Jun 29 2008
Angels Baseball: no hits, no runs, no win
On Saturday night, Los Angeles baseball fans witnessed a very rare and remarkable occurrence.
The Dodgers beat the Angels! OK, it’s not that rare and not very remarkable. It was actually the second straight win for the Dodgers over the Halos.
The rare and remarkable part is that the Dodgers won without getting a hit. Not one.
While technically it was not a no-hitter for the Angels, because of a rule that an official no-hitter must be at least nine full innings and the Angels only pitched eight, it is a remarkable achievement for any pitcher, or in this case pitchers, to no-hit any major league team, as Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo did last night.
It is also remarkable for the Dodgers to find a way to beat a top team when the bats aren’t there. Actually, the Dodgers used what is supposed to be a Mike Scioscia formula to beat the Angels. They put pressure on the defense and capitalized when it cracked.
But neither side has cause for celebration and both teams have cause for worry. Because what Saturday night’s game really means is that both teams are in trouble. First, the Angels. The Angels won’t lose the division because of this. Their pitching is strong enough for them to run away in the West and, depending on the match up, might be enough to get them out of the first round.
But last night’s game revealed an offense with holes in it. In particular, the game revealed a glaring hole on the bench. The Angels need help on the bench and they need it from the left side.
Even when the team is at full strength, only Reggie Willits and Maicer Izturis are available to hit from the left side. Neither player has any power and while Izturis has shown some proficiency for driving in runs and getting clutch hits, Willits has not. In fact, he has shown ineptitude in both categories.
Last night Willits, a switch hitter, was the first and only regular bench player Scioscia called on to pinch hit. Usually when Willits pinch-hits, it is to lead off an inning. This time the Angels were down to their last out and had the tying run at second base.
Juan Rivera, a right-handed hitter, remained on the bench despite having more power than Willits and a better history of run producing. Scioscia went with the odds, choosing a switch hitter over a righty to bat against a righty pitcher. But the situation should have trumped the odds.
The situation called for a run producer. The players left on the bench were Willits, Rivera and Robb Quinlan, also a righty. Of the three only Rivera has proven himself both a run producer and a solid bat against right-handed pitchers.
Willits had a great rookie year. Last year! Whether it’s the lack of playing time or that pitchers have adjusted to him, he is not producing this year.
His average is below .200 and he has a grand total of three RBIs. But even last year Willits struggled with men on base. His talent is setting the table, not clearing it.
The Angels do have a left-handed bat (actually, he’s a switch hitter) in the organization in Kendry Morales. Unfortunately for the Angels, he isn’t immediately available. He hasn’t played for three weeks because of injury.
But he’s hitting .324 in AAA. Last year he hit .341. Morales doesn’t have anything to prove in the minors and if the Angels are saving him for the future, they might as well stop.
Casey Kotchman will be at first base for years so Morales won’t be a regular starter there any time soon. Morales might have a future as a DH but he’ll have to battle an aging Garrett Anderson, an increasingly hobbling Vladimir Guererro and other young players like Rivera and Brandon Wood.
Morales’ future might be with another team. But his right now should be on the Angels bench, pinch-hitting for guys like Jeff Mathis and Mike Napoli in the late innings. When Morales is finally healthy, the Angels need to add him to the major league roster as soon as possible.
Until then, Scioscia needs to trust Rivera. He has always hit righties well and is a proven run producer. If the Angels need a base runner to lead off an inning, Willits is the right choice. But when the Angels need to drive in that runner, the call should go to Rivera.
More on the Dodgers side tomorrow.
