Clearly not a well-pitched game for the Halos. Outside the first inning, Hokie Joe Saunders had a tough time dealing with the Rays lineup, and frankly it's a little past-due. Each of the last two seasons he's pitched, he's pitched better earlier in the season. A day's rest also had the effect of dropping his ERA well over a point, as I recall, so stamina's been a problem for him, and I think he's going to need a couple days off here and there to keep up his performance.
That said, last night's game involved a second inning where Longoria, Aybar, and Navarro hit consecutive home runs to roughly the same part of the park. Joe managed to recover, but the pitches he expended that inning were likely the reason the wheels fell off in the fifth.
The Angels managed to take the lead on a Torii bomb (the 200th of his career) to center in the fourth, but the fifth was an inning Saunders probably wants to forget. A pair of doubles and a single led to four Tampa Bay runs, and Arredondo allowed a single to force another run across before getting out of the inning.
Arredondo was the only major league caliber pitcher the Angels used, as the newly-recalled O'Day and still-old Oliver combined to give up another five runs in the last three innings.
Regardless of the outcome, last night had some definite positives, including 4-4 nights for both Vlad and Matthews. I've never been a fan of the GMJ contract, but even though he's not a .300 hitter, he's not a .210 hitter, either.
Tonight is Weaver vs. Shields at 10:05 EST. If Jered pitches like himself and not his brother, the Halos have a chance against a recently shaky Shields. Just don't charge the mound...Shields said this after the brawl in Boston:
"“We’ve been getting stomped around the last 10 years and it isn’t going to happen anymore...when a guy comes after me, my dad always told me, ‘You’d better knock him out.’"
Game Preview: Celtics at Lakers, 9:00 PM EST
Three game sweeps in the middle set of the 2-3-2 format have occurred just twice in twenty years, as I recall. I'd be surprised if it didn't happen again this year. Game two's fourth quarter was an example of what the Lakers can do, and with the home fans and an undoubtedly irate Phil Jackson, I see the Lakers heading back to Boston with a 3-2 series edge. At the very least, they need to win one so I'm the hell out of this city if they lose.
The playoffs are, mercifully, on a real network again. TNT and TBS are the worst channels for sports, with the possible exception of Versus.
Misc: Heat
No, not the Miami Heat. Here in Attleboro, it's a pleasant 95 outside. At my desk, it's a balmy 102 right now with the temperature and humidity rising at will. Two window air conditioners do not provide the necessary BTU's to cool a room this large. It probably doesn't help that there are eight furnaces, all over 1000 degrees, about ten feet below my floor. To those of you seeking a satisfied employee base with your company: this is incorrect.
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