@
Baltimore Orioles (8-6) @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (5-9)
Pitching Probables: OAK – Jake Arrieta (1-0, 2.66 ERA) LAA – Jered Weaver (2-0, 2.18 ERA)
Game Info: 6:05 PM PT; TV – Fox Sports West; Radio – KLAA 830
[wayin]ae9b12b1-579b-4e83-a094-e44bc8611acc[/wayin]
Being a starting pitcher is a solitary exsistence. So much of the game rides on your performance. The rest of the team feeds off your energy and how you pitch. When a starter struggles, the offensive players press a little harder to get runs. On defense, every ground ball is magnified and can lead to disaster. But when a starter is feeling it, then everyone else plays a little freer and easier. Jered Weaver usually inspires his teammates to this sort of action, so having him on the mound tonight should lead to a positive outcome. Which would be great because the first step to the Angels getting the ship righted would be to win a series for the first time this year. Weaver’s role as the ace of the staff is not only stop the bleeding when the team is losing, but to keep the team on a roll when it looks like might be generating some momentum.
This is, however, predicated on the Angel offense keeping their bats moving like they did last night. Is tonight the night for Albert Pujols to go yard (lord I hope so, because i’m tired of hearing about it)? Will the Angel team remember that their success usually comes with aggressive baserunning? Can Howie Kendrick continue to be a doubles machine? These are key questions that need to be answered for me to feel better about the Angels long term chances. I think after tonight we might see a whole bunch of happy Halo players with a two game winning streak under the belts and a series sweep on the horizon. That’s how much confidence I have in our ACE!!