Week Four Of The 2013 Season Not A Good One For The Los Angeles Angels As They Go 2-5 And Drop To 9-15 For The Season

The inspiring three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers by the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim on April 19-21 did not prove to be a precursor to success during Week Four of the 2013 MLB season. The Angels dropped two of three to the Texas Rangers in Anaheim, although two of the games were tightly contested, and then lost three of four to the Mariners in Seattle, although two of the losses were by one run. Against Texas, the Angels had hitting but the pitching was weak; against Seattle, the pitching came around but the bats died, particularly in the last two games.

The Rangers came to Anaheim on April 22-24. In the April 22nd opener, the Angels jumped out to a 6-3 lead after six innings, fueled by Josh Hamilton's 4-for-4 performance. However, the Rangers started pecking away at rookie relievers Mike Roth and Dane de la Rosa in the top of the seventh, knotting it up at 6-6 when Scott Downs bobbled Jeff Baker's high chopper in front of the plate, permitting Adrian Beltre to score the tying run. Then in the top of the ninth, Ernesto Frieri served up a 386-foot blast to A.J. Pierzynski with two out, giving the Rangers the lead and eventually the game, 7-6.

On April 23rd, the Angels once again took the early lead, 4-0 after five innings, and once again the Rangers came back to tie it up. In the top of the sixth, with one out and two on, Nelson Cruz blasted one 439 feet off Jason Vargas to make it 4-3. Then in the top of the eighth, with Scott Downs on the hill for the Angels, two on and nobody out, David Murphy grounded into a double play, but Adrian Beltre scored on the fielder's choice. Game now tied 4-4. An error by Andrew Romine prolonged the inning; without the error, the double play would have ended the inning. But this game would end up differently, with goose eggs being exchanged until the bottom of the 11th. With one out, Howie Kendrick smacked a Joe Ortiz pitch 402 feet into center field to end the game, 5-4 Angels.

The April 24th game turned out to be an unmitigated disaster -- for the Angels. Rookie Mike Roth was given his first start of the year, and for three innings, he matched zeroes with Rangers' ace Yu Darvish. Then came the top of the fourth. The first five Texas batters reached base against Roth. The onslaught continued after David Carpenter relieved Roth; with two out and the Rangers already leading 3-0, Lance Berkman stroked a two-run single to make it 5-0. Still not hopeless yet, though. After the Rangers scored again to make it 6-0, Nelson Cruz slammed a three-run homer to make it 9-0. Now it became hopeless. In the sixth, the Rangers added two more runs to make it 11-0. Finally in the eight, with Yu Darvish long gone, the Angels woke up at scored three runs, but it was merely an afterthought. Final score: Rangers 11, Angels 3. The one positive note in the game was three scoreless and hitless innings by Jerome Williams, long after the game had been effectively decided. The Angels are now 2-4 against Texas this year.

On to Seattle for a four-game series against the Mariners. The April 25th opener, played before only 13,000 paying fans, was all Seattle. The Mariners scored two in the third, two in the seventh, and two more in the eighth. The big blow was Carlos Peguero's 451-foot solo moon shot in the third, the third-longest home run in Safeco Field history. However, Kyle Seager, 3-for-4 with three RBIs, and Jason Bay, 2-for-4 with two RBIs, sealed the Angels' fate as their hitters were virtually helpless against three Mariners pitchers. Brandon Maurer pitched the first 6.1 innings and got the win, while Garrett Richards was fairly strong for the Angels early, eventually allowing five runs in 7.1 innings. No Angel got more than one hit.

On April 26th, the Angels decided to jump off the blocks early, building a 5-0 lead after three innings on the strength of two-run homers by Hank Conger and Mark Trumbo. Meanwhile, C.J. Wilson was smoking on the hill for the Angels, striking out nine batters in only 5.1 innings. But Wilson had thrown 110 pitches, and it showed in the bottom of the sixth when the Mariners struck for two more runs, adding to the run they scored in the bottom of the fourth. But a parade of four more Angels pitchers were able to slam the door, and after the Angels added another run in the top of the seventh, they won 6-3.

The game of April 27th featured a pitching duel between the Mariners' "King Felix" Hernandez and the Angels' Joe Blanton. Blanton pitched his best game of the season, but it ultimately didn't prove good enough. The Angels struck first with two runs in the top of the third, one coming on Chris Ianetta's solo shot, his third of the year. But the Mariners tied it in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run homer by Jesus Montero, then after Mike Roth relieved Blanton in the seventh, Roth allowed an RBI single to former Angel Kendrys Morales. The Mariners held, winning 3-2.

