Angels News

Angels give GM Tony Reagins a long-term contract extension
Comment
November 7
Los Angeles Times
 
"In his 18 years with the Angels, Tony Reagins has set up bat-boy promotions, evaluated minor league players and signed one of the top center fielders in Torii Hunter. There's one thing Reagins still yearns to do: construct a World Series champion. "We have some unfinished business around here," he said. The Angels gave their general manager a lot more wiggle room in that quest Friday with what was described as a "long-term" contract extension that one club official said was at least as long as the three-year deal Reagins signed in 2007 to replace Bill Stoneman."
Angels re-sign outfielder Bobby Abreu
Comment
November 6
Los Angeles Times
 
"Last summer the Angels spent about $1,600 buying a couple of baubles for Bobby Abreu in recognition of career milestones the outfielder achieved largely while playing for other teams. As it turns out, that might be the best money the team has ever spent. Because Thursday the outfielder announced he would pass up free agency to re-sign with the Angels. And he said those two crystal mementos helped seal the deal. "Those trophies they gave me, it meant a lot," Abreu said. "And I really respect the Angels for doing that." Of course the fact the club followed up with a two-year, $19-million contract with a club option for a third season at $9 million didn't hurt either."
Angels, Abreu agree to new contract
Comment
November 5
Orange County Register
 
"On the first day eligible players can file for free agency, the Angels headed that off with one of their seven potential free agents by reaching agreement with outfielder Bobby Abreu on a two-year contract with a club option for 2012. Abreu, 35, signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Angels on the eve of spring training this year. He hit .293 with 96 runs scored, 103 RBI and 30 stolen bases. "I am very happy to sign this contract," Abreu said in the team's press release. "I really enjoyed my first season with the club. The Angels are a solid organization, with an outstanding team and great fans. With the talent we have, I look forward to the opportunity of post-season competition once ..."
Matthews wants out of LA
Comment
October 28
Los Angeles Times
 
"Three key Angels headed for free agency -- Chone Figgins, Bobby Abreu and Vladimir Guerrero -- have publicly expressed a desire to return to Anaheim, and center fielder Torii Hunter, after talking to free-agent pitcher John Lackey, is convinced the right-hander wants to remain an Angel. Gary Matthews Jr.? Not so much. The disgruntled outfielder with two years and $23 million left on his contract wants no part of the Angels in 2010, and he reiterated his request to be traded -- or released -- while cleaning out his Angel Stadium locker Tuesday. "I don't expect to be back; it's time to move on," Matthews said. "I'm ready to play for an organization that wants me to play every day. This ..."
Angels facing roster dilemma
Comment
October 27
Orange County Register
 columnist Mark Whicker
"Last year, Mark Teixeira, Frankie Rodriguez and Garret Anderson were in the Angels' graduating class of sixth-year seniors. They were the free agents who left and probably were taking the Angels' AL West title with them. The Angels went to spring training anyway, and went a step further in the playoffs than they did in 2008 and, probably, wound up a better team. It's not a half-empty, half-full thing. It's the hole-in-the-water theory. Eventually, it gets filled. This year the class is bigger and more substantial. The hole is deeper, too, and there's a water shortage. The possible free agents are John Lackey, Vladimir Guerrero, Chone Figgins, Bobby Abreu and Darren Oliver. Those are vital ..."
Though New York Yankees and L.A. Angels draw good rating, rain may foil World Series
Comment
October 27
New York Daily News
 columnist Bob Raissman
"If you are a Phillies fan, or a baseball purist interested in a level playing field, you might be upset that the World Series is not starting Tuesday night. Philadelphia won the National League pennant last Wednesday. The Phillies will have waited a full week before getting back on the field Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium for Game 1 of the World Series. This made-for-TV scheduling, where the division series and LCS schedules are elongated, is not going to change. The ratings have been relatively healthy in the postseason. Fox (ALCS) is up from 2008 and Turner is slightly down (TBS was victimized by three of the four division series being sweeps and a five-game NLCS). Surprisingly, ..."
For Angels, the end has just begun
Comment
October 27
Los Angeles Times
 
