Series Four - LA Angels vs. Cleveland Indians - April 11, 12, 13

[PIP]

You'll have to wait for the book I'm writing --- The surfing career, "THE INCIDENT" when our band played at Whiskey a Go-Go, Armco Heating & Cooling Hornets, his accomplishments as a penist, "The Cabo Catastrophe", steroids, his tramp stamp, OPRAH, air hockey tablegate, the night with Khloe Kardashian, the 3-day bender with Charlie Sheen, his 17 minutes with Jeter, his crooked unit, calf implants, "the Shanghai Surprise"...and his 2 years bartending at Twist. It's all going to be in there...only $49.95....autographed and shea butter scented.

This will be the one and only post I will ever thank....:chuckles:

That's 6 glorious years...

 

[DJTJ]

This series depends on our bullpen. They pitch well, we win two. They pitch bad? We get swept.

1. W. Big league debut, Talbot will pitch 6 good innings. 5-3 win.
2. L (but If Fausto and the pen limit them to two-three runs, I may say W) 4-3 loss
3. W. I've never seen Santana pitch well versus us. 6-3 win

 

[elcheato]

Rookie making his MLB debut = The kid will have a fucking no hitter going into the 7th

I hate facing rookie pitchers, they have the advantage as the hitters never seen their stuff before. I'm being optimistic but we're dropping at least 1 of these games. I'm gonna guess 1 win 2 losses. Not being a hater, not being a homer. They're a good team.

How can you even be a homer towards a team you want moved to New Orleans?

 

[Bob_The_Cat]

So everyone is really missing the most important question. Now that we're heading to sunny California, what's the over/under on the number of hot women STO camera show in game one? You would certainly expect LA to have a high amount of fine women based on previous history, but Seattle was a formidable foe, particularly when you consider the size of the crowds. Perhaps we need to take a look at the three-day weather forecast as a better indicator of the hot women-to-clothes ratio and what to expect for the three game series. This ratio of course shows that the higher the temperature climbs, the more hot women you will see and the fewer clothes they will be wearing. It's simple math really.

 

[Gimme Some Mo]

I don't really like the pitching matchups in this series. For some reason, it seems like every time we face a guy making his 1st or 2nd start, we can't hit him. Don't forget about how good Haren is when healthy. Santana is also a decent pitcher.

 

[Gimme Some Mo]

I didn't realize Tony Sipp is already 27 years old. I thought he was maybe 24 or 25. This makes his early success this season even more surprising to me.

The bullpen is the weirdest thing in baseball. Any given year, it could suck or be great even if you have all the same pitchers.

 

["Boobie" Gibson]

I didn't realize Tony Sipp is already 27 years old. I thought he was maybe 24 or 25. This makes his early success this season even more surprising to me.

The bullpen is the weirdest thing in baseball. Any given year, it could suck or be great even if you have all the same pitchers.

Yes, which is why I feel like the bullpen is the most important aspect in baseball, possibly more so than your starting rotation. If you're fortunate enough to get around to the 7th inning with a lead, the game is solely in the hands of the bullpen. Anyone is capable of getting hits... anyone. Finding upgrades for your bullpen on a yearly basis can seriously make the difference between 70 wins and 90 wins.

That makes CyPez that much more valuable for us. If only we had a legit set-up man...

 

[DougHeil]

Yes, which is why I feel like the bullpen is the most important aspect in baseball, possibly more so than your starting rotation. If you're fortunate enough to get around to the 7th inning with a lead, the game is solely in the hands of the bullpen. Anyone is capable of getting hits... anyone. Finding upgrades for your bullpen on a yearly basis can seriously make the difference between 70 wins and 90 wins.

That makes CyPez that much more valuable for us. If only we had a legit set-up man...

Legit set up? What's wrong with Sipp, R Perez, and even Vinnie? So far so good with those three. 2 lefties, 1 RH

 

[BlueSeats626]

I'd feel better with another solidified RH setup guy to counter Sipp, meaning something like what Betancourt was in '07. Pestano is still a question mark, but hopefully Joe Smith can fill that role when he returns.

 

["Boobie" Gibson]

Legit set up? What's wrong with Sipp, R Perez, and even Vinnie? So far so good with those three. 2 lefties, 1 RH

I don't think any of those 3 can be considered a legit set-up man. R Perez, if he returns to his '07 form (like the rest of these players it seems) but let's not get carried away. Chris Perez is a bad mofo... but after that, I'm not very confident in the rest of the pen.

 

[Amherstcavsfan]

I don't think any of those 3 can be considered a legit set-up man. R Perez, if he returns to his '07 form (like the rest of these players it seems) but let's not get carried away. Chris Perez is a bad mofo... but after that, I'm not very confident in the rest of the pen.

No reason to believe that Sipp will go back to young Sipp.

His second half last year was more than enough to allow him to be a setup guy.

 

["Boobie" Gibson]

No reason to believe that Sipp will go back to young Sipp.

His second half last year was more than enough to allow him to be a setup guy.

Sipp has given up 1 hit in 5 appearances (or 5 innings) so far this season, so he is definitely off to a great start. I'm just not yet ready to declare him 'the' set-up man. If we're at mid-season and he's sporting an ERA around 1.50-2.00, I'll be VERY excited.

Like previously stated, the pen is the most inconsistent thing in baseball it seems like. Anyone can be great one year and fall off the next, or vice versa. Sipp may just be that guy for us, but for me, I have to wait and see a little longer.

 

[DougHeil]

Marson is hitting! We know he's damn good on defense. I believe it's going to be almost time to really watch Mr. LaPorta. Marson might start to force a closer look at LaPorta and if he is indeed our long term 1B guy.

We know damn well Santana is the best defensive 1B we have. We also know he's going to hit long term. Of all the question marks we have on this current team, LaPorta is the main question as he doesn't seem to be getting it yet. He just looks lost at the plate and doesn't seem to grasp 1B yet either. I just don't know.

We always seem to have plenty of catchers. We still have a few in the minors as well. I guess the thing is whether or not we want Santana catching as much as he is.

BTW: it's great that our discussions are revolving around specific players like set up, etc, and not the entire team like in the past.

I'll be looking at LaPorta this next week. He had better start stepping up.

 

[AZ_]

From all accounts, Chatwood is filthy.

Looking forward to seeing if he can command his great stuff tonight. If he can, Tribe will be hard pressed to come away victorious.

 

[DougHeil]

From all accounts, Chatwood is filthy.

Looking forward to seeing if he can command his great stuff tonight. If he can, Tribe will be hard pressed to come away victorious.

Is he LH or RH? Since the OP didn't bother putting it in the first post.

If RH, I look for Choo, ACab and Hafner to feast off him in the warm weather. Santana will hit him as well. If LH and filthy, we might have a hard time.