The final game on April 28th featured a pitching duel between former Mariner Jason Vargas and current Mariner Hisashi Iwakuma, and Vargas was anxious to get payback on his ex-mates. The teams exchanged goose eggs until the top of the sixth inning, when the Angels drew first blood after Andrew Romine scored on an error. But victory was not in the cards for Vargas on this day, although he had enough gas to throw a complete game. In the bottom of the seventh, Jason Bay launched a bases-empty home run for the Mariners to tie it up. Then in the bottom of the eighth, Michael Morse launched one of his own to put the Mariners in front, 2-1. The lead stood up and the Angels lost three of four in this series, sinking to fourth place and a 9-15 record. The Angels are now 1-3 against Seattle this year. Illustrating the Angels offensive futility in this final game was the fact that Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton and Mark Trumbo combined to go 0-for-16 with six strikeouts.

What's coming up? A three-game trip to Oakland on April 29th, 30th, and May 1st. The A's eviscerated the Angels, outscoring them 28-11 during a three-game visit to Anaheim on April 9-11. However, the A's have fallen on hard times recently, dropping eight of nine games to fall from a season high of 12-4 to 13-12 before rallying to beat the Orioles in Oakland on April 28th. The A's are now 14-12, and could be vulnerable if the Angels can mesh their hitting and their pitching together. The Angels really need to win two out of three against Oakland to start some momentum. The upcoming week then closes out with a four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles in Anaheim; the Birds are in the thick of the A.L. East chase with a 15-10 record. The Angels need to win three out of four against Baltimore.

Once again, the vultures are circling around Mike Scioscia. The latest ESPN Power Rankings posted on April 29th have the Angels at number 19, no change from the previous week. They write "The Angels lead the AL in batting average, but are near the top of the league in runners left on base. They'll get a boost this week with Erick Aybar expected to return to the lineup, but will it be enough to keep them in contention?"

Facts and Stats:

-- Current Standings
-- Latest Individual Hitting Stats
-- Latest Individual Pitching Stats

Los Angeles Angels Sweep Detroit Tigers In Anaheim On April 19-21, But A Hot Texas Rangers Squad Is Next

Last Sunday, I thought maybe the 2013 Los Angeles Angels had finally turned the corner on their disappointing start after they beat the Houston Astros two out of three in Anaheim and, most importantly, getting good pitching in the last two games of that series. But that was temporarily derailed after two straight losses to the Twins in Minnesota. On April 15th, the Twins clubbed the Angels 8-2, lighting up Joe Blanton for four runs on nine hits in 4.2 innings, and then sealing the Angels' fate with three more runs against reliever Mark Lowe. On April 16th, the Angels came a bit closer, battling back to tie the game 4-4 after 3.1 innings, but starter Jason Vargas couldn't hold them, and reliever Jerome Williams continued his on-again, off-again pattern by being tagged for three runs in 3.1 innings. The Angels battled back from an 8-4 deficit with two in the top of the ninth, but fell short, 8-6. The April 17th game was postponed.

Here we go again; Angels now 4-10.

But then a ray of hope appeared back in Anaheim. In the first game of a three-game series against the defending American League champion Detroit Tigers on April 19th, the Angels broke out to a 3-0 lead behind a solid performance by Tommy Hanson. But Angel fans, knowing the pitching problems, couldn't relax -- until the bottom of the eighth inning, when the Angels broke loose for five runs to take an 8-0 lead. The big blow was a bases-loaded triple by Peter Bourjos, who went three-for-four in the game. The Angels made a controversial move by batting Bourjos first and moving Mike Trout down to the number two spot in the order, and it seems to be working. The Tigers fired back with a token run in the top of the ninth before bowing 8-1.

On April 20th, the Angels decided not to keep their fans in suspense for seven innings. In the bottom of the first, they exploded for nine runs enroute to a 10-0 win over the Tigers. The big blow was a grand slam home run by Mike Trout in his second at bat of the inning, turning a 5-0 start into a 9-0 route and sending Tigers' starter Rick Porcello to the showers. But the other good news for the Angels was Garrett Richards' second good start of the season -- this time, seven innings of shutout ball. He allowed only two hits, walked none, and struck out eight, lowering his season ERA to 2.55. If he keeps this up, Mike Scioscia needs to put him in the rotation full time, and bump either Joe Blanton or Jason Vargas, whichever of the two is worse. We could answer that question as early as April 22nd when Blanton opens against the Texas Rangers. On the Tigers' side of the house, Drew Smyly pitched 5.2 innings of shutout relief, striking out seven; with Rick Porcello struggling, Smyly may have just become a candidate to replace him in the rotation.

