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Blog*Spot ArchivesContactRichard Ceccarelli Josh Mandir |
Saturday, July 30, 2005Angels 7, Yanks 8Generally when a team beats your closer you can only tip your hat. Not today. Sure, it was ninth in which Frankie lost his control (and his velocity - I didn't count a single fastball north of 93) and the Angels lost the game, but it was the eighth in which they were doomed to failure. Why, after Joel Peralta started the inning by making A-Rod look like a fool, did Mike Scioscia call upon Jake Woods? Yes, in Woods' short time in the Majors his numbers against lefties have been impressive (.196 BAA). And yes, the opposite is true of Joel Peralta (.256 BAA). But what in Woods' short experience has made Scioscia think he was even remotely qualified for that sort of situation? A four run lead against the Yankees is anything but safe. Garbage-time relievers don't belong in the game. If you feel it's necessary to play the percentages (it's strange how the Angels selectively apply their core philosophies), you should at least know the percentages. Shields was the best option. Maybe Scioscia was looking to rest him, having thrown 3.1 innings over the past three days. But it seems odd that if Scioscia was intent on resting Shields, he had no problem with saddling his closer (who had pitched in the last two games) with a 5-out save. Indeed, a clearly fatigued Frankie Rodriguez would throw 40 pitches on his way to the blown save. ESPN is counting it down - 22 hours now until the "artificial" trade deadline. If it wasn't clear before, it is now - this bullpen definitely needs help. It needs the man who should have gotten the hold in today's victory. |
