Cubs had to score four runs in the ninth inning to get past one run Wednesday just one day after being one-hit by A.J. Burnett. A five-run explosion in the eighth inning ultimately won the game for the Pirates and kept them close to the top of the NL Central. Sterling Marte hit his second home run since being called up, while Mike McKenry went 2-5 with a home run and three RBI. Welington Castillo hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning to inch the Cubs a little bit closer.

Arizona Diamondbacks 4, Los Angeles Dodgers 0

The Diamondbacks mean business. This win marks a sweep of the Dodgers and puts Arizona in firm contention. Patrick Corbin pitched six shutout innings, allowed just four men to reach base, and struck out five. Miguel Montero homered for the second straight game and Chris Johnson went deep again in his fancy new snake-themed uniform.

Milwaukee Brewers 13, Houston Astros 4

The rest of this season is going to feel like an agonizing hell for the rebuilding Astros. After getting demolished by the Brewers for the second straight night, the Astros have now dropped 15 out of 16 games and easily have the worst record in the game at 35-71. Ryan Braun and Rickie Weeks both reached base three times and homered in the Milwaukee rout, while Brett Wallace hit a pair of home runs in the loss.

Philadelphia Phillies 3, Washington Nationals 2

The Phillies are awesome now that they’re not a real baseball team. Vance Worley didn’t allow an earned run in seven innings despite failing to strike out a single National. Jimmy Rollins hit a pair of solo home runs for the Phillies, while Bryce Harper had two hits for the Nationals.

Miami Marlins 4, Atlanta Braves 2

Carlos Zambrano outpitched Ben Sheets in a matchup that would have been much more tantalizing years ago. Big Z technically came in for the win in relief, while Sheets managed to strike out eight in 6 2/3 innings despite getting hit around. Carlos Lee went 2-3 and drove in a run, while Freddie Freeman had three hits for Atlanta.

Cincinnati Reds 6, San Diego Padres 4

The Reds, who have simply decided they would not like to lose anymore, got a 3-4 performance and a two-run homer from outfielder Ryan Ludwick in the win. Chase Headley rewarded the Padres for not trading him by going 2-4 with three RBI and his 13th home run of the season. Headley now has a career-high for home runs in a season.

St. Louis Cardinals 9, Colorado Rockies 6

The Cardinals waited out a rain delay to take down the Rockies, but they failed to gain any ground in the NL central. Matt Holliday wreaked havoc on his former team, going 3-4 with three runs scored, five RBI, and two more home runs. Holliday is now hitting a robust .325/.408/.561 after his second straight monster game against Colorado. Tyler Colvin, Ramon Hernandez, and Yadier Molina also had three-hit games.

New York Mets 2, San Francisco Giants 1

Jonathon Niese beat out Matt Cain thanks to a seven inning, one run effort that featured five strikeouts. Ruben Tejada and David Wright each had three hits, while Tejada went deep. Buster Posey got the only Giants run with his 14th home run of the season.

If Brian’s writing strikes your fancy, read his work at StanGraphs and follow him on Twitter at @vaughanbasepct.

No more. Now the strategic roster additions (and the endless pile of money) are no longer in the American League East, but in the American League West and the protagonists of oneupmanship are the Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Angels. They are the tit-for-tat twosome stockpiling more nuclear weapons for the stretch run in order to put a stranglehold on the division and for sure a playoff spot.

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Los Angeles Angels 6, Texas Rangers 2

The Angels have improved themselves greatly by adding Zack Greinke to their rotation and now they have beaten the rival Rangers once again. Tuesday’s hero was Albert Pujols, who clubbed a pair of solo home runs to help down the Texas squad. Jered Weaver put up a quality start that looked even better for a while, as he held the opponent hitless through five innings. Mike Trout hit his 18th home run of the season (10 of which have come in July) and David Murphy drove in both of the runs the Rangers scored. The Angels are now just three games back of the division lead.

Albert decided it was time to hit the ball over the fence at will on Tuesday. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-US PRESSWIRE

Baltimore Orioles 11, New York Yankees 5

The Yankees scored all five of their runs in the bottom of the first inning, but the Orioles charged back to score seven in the top of the second. Chris Davis hit a grand slam, while teammate Nick Markakis went 3-5 with a home run and two RBI. A two-run homer by Robinson Cano was a big part of the New York scoring outburst in the first frame.