On April 21st, Angel fans had to wait 13 innings for a decision. After spotting the Tigers a 1-0 lead, the Angels lashed out with three runs in the bottom of the third, sparked by Albert Pujols' two-run double. However, the Tigers knotted it up at 3-3 in the top of the fifth after Prince Fielder launched one into the seats with a man on. From there, the two teams exchanged goose eggs until the bottom of the thirteenth, although Angels' reliever Ernesto Frieri dodged a serious bullet in the top of the ninth. Frieri faced a bases-loaded situation with two out after giving up a hit and walking two, but he induced Victor Martinez to fly out. Then in the bottom of the 13th, with nobody out, Mark Trumbo launched Phil Coke's 3-1 pitch into the left field seats to seal the Tigers' doom, 4-3. As a result, the Tigers fall to 9-9, while the Angels improve to 7-10. Getting the win was the on-again, off-again Jerome Williams, who was "on" again with three scoreless innings, allowing just two hits. Now if Williams could just learn to be a bit more consistent...

Prognosis: This week, the turnaround may be for real. While the games were at Anaheim, the opponent was not the Houston Astros, a team in transition. The opponent was the Detroit Tigers, a legitimate contender. Furthermore, the Angels outscored the Tigers 22-4 in the series, although 14 of the runs came in two big innings. The April 21st game may be a bit more representative of how the Angels can play against another contender.

But...the Angels have the Texas Rangers on their menu next. Although they'll be playing in Anaheim, the Rangers just came off a three-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners in Texas, outscoring the Mariners 23-3. The Mariners are also in transition, but are not that bad. The Rangers are now 12-6, while the Mariners dwindle to 7-13. The Angels are outhitting the Rangers .287 to .245 so far this season, but the Rangers are outpitching them by a wider margin, with an ERA of 2.72 vs. 4.81 for the Angels. Scheduled starters for the Angels are Joe Blanton (0-3), Jason Vargas (0-2), and Tommy Hanson (2-1). Even at home, it will be tough for the Angels to win two out of three, which is what they need to keep their momentum going. A sweep of the Rangers would be real icing on the cake, but that's highly improbable. And now we've learned that Albert Pujols is not at 100 percent -- he's struggling with plantar fasciitis, an inflammation in his left foot. Pujols said he felt discomfort while running to second base on his double. Josh Hamilton is down to .176, going through what Pujols did last April. On the other hand, relief pitcher Michael Kohn has made a successful return from injury, pitching a scoreless inning in the 10-0 win over Detroit, so that will further stabilize the bullpen.

ESPN Power Rankings posted on April 22nd have the Angels at number 19, up four places from the previous week. They write "A walk-off home run from Mark Trumbo on Sunday capped a three-game sweep of the defending AL champion Tigers. It was the Halos' first sweep of the year, indicating they may have found the groove they've been searching for all season. The Angels need to keep the ball rolling as the Rangers roll into town on Monday".

Facts and Stats:

-- Current Standings
-- Latest Individual Hitting Stats
-- Latest Individual Pitching Stats

Los Angeles Lakers On The Brink Of Eliminating The Utah Jazz From 2013 NBA Playoff Competition

Two of my favorite NBA teams are jockeying for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot, and on April 14th, 2013, one of them moved to the brink of deciding the issue. The Los Angeles Lakers, despite the loss of Kobe Bryant to an Achilles tear for anywhere from six to nine months, rose up and shot down the heavily-favored San Antonio Spurs 91-86 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Lakers were fueled by Dwight Howard, who had had 26 points and 17 rebounds, Steve Blake, who scored 23 points, and Paul Gasol, who hauled down 16 rebounds. As a result, the Lakers now have a 44-37 record, while the Utah Jazz remain at 42-38.

