Link Hangout

Sayonara Takahashi, the Angels as a team could affect Mike Trout‘s MVP chances, more suspensions and professional courtesy as the waiver deadline approaches. We just swept Boston so I’m in an unusually cheery mood. Let’s do this.

Pirates claim reliever Takahashi from Angels, promote first baseman Clement from Triple-A

The Waiver Trade Deadline has weird rules (that we’ll get in to later). Luckily it worked in our favor this time. No more will we have to watch Scioscia bring Hisanori Takahashi in when a game is still very much winnable. I will also never have to type Hisanori Takahashi again. It is a little unfortunate that it was the Pirates that picked him up, but seeing as they are my second favorite team and not my first, I think I’ll live.

Trout for MVP? It might depend on Angels’ record

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that where the Angels finish the season will have a lot to do with Mike Trout winning the MVP award (stop talking about Rookie of the Year, it’s a lock). That being said, along with leading the league in batting average, runs, stolen bases, slugging percentage and OPS, he also leads the league in (inhale) WAR, oWAR, Runs Created, OPS+, Offensive Winning Percentage, Power Speed Number, Base Out Runs Added, Base Out Wins Added and Situational Wins Added (exhale). Yeah, he’s been good.

Money Quote:

"MLB.com’s Tracy Ringolsby, winner of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award, stressed the impact that the success of the Angels as a whole might have on Trout’s chances of winning the AL MVP Award.“The Angels will have something to say about his candidacy,” Ringolsby said. “I see ‘valuable’ as a key part of that award. The Angels are battling to stay above .500. They are much closer to last place in the AL West than first place.”"

You hear that pitching staff? Get it together.

Los Angeles Angels Bullpen Continues to Struggle, Should Halos Be Concerned?

Bullpen, bullpen, bullpen. Rotation, rotation, rotation. Sucky, sucky, sucky.

Money Quote:

"Then you consider the fact that one of their top arms, C.J. Wilson has been inconsistent — plus Irvin Santana has also struggled this season. The starting pitchers need to be able to shorten the game for their pen and they haven’t been able to do so."

Wait? Who in the world is Irvin Santana?

Alfredo Aceves’ Really Bad Night

It’s nice to see another team have bullpen issues. Especially in the same game that we are having bullpen issues. How bad was Aceves? Let’s look at the chart shall we.

You see that blue dot right before Torii Hunter hits a single? Yeah, that’s where he came into the game at.

Money Quote:

"There have been approximately 552,000 individual relief appearances made since 1918, and only 23 of them were worse than what Aceves did last night according to WPA."

Commence maniacal laughter…….NOW!

Honors just keep coming for Millville’s favorite son

I like that Mike Trout came from a small town. Because then you get small town pieces like this.

Money Quote:

"“It’s crazy. I knew they interviewed him, but I didn’t know he would be on the cover,” said Hallenbeck, who returned late Tuesday night from a seven-day trip to Los Angeles, where he was able to see Trout’s Angels in action. “To get back home and grab the magazine and see Mike on the cover, and then see it plastered all over Facebook, it was pretty cool.”"

Regular people saying regular every day things.

Professional Courtesy, and How August Works

Everyone gets put on waivers at this time of year. Everyone. Even Jered Weaver got put on waivers. Not everyone gets claimed off of waivers though. I never thought too much of it, but after today’s craziness with the Red Sox and Dodgers, it made me wonder, why doesn’t everyone get claimed off of waivers? Sam Miller knows more than I do, so I will defer to him with explaining the professional courtesy GM’s have during this confusing time of year.

EX-BLUE JAYS P PAULEY GETS 50-GAME DRUG BAN

More suspensions. Will people never learn? Pauley’s was classified as a “Drug of Abuse” (whatever that means). By my count that is six in the last three days when you include the three Rays prospects getting suspended for Methamphetamine and Amphetamine use, and a White Sox and a Tigers minor league farm hand getting suspended for using Stanozolol and Drostanolone respectively.

Do you watch a lot of baseball? Do you love baseball? Have you ever wondered how to actually play baseball? Well then, fear not, Goofy here displays all the fine details of being not just a baseball player, but a great baseball player.

And now that the Angels officially have a winning streak going, color me extra giddy.