A's Most Stable Team in the West
Batter Up April 22nd, 2007
Injuries to key players are an unpredictable part of the game. If a team is going to lose important players for any extended period of time it’s best that happens early in the season.
Right now the Angels are struggling. With Howie Kendrick, Juan Rivera, and Chone Figgins, out of the line up with various ailments, the Halos have become one of the most inept offensive teams in the league.
Click Below for more!
Los Angeles’s starting pitching hasn’t been that stellar either. Ervin Santana can’t win on the road, Kelvim Escobar is back on the DL, while Jered Weaver recently returned to active duty.
Even with the wounded returning to their line up over the next couple of months, now’s the time for GM Bill Stoneman to trade one or two of his blue chip prospects for a hitter. If the Angels don’t pull the trigger on a major trade for an impact hitter this season, they will be in serious trouble.
Even after seeing the Texas pitching staff, the A’s continue to trail most of the American League in the major offensive categories. Yet the A’s still win ball games.
How come? When the game is on the line they get the key out from their pitchers. When a crucial hit is needed during the game they come through. The hitters take their walks, setting up most rallies. The team plays excellent defense. They have a solid pitching staff. Put it all together and it adds up to winning baseball.
Even with their own injuries, the A’s are the most stable team in the division right now.
The Angels are struggling in every aspect of the game. Seattle is hurting with Felix Hernandez on the shelf with an elbow injury. The Mariners say he will miss two to three starts. Hernandez’s injury sounds familiar. Rich Harden missed most of the second half of last season with a similar sprain.
Texas keeps saying its offense will come around. I’m not so sure. The Rangers will score some runs in Arlington, they do every year, but this team hasn’t recovered from losing last winter’s free agents Gary Matthews, Jr., Mark DeRosa, and Carlos Lee.
The Rangers are a year away at best. The Mariners still swing wildly ruining any chance for a consistent offense.
When the Angels get healthy it will be a two-team race once again, until then Oakland will do the unthinkable and open up an early season lead in the West.
Time to acknowledge A’s pitching coach Curt Young. The emergence of Chad Gaudin as an effective starter has been remarkable. Former A’s pitching coach Rick Peterson often received public credit for the job he did in Oakland. Young doesn’t seek public adulation, however his job developing this staff exceeds anything Peterson ever accomplished during his time in Oakland.
Is it the bad weather or are today’s athletes not training properly in spring training? There are too many pitchers getting hurt early in the year.
The list includes Harden, Hernandez, Escobar, Jason Schmidt, BJ Ryan, Jaret Wright, Chien-Ming Wang, Carl Pavano, Mike Mussina, Kenny Rogers, Esteban
Loaiza, Rodrigo Lopez, and Chris Carpenter to name a few.
Two best pitchers in the NL today: Cubs Rich Hill and Atlanta’s Tim Hudson.
When Mariano Rivera blows two saves in back to back appearances, the DL is usually his next stop.
Alex Rodriguez might win the Triple Crown in the AL this season. When A Rod opts out of his contract this Fall he will join Andruw Jones, Ichiro, Mike Cameron, and Jermaine Dye on the free agent market.
The Rangers, Angels, Giants and Cubs will be waiting.
3 comments
Hey. I’m from Zimbabve
Hi, visit my little website for more informations about this. By By.,
Writer?s block is, Christmas Eve Yuletide?
You must log in to post a comment.