Which one has the better chance of making the playoffs? If the Lakers defeat the Houston Rockets in L.A. on April 17th, then they finish 45-37 and are in, regardless of how the Jazz do tonight. But if the Lakers lose, then the Utah Jazz must win both remaining games to finish at 44-38. The Jazz have the tougher task because their last two games are on the road, against Minnesota (a probable win) on April 15th and Memphis on April 17th (a probable loss). The Jazz are only 12-27 on the road this season so far. Of course, if the Jazz lose to the T-Wolves tonight, the Lakers are in. But if both teams finish with the same record, Utah goes to the playoffs because they won the season series against the Lakers, two games to one.

The Jazz basically shot themselves in the foot this season. At one point during the season, they were 31-24 and seemed a certainty to make the playoffs. Then they endured a 3-12 stretch which dropped them to 34-36. Meanwhile, the Lakers, who had started out slow at 17-25, began a 19-7 stretch which elevated them to 36-32 and put them back in the playoff hunt. Although the Jazz subsequently rallied and have now won eight of their last 10, the Lakers have also remained hot. So they are in the position of having to win two games on the road just to stay in the chase, but require help from Houston. The Jazz do not totally control their own destiny.

The reward? To face the number one seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs. This may be a dubious reward, because the Thunder have streaked to a 59-21 record and have the inside track to lock in the number one seed. Both Utah and the Lakers have 1-3 records against the Thunder this year, so it appears that whichever team gets in will bow out to the Thunder in the first round, perhaps in as few as five games. Even if Kobe Bryant was available, the Thunder would still take the Lakers, although it might take six games to do it. Basically, the Lakers and the Jazz are jockeying for the honor of serving as cannon fodder for the Thunder in the first round.

My prediction is that the Lakers will make it in, simply because I can't see Utah defeating the Memphis Grizzlies in Memphis.

Update: On April 15th, the Jazz beat Minnesota 96-80. So now it all boils down to Wednesday. The Jazz must beat the Grizzlies in Memphis AND the Rockets must beat the Lakers in L.A. for the Jazz to make the playoffs.

Update #2: On April 17th, as expected, Memphis ripped the Jazz 86-70, as the Grizzlies turned on the heat in the third quarter. So Utah is out, and the Lakers are in.

Have The 2013 Los Angeles Angels Finally Turned The Corner After A Come-From-Behind 5-4 Win Over The Houston Astros?

The Los Angeles Angels, who stumbled into Game #2 of a three-game home series against the Houston Astros on Saturday April 13th, 2013, appeared to be on their way to another loss when they trailed 4-1 after seven innings. But they staged a come-from-behind 5-4 over the Astros, leading this Angel fan to wonder if perhaps the worst is over and the high-priced, multi-talented Angels will start playing up to their championship potential.

The Angels entered the game mired in a five-game losing streak. They had been swept three straight at home by Oakland, outscored 28-11. They lost the opener to Houston 5-0, barely making a peep offensively. Their 2-8 start matched the 1961 Angels for the team's worst start in history. And after seven innings of Saturday's game, it looked like another setback as they trailed Houston 4-1.

But then in the bottom of the eighth, the Angels woke up. Albert Pujols led off with a single. Then with one out, Mark Trumbo doubled, sending Pujols to third. Howie Kendrick hit what was supposed to be a sacrifice fly to right field, but Astros right fielder J. D. Martinez turned it into an error, scoring Pujols and sending Trumbo to third, while Kendrick hustled to second base on Martinez' slow recovery. It was now 4-2 Astros, still one out. Then Chris Ianetta hit a sacrifice fly to center field for the second out, scoring Trumbo, but when Kendrick reversed course and tried to go back to second, he was thrown out. Inning ended with the Astros leading 4-3.

Could the unthinkable happen? With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Luis Jimenez walked. Then with two out, Mike Trout singled, sending Jimenez to second. Up stepped Pujols -- a much different hitter than he was in 2012. Pujols smacked a 1-0 pitch deep into left field for a double, scoring both Jimenez and Trout. Angels win, 5-4. Also noteworthy was Josh Hamilton's first home run of the season; he's struggled offensively, perhaps trying too hard to impress his new teammates and the Angels' fans.