Boston Red Sox 4, Detroit Tigers 1

The Red Sox won this weather-shortened game thanks to solid work from the pitching staff. Josh Beckett, Clayton Mortensen, and Franklin Morales combined to allow just one run in 5 2/3 innings despite walking six batters. Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford, and Pedro Ciriaco each drove in runs for the Red Sox. Miguel Cabrera plated the only Detroit run.

Kansas City Royals 8, Cleveland Indians 3

Luke Hochevar pitched a quality start and got help from unlikely sources in the win. Alcides Escobar went 2-4 with three RBI, while Chris Getz drove in two and Jarrod Dyson had three hits. Alex Gordon, a much more expected hero, also had three hits in the game.

Chicago White Sox 4, Minnesota Twins 3

An A.J. Pierzynski solo home run in the top of the ninth wound up being the difference as the White Sox edged the Twins. Francisco Liraino faced his former team for the first time since being traded and fared well. The lefty struck out eight and allowed just two runs in six innings of work. Denard Span had four hits for the Twins and Nick Blackburn went eight strong innings.

Tampa Bay Rays 8, Oakland Athletics 0

James Shields never got traded and that seems to be a good thing for the Rays. Shields fired a complete game shutout, allowed just three hits, didn’t walk a man, and struck out 11. B.J. Upton drove in a pair of runs and Sam Fuld had three hits.

Seattle Mariners 7, Toronto Blue Jays 2

Jason Vargas only allowed two runs in seven innings of work and benefited from a home run and three RBI courtesy of Dustin Ackley. Brendan Ryan had a three hit game for Seattle; the effort boosts his batting average to a still sickly .205. Brett Lawrie drove in both Toronto runs.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Philadelphia Phillies 8, Washington Nationals 0

The Phillies have dealt away a large chunk of their Major League talent, but that didn’t stop them from upending Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg for an easy win. Jimmy Rollins belted a two-run homer, while Juan Pierre had three hits of his own. No Washington players were able to accumulate multiple hits in the contest. Cliff Lee went seven shutout innings and struck out seven; he seems like the only Phillie who didn’t find himself in a new uniform this week.

Atlanta Braves 7, Miami Marlins 1

The Braves jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back. Juan Francisco had three hits, while Brian McCann hit a home run and drove in two runs. Donnie Murphy (there are far too many baseball players named D. Murphy) hit a solo home run in the first inning for Miami.

Cincinnati Reds 7, San Diego Padres 6

Homer Bailey and Jason Marquis both got crushed early on, as the game was quickly tied at six and stayed that way until Brandon Phillips hit the eventual game-winning solo homer in the seventh. Ryan Ludwick and Todd Frazier each also went deep for Cincinnati, while Cameron Maybin cleared the fence for San Diego.

Pittsburgh Pirates 5, Chicago Cubs 0

A.J. Burnett shut out the new-look Cubs with a complete game effort featuring eight strikeouts and just one base hit. Neil Walker hit a grand slam in the first inning, while outfielder Andrew McCutchen chimed in with his usual three hits. Pinch hitter Adrian Cardenas was the only Cub to get a hit off Burnett.

Milwaukee Brewers 10, Houston Astros 1

Yovani Gallardo pitched seven great innings and let his offense tee off on every Houston pitcher who entered the game. Aramis Ramirez went 3-4 with four RBI and a home run to lead the offensive attack. Corey Hart also homered and drove in three runs for Milwaukee.

St. Louis Cardinals 11, Colorado Rockies 6

The Cardinals had to fight the Rockies hard to get this win, but five late runs helped seal the deal. Carlos Beltran, Matt Holliday, and David Freese all homered and had multi-hit games. Allen Craig got into the act as well by reaching base all five trips and driving in three runs. Josh Rutledge hit a home run and drove in three for Colorado.

Arizona Diamondbacks 8, Los Angeles Dodgers 2

The Dodgers may have won at the trading deadline, but they didn’t win this baseball game. This loss puts them a game behind the Giants and just 2 1/2 up on the D-Backs. Paul Goldschmidt homered and had three hits, Miguel Montero had a three-run shot of his own, and Chris Johnson provided a three hit game. Wade Miley went eight innings and allowed one run while striking out seven.

San Francisco Giants 4, New York Mets 1

Vintage Tim Lincecum showed up to help his team reclaim sole possession of first place in the NL West Tuesday. The Freak struck out seven and allowed one run in seven innings of work. The newly-acquired Marco Scutaro went 2-3 with a walk, a run scored, and one RBI in the victory.

If Brian’s writing strikes your fancy, read his work at StanGraphs and follow him on Twitter at @vaughanbasepct.