A little catch up to do after missing yesterday due to needing to relocate from Santa Barbara to escape the fires.
- Steve Bisheff just won’t let the Brandon Wood demotion go. Even I have given up on this angle, Wood is just going to have to wait until next year when the Angels lets Chone Figgins walk in free agency.
- Justin Speier explains why he flipped his lid in Thursday night’s game. He blames his frustration but fails to mention that his frustration is born from the fact that he seems to have forgotten how to pitch again after starting the season out well.
- PUFF PIECE ALERT: Another Palmer start, another Angel-generated puff piece. Have we not exhausted this storyline yet? I almost want him to pitch poorly tonight so that we can stop hearing about his “inspiring” story. Almost.
- A mathematical look at what a good idea (or not) having Napoli DH is. The funniest thing about this is that it would be moot if the Angels demoted an extra reliever (they are carrying 7 instead of the normal 6) and called up a third catcher.
- An insightful view of the Manny Ramirez situation from Torii Hunter himself.
- The LA Times is trying to build up a Gary Matthews comeback story. Private Matthews has looked a bit better at the plate, but is OPS of .663 is still pretty bad and actually slightly down from his wretched performance (.675 OPS).
- INJURY UPDATE: John Lackey is targeting a return to the majors next week after one more minor league start, thought the Halos might want him to make two more. Glad to see Big John is chomping at the bit to get back, but with the stand-in starters performing decently, the Angels would be well advised to be cautious with their ace to make sure he can stay healthy for the rest of the season.