Carried Off On A Cart

If this game wasn’t the epitome of the Angels’ first half, I don’t know what is. A struggle on the mound followed by an offensive comeback that falls just short as another player is lost to injury.

Can We Fire The Trainer?

I’m not sure if this is a thing, but I am seriously thinking that the Angels need to fire their trainer, or strength coach, or conditioning coach – whoever it is that can’t seem to help the players stay healthy.

Yup, that picture is just the latest…Jake Jewel who was called up to fill in for someone on the DL who was probably filling in for someone else on the DL made his 3rd appearance for the Angels and left the game on a stretcher.

Somehow the Angels were planning on having a 6 man rotation at the start of the season to allow Ohtani acclimate to the major leagues but it looks like they’ve just had a revolving door rotation that I seriously don’t think has remained the same for more than 10 days this season. And the Bullpen is just as bad.

I’m actually surprised the minor league teams have enough players since they’ve all been called up to fill in holes at the major league level.

So, on a day where Jewel leaves a close game with what could easily be a broken ankle or at least a severe sprain, we also learned that John Lamb went on the DL and that Zack Cozart is done for the season.

I guess the good news is that our two-way star might be able to at least contribute as a DH again since he’s been cleared to take batting practice.

Needless to say, the Angels lost again, their 5th in a row and they’re now 12 1/2 behind Houston and 9 games outta the wildcard. There’s a ton of ground to make up in the second half. And speaking of second halves, I never thought this Angel team would be one game above .500 at the halfway mark. This is truly a team that has never really had an opportunity to perform to their potential. There’ve been too many injuries to overcome and while there are still 81 games left, things are not looking like they’re getting any better.

In terms of the game, Heneay had a rough outing giving up 6 runs in 3 1/3 innings. He just did not have good stuff. The bullpen pitched well and allowed the team to catch up but they faltered in the 7th and then Jewel went down in the eight – I think that might have taken the fight outta the team.

Martin Maldonado gets my Player of the Game for hitting a 3 run HR in the 6th but it just wasn’t enough. Kinsler also knocked the ball outta Fenway with a solo shot and Simmons picked up another 3 hit game so the offense showed up. But we keep trying to sit on a 2 legged stool – something always fails – starting pitching, bullpen, or offense. 1 or 2 of them work on any day but one always fails, but with so many injuries what more can you expect?

Jamie Barria (5–3, 3.40 ERA) hopes to salvage a little bit of respect by driving the Angels to their first victory against the Red Sox this season while Boston puts Brain Johnson (1–2, 4.50 ERA) on the mound in the series finale.

Daily Ramble 279.2 | Sports – Angels – Carried Off On A Cart