For the second day in a row, the Angels' much-maligned and much-ravaged pitching staff performed competitively. Garrett Richards, starting in place of the injured Jered Weaver, allowed a credible four runs, three hits and three walks over 6 1/3 innings, in the process becoming the first Angels starter this season to get past the sixth inning. After Sean Burnett pitched two-thirds of a scoreless inning, allowing a hit that allowed one of Richards' runs to score and a sacrifice fly that led to another run, putting the Astros up 4-1 at that point, Michael Roth, who had just been called up from Double-A Arkansas to replace the injured Kevin Jepsen, pitched the last two innings and slammed the door shut, striking out four and allowing no hits or walks. Roth deservedly got the win in what is only his second year in pro baseball, and Halos Daily says Roth can hit the low 90s with his fastball, gets a unique break on his breaking ball because of a low 3/4 arm slot, and shows a pretty solid changeup. Roth has even blogged about his minor league experiences.

The Angels' pitching has been a source of trouble all season so far, beginning in spring training. In Cactus League competition, the Angels coughed up 229 runs, worst in all of baseball, leading to a 10-20 record. However, most of the runs were given up by pitchers who didn't make the big club, so there weren't too many worries. Then came the three-game disaster against Oakland, when they were outscored by 17 runs. After the first loss to Houston, the team ERA soared to 5.38. The vultures began circling over the head of the previously untouchable manager Mike Scioscia. On Sunday, C.J. Wilson will take the hill for the final game against Houston; since Wilson is now the de facto ace with Weaver laid up, a strong performance from him is necessary to get the Angels on a roll. A three-game series in Minnesota early next week gives the Angels an opportunity to pick up some ground before concluding the week with a tough series against the Tigers in Detroit.

Facts and Stats:

-- Current Standings
-- Latest Individual Hitting Stats
-- Latest Individual Pitching Stats

Denver Broncos A Legitimate NFL Super Bowl Contender After Thrashing The Baltimore Ravens 34-17 In Baltimore

After 13 games of the 2012 NFL season, the Denver Broncos, riding an eight-game inning streak and sporting a 10-3 record, had established themselves as a legitimate playoff contender. But because they had lost three games to teams who have since claimed division titles -- Atlanta, New England, and Houston -- earlier this season, there was some question as to whether they could also be considered a Super Bowl contender. Would the Broncos become just another "one-and-done" team?

On December 16th, the Denver Broncos answered that question authoritatively, and yes, they can now be anointed as legitimate Super Bowl contenders. The Broncos went into the back yard of the Baltimore Ravens, a first-place team in the AFC's North Division with one of the NFL's toughest defenses, and thrashed the Ravens 34-17. And the game wasn't really as close as the score indicated; at the end of three quarters, the Broncos were leading 31-3.

The Broncos dominated the Ravens in every facet of the game. They possessed the ball 17 minutes longer than the Ravens. They had nine more first downs than the Ravens, They outgained them in total yardage, 350-278. The Broncos converted five of 16 third down opportunities. And yes, they got the big defensive play of the game -- a 98-yard interception return by Chris Harris with just 15 seconds left in the first half to give the Broncos a 17-0 halftime lead; it was the longest regular-season interception return in Broncos history. The defense pressured Joe Flacco all day so he only completed 50 percent of his passes, although his game score of 76.5 was not much worse the Peyton Manning's game score of 94.9.

It's impressive enough that the Broncos could beat the Ravens by this magnitude in the first place. But to do it on the road - IN BALTIMORE -- clearly shows they have the ability to win anywhere at anytime this season. And that marks them as a true Super Bowl contender, able to defeat New England and whoever represents the NFC. Chris Harris echoed that theme after the game when he said "You come to the Ravens' house and beat them handily, it's definitely a statement game. We definitely wanted to show to everybody that we're an elite team." Some purists might even consider an AFC conference championship game between Denver and new England to be the real Super Bowl this year. Denver's next objective is to end up one of the two playoff teams with a first round bye, allowing them to rest up from their aches and pains for an extra week. Currently, New England and Houston occupy the top two AFC spots which would give them the bye.

Reaction: ESPN blogger Bill Williamson says the turning point of the game was Chris Harris' interception return. Considering he ran it back for 98 yards, I would have to agree. Williamson adds that although Manning continued his MVP pace by completing 17 of 28 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, the Broncos great defense and the ground success makes them more than a one-man team. Another ESPN blogger, Jamison Hensley, fears the Ravens could miss the playoffs altogether, although it would require they lose their last two games. Their performance against Denver today makes that a possibility, particularly if the resurgent Indianapolis Colts win or tie any of last three games.

It's a great day to be a Bronco fan. The wreckage of the Josh McDaniels era is behind us. John Elway knew what he was doing when he romanced Peyton Manning.