The Angels Fall to the Astros

The Angels throw the game in the last inning with Street leading the way. Yeah so that pretty much sums up the game! The Angels didn't do the best this game but they held the hot Astros until the 9th inning. It was pretty fun to watch because my team was winning, right? Well first off the Angels pitching was fantastic! To hold off a team that is doing as well as the Astros is down right amazing. However, it all came to an end in the 9th inning. It was Houston Street coming up to pitch and boom the first batter up gets on base, then the second batter is on, then all of a sudden the Astros score three runs and the Angels are down 3-2. I mean it was pretty defeating, emotionally, to see that happen.

Houston Street Blows the Save! Thanks LA Times for the Image

What lead up to this loss? First off, even though the Angels were leading the game the whole way, they didn't produce nearly enough runs and their offense was pretty dormant. Yes, two runs seemed to be enough this game but usually this wouldn't be enough. When you are facing a team that has been doing as well as the Astros, it is mandatory that you produce many runs to keep your team out in front. The Angels scored two runs and then seemed to shut down. This ended up in the long run hurting the Angels and they lost to the Astros.

The Astros also played really well this game. It was never lopsided, there was never a point in the game where you just turned off the TV and walked away. No, actually the game was the complete opposite. I was almost analyzing the TV it seemed like. Like the Angels, the Astros put up a good fight and also had fantastic pitching. The Astros offense was nonexistent until the very end. I have no clue what it was but all of a sudden the Astros seemed to ignite and they put up some nice hits.

Astros Offense Sparks in the 9th! Courtesy of Galv News for the Pic

The Angels and Astros are well matched and so far have had great games to watch. I look forward to the many more games that these two teams will play and hope that they remain close.

The All New Astros

While everyone thinks that the Astros suck, the Astros are actually proving that they aren't that bad after all. Lately, everything has been picking up for them and every component of their game is very strong. They just snapped a 10 game winning streak. Can you believe that? The Astros actually won more than one game in a row! I know I give them a lot of crap but I have to give it to them, they are on fire.

First off, we have their offense. They are leading the American League in home runs. Everyone in the Astros lineup is capable of causing harm while up to bat. From the leadoff hitter to the number 12 hitter, each and every player can hit a home run and they have proved it. Not only that, with Jose Altuve leading the way, they are also getting tons of multiple base hits. It's insane how well the offense is doing. However, on the flip side of this, at any time the Astros can go dry from home runs and start losing again. Yes, they are destroying the ball right now, but that can change in less than a game!

Jose Altuve is Red Hot Right Now! Courtesy of CBS Sports for this Image

Next there is the pitching of the Astros. I'm not even talking about the overall defense I'm just going to talk about pitching right now. Their rotation is pretty strong with Dallas Keuchel and Collin McHugh. With this dynamic duo, they haven't lost a single game. The Astros defense hasn't had to do much yet because of the great pitching. The ERA of these two all star pitchers is insanely low. If you look outside of the pitching, their defense is also very strong right now. Of course Jose Altuve is leading them but they also have Springer, Carter, and Rasmus who all show off their gloves in the field. 

Keuchel Looks to Keep his Streak Going! Thanks MLB for this Pic!

I know that I predicted the Astros would suck again this year but I think that I have already been proved wrong. Even though it is way early in the season, you can tell the Astros have made some changes and it's really working. Don't mistake me for a bandwagon fan because I still don't like the Astros, but I can't deny a good team when I see one and the Astros are definitely a good team right now!

Players to Watch in the American League

Hey guys, what's up? Today I am going to talk about different players who should be watched closely in the American League. Now I am not only going to talk about people who are famous and amazing at the game, but also people who are building up or have been struggling and are coming back.

First off we have Jered Weaver! Jered Weaver is a starting pitcher for the Angels who at one point was arguably one of the best pitchers in baseball. This year Weaver has been doing really poorly and he publicly admits it. The Angels Manager Mike Scioscia has also acknowledged the fact that Jered has been doing poorly. However, despite the statistics, I think Jered Weaver will come back and during the second half of the season be that unstoppable pitcher he once was. Every player in the MLB struggles at one point or another. The reason I am focusing on Weaver is because once he becomes the leader he once was, the Angels will follow and start to do well again.

Angels Pitcher Jered Weaver! Courtesy of ESPN for the Pic!

Next is Jose Altuve. While everyone knows that Jose is one of the best players in the MLB offensively and defensively, I am looking at him in a different way. So far this year the Astros have been doing really well. Many people question why. The answer to this is Jose Altuve. As long as he can continue to stay hot, I believe the Astros will also stay hot. Altuve is one of the top hitters and is easily a gold glove shortstop. Despite his height of 5' 6", he still manages to do really well. 

Jose Altuve leads the Red Hot Astros! Thanks Wiki for the Image!

Another player that you should be watching out for is Kole Calhoun. Kole is a starting outfielder for the Angels and bats leadoff. Flying under the radar, Kole is a solid hitter and fielder. So far this year, Kole has come in clutch in many different situations and continues to impress. Many argue that Mike Trout over shadows Kole Calhoun which may be true given that Mike Trout is amazing. However, Kole also is a very impressive ball player and is still young. This year and the years to come will really show what Kole Calhoun is about.

Kole Makes the Catch!!! Awesome Pic by Japan Times

Thanks for reading this guys! Let me know what you think and if you have any questions make sure to leave a comment!

Going to the Cactus League

As everyone reading this probably knows, spring training is currently going on and MLB Opening Day is on it's way! No matter what team that you are going for, we can all agree that Opening Day needs to come faster. Spring training is in full spring and we've seen a little bit of everything.

This year there has been a lot of Tommy Johns surgery. This is pretty sad to see such great pitchers have to go through something like that. However, there are plenty of positive things going on. This season there is a lot to look forward. Of course it is pretty early to know exactly what will go down. Spring training has been so fun to watch this season. The Angels (the best team in the MLB) have been doing well along with many other teams!

Tommy John Surgery :(  Thanks Bleacher Report for this!

The Angels in the post season haven't been doing too amazing but have been doing well which I am pretty stoked about. Of course their star players are still doing well, there have been some people peeking in and looking good! One team though, that has been outstanding in spring training is the Athletics. Last year, the Athletics put up a good fight throughout the whole season but ended up falling short. Will this be their season?

You know I can't say for sure but I think they have a good shot. As heart breaking that is for me as an Angels fan, the Athletics have a very impressive ball club. However, that is just in the American League. In the National league there is the Dodgers, who did pretty well last year. Not too surprisingly, they are continuing to do well. I don't know what it is about the Dodgers, but man their games are always fun to watch.

Thanks Daily Republic for this nice quality pic!

Some teams that I would have you pay close attention to is the Diamondbacks and the Astros. These two teams haven't done too well recently but man their records are looking pretty promising. The Diamondbacks currently are 14-10 giving them the title of second in the national league. The Astros who many think are terrible (myself included) have a nice record of 10-8 placing them in sixth in the American League. I know that isn't great, but I think these two teams will go a lot farther than last year.

Thanks MLB for this clean Logo!

I know that there are a lot of games to be played but in my opinion this is going to be one fun season. I am so stoked to watch regular season games. I'm slowly getting back into the baseball swing and I'm ready to invest some hours in watching some games! During the season I am thinking about adding highlights and doing my own highlight reels so you guys are always caught up with all the fun stuff that is going on! Until next time fellow bloggers!