I'd like to congratulate the Angels on sweeping the Dodgers, even if the sweep was only in spirit since the umpires felt it necessary to job the Halos out of a win today.

Dodgers 3, Angels 2

I hate blaming a loss on poor umpiring, it just isn't my style, so I hope you appreciate just how bad the umpiring must be when I say that bad umpiring DEFINITELY cost the Angels today's game.

Sure, Vernon Wells could've caught Tony Gwynn's "triple" in the 8th inning and Jordan Walden could've not walked the first two batters in the ninth, but those were more contributing factors than direct causes.  None of that would've mattered if the umpires in today's game were aware that you are allowed to call a runner out on a close play at a base when the base is blocked.

First, Dee Gordon should've been out on his steal attempt at second.  He beat the throw, but Erick Aybar's foot impeded his path and forced him to come off the base for a brief moment while the tag was still, more or less, being applied.  I can give the umpire a bit of a pass on this one since it was probably hard to see from his angle and Gordon's loss of contact with the base was rather brief.  You could say that Gordon was on the base "in spirit" in the same way guys turn doubleplays without actually stepping on second base sometimes.  The fact remains that he was technically out, even if most umpires probably would have called him safe in the same situation.

That same line of thinking doesn't apply to the much more controversional and obviously wrong play at the plate to tie the game where Gordon, once again, should've been called out.

If you didn't see the play, take a look at the highlight now, I'll wait.

...

...

...

Done?  Great.  Total BS, right?  Yeah, I know!

If Gordon gets credit for staying on second base "in spirit" then that same logic should apply here.  Without a doubt, the throw to the plate beats Gordon and Mathis has the dish blocked off so well that it had to make Mike Scioscia proud.  The one thing that Mathis didn't quite do is apply a "real" tag.  Gordon slid into him and made no initial contact with the plate whatsoever until he reached around Mathis with his hand on a second effort.  But Mathis had the ball safely in possession before that and had made plenty of body contact with Gordon.  It is hard to tell in the replay, but Mathis' actual glove may have never touched Gordon, but Mathis' forearm definitely did and in my book that should've been good enough and I do think that would've been good enough for 90% of umpires.  Unfortunately, Tom Hallion is one of the 10% and called Gordon safe instead of calling him out to end the game.

At least I think that is what Hallion's justification was because having watched the play over and over again, that is the only way I can see him justifying that call.

Like I said, total BS.

@

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (39-39) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (34-44)

Pitching Probables: LAA – Jered Weaver (9-4, 2.01 ERA)  LAD – Clayton Kershaw (7-3, 3.01 ERA)

Game Info: 1:10 PM PT; TV - KCOP; Radio - KLAA 830 AM

The long U2-induced road trip is finally drawing to a close, and what a trip it has been.  With one game left to play on this 12-game roadie, the Angels have done just about as well as one could hope, standing 8-3, winning every single series and getting themselves back up to .500.  But they have one last box to tick off on their check list before everything is said and done... sweeping the damn Dodgers in their own stadium.

It is one thing to sweep a club, it is another thing to do it in their own stadium but it is a whole different thing altogether for that club to be hated crosstown rival.  This wouldn't just give the Halos momentum, it could be just the thing they need to finally cleanse them of all the frustrations they've been battling the last few weeks.  Sure, the offense still won't be very good, but the confidence high the clubhouse would be riding after closing out this road trip with a sweep of the Dodgers could well be enough to at least convince them that the offense is good enough to still win the division.  And that ego boost couldn't be coming at a better time with the Halos having pulled within two games of the Rangers and about to head home for a 13-game homestand to finish out the first half.

Of course, they actually need to win the game first.

I am really starting to like Tyler Chatwood. Most people thought he would get a cup of coffee with the big team before we would be subjected to the horror that was Scott Kazmir. With Kazmir getting released, conventional wisdom had the Angels hitting the market for an arm. All along Chatwood has gone out there and battled. Sure he has had some bad games but his last two outings make me a believer that his time is now. Of course, it helps he pitched against the punchless Dodgers, but still...

