LITTLE MEN, BIG BAT

Today just further added to the Angels' home-run streak, a two-run blast into right field from another not expected power hitter, Figgins (his second of the season), and a solo shot from rookie catcher Mathis, his first in the majors. I was almost disappointed that it wasn't Izturis today, ha! Deep into the game, I think it may have been somewhere around the fifth or sixth inning, and there were runners on first and third, where I was thinking - "you know, if they get passed Kotchman and there's still an open base, I wouldn't be surprised to see them walk Izturis." Unfortunately, Kotchman was the final out of the inning, but I seriously would've laughed my ass of to see Izturis be intentionally walked for the first time in his career. His bat has had incredible impact. I really hope this isn't the end of it, I've been way too entertained with 5'8, 160 lbs, of raw power...

I almost felt bad for Weaver today though. But then I thought again. His pitch count was relatively low when they took him out after 7.1 innings, and I expected them to talk him down and let him have the complete game. The Angels have only had 3 this season, two by Escobar and another by Lackey. The moment Scioscia got up, Weaver's expression changed IMMEDIATELY. He was pissed, and you could see it; I believe the words being mouthed on the screen were "Aw come on now." He knew he was getting taken out. But you know, the idea was to get out of the inning and out of the game without losing it. And the complete game, though I nice thing, isn't THAT big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. They brought in Speier and let him finish the last two innings, giving the bull pen some work. The runner Speier inherited ended up scoring, adding another earned run to Weaver's numbers, which even still - two earned runs in the whole game - is less than is ERA anyway. That run irritated him, and they flashed to him in the dugout when it happened. He almost looked a bit too much like a whiney little child, throwing a tantrum for not getting what he wanted. Lackey was sitting there next to him, a bit stoic. It was an interesting picture, showing just how much Lackey has matured from the once emotional one, a lot like Weaver in this instance. But it's ok, he got the win. And the major point was that the team won, which is the most important element of it all.

But not to take anything away from Weaver. The guy came in, went 11-0 in his first games in the majors, and ended the season with an ERA under 2.00. His delivery is incredibly deceptive. But this is the second season. And though a lot of people expected him to be just as insanely good at the beginning of the season, his so-called "slip" has been understandable. For one, Weaver had a real off-season; meaning, during the off-season, he didn't pitch. His bicep-tendonitis, definitely a factor. It really slowed down his time in spring training, and the rehab assignments at the beginning of the season... all have contributed to his "slow" start. Plus, more batters are seeing him for second, third, multiple times, and so they're more familiar with his style. But! Weaver is definitely getting back to his form now. His fastball is returning to speed, back to 91-93 etc. where it's been leveling in the mid to high 80s for much of the early parts of the season. Also, his location has been and is great. When he misses, throwing a "ball," he just barely misses the strike zone. So it really keeps batters' eyes open. It's nice to have three reliable aces in the starting rotation. And the closer they get to the end of the season and the more experience they have pitching to the same teams, the more reliable they seem to be.

SWEEP!

In Other News:

Been following a couple of the trades, particularly two that the Rangers made before the trade deadline. Mark Teixeira, so it seems, has been making some incredible plays over in the ATL. It's expected the Teixeira will produce for the team offensively. Since the trade, he's been hitting about .273 (12-44) with four home-runs and 12 RBIs. But by the tone of some of the articles I've been reading about the net, this particular one on mlb.com, the Braves' manager Bobby Cox has been pleasantly surprised by Teixeira's defensive abilities. He is a two-time golden glove winner, after all.

Still doesn't justify the trade of Kotchman-Saunders-minor league prospect. And I'm sticking to that one.

But Eric Gagne, after being traded to Boston, has blown yet another save. And Gagne was supposed to be completely impressive. I mean, even I was pretty impressed with him when the Angels met him in their latest series. But by the look of his numbers as of late, he hasn't been pitching up to his prior standards. Though the Red Sox's manager and staff do not blame Gagne and are not too concerned with his performance, claiming that he "will be great," Gagne seems to believe himself the reason for at least two of the Red Sox's four losses in the last six games.

Boston should be really worried about their position at this point. While on their bit of a slump, the Yankees have really been pulling it out. They won yet again today, cutting Boston's lead in the AL East to four, the closest it's been since the beginning of the season. I'm still really amazed at the progress that team has made. At one point, they were down so far that I figured it was just an off-year for the Yankees, and that would be it- much like I think of the Oakland A's and their nearly impossible contention in the AL West. But I've been extremely impressed, and I'm really considering watching their games, to see what exactly they're doing right. You may see a lot more about them on this!

But I'm sure Gagne will get himself out of this one. And I'm actually glad the division races are close. 4 in the AL East, 3.5 in the AL West, and too close to count in the Central. Not to mention the NL!