Inside Pitch

Shoe got through 3 innings, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5Ks.

Everyone, particularly people talking about rebuilding and the future should be welcoming a long losing streak that essentially takes them out of contention and allows for easier decisions to be made by the front office... They go 1-9 and then it gets a lot easier to talk sell than being a game out of the WC with guys on the mend..

When you say crap like this I question if you actually were a fan during the Disney era... because you didn't see any rebuilding at the MLB level with Disney, it was all in the minors... same as now... Seriously -- the Disney era Angels and the WS team were not the end result of a rebuild but rather the maturation of what they already had coupled with the infusion of a few key pieces. So if you're looking for rebuilding -- look in the minors, because that's where the future lies, not at the MLB level where the team is merely trying to bridge the gap to a brighter future.

Brandon Wood has no impact on anything. Pretty much everyone that was around and played a part in the Wood situation is long gone, let go by the JD purge of the minors. My guess is the Angels have some in house analytics that are in some part impacting their decision making. There is also the possibility that they would just rather he play everyday.

There isn't -- it's all wishing at this point in their development... Tools, flash, and wishing.... This is one reason why guys with MLB bloodlines get so much hype -- because unlike the unknowns, at least with them you know there is a genetic link to something tangible.

Hermosillo heating up a bit -- .364 last ten games, more walks than Ks, HR, 3 SBs... good to see, he's always been one of those guys that seemingly took a bit before adjusting. John Lamb walked a bunch of people but still managed to lower his ERA to 3.60 while earning his first win of the season.

http://brobible.com/sports/article/washington-nationals-bullpen-obituary-roasted/ Guy dings the Nats' bullpen in his obit.. LOL..

Dude -- the whole Catorce gloss runs so vapid.. When people run with a phrase coined by a MLB nobody, a scrub like Trevor Bell.. Well, it's like claiming Timmy Lupus as your biggest sports hero. It doesn't get any more limp-wristed than that.

It had become very fashionable to talk up the Angels .500 record and the level of competition they had faced as proof they were awful... Now that they completed their ten game run through some of baseball's best teams I figured it would be a good time for an update.. MLB Ranks RPI - .510, (8th) - just behind the Yanks and Red Sox and ahead of the Washington Nationals (11th), and Milwaukee Brewers (17th) both of which are division leaders. SOS - .512, (4th) - for all the incessant blathering about how the AL West is soooo weak, all five of the AL West teams are among the top 10. The division has combined to go over .500 .vs the AL East, the AL Central and the NL. The A's currently in 5th place in the AL West have gone 11-7 vs the AL East and 9-7 .vs the AL Central. So.. No Richards, no Heaney, no Tropeano, no Skaggs for all but a few starts. Trout injured, Street injured for most of the year, Bedrosian out for a big chunk, Shoemaker out a couple weeks... Fourth toughest schedule in MLB, in the AL.... 42-41. They aren't setting the world on fire but at least they have kept things interesting.

They have had him every year they have been in the playoffs -- Kershaw has not had the best of luck in the postseason... 4.55 ERA overall in the postseason (89 IP), and an awful 5.58 in the NLCS

Both recently signed by the Nats.... Kinda crazy.... Dear Bud Norris, come back strong... Nats need RPs in a major way... XOX, Angels Fans

Yeah -- dude barely moves.. He really stood out.

"When asked for a comment on the incident, the Dodgers said they don't comment on security issues." Snitches get stitches, Ese......

But it wasn't his fault....

He's done more to right the ship in 18 months than was done in the previous 7 years. Now we need to see how well he spends money, if he's actually given any leeway to spend that is.

He clearly doesn't understand the move -- many of us don't but we are all really hoping to hear some official comment about it to help us try to understand. We can all take some guess as to what they are thinking but -- it's guesswork.

Unless they don't believe he can hit quality MLB pitching not sure there is anything to the handedness... He's hit lefties better than RHBs this year in AAA http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?player_id=592230#/splits/R/hitting/2017/MINORS But that being said, he's been significantly better vs RHBs every other year. Hopefully we get some official word on what they are thinking.

Physician, heal thyself..

Poor choice of words on my part -- I get what you're saying but really, it doesn't take much thought to see the difference. Marte's got 487 career PA's of 97 OPS+ baseball under his belt compared to Cowart's 143 PA's of 43 OPS+ ball. One of these two guys has had a modicum of success in a platoon role at the MLB level - the other has not. I'd love to hear what the team is thinking..

I doubt it's got any baseball politics to it at all -- it may just be that they want to go with as many vets as possible while they are in contention. We all want to see Cowart get a shot, we all want to see him get regular playing time, but the front office may be thinking they'd rather not throw him into a situation where he has to produce or feels extra pressure to do so. I've said all along I've been hoping for a sell-off.. I don't think we see guys like Cowart get a legit chance at playing time unless it happens.

@Jeff Fletcher If you could ask what we are all wondering -- what exactly what the thinking behind this move?

This is it in a nutshell for me .... they really think people are tuning in to see their on air peeps instead of looking for sports coverage.. Watching it today was painful.. Adding to what others have said -- it's just the same tired topics over and over with a new set of wannabes talking over each other... I laughed my ass off when one of the shows was ESPN Nacion, which was the same exact thing only with two people with Spanish-ish accents trying to be edgy... It's just so awful. What makes it worse is guys like Jayson Stark and Ed Werder were both fired -- and these are the people they chose to keep. Outside of the 30 on 30 series ESPN is a total wasteland...

Just to follow up on this.... Tried watching some ESPN ... My lord it's become even worse than I remember it.... It's like watching a bad local morning show only it runs 24/7.

Only 5 of those innings have come in AAA -- the rest are in A ball. Likewise Warmoth has only pitched 2 innings of AAA ball.

I think this may be their way of giving him one last look while he's full of confidence and on a hot streak. For a long time it's seemed like they didn't really value him, nor did it seem he would get another real opportunity other than maybe a Sept call up. I think they know what they have with Cron, and I think they know he will hit when he gets regular at bats... but Cowart may have grown into a curiosity for them. I dunno. wishful thinking maybe.