March 17, 2008
Angels Rotation Takes Another Blow
Starting pitcher John Lackey will be shut-down from all baseball activities for the next 3 to 4 weeks due to a strained triceps. The Halos do not expect to see Lackey pitch for them until mid-May at the earliest according to the LA Times which put the Angels' top two starters on the shelf for the first month of the season. Kelvim Escobar is nursing a sore elbow and he is not expected to make a start for the Angels until May either.
So Angels' General Manager Tony Reagins, who took a lot of heat for overloading the team with a sixth starter after trading shortstop Orlando Cabrera to the White Sox for Jon Garland, suddenly looks like a genius. The Angels number three starter, Jered Weaver, is now in line to be the opening day starter following by Garland, Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana. There is some question as to who the number five starter will be but the LA Times opines that long-reliever Dustin Moseley is the leading candidate. Also being considered are prospects Nick Adenhart and Nick Green.
In the best case scenario Escobar misses 3 or 4 starts and Lackey 6 or 7. In the world of injuries it is always best to take the hit in April rather than September. It is going to be a tough first month and half for the Angels who could very well find themselves in a hole to start the year behind the Mariners who are sporting, for now, a healthy stable of starters. In addition to the added pressure of having Weaver and Garland go up against other teams' #1 & #2 starters, the Angels bullpen will likley have to shoulder more than their share in support of the bottom of the rotation. That could lead to further implications later on in terms of injuries or a tired pen as the Angels enter the heat of the summer and try to position themselves for a run at a divisional title.
But there is also the possibility that the youngsters step-up and hold their own through May. In which case the return of Lackey and Escobar would amount to a huge mid-season boost. In any case, the Angels will definitely be the underdog to start the year as Seattle will no doubt look to take advantage of the situation and try and pull away from the pack early.
Discussion
7 Comments on "Angels Rotation Takes Another Blow"
#1
Posted by kevin, March 18, 2008 8:28 AM
You guys want Cliff Lee?
You can have him and all I want is for you to let the Tribe play some of their 24 April and May home games in your warm weather state.
good luck with the staff, injuries suck.
#2
Posted by RollingWave, March 18, 2008 5:45 PM
Cliff Lee is a pretty good pitcher... I'm not sure why anyone wants to reall dump him while he's under team control even if your supposedly full in the rotation. remember that injury happens. and the probability of the 5 (or even 6) men making more thna 90% of the starts for your team in a season is probably under 10%.
#4
Posted by Leslie Monteiro, March 19, 2008 5:05 PM
Wouldn't it make sense if Jon Garland start against the Twins on Opening Day? Garland's experience against the Twins should be enough to give him the assignment.
#5
Posted by kevin, March 21, 2008 6:12 AM
Rollingwave,
This is why I love coming to other teams' boards. It gives you a sense of what the rest of the world thinks about "your guys".
Cliff Lee may have tons of talent, but he is not a good pitcher right now. Plus, he has a very bad attitude. He has (supposedly) a major league plus curveball but never throws it. When it comes to real life games, he throws 90% fastballs and ends up having a bad inning because f it that usually costs the tribe the game.
He is under a team friendly contract but that only is "team friendly" if he actually produces. This is a guy who has pitched in 4 major league seasons, had 18 wins one year, and we are still talking about sending him to AAA this year.
I know you need pitching depth in MLB but that depth should at least produce some results.
#6
Posted by Richard Nickerson, March 21, 2008 8:08 AM
Leslie,
I think you have a couple of factors for Scioscia to consider in terms of the Opening Day Starter. No matter what, Garland starts one of the first two games in Minnesota. With the departure of Johan Santana the Twins really lack anything close to an ace so no matter who Weaver and Garland face in those first two games (probably Scott Baker & Boof Bonser respectively) the Halo hurlers will be the favorites.
The final factor is do you give a "new" guy the honor of Opening Day? If either Lackey or Escobar were available than it is a no-brainer. But now we have a situation where a true veteran comes to a new team and we have a guy starting his third season with the club. Who deserves the honor? In my book I go with Weaver because he is the veteran Angel, has had a fantastic spring and could be the Opening Day starter for the next five years. Garland is a middle-of-the-rotation type guy and needs to earn the honor in Anaheim.
#7
Posted by Series Preview in Blog: Los Angeles Angels (3/31-4/03) « Daneeka’s Twins Ghost, June 28, 2008 10:06 AM
[...] with the injuries to Lackey and Escobar, Angels fans are now viewing the trade in a much more positive light. It’s too bad Mr. Jennie Finch didn’t make the Twins roster, or he and Garland could [...]
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