Bring up the man from down under (and other notes)

As the trading deadline nears, there is talk among Angel fans and sports talk shows, etc. about what the Angels should or shouldn’t do.

Seems like when this time rolls around every year Angel fans get a little antsy. It’s almost as if the Angels front office is judged totally on how they handle this time of year. I don’t think that’s fair, but it is what it is. Fans will soon be clamoring for the Angels to add a “big bat.” That seems to be the mantra year after year.

Personally, I think the bull pen could use a boost; however, I’m not suggesting they go out and acquire an arm per say. I have an internal suggestion. Call up Rich Thompson.

Have you seen the numbers Thompson is putting up at Salt Lake? He has a .061 ERA and .091 WHIP. He has struck out 30 batters in 29 1/3 innings and has not allowed a homerun to date. Opponents are hitting just .177 against him. You have to like those numbers, don’t you?

Now, I’m not suggesting that Thompson will solve all the bull pen issues, but he might be a nice addition in my opinion. Thompson (who is originally from Australia) turns 26 on July 1 and I’d say let’s give him a happy birthday and bring him up!

In other news…

Did you see the exchange between Evan Longoria and B.J. Upton of the Rays? Upton dogged it on a ball hit in the gap yesterday and it ended up costing the Rays a run in a game they lost 2-1 to the Padres. Longoria who is used to doing things the Dirtbag way confronted Upton and Upton took exception.

I have to tell you I love this move by Longoria. Players policing themselves is a good thing and Longoria is the unquestionable leader of that team. Here’s a clip showing what happened:



You know, as I watched Upton jog after the ball, his lackadaisical style reminded of Juan Rivera. Rivera tends to jog after balls hit in the gap as well in my opinion. I know Rivera isn’t very fast and perhaps what I’m seeing as a jog is his full on sprint, but I doubt it. In any case, it’s made me crazy for a while now.

If the Angels do make a move for a bat by the deadline – I wouldn’t mind seeing them upgrade left field. There, I said it. I’ve wanted to say it for a while. I’m down on Rivera. I don’t think he’s putting up the kind of numbers this team needs from a corner outfielder. Besides, his defense leaves something to be desired as well.

Consider this; Rivera ranks 39th in OPS among all American League outfielders. That’s not good. I should add that Rivera does rank in the top 20 among AL outfielders in one category… grounding into double plays. He has grounded into six of them so far.

In the mean time, there’s some baseball to be played. The Rangers are in town and I want the Angels to put the beat down on them big time. This is the kind of series that’s fun and I can’t wait to see the two teams get it on.

Let’s rock!