Wednesday August 8th, 2012

Jake Dal Porto (Baseball Intern Writer):  

The Los Angeles Angels made two big splashes in the offseason. One obviously being Albert Pujols, the second C.J. Wilson who has helped stabilize their rotation this season. Jerry Dipoto wasn’t finished tweaking his already steady pitching staff yet, however. Instead of sticking with Garrett Richards or Jerome Williams to fill out a star-studded rotation, he went out and acquired former American League Cy Young award winner, Zack Greinke from the Brewers at the trade deadline. According to multiple insiders, the move was supposedly a steal for the Angels too. And the fact that Dipoto is willing to dangle a top prospect away for a rental pitcher, shows how committed the Angels are to winning this year.

Can they make a playoff push behind their rotation, however?

It would be far-fetched to say no to that question. With a perennial Cy Young award candidate in Jered Weaver heading a rotation that has Greinke slated in the third spot, and Dan Haren in the fourth, it would be incredibly hard to picture the Angels missing the playoffs. Though the same couldn’t be said earlier in the season. With the offense constantly erasing good outings by their starting pitchers, the Angels seemed like a lost cause. But now that Albert Pujols is the Albert Pujols that we have become accustomed to over the past decade, and with the rise of Mike Trout who is the favorite to win the A.L. Rookie of the Year and the MVP awards, scoring runs isn’t such of an issue. With an improved offense, all the pitching has to do is keep the game within striking distance, which isn’t asking much from three Cy Young caliber pitchers and two above average pitchers.

So the Angels’ starting rotation is bullet proof, right? Not so fast. Sure, if you put their names on a piece of paper it looks good, but it’s not as good as it looks. Dan Haren is no longer the pitcher he once was. Ervin Santana has yet to solve his ongoing struggles, and was actually skipped in the rotation in late July. And while C.J. Wilson has been stellar for the majority of the season, he isn’t suited for big games. He has a 5.36 ERA since the beginning of July, and his last start against the Rangers in which he gave up eight runs, really capped off a string of bad outings. Now, manager Mike Scioscia has to worry about Wilson, Santana, and Haren. While they all have the tools to return to their elite forms, when that will happen is the question.

Haren has been struck with a nagging back injury that caused him to miss his August 1st start. He did, however, make his scheduled start against the White Sox on Sunday, holding Chicago to just one run on four hits over six innings. The performance was a positive sign, but back injuries never seem to just disappear. Meanwhile, Santana held the Sox to just two earned runs over six innings in his last start. After posting an inflated 6.16 ERA in the first month of the season, the Angels have to be pleased with a quality start. Finally, Wilson totaled a stellar 2.36 ERA before a disastrous July which pushed his season ERA to 3.27. So I’ll say it again; they have all showed flashes of brilliance, but can they turn those flashes into stretches? That remains to be seen.

The back-end of the rotation will be key for the Angels’ playoff hopes. Santana (5.83 ERA) and Haren (4.44 ERA) have dragged down the rotation’s collective ERA which ranks third in the American League at 4.01. But with Weaver in Cy Young type form, leading the A.L in ERA (2.13), and wins (15), the struggles of Haren and Santana have gone under the radar. Though Weaver can’t be expected to keep going at the pace he’s currently going at. Meaning, someone has to step up. Whether it’s Santana or Haren, or even Garrett Richards or Jerome Williams, Weaver can’t do it all. Neither can Greinke, who has a 5.05 ERA as an Angel.

Their division rivals in the Rangers didn’t stand pat at the deadline either, coming out of nowhere to acquire Ryan Dempster from the Chicago Cubs. Dempster was roughed up for eight runs in his first start in a Rangers’ uniform, but rebounded by tossing nearly seven scoreless innings against the Red Sox on Tuesday. While the Angels’ starting rotation is far superior than the Rangers’ beat up rotation, they didn’t fare well against them in a four game series last week, surrendering 18 earned runs.

After losing three of four to the first place Rangers, catching them will be a hard task. The Angels trail the Rangers by six, but a wild card spot is nowhere near out of the question. If the playoffs started today, Los Angeles would be a game and a half out of the second spot. The thing is, a one game do or die, is vastly different from a series. Luckily, Mike Scioscia has plenty of options if it came down to a single game. Weaver would be the consensus pick should the game be today, but let’s say he is struggling. The skipper could turn to Greinke, or even Wilson if he really wants to roll the dice. The point is, he has a surplus of options, which is a good problem to have. Most teams don’t have that luxury which makes them the favorite to come out of the wild card race should they not win the division.

If the Angels starting rotation is clicking on cylinders though, the rest of the American League is in deep trouble.

(*The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com*)

Jake Dal Porto is a high school student from the Bay Area. He is a big time Giants fan and his favorite players are Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Buster Posey, and Sergio Romo. Jake’s favorite sports moment was when the Giants won the World Series back in 2010. He loves to use sabermetrics in his work. He thinks they are the best way to show a player’s real success compared to the basic stats such as ERA, RBIs, and Wins. Jake also enjoys interacting and debating with his readers. Follow him on Twitter: @TheJakeMan24

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