Series Thread: We'll not be Angelic to the Angels....Want all 3

[donaldson79]

I agree on the RISP thing. It is one of those things that just gets in a teams head. On the Holland issue even though he has a fresh arm he is coming off shoulder surgery and I would not want any stress to cause a problem there. But man has he been a shot in the arm. Our best pitcher right now.

Really think he lifted the entire team with that last outing; mentally anyway.

But like you, I do worry some with 116 and 113 in his last 2 outings, despite our team needs.

 

[Bmurph]

The resurgence of Prince Fielder: What's he doing differently in 2015?
By Dayn Perry | Baseball Writer

September 5, 2015

Are you surprised by Prince Fielder's success this season? In some ways, you should be.

After 129 games, the Rangers' slugger is batting .316/.383/.474, which is good for an OPS+ of 132. While Fielder has had an excellent career, this resurgence comes despite some things working against him. First, Fielder is in his age-31 season, and as a big-bodied type with little defensive value he's not the kind of player who tends to age well. Also, he's coming off a 2014 season in which he put up a career-worst OPS of .720 and was limited to just 42 games because of a herniated disk in his neck -- a condition that eventually required cervical spinal fusion surgery. On top of all that, Fielder has been a regular DH in 2015 (he has just 148 1/3 innings in the field this season), and going from regular defensive duty to DH detail typically exacts a cost at the plate.








Prince Fielder is back, and he's back in an interesting way. (USATSI)






Still and yet, Fielder is producing at the high-level for the surprise contenders in Texas. To be sure, the fact that Fielder's neck issues have been addressed no doubt has a good bit to do with his renaissance. However, a subtle change in approach by the veteran hitter also seems to have been a boon.

First, know that pitchers are pretty much attacking Fielder the same way they have for years -- fastballs most of the time, followed by breaking and offspeed stuff. Also, they're still working him low and away. Check out the relevant heatmaps. On the left, you'll see how pitchers approached Fielder from 2007 through 2014. On the right, you'll see how they've worked him this season. Both images are from the point of view of the left-handed batter ...



(Heatmaps via FanGraphs)

The red indicates a higher percentage of pitches, the blue a lower percentage. So, yes, you still don't come inside against Fielder. The difference, though, is that Fielder has been less pull-conscious this season. The margins aren't cavernous, but in 2015 he's running the lowest pull percentage and highest opposite-field percentage of his career. Mostly, he's been successful at going the other way against fastballs and breaking stuff ...



(Chart via Brooks Baseball)

As you can see, there's more of a left field batted-ball drift this season when Fielder puts the wood on fastballs, sliders, and curves. So, willful approach or a loss of bat speed? Back in spring training, hitting coach Dave Magadan helped Fielder emphasize staying back in his swing and letting the ball get deeper. That, of course, can lend itself to going the other way. There's also evidence that Fielder is hitting the ball with something close to vintage authority these days, at least when going the other way. When he goes to the opposite field, he's got an OPS of .905, which is his highest mark since 2012. As well, 31 percent of the balls he's taken to left field have been classified as "hard-hit," which is his highest such mark since way back in 2007. Fielder is showing less authority to the pull field, so, yes, some skills decline is almost certainly at work, too. That said, Fielder's shift in outcomes suggests he's responding to his new limitations in a sensible and productive way.

More evidence to that end: Fielder's swinging the bat more than ever (his swing percentage of 50.5 percent is his highest since his rookie season), he's putting the bat on the ball more than ever (his 82.9 percent contact rate is a career high), and he's running the lowest strikeout percentage of his career (and he's doing so when strikeout percentages are on the rise, league-wide). That implies a more controlled swing and greater emphasis on contact over power.

To be sure, there's no getting around the reality that Fielder is in his decline years, but, as so many others have proved, decline isn't linear, especially for great players. Fielder is healthy, and he's hitting, thanks in part to a more "age-appropriate" strategy at the plate. His contract, which runs through 2020, is still going to look pretty ugly on the back end, and maybe he's in for a little BABIP regression. Right now, though, Fielder's a productive, middle-of-the-order bat for a team that may be bound for the playoffs. All of those things seemed quite unlikely just a few months ago.


Would love to see the big guy get it going again

 

[donaldson79]

But man has he been a shot in the arm. Our best pitcher right now.

Sorry.....meant to add, I guess this problem, potentially anyway, of Holland and his number of pitches is a much better one to have than the Mets may be dealing with, isn't it? ha ha ha

 

[WastinSomeTime]

Sorry.....meant to add, I guess this problem, potentially anyway, of Holland and his number of pitches is a much better one to have than the Mets may be dealing with, isn't it? ha ha ha

True. It is really nice having Holland and an improving Perez back. Makes a world of difference.

 

[romeo212000]

Pretty good day all around for sure. But my Vols looked poor on the D-side. Doesn't bode well for week 2.

I had a tread up for us on college football yesterday and now I can't even find it.

I stickied it.

 

[donaldson79]

I stickied it.

I saw it was back up......show my lack of knowledge here, what does, "I stickied it" mean, and how do you do it?

 

[Bmurph]

I saw it was back up......show my lack of knowledge here, what does, "I stickied it" mean, and how do you do it?

Stickied means it is posted at the top of the board like a sticky note I believe, for easier reference. Only a MOD can sticky Im pretty sure.