"A season that began with an unfathomable tragedy did not end in the ultimate triumph. What a story it would have been had the Angels won the World Series and dedicated the title to teammate Nick Adenhart, the 22-year-old pitcher who was killed in an April 9 automobile accident. The New York Yankees tore up that script, ending the Angels' season Sunday night with a 5-2 victory to win the American League Championship Series and earn a berth opposite the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series, which begins Wednesday. But the plot thickens for the Angels, who, with five key free agents, enter an off-season of intrigue and uncertainty and questions about whether they have -- or will have -- ..."
With free agents, Angels could be losing more than a shot at World Series
Comment
October 27
L.A. Daily News
 
"The Angels' storybook season ended in abrupt fashion Sunday, two victories shy from a trip to the World Series. It was a season of tragedy and triumph, starting with the untimely death of teammate Nick Adenhart, who was killed in an automobile accident at the hands of an alleged drunk driver according to authorities. The Angels understandably struggled the first month of the season, then came together for a memorable run to the American League West division championship. They finally dispatched their nemesis Boston Red Sox in three games in the American League Division Series, but the uncharacteristically error- prone Angels were dispatched 4-2 by the Yankees in the best-of-seven AL ..."
Mets not interested in Lackey or Bradley; Holliday tops their list
Comment
October 26
SI.com
 (scroll down)
"The Mets don't seem inclined to pursue top free-agent pitcher John Lackey, who will surely shoot for a $100 million-plus contract in light of A.J. Burnett's $82.5 million deal. They do want to add a solid starting pitcher (they may try a do-over on Randy Wolf), but their big-ticket target is most likely going to be a left fielder. Matt Holliday is believed to top their list, though Jason Bay will certainly suffice. Bobby Abreu is another top free-agent outfielder, while Carl Crawford could be available in trade. The Mets have no interest in taking on Milton Bradley's problems."
Is it time to say goodbye Vlad?
Comment
October 26
Orange County Register
 columnist Mark Saxon
"Vladimir Guerrero arrived in Anaheim six years ago as an enigma, a player the Angels knew as much about by way of legend as by scouting report. That cloud of mystery followed him to the door. Guerrero may have watched the final inning of his Angels career from the bench Sunday, after he was lifted for pinch runner Reggie Willits in the eighth inning of the Angels' 5-2 loss to the New York Yankees in Game 6 of the ALCS. The game encapsulated all the brilliant and baffling aspects of Guerrero's Hall of Fame-worthy career. How can you get an RBI post-season hit off Mariano Rivera? Nobody does that, at least not in this millennium. How could anyone even make contact with that sixth-inning ..."
Angels couldn't produce on the big stage
Comment
October 26
Orange County Register
 columnist Mark Whicker
"The stadium was the same. Same 60 feet and 6 inches, same 90 feet, same 314 feet down right-field. Somehow the stage was too big. The Angels reached the breakthrough moment of a poignant and powerful season here Sunday night, and they tripped over the final step. At times they tried to sneak up on this American League Championship Series Game 6 as if the Yankees might not hear them. At times they indeed joined the fight with the Yankees. And at a very critical time they were just awful. The 5-2 loss, and 4-2 series loss, was absorbed by the more tentative team, and that team will not be seen again in its current form. In some ways it was reminiscent of the way other local playoff teams ..."
Which Angels will be back next year?
Comment
October 26
Orange County Register
 
"As the visitors' clubhouse at Yankee Stadium slowly emptied following the Angels' Game 6 loss, injured right-hander Scot Shields was "trying not to" think about who might – or might not – be in the room the next time the Angels gather. "I don't want to show up in spring training without those guys," Shields said, referring to potential free agents Vladimir Guerrero, John Lackey and Chone Figgins. "Vlad – just for what he does. Figgy and John – that's a little more special to me because of '02. "I'll go to battle with any of those three guys. But I know it's still a business. We've seen guys leave here before. This organization, they're pretty good at bringing in the right guys. But it's ..."
Angels can't stop Yankees, season over
Comment
October 26
Orange County Register
 
