You could see this one coming from a mile away, what with the glow of the Angels’ Opening Day win shining brightly. After last night, I would have bet money the Royals were going to come out and do what they could to win. And even though I believe Dan Haren will have a great year, it was apparent from the outset that he didn’t have it today. Couple that with the fact that this Royals team is actually pretty good, and you can see why the Angels let this one get away.
Royals 6 Angels 3
Game Notes
— I wouldn’t worry too much about Albert Pujols’ propensity for hitting into double plays. Over his career, he’s hit into 20 or more a year, but at some point he will have to do something or the pressure of high expectations will continue to intensify. That said, it was nice to see him at least get a hit.
— Whatever coach is responsible for the Angels’ baserunning needs to some severe handslapping. The Angels are making a ton of errors on the basepaths (i.e. Wilson getting picked off first, Pujols running through a sign and getting thrown out at home). Mark my words, this will come back to bite them.
— I don’t care if Abreu did get RBI’s on a double and a fly out, dude should not be playing the outfield.
— How awesome is it to see Kendrys Morales (4-4) hitting the ball with authority? Every day this story gets better and better.
Halo A-Hole
Even the really consistent ones have off days, and Haren is no exception. He didn’t look his usual free-and-easy self, and the result was a five inning, five run shellacking. I’m sure, though, that this will be the last time Danny Boy appears on this side of the Halo A Hole section.