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Surprise! Surprise! - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

Good, Bad and Pretty Stupid! - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

Like most of what he and his predecessor Bill Stoneman say, this sounds like another half truth.

The Angels do indeed need have a few holes to fill in their lineup. But by now, there are fewer players left to fill those holes in any substantive way. Those who might, like Ben Sheets, have already been dismissed by Reagins.

In all likelihood, the starting 2010 Angels have already been scouted, signed, and allotted parking spaces at the Big A.

The only thing left for Reagins and the rest of the staff to do is put those Angels in order.

For that reason, I humbly present to you, dear reader, my ideal batting order for the 2010 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

3B Maicer Izturis

We’ve only hit the lead-off spot and right off the bat, we’ve got our first controversy.

With the departure of Chone Figgins, it seems most cannot wait to crown Brandon Wood the next Troy Glaus. I, on the other hand, can’t wait for Wood to be bench after he reveals himself to be the next Dallas McPherson. … [visit site to read more]

L.A. Angels Swing Into New Season With New Faces and A New Lineup - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

The Angels had a tough time against the Yankees' offensive power.

After 171 grueling regular and postseason games, after all of the ups and downs, tragedies and triumphs, the Los Angels Angels of Anaheim are getting a preemptive jump on the offseason.

It’s not the Angels’ fault, per say. I cringe to even think it, but though the differences were minor, the New York Yankees were simply the better team, throughout both the regular season and the American League Championship Series.

The starting pitching was fairly evenly matched, but they featured a dominant lefty in CC Sabathia whom the Angels couldn’t touch, while we countered with a sure-fire klutz in Scott Kazmir.

Seriously now, did have one solid inning this postseason?

The Yankees’ bullpen was a bit shaky in the series, but the great Mariano Rivera picked Angels batters apart and helped bolster their creaky relief core.

Meanwhile, the Angels chose to stick with Brian Fuentes, a closer who looked like his mission was actually to blow every save he was handed this year, and just failed 48 times.

More than anything though, the difference between these two teams was the power. Up and down the Yankees’ lineup, guys were belting home runs with ease.

On our side of the dish, it was a struggle just to get the ball out of the infield for everyone who wasn’t named Jeff Mathis.

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Angels Get Yanked From Playoffs, Fans Suffer 5 Stages of Sports Grief - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

Jered Weaver didn’t bring his best stuff to the mound today. He got his pitch count up early, and his fastball was very hittable. He battled through five innings, allowing five hits and three walks while striking out four. He was undone by three solo homers, the first coming from Derek Jeter on the third pitch of the game. To Weaver’s credit, he worked out of some serious jams. In the second and fourth innings, he found himself with two runners on and no one out, and was able to work out of it both times. He left after a fifth inning in which he allowed the third solo homer of his day, a fastball that was hit over the short wall in right field by Johnny Damon.

In the bottom of the fifth, Howie Kendrick started the comeback with a solo shot of his own off of Yankees starter Andy Pettite. Kendrick crushed an inside fastball into bullpen in left field. An inning later, Bobby Abreu worked a one out walk. With two outs, Vladimir Guerrero hit a towering shot over the wall in left field to tie the score at three.

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Angels Stay Alive, Beat Yankees 5-4 - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

The Yankees got the scoring started in the second inning. Nick Swisher worked a two out walk, and Robinson Cano tripled him home. Derek Jeter’s third inning homer gave the Yankees a 2-0 lead. The Angels got both runs back in the fifth inning. Maicer Izturis led the inning off with a ground rule double, and Erick Aybar singled him home. After Chone Figgins was hit by a pitch, and Torii Hunter walked, Yankees starter A.J. Burnett threw a wild pitch that scored Aybar to tie the game.

The bullpens battled it out into extra innings, with Joe Girardi burning through his best pitchers early, while the Angels went to the 10th with some of their best arms unused. In the 11th inning, Gary Matthews walked to lead off the inning. After Aybar bunted him to second, Chone Figgins singled him home to give the Angels a 3-2 lead. Mike Scioscia called upon closer Brian Fuentes to end the game, but he surrendered a lead off home run to Alex Rodriguez that tied the game. It came on an 0-2 pitch, but in Fuentes’ defense, the ball barely cleared the wall in right field, and would have been a routine fly ball in every single professional ball park in the country. Only in the joke of a ball park they built in the Bronx would that be a home run. Yankee Stadium is really an embarrassment to baseball.

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Angels Throw Away Game 2: Yankees 4, Angels 3 - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

No, it’s not a cheesy weather pun (see: headline). The Angels have simply been sidelined for too long, slogging through a five-day break between the first and second rounds of the playoffs.

They were just a little sluggish, that’s all. Or at least, that’s all I’d like to believe.

Because the only other alternative is that their in-game shivers had some deeper and more sinister origin than just the frigid New York temperatures.

From the moment Chone Figgins stepped in the batter’s box to lead off Game 1 of the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees, the Angels looked scared.

And the evidence quickly piled up.

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Angels-Yankees: An Icy Start to a Red Hot Series for The Halos - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

Jered Weaver backed up John Lackey’s gem from last night with one of his own, limiting the Red Sox to two hits and two walks over 7.1 innings, while striking out seven.  Darren Oliver, Kevin Jepsen, and Brian Fuentes took the reins and finished off the victory, ensuring a comfortable Saturday for nervous Angels fans everywhere.

The Sox got the scoring started in the fourth inning when Jacoby Ellsbury led the inning off with a triple.  Two batters later, Victor Martinez singled him home, and the Sox had a 1-0 lead.

The Angels didn’t wait long to respond.  Bobby Abreu led off the bottom of the fourth with a base hit.  After Mike Lowell made a great play on a Torii Hunter line drive, Vladimir Guerrero singled Abreu to third.  Kendry Morales cashed him in with a sacrifice fly to right field, and the Angels tied the game at 1.

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ALDS Game 2: Angels 4, Red Sox 1 - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

The Angels’ offense, prolific in Monday’s series opener, failed to create many opportunities, and squandered the opportunities it did create.  Mariners rookie Doug Fister allowed just five hits and two walks over 7.1 innings, and the bullpen closed the deal for the home team.  The Angels put the lead-off hitter on base in six of their nine at bats.  Three times the runner was erased via the double play (including a strike-him-out throw-him-out double play in the first inning), and three times the runner advanced no further than the base at which he started.

The night’s largest failure came in the eighth inning.  With the Angels trailing 2-1, Maicer Izturis led the inning off with a double to right field.  But Erick Aybay fouled out, failing to move Izturis to third.  Consecutive fly-outs from Mike Napoli and Chone Figgins stranded Izturis at second.

Ervin Santana became a victim of low run support for the second straight game.  He lasted six innings and allowed only one run.  But he was also a victim of his own high pitch count, leaving after 100 pitches even.  Darren Oliver relieved him in the seventh inning, and allowed a two out double to Jose Lopez which scored Franklin Gutierrez from first base for the eventual winning run.

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Angels Fall to Ms: Angels 1, Mariners 2 - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

Back on the Horse: Angels down Orioles 5-1 - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site