"The Angels got the monkey off their backs – only to run into King Kong. The New York Yankees, baseball's $200 million gorilla, ended the Angels' post-season run with a 5-2 defeat in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series Sunday night. The win sends the Yankees into the World Series for the 40th time in franchise history, this time against the Phillies. Baseball got its Freeway Series – but it will be I-95 not I-5. For the Angels, the loss sends them into a winter of uncertainty with the list of potential free-agent departures including key players like Vladimir Guerrero, John Lackey, Chone Figgins and Bobby Abreu. "We would have had to play close to perfect to win the series and ..."
Angels' putrid play and errors result in agony of defeat to New York Yankees
Comment
October 26
New York Daily News
 
"They didn't play like a team that belongs in the World Series and now the Angels are going home. They capped a thoroughly unspectacular showing against the Yankees in the AL Championship Series with another less-then-stellar performance in the 5-2 loss Sunday night. The poor play was on display early but hit its apex in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Angels had scratched out a run off Mariano Rivera in the top half to cut their deficit to 3-2. Then the Halos gave it back with interest as Howie Kendrick and Scott Kazmir made atrocious errors that led to a pair of insurance runs. Those came on top of Vladimir Guerrero mysteriously watching right fielder Nick Swisher come in and catch ..."
Fox broadcast of Yankees-Angels Game 6 bout a winner
Comment
October 26
New York Daily News
 columnist Bob Raissman
"In all his years as an analyst, Tim McCarver has scoped out numerous situations and described them in different ways. Sunday night, in ALCS Game 6, he was doing it again. T-Mac talked about the positioning of Robinson Cano behind second base in the eighth inning and how it might have prevented the Angels from scoring a run. He chided Vladimir Guerrero for being doubled off first by Nick Swisher in the second ("What in the world is Guerrero thinking?). But perhaps his finest moment of the night came in the bottom of the eighth, after Scott Kazmir, in relief for the Angels, easily fielded a Melky Carbrera bunt and - inexplicably - threw it over second baseman Howie Kendrick's head, allowing ..."
New York Yankees beat Los Angeles Angels, are back on top of the World
Comment
October 26
New York Daily News
 columnist Mike Lupica
"The Yankees had given the ball to Andy Pettitte to start this night, the way they had so many times in the old days. Now, one more time, it was Mo Rivera's job to finish things, this time at the new Stadium, finish the Angels, pitch the Yankees into another World Series. The last time the Yankees had made the Series, he had gone three innings against the Red Sox and seemed ready to go all night. Now he was in his second inning against the Angels, top of the ninth, Game 6. Now everything was the same for the Yankees, everything the way it used to be. Now you couldn't tell the old from the new because it had all come back to Rivera. A half-hour after Game 6 was over at Yankee Stadium, the ..."
Andy Pettitte delivers World Series clincher for Yankees in ALCS Game 6
Comment
October 26
New York Daily News
 
"Andy Pettitte was not going to watch the Yankees clinch their first trip to the World Series since 2003 on television. After delivering 6-1/3 solid innings, the veteran Yankee lefty settled in on the bench and watched his teammate Mariano Rivera finish off the Yankees' 40th pennant. "That is the greatest thing for me," Pettitte said. "It's special for me to help to clinch this game and get to go to another World Series and help this organization get back there. It's very special." Pettitte, 37, delivered for a 5-2 victory over the Angels as the Yankees won the ALCS four games to two. Pettitte set a record with his 16th postseason win, breaking a tie with John Smoltz for the most in ..."
Yankees beat Angels to win 40th pennant
Comment
October 26
New York Daily News
 
