Link Hangout – Winning Streak Edition

Angels sacrifice speed to keep Albert Pujols in the lineup, Mike Trout is holding steady with the second most All-Star votes among outfielders and, Kevin Jepsen, Michael Kohn and Garrett Richards have been carrying the bulk of the load for the bullpen.

Angels Sacrifice Speed to Keep Pujols’ Bat in the Lineup

This is only justifiable if Pujols does, in fact, get hot. If he is just having a good couple of games, and then reverts back to his slumping ways, then time off should be mandated.

Angels’ Mike Trout Holds Steady in Second Among AL Outfielders

Mike Trout is still trailing Adam Jones, but he is comfortably sitting in second and should be a lock to start the All-Star game next month in New York. But Howie Kendrick, isn’t even in the top five of vote getters for his position. And after last night’s game, he is hitting a fantastic .336 with an .865 OPS. His OPS has him ahead of all AL second basemen, and his OPS+ of 145 tops all second basemen.

The Worst of the Best: This Week’s Wildest Pitches

If Josh Hamilton doesn’t swing, you deserve to be on this list.

California Disappointment Playbook

Just because this team is on a winning streak, doesn’t mean we should put our heads in the sand. There is still plenty of disappointment to be had. I’m looking at you, Joe Blanton.

Angels Leaning on Jepsen, Kohn, Richards

Jepsen and Kohn have had bumps in the road this season, but on the whole, have been very consistent at getting hitters out. Richards on the other hand, Doesn’t fill me with much (if any) confidence.

Yesterday, Alex Cobb got wrecked by a line drive off of the bat of Eric Hosmer. It wasn’t pretty. Reports throughout the day were that Cobb was “acting normal” in the hospital, which is fantastic news. Here’s to a speedy recovery for the Tampa Bay Rays right hander.