I don’t need to go through the history of the Angels losing to the Red Sox in the postseason. We all know it. For some reason when October rolls around, and the Red Sox show up to town they can’t be beat. So why is that?

In 2004, when the Red Sox came back from three games to none against the Yankees, Manny Ramirez was interviewed after game three and asked if he was worried. He said, “If we lose, we lose.” I addition, the Red Sox that year were always laughing and very loose. Nothing seemed to bother them. You wouldn’t think a curse even existed if you saw them in the locker room.

Mike Scioscia runs the Angels like a business. This has worked for him against ever other team in baseball except for the Red Sox in the postseason. When the Angels play the Red Sox it seems to be less of a business mindset and more of a stick up there ass. Our hitters never come through with runners in scoring position because, even though they won’t admit it, they are nervous.

Now this may seem very doom and gloom, but here is why I think this year will be different. We have confidence. Now that Torii Hunter is in his second year with the Angels, and Kendry Morales seems ready to hit anything, this year will be different. My friends will tell you I say that every year, but we’ll see. Like the Yankees, the Angels have a new fire, and if it is to be put out, I don’t think it will be the Red Sox.

Also, as we saw a little bit last year with Teixeira, but he was only here for two months so it didn’t really have a chance to take hold, we have plate discipline. Two of the top five walks leaders in the American League are on the Angels, Chone Figgins and Bobby Abreu. This is what the Red Sox have had over us in previous years. We make Daisuke Matsuzaka look like a god because we swing at everything, and he doesn’t throw strikes. We saw a glimpse of this last night, but I don’t think it will be a trend.

So again, if the curse is going to be broken, it will be this year. Lets hope.

- Tony C

It’s been a rough end of the month for the Angels. Halo fans witnessed a rarity in 2009: 3 consecutive losses. It’s only happened 3 other times this year. Los Angeles Dodgers/Colorado Rockies in June, Texas Rangers in May, and Minnesota Twins in April. The Angels have only been swept in 2 series, and have never lost more than 3 in a row. Some might be concerned about the recent increase in the loss column after LAA dropped 5 of its last 7 games. It’s easy to get swept up in the recent downturn, but GoHalos is here to right the ship of despair.

Yes, this has been a rough couple of series, but up until this past week of games, the Angels were 12-5 in August, averaging just over 6 runs a game. Despite our struggles, we had created so much space between us and the Texas Rangers that we still have a 5 game cushion and are tied for the second most wins in baseball. Don’t forget, Torii Hunter is back and starting to look like his old self, recording a hit in every game he’s played in since his return on August 16. His current hit streak is punctuated by 3 consecutive multi-hit games, improving his batting average to a team-high .318. Chone Figgins seems to be taking after Hunter, also having 3 consecutive multi-hit games which included 2 steals to bring his 2009 total to 39. Juan Rivera has quietly tallied 72 RBIs and hit 20 homeruns, only trailing possibly AL MVP candidate Kendry Morales in that category (27). And then there’s Howie Kendrick. Angel fans not only had to suffer through Howard’s commercials, but also had to endure his poor performance on the field. Since getting the call up on July 4th, he’s totalled 8 doubles, 4 homeruns and 26RBIs, raising his batting average nearly 40 points. Manager Mike Scioscia has seemed to figure out how to rotate the three-headed monster that consists of Kendrick, Maicer Izturis, and Erick Aybar.

Pitching woes? We’ve had to deal with that all year. But don’t be too concerned. Despite Ervin Santana having an enormous 6.13 ERA, he has won 4 straight games. Worried about John Lackey and his 11 innings, 11 earned runs in his 2 past starts? Don’t be. Before those recent outings, he had only allowed 11 runs in 52.1 innings with a 5-1 record in 7 starts. To top it off, Lackey, Santana and Jered Weaver have all pitched complete game shutouts in a little over a month. How many teams can send out a core of pitchers that can do that? Plus, Joe Saunders returns off the DL yesterday to pitch his best quality start since June 24, surrendering 2 earned runs in 5 innings while striking out 6. Welcome back, Joe.

The Angels will begin a 4-games series against the Oakland Athletics, who are 4th in the AL West with a 55-71 record. They are 6-3 against the A’s this year, and will face 3 rookies and a 36-year-old journeyman whose combine records totals 20-32 with a 4.55 ERA.

There’s really no reason to worry. The Angels have put themselves in a great position on top of the AL West, and will look to close out the season with their sights set on another Championship.

-Kevin H.

When ranking candidates for AL MVP I look at a few things. I look first for the player to manufacture a huge chunk of the teams runs, to the point where the team would be hurting without the player. I also look for the player to not hurt the team in any particular stat category. Finally, I look for a player one of the overall best pure hitters in the American League.

1. Joe Mauer - runs(73), avg(.378), HR(25), RBI(77)
(This was pretty clear to me as Mauer may be one of the greatest hitters of our time)

2. Justin Morneau - runs(79), avg(.298), HR(28), RBI(94)
(He seems to be in this race every year. He is not flashy, but sure does put up the numbers)

3. Carl Crawford - runs(78), avg(.321), HR(12), SB(54)
(Stolen bases are like a guaranteed double, and that’s a lot of extra base hits)

4. Kendry Morales - runs(66), avg(.302), HR(27), RBI(81)
(I know this is a surprise, but look at the numbers)

5. Bobby Abreu - runs(74), avg(.311), HR(11), RBI(81), SB(26)
(Probably the best overall numbers in the American league)

6. Ichiro Suzuki - runs(72), avg(.365), HR(8), SB(24)
(Really just here because he is hitting .365)

7. Chone Figgins - runs(94), avg(.305), HR(3), SB(37)
(Chone Figgins might be the most important player for the Angels offensive production)

