For those of you who aren't loyal devotees of Fangraphs or maybe just are scared by sabermetrics in general, there is a shiny new stat they've rolled out for all of us to enjoy: Ultimate Base Running.  For an idea of exactly how this stat is calculated, read this, but otherwise just trust me when I tell you it is a stat that measures a player's overall base running skills in terms of running the bases on balls in play (but NOT taking into account stolen bases and caught stealing).  In other words, it is an advanced metric perfect for the Scioscia era.

For years, we have heard all about how Scioscia loves for his Angels to run the bases smartly but aggressively.  But up until now, we haven't had a stat that could actually show one way or another if his strategy was actually being implemented properly.  Sure, we have all kinds of anecdotal evidence at our disposal (i.e. Torii Hunter constantly getting thrown out at third), but UBR gives us a measure to use for all those instances in which a base running mistake or smart decision was made in an imperceptible way.

So now that we have UBR, let's take a look and see just how good the Halos have been at pressuring the defense like Scioscia thinks they are doing:

Does anyone want to win the AL West?  Seriously, anyone?  Some people seem to think that the division being so tightly bunched is going to make for a wild playoff race, but what I see is a the early signs of the AL West being setup to be this year's media punching bag for the division that is going to be sending some 86-win team to the playoffs while a 91-win team ends up sitting at home since they were just in the wrong division at the wrong time.

Maybe it won't happen, but if it does, don't say I didn't warn you.

Daily Links for the LA Angels including Kazmir looks terrible in his first rehab start, Walden might need his changeup, debating Hunter's offensive worth and much more...

The Story: Scott Kazmir made his first rehab start for Triple-A Salt Lake and it didn't go well... at all.

The Monkey Says: Kaz thew 50 pitches (just 24 strikes) in 1.2 innings of work.  He allowed two hits and six runs while walking four batters and hitting another.  He did strike out three batters though.  Amazingly, Kazmir still had the audacity after the game to say that he felt good and just need to "iron some things out."  He's still got 29 more days left on his rehab stint before the Angels need to call him up or release him, but if he performs this poorly again in his next appearance, they might just skip straight to the releasing him part.

The Story: Jordan Walden might need to rely on his changeup more.

The Monkey Says: The introduction of his changeup has actually caused him some problems, but it could be a real weapon for him once he learns how to properly use it.  Even without the pitch, he seems to have gotten over his rough patch by refocusing on his approach and what appears to be a modest increase in velocity (he was topping out around 97 early in the year but is now hitting triple digits on a regular basis).

The Story: Is Torii Hunter really a foundation for an offense?

The Monkey Says: The Halos don't really have any other choice right now and we have seen how well the offense has clicked with Torii as the lynchpin.  As evidenced by his recent surge, Hunter can still hit, but he definitely isn't a franchise-caliber offensive player anymore (if he ever was).  Still, the Angels could get by with him as their cleanup man if they just surrounded him with some more overall offensive depth.  That starts with getting Vernon Wells back and playing well, but it probably also means the Halos need to find a way to add one more good bat somewhere else in the lineup.

I'd be more upset about tonight's Angel loss if it wasn't just so damned predictable.  Everything that we all joked about happening before the game in tongue-in-cheek manner ended up not being such a joke after all once everything was said and done.  It is all just so very frustrating.

Athletics 6, Angels 1

When we saw that the A's were giving Guillermo Moscoso his first career start tonight, who amongst didn't make some sort of comment about how the Halos always seem to make these anonymous rookies look like Cy Young winners?  Surely that is just some sort of fluke based on anecdotal evidence, right?

Yeah, not so much.  Sure enough, Moscoso carved up the Angels over six innings of work, allowing just three hits and zero runs and surprising exactly zero Angel fans who had been hoping that their witty quips would prove unfounded.

And wouldn't it be so funny too if Dan Haren once again failed to get run support since the Angels never ever give him run support?

Not so funny now, eh?  The fact that Haren had his worst start of the season, allowing five runs over six innings really ended up not mattering at all since the Angels only managed to plate 1 run.  Again, I am Jack's complete lack of surprise.

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Oakland Athletics  (22-26) @ Los Angeles Angels Anaheim (25-24)

Pitching Probables: OAK – Guillermo Moscoso (0-0, -.-- ERA)  LAA – Dan Haren (4-2, 1.84 ERA)

Game Info: 7:05 PM PT; TV - Fox Sports West; Radio - KLAA 830 AM

It took me nearly 5 minutes trying to spell Moscoso's name up there. That frustrates me greatly, so I shall call upon the wrath of Dan Haren to feast upon the lifeless A's! This is a big one for the Angels, a win would put a series sweep within arms reach and keep the Pain Train rollin on through Anaheim and into Minnesota. This is too good to pass up for the Angels.

There is a hot new game show sweeping Angels Nation: Know Your Generic Angel Infielder!

Do you consider yourself a true Angel fan?  Do you think you're pretty smart?  Do you think you know all that there is to know about the Halos?

Well, it is time to put your knowledge to the test by taking this simple (or is it?) quiz to see if you can tell all the seemingly generic Angel infielders apart.  Are you up to the challenge?

How am I supposed to tell you guys apart when you stand right next to each other like that?

He may still be just 19 years old, but Mike Trout can walk like a man.

Trout started getting hot with the bat last week, but a great deal of his damage was done with eyes this week.

In just six games, Trout managed to draw nine walks, which is a good month for most of the Angels on the big league roster.  In fact, Trouty managed a walk in all but one of his games and drew two walks in four of them.  This rampant walking spree raised his season total to 24 in just 39 games and versus 29 strikeouts.  Those are the walk rates of an All-Star right there.

Oh, and it wasn't like Mike didn't have a good week when he did choose to swing the bat, going 5-for-16, scoring three runs, hitting one double and swiping three bases.

Alas, once again the baseball gods do not see fit to let Trout's development continue unimpeded.  The Travelers were supposed to play a doubleheader yesterday to make up for some rained out games earlier in the season, only the doubleheader got rained out and the forecast in Little Rock the next few games doesn't seem very promising.

That's it for this week, check back in next week to see what happens to our future hero.  Same Trout Time.  Same Trout Channel... err, blog.