 

[donaldson79]

Stickied means it is posted at the top of the board like a sticky note I believe, for easier reference. Only a MOD can sticky Im pretty sure.

Thank you for helping the less fortunate. ha ha ha

Now, what's an MOD?

Might as well ask as many dumb one's as I can on Sun and plead for mercy.

 

[romeo212000]

Thank you for helping the less fortunate. ha ha ha

Now, what's an MOD?

Might as well ask as many dumb one's as I can on Sun and plead for mercy.

Moderator

 

[Bmurph]

TEXAS AT LOS ANGELES

Time: 03:35 P.M. ESTVenue: Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Colby Lewis' margin for error is greater than most every pitcher in the majors because of the Texas Rangers' tendency to score plenty when he's on the mound.

He's beginning to find out what it's like when that isn't the case.

The playoff-hopeful Rangers have kept winning consistently lately despite not pushing as many runs across the plate, and they'll look to take two of three from the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday in Anaheim.

Lewis (14-7, 4.50 ERA) needs one more victory to set a career high, largely due to his 6.62 run-support average that ranks fourth in the majors. Of the 28 pitchers with at least 12 wins, only Toronto's Drew Hutchison (5.07) and Detroit's Alfredo Simon (4.86) have a higher ERA.

The right-hander received a total of four runs of support over his last three starts, though, and has lost the last two, giving up 11 runs - nine earned - while walking six in 10 2-3 innings.

Monday marked just the second time in his 27 starts - and first since May 27 - that the Rangers' offense failed to provide any support.

''(Giving up) two runs (in the third inning), with our offense, I wasn't worried about it," Lewis said after a 7-0 loss at San Diego. "I just told myself I had to go out there and put up zeros. There are no excuses. I just didn't make the pitches when I needed to make the pitches.''

Lewis is 1-2 with a 7.56 ERA in three outings against the Angels this season, including giving up a season-worst 10 earned runs in a 12-6 loss July 5 - one of the two times the Rangers scored one run during Lewis' time on the mound against Los Angeles.

Texas (71-63) didn't need much offense to beat the Angels (68-67) on Saturday, as Rougned Odor's eighth-inning sacrifice fly gave it a 2-1 victory. The Rangers have won seven of nine despite averaging 3.8 runs during that stretch and lead Minnesota by 1 1/2 games for the AL's second wild card.

They also pulled within two games of Houston for the West lead after the Astros lost to the Twins.

The Angels, meanwhile, had their three-game winning streak snapped and fell 3 1/2 behind the Rangers in the wild-card race. Mike Trout tripled, but his career-high stretch without a homer reached 27 games.

Albert Pujols went 0 for 3 with a walk as the designated hitter, and he's likely to start at DH for the rest of the season as he battles a nagging right foot injury.

Los Angeles might have to be more productive at the plate with Hector Santiago (7-9, 3.37) on the mound. Santiago struggled again Monday, allowing five runs and walking three over a season-low 2 2-3 innings in an 11-5 loss at Oakland.

He's dropped his last three starts with a 10.13 ERA while failing to get through the fifth inning each time.

"It's just one of those rough times, and I kind of let it pile up on top of each other, tried to fix some things and change some things I don't need to," Santiago told MLB's official website. "Now I feel like I'm fighting myself mechanically."

The left-hander's eight-start winless stretch began July 25 when he gave up four runs over five innings in the Angels' 7-6 loss to the Rangers. He went 2-0 with a 0.93 ERA the first three times he faced them this season.

Odor is 5 for 9 with a homer and two doubles off Santiago in 2015.

Here's to hoping Santiago still struggles, and the Rangers get back to putting up over 6 runs for Colby today

 

[donaldson79]

Moderator

Thanks again.....you have a big time last night?

 

[Justinkm83]

The OU game was not televised here. I am sure jta is feeling pretty good as well.

My Aggies are for real. They will climb the rankings.

 

[donaldson79]

My Aggies are for real. They will climb the rankings.

Looked damn good, gotta give em that too. And they burned down my 3 team parlay! Took ASU +3.5 and felt good about it. Won the other two. Oh well

Also, I opened a college football thread yesterday just so I/we wouldn't bog the Ranger site down.

 

[Bmurph]

My Aggies are for real. They will climb the rankings.

Pre season CFB rankings are generally not very good, aside from the perennial powerhouses. They are best guesses it appears.

 

[romeo212000]

Thanks again.....you have a big time last night?

Yep. Really glad I went.

 

[Bmurph]

David Murphy batting cleanup for the Angels today

 

[donaldson79]

David Murphy batting cleanup for the Angels today

Maybe no one wants to hear it, but I always liked this guy. Respected him too.

Much less now that he's an Angel though....ha ha

 

[romeo212000]

Maybe no one wants to hear it, but I always liked this guy. Respected him too.

Much less now that he's an Angel though....ha ha

I think you'll have a hard finding any ranger fan with anything bad to say about Murphy.

 

[DT LUNA]

I think you'll have a hard finding any ranger fan with anything bad to say about Murphy.

AGREE. Especially me

 

[Bmurph]

Maybe no one wants to hear it, but I always liked this guy. Respected him too.

Much less now that he's an Angel though....ha ha

Cousin David was a hell of a guy, wish he had fared better down the stretch with the Rangers. Had some bad luck with BABIP and the Murphy zone Imo. The club had to move on from him however.