8. Mark Teixeira - runs(73), avg(.283), HR(31), RBI(89)
(I had to put him on hear even though I didn’t want to)

9. Miquel Cabrera - runs(71), avg(.335), HR(24), RBI(72)
(His RBI’s are down, but that really isn’t his fault)

10. Evan Longoria - runs(69), avg(.276), HR(24), RBI(88)
(He may move up in this race with an end of season surge)

Overcoming adversity

For the Angels, the beginning of the season was a roller coaster to say the least. It began with a plague of injuries to some of our key stars, especially, the pitching staff. This included John Lackey, Ervin Santana, and Kelvim Escobar (who is still out). The problem, however, was alleviated due to the depth of the Angels pitching. This was topped by outstanding performances from Jered Weaver and Joe Saunders, and completed by a solid back end lead by top prospect Nick Adenhart.

Our heart was then broken by the passing of this outstanding young pitching prospect. The death of Nick Adenhart is something the team, and Angels fans will always remember. Most of us didn’t even know who he was, but it didn’t matter because he was one of our Angels. The young men that all of us at this end of the 5 freeway cheer for year after year. But, as many tragedies do, it made this team stronger both on and off the field. Lead by Torii Hunter, the Angels became a new team. One to be reckoned with.

Highlights

With all of the issues the Angels have had, some leaders have emerged. This begins with our Gold Glove and All-Star center fielder Torii Hunter. Most of us were pretty upset with the problems that arose with Gary Matthews Jr., but Torii has made us forget. His 17 home runs, 65 RBI’s, and amazing defensive play have been the Angels rock during the first half of the season.

Also, both Juan Rivera (.312 avg., 14HR, 50RBI) and Kendry Morales (.285avg., 14HR, 45RBI) have emerged as elite players in this league. With Mark Teixeira turning his back on us, most of us thought we would have a huge hole offensively. This has proven not to be the case, especially with the addition of Bobby Abreu.

With all the injuries to our rotation who can forget the 30-year-old rookie. With a 7-0 start, Matt Palmer locked down a much needed rotation spot and gave consistent starts when we needed them the most.

Finally, Chone Figgins has been has returned to the Figgins we all know and love, and plants a solid bat at the beginning of the lineup.

Outlook

With everything the Angels have gone through, and with the exception of Kelvim Escobar and Scott Shields, our team is healthy and performing. Mike Scioscia should win coach of the year and the Angels should win the division. Hopefully, the adversity the Angels have overcome has given them a toughness they have lacked in the past. And maybe, just maybe, they can take down the Red Sox this year.

-Tony C

Here are his numbers: Avg. (.330) Runs (54) Stolen Bases (23) OPS (.827). So whats the problem? Well, he plays third base, and third requires home runs in the eyes of most fans which is ridiculous. And these numbers don’t include the defensive gems he has given Angels fans all season. He is a rock at the beginning of our lineup. I’m going to make this short and sweet. Go to MLB.com and vote for Chone Figgins to the 2009 All-Star team. Oh, and don’t forget Torii as well.
-Tony C

There seems to be something different about the Angels offensively this year. Although the last few nights have been a struggle, the Angels went through a stretch where they were scoring 9 runs a game. They have been putting up runs in bunches much like we saw in 2002. Some would say that the Angels have had some breakout power performances from the likes of Torii Hunter(16HR’s), Juan Rivera(10HR’s), and Kendry Morales(12HR’s). This is true, but I think it is something deeper. A culture change you might say.

Since the Angels lost Tim Salmon, Troy Glaus, David Eckstein, and Darin Erstad they have been known throughout baseball as free swingers, possibly due to the influence of Vladimir Guerrero. This year however the Angels are working counts and getting on base. There on-base-percentage is 12 points higher than it was last year. They are even breeding their minor leagues to take a few pitches which is why we have yet to see Brandon Wood permanently in the Majors.

I attribute the Major League version of this to the resurgence of Chone Figgins, and the addition of Bobby Abreu. Angel fans can be pretty confident that with those two at the top of the order one of them will likely get on base. This season Chone Figgins is sporting a .403 on-base-percentage, and Bobby Abreu’s is at .390. This is something that I have never seen from the Angels. The organizational change is something Mike Scioscia has implemented out of necessity.

With the end of the steroid era, baseball games are going to be won by getting on base, getting over, and getting in. To date the Angels have been missing the former, but things have changed and league will notice come playoff time.

-Tony C

Many critics have been saying pessimistically that the Angels (35-29) have only been scoring runs because they have been facing the terrible pitchers in the National League West. It is true the Angels have not face the best the San Diego Padres (28-35) and San Francisco Giants (34-31) have to offer, but I still thought it was something to be excited about because they were averaging 9 runs a game during a 5 game winning streak. We haven’t seen this kind of production at all in past years.

Today, the Angels offense proved its critics wrong by scoring 4 runs against the reigning Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum (8in, 3ER 9K). This is not the 9 runs they were averaging, but it was a solid number against arguably the best pitcher in baseball.  Not to mention this was without Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter and Bobby Abreu in the starting line-up.

This offense is for real and is ready to take down the best the National League has to offer, our cross town rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers (43-22).

Notes:

Brian Fuentes (4.43ERA, 24K) nailed down his 18th save of the season as is starting to lock down the back of the rotation for the Angels.  However, I still think I would be more comfortable with Kelvim Escobar (0-1, 3.60ERA) there.

-Tony C