Angels 6 Dodgers 1 
no comments

                                                            @
                       
                                               Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim  (38-39) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (34-43)

                               Pitching Probables: LAA – Tyler Chatwood (4-4, 3.84 ERA)  LAD -- Hiroki Kuroda (5-8, 3.07 ERA)

                                                                    Game Info: 1:10 PM PT; TV - FOX; Radio - KLAA 830 AM

I have come to believe that the Freeway Series brings out the wacky in both teams. This is the series that, during it's inaugural pairing, saw Chan Ho Park ninja kick Tim Belcher. You match that with the Weaver No Hitter Loss and all the weirdness of last night's baserunning blunderrama and you get something completely unique to baseball. So what do we expect to see today...who the heck knows, but it won't be boring.

This was just a weird game. The Angels couldn't seem to get out of their way in the first couple of innings, but eventually straightened things out to get a crosstown win. Dan Haren pitched well enough to win, bearing down when necessary and the offense finally came alive to turn it into a blowout. Oh yeah, and Jeff Mathis made perhaps the dumbest play I have ever seen on a professional baseball field.

Angels 8 Dodgers 3

                             @

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim  (37-39) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (34-42)

Pitching Probables: LAA – Dan Haren (6-5, 2.96 ERA) LAD -- Rubby De La Rosa (3-1, 4.58 ERA)

Game Info: 7:10 PM PT; TV - KCOP; Radio - KLAA 830 AM

The Angels have traveled a long and winding through the four corners of the United States and now are within spitting distanceof home for the last of their 12 game odyssey. The question tonight is will there be more Angels fans in the stands at Chavez Ravine that those in Dodger Blue?
no comments

Time for Free For All Friday, a time to talk about all the Angels-related topics that slipped through the cracks this week, as well as any other totally unrelated topic you feel like bringing up.

Here are a few topics for you to discuss amongst yourselves:

• I've always thought that baseball is stupid for not allowing teams to trade draft picks, but after watching the NBA draft last night and seeing teams pull off 10+ trades in a draft that has only 60 total picks, I now realize why baseball prohibits such activity.  There are 50 rounds and 1500+ picks in the MLB amateur draft, so trying to work out those trades, much less keep track of them seems like a total logistical nightmare.  I'm pretty sure my brain would melt out of my ears if I even tried to look at a draft pick trade value chart for the MLB draft, and God forbid they make it even longer should they ever turn it into a worldwide draft.  On the other hand, David Kahn isn't a MLB GM, so the trade volume should be a lot less without his bumbling prominently involved. (If I didn't just set you all up for obvious Tony Reagins jokes, I don't know what else you need)
• Everyone always mentions the rain when they talk about Seattle, but one little climate factor they fail to mention is the extended sunlight.  For some reason I never put two and two together and realized that a move so far north would mean a dramatic shift in the daytime hours.  It really is kind of crazy that I drove back from the grocery store last night at 9 pm and I didn't really even need to put my headlights on.  I feel like this somehow gives the Mariners an unfair advantage during day games since almost all of their home games are day games this time of year.
• Did anyone else see the petition to have FOX hire Vin Scully to call a World Series game?  If not, I insist you sign it NOW!  Not only is it a great honor for a legendary announcer, but it is also a way to save us from one game of the sufferable Joe Buck and the brain-crushing Tim McCarver.
• You know those alleged Blake Lively photos that came out a few weeks ago?  Blake Lively claims they aren't her, not that anyone believes her, but on the off-chance that they really aren't her, whoever it is pretending to be her should immediately step up and let the world know that she is the insanely hot naked chick in those pictures.  She'd become a star overnight (possibly a star of the "adult" variety, but a star nonetheless).
• It just occurred to me that Mike Trout, should he prove to be as great as advertised, could be in the All-Star Futures Game this year and then in the actuall All-Star Game next year.  It is pretty unlikely, I suppose, but how cool would that be?

Or just feel free to bring up a topic of your own.  I don't really care (as long as you keep it clean) because it's Friday.