"The Yankees will have a chance to end the decade the same way they started it - as World Series champions. Andy Pettitte pitched the Bombers to a 5-2 win over the Angels Sunday night in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, clinching the 40th pennant in Yankees history and a showdown with the Phillies in the World Series. "This is what you play for, a chance to get back to the World Series," Derek Jeter said. "It feels good to get back. I'm real proud of this team, but we still have four more wins to get." Pettitte tossed 6-1/3 innings of one-run ball, making the Yankees' three-run fourth inning hold up to earn his 16th career postseason victory, the most in history. Mariano ..."
Mariano Rivera closes out ALCS Game 6 and sends Yankees to World Series
Comment
October 26
New York Daily News
 
"Mariano Rivera experienced the familiar and the unfamiliar Sunday night, giving up a run in his two innings of work, but closed out the Yankees' 5-2 victory over the Angels to set off a pennant celebration in the Bronx. It's the 14th time he's been on the mound to seal a playoff series victory. After he struck out pinch-hitter Gary Matthews Jr. to end the game, Rivera grinned and held up a clenched fist as he slowly walked toward catcher Jorge Posada. The two embraced for several long moments and another of the Yankee old guard, winning pitcher Andy Pettitte, joined their hug. Rivera then scampered off to join a mass of Yankees jumping up and down near third base. "That was priceless," ..."
Bombers clinch return to Fall Classic
Comment
October 26
New York Post
 
"When it comes to possessing a thirst for winning World Series, the apple didn't fall far from the Steinbrenner tree. Instead, it hugged the bark on the way down. Not long after Derek Jeter poured a river of Chandon champagne over him and his sister, Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal, Hal Steinbrenner showed while he might not have the bluster his pop had, the son has similar needs. "We expect to win a championship," Hal, the Yankees' managing general partner, said after the Yankees punched their ticket to the World Series against the Phillies that opens Wednesday in The Bronx by handing the bumbling Angels a 5-2 loss in Game 6 of the ALCS last night at Yankee Stadium. So, with their eyes ..."
Vladimir Guerrero goes down swinging -- and zinging
Comment
October 26
Los Angeles Times
 
"Vladimir Guerrero went down swinging in what might have been his final game as an Angel, and he made sure to land a few verbal jabs too. The normally keep-to-himself slugger had three hits and twice jawed at home plate umpire Dale Scott over disputed strike calls during the Angels' season-ending 5-2 loss Sunday night at Yankee Stadium in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series. Guerrero first complained after taking a called third strike leading off the fourth inning. He protested again after Andy Pettitte's first pitch to him in the sixth inning was called a strike. "Maybe the second at-bat, there was a pitch that I asked about," Guerrero said through an interpreter. "But it's ..."
Sabathia is Yankees' gain, Angels' loss
Comment
October 26
Los Angeles Times
 
"Do not trust the headline and the box score. The Angels did not lose the American League Championship Series on Sunday in New York. They lost the series on a Tuesday in Vallejo, a small town 30 miles inland from San Francisco. The date, to be exact, was Dec. 9, 2008. CC Sabathia had invited Brian Cashman to his home. Cashman, the general manager of the New York Yankees, did not leave until Sabathia had agreed to sign with his team and turn down the Angels. That decision haunted the Angels this October, and it could haunt them for Octobers to come. This pennant was lost, and more pennants could be lost, for want of $21 million. Sabathia was the most valuable player of this series. The ..."
Angels gave their best, but Yankees were better
Comment
October 26
Los Angeles Times
 columnist Bill Dwyre
"The big clock high atop the left-field stands in Yankee Stadium clicked over to midnight, and the Angels' Cinderella slipper came off. Pinch-hitter Gary Matthews Jr. took one last big swing and missed. A season that had begun in tragedy 6 1/2 months ago had ended merely in sadness. The Yankees had won, 5-2, and with that the American League Championship Series, four games to two. The talk began immediately of a possible 27th World Series championship for the Yankees, who will wait until Wednesday for the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies to drive up Interstate 95 for Game 1. The Southern California Freeway Series that had disappeared last week when the Phillies proved better ..."
Angels are lost in the Bronx
Comment
October 26
Los Angeles Times
 
