This is the Angels' window.... shutting.
Sure, I’ve called myself Nostradamus before. It’s too bad our blog is so young, because I’d love to go back and audit all my predictions, such as declaring Jamarcus Russell a bust when the Raiders selected him first overall. However, since we can’t talk about the past, allow me, if you will, to explain what’s going to be set in motion tonight. The Angels will lose another post season series, this time at the hands of a tremendously overpowering Yankees squad. I’m not just predicting a loss, though. I’m predicting the beginning of the end for the Anaheim Angels current “dynasty.” Much like Sacramento Kings fans will remember Chris Webber’s fateful knee injury during their Western Conference Semifinal series against Kevin Garnett’s Minnesota Timberwolves as the moment that kicked off the demise of the Sacramento Kings, the conclusion of the Angels’ season tonight will trigger a downward spiral for years to come.
At the center of the issue is the decline of Vladimir Guerrero. Although he’s only 34, he looks like Wilfred Brimley stepping to the plate. The Angels will have to address the issue of whether or not he’s going to continue to be the man in Orange County. As a result, if you take Vlad out of that lineup – or perhaps even if you leave him in there – the offense looks pretty suspect. It remains unclear, also, if Bobby Abreu will be in their plans. Across the infield, Howie Kendrick appears to have hit his ceiling, and Chone Figgins can’t be getting any faster. Kendry Morales should be a mainstay at first, but I don’t see him having a Tim Salmon-like career in Anaheim. There are no question marks when it comes to the pitching staff, however, as Lackey, Saunders, Santana, Kazmir, and Weaver should hold down the rotation for years to come. And although the organization is usually deep on pitching, there’s a lack of offense in the Angels’ system right now. Once a heralded prospect, Brandon Wood has pretty much settled into the role of AAAA star.
Vlad takes a breather between pitches.
What I envision happening tonight, on a greater scale, is a fan base realizing that their team has already peaked, and won’t remain in contention much longer. Unless they bring in a few big ticket names next season, which I’ll admit is a possibility, fans won’t have much to be excited about, knowing their window is all but shut. Let’s be honest, how many Angels fans even existed before 2002? Although it can be said that owner Arte Moreno’s deep pockets will keep the team competitive, waning attendance could prove too much for the franchise to handle. I’m not saying the Angels are going to fold in the next few years, but just don’t expect to see them in the same position they are tonight for a while.
UPDATE: I really didn’t see the Angels hanging on in this one. Check back here next game.
On the National League side, the other Southern California team will resume play in Philadelphia, where the Phillies hold a 2-1 lead after last night’s blowout. While tonight’s game isn’t quite as urgent as for their SoCal counterparts, to go down 3-1 would be a huge hole to have to dig out of. If there was ever a game the Dodgers should be able to take, it would be Game 4 against the capable but unsure Joe Blanton. Blanton is usually solid, but we all know he’s prone to give up the longball. Look for the Dodgers to even the series behind some long bombs from Manny and company.
2009 schedule was released, no one would’ve been surprised to look at this game and guess that it would be a 5-0 team versus a 2-2 team. The thing is, most would’ve expected the Chargers to be undefeated and leading the division. Instead, while they’ve been underachieving, the Broncos have excelled to a 5-0 start, the first time they’ve done so since the 1998 season, where they rattled off 13 straight wins to start the year en route to a Super Bowl victory. Tonight will be a battle of quarterbacks, as the overrated Philip Rivers has just 9 more passing yards than Kyle Orton, whom you wouldn’t necessarily say was underrated, but he’s better than the blind quadrapalegic the Chicago media made him out to be. It’s hard to say how he’ll fare tonight in a hostile environment under the bright lights of MNF, but one thing is for certain. Tonight is the night we’ll find out if the Broncos are for real, and we’ll also see if the Chargers run under it’s current nucleus has run its course.
On the heels of 
For now, though, it’s Roy Halladay who deserves the honor. Part of me thinks he might get overlooked because he’s won the award in the past, but that was six years ago. His 13-5 record is pretty remarkable when you consider he’s playing for a team that’s 8 games under .500. It’s too bad he didn’t get the opportunity to pitch for a contender on a bigger stage down the stretch run of the season. Nonetheless, if he keeps up what he’s doing, it would be a disgrace to give it to anyone else. He’s easily the most consistent and dependable of the group. All five of the other pitchers have been prone to blowups. Halladay’s worst outing, numbers-wise, came two weeks ago against the Yankees, where he gave up 5 ER on 9 H in 7 innings pitched. If that’s the WORST start you have all year, you take it in a heartbeat. On top of that, Doc basically ranks in the top two in this group in each relevant category. His 2.65 ERA is second only to Greinke’s. His 173 IP is only short of Sabathia’s 178.2. His 13 wins is only one less than Beckett and Verlander’s 14. Most impressive, his WHIP (1.08) and walks (21) are far better than anyone else’s. The only knock on Halladay’s numbers are the number of hits he’s given up and the low strikeout total – however, he’s right on par with Beckett and Sabathia in that department. As for the hits, it should be noted that Halladay gave up a league-high 253 during his 2003 Cy Young campaign. The key for him is damage control. His strikeouts are limited because he excels at going deep into games. He has 45 career complete games, only 7 less than the other five guys combined. There’s no harm in giving up hits if they don’t score.
I almost dropped them to #2 after seeing the new look Cardinals win their second in a row against them, but you can’t argue with the best record in the league!
The Angels seem to be catching fire winning 3 out of 4 from the Twins, and winning 12 of their last 15. They need to get someone so they don’t have to rely on Santana, because he looks like a black hole in the rotation.
Maybe not to the extent they were last year, but if they can figure out a way to get Kazmir and Price functioning properly they should make a push at the wild card spot.
Seattle seems to be fading behind the Rangers and Angels, but look much improved over the past few teams they put out there.
If they don’t make a move at the trade deadline, Prince and company may have to slug their way into the playoffs. I don’t like the odds of that happening.
They haven’t shown signs of anything good or consistent. The emergence of Brandon Phillips bat has helped fantasy teams out though. They seem to be stuck in the same situation year after year, and yup, it’s a bad one.
By
cali4dre
chappy81
dyslecix
mceezy
Doin Work 