Monday, September 26, 2005
BIG IMPORTANT SERIES
As you may or may not be aware, the Angels commence a big important four-game series against the A's tonight.
The Lads have a magic number of four, which means a split of the series secures the division. That would mark two straight years that we've gone into the land of the green and gold and walked out with a division title.
Tonight features John Lackey against Joe Blanton. Big John has struggles in his last two starts, seeing his ERA raise from 3.30 to 3.55, giving up four home runs in twelve-and-two-thirds innings in the process. Historically, Lackey has excelled in September, so one would hope that it's just a hiccup. He's matched up well against the A's this season, going 2-1 with a 2.92 ERA in nearly 25 innings.
Joe Blanton has had a year of ups and downs. After starting off his season with a superb April (a 2.67 ERA), his mediocre strikeout-to-walk ratio caught up to him and he got hammered for a 13.25 ERA in May. He has since settled down, looking magnificent at times.
Still, in 187 1/3 innings, he's only struck out 107 men while walking 66, an unexceptional ratio. He's also allowed 21 home runs, a pretty large number given his home park. He has pitched well against the Angels this year (a 2.05 ERA), and, anecdotally, it seems to me that the Angels often struggle against pitchers that just throw strikes but don't overpower.
Look for the Angels to put the ball in play a lot against Blanton. If their bats are sharp, hopefully that will mean some brutal line drives will be whacked around the stadium. Lackey also needs to bear down and give the team a quality start. With our bullpen finally getting back in stride, keeping the team in the game will be a big step toward victory.
As you may or may not be aware, the Angels commence a big important four-game series against the A's tonight.
The Lads have a magic number of four, which means a split of the series secures the division. That would mark two straight years that we've gone into the land of the green and gold and walked out with a division title.
Tonight features John Lackey against Joe Blanton. Big John has struggles in his last two starts, seeing his ERA raise from 3.30 to 3.55, giving up four home runs in twelve-and-two-thirds innings in the process. Historically, Lackey has excelled in September, so one would hope that it's just a hiccup. He's matched up well against the A's this season, going 2-1 with a 2.92 ERA in nearly 25 innings.
Joe Blanton has had a year of ups and downs. After starting off his season with a superb April (a 2.67 ERA), his mediocre strikeout-to-walk ratio caught up to him and he got hammered for a 13.25 ERA in May. He has since settled down, looking magnificent at times.
Still, in 187 1/3 innings, he's only struck out 107 men while walking 66, an unexceptional ratio. He's also allowed 21 home runs, a pretty large number given his home park. He has pitched well against the Angels this year (a 2.05 ERA), and, anecdotally, it seems to me that the Angels often struggle against pitchers that just throw strikes but don't overpower.
Look for the Angels to put the ball in play a lot against Blanton. If their bats are sharp, hopefully that will mean some brutal line drives will be whacked around the stadium. Lackey also needs to bear down and give the team a quality start. With our bullpen finally getting back in stride, keeping the team in the game will be a big step toward victory.
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