"They celebrated with Nick Adenhart in victory, dousing his No. 34 jersey in champagne and beer after clinching the division title in September and holding it aloft as they left the Fenway Park field after beating the Boston Red Sox in the first round of the playoffs. Sunday night, the Angels cried with Adenhart in defeat, holding close to their teammate, the 22-year-old pitcher who was killed in an April 9 automobile crash just hours after throwing six shutout innings the night before. Never far from their thoughts throughout a trying 2009 season, Adenhart was again on their minds after the New York Yankees beat the Angels, 5-2, in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series to ..."
Playoff schedule irritates Angels' Scioscia
Comment
October 26
L.A. Daily News
 
"Angels manager Mike Scioscia isn't backing down from his critical comments over how long the baseball playoffs are lasting this season. He's so passionate about his displeasure for the length of the postseason and countless days off he interrupted a reporter's question about it during a pregame news conference Sunday and later apologized. "I stand by that comment 100 percent," he said. "I think that's eight games in 21 days, and obviously some weather was involved. "I think you lose a lot of the integrity of what the season means when you have three days off at the end of the season to let other teams maybe rest their starting rotation, which is an advantage of clinching early. "That's ..."
There's no savior for Halos this time
Comment
October 26
L.A. Daily News
 columnist Jill Painter
"Jeff Mathis couldn't save the Angels this time. Neither could the rain. Neither could the Rally Monkey. And neither could John Lackey. The Angels were a team of destiny - until they met the NewYork Yankees in the American League Championship Series. The Yankees were undeniably the better team. The Angels weren't good enough. Not even close. They were overmatched in every department: pitching, offense and defense. They just weren't themselves. They made eight errors in six ALCS games, which was the reason for their undoing. They had almost as many errors as Alex Rodriguez, the new Mr. October in the Bronx, had hits (nine). Sunday was Yankees starter Andy Pettitte's day to shine. ..."
Yanks Advance To World Series
Comment
October 26
New York Times
 
"When they were new stars at an old park, the baseball season rarely ended until they were done playing. Now the Yankees' core is older, the park is new and the World Series is no longer a birthright. But the stage is theirs again. After a six-year absence, Derek Jeter and the Yankees are back in the World Series, vanquishing the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, 5-2, to win the American League Championship Series, four games to two. It is the 40th pennant for the Yankees, who will host the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the World Series in the Bronx on Wednesday. Mariano Rivera was on the mound when the Yankees clinched, striking out Gary Matthews Jr. for the final out."
Slumping Figgins stays at the top
Comment
October 25
Orange County Register
 
"Angels manager Mike Scioscia had an off day and a long cross-country flight to think about what to do with his lineup and the ineffective table-setters at its top. His solution was to change nothing. The lineup posted for Game 6 before it was postponed by rain Saturday had Chone Figgins (2 for 30 in the post-season) at leadoff with Bobby Abreu (3 for 21 in the ALCS) still second. With Saturday's rainout, Scioscia will have some more time to think about changes to an offense that has hit .231 with 17 runs in the first five games (seven in the Game 5 victory). But he didn't sound like a manager in the mood for change. "We considered a lot of things yesterday on the plane fight and as we got ..."
Will Saturday's rainout help the Angels?
Comment
October 25
Orange County Register
 
"With rain falling most of the afternoon and intensifying as game time approached, Game 6 of the American League Championship Series was postponed approximately two hours before the scheduled first pitch Saturday. It's a decision that potentially helps the Angels' cause as they try to become the 12th team in baseball history to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a best-of-seven series. Both teams will start Saturday's scheduled pitchers – Joe Saunders for the Angels, Andy Pettitte for the Yankees – in the rescheduled Game 6 Sunday beginning at 5:20 p.m. PDT. For the Angels, starters Jered Weaver, Scott Kazmir and John Lackey will all be available to pitch out of the bullpen. If the Angels ..."
Rain pushes Yankees, Angels back a day
Comment
October 25
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"That's Yankees 3, Angels 2, Mother Nature 1, if you're scoring at home. Game 6 of the American League Championship Series was postponed because of heavy rain in Yankee Stadium a full two hours before the scheduled first pitch Saturday night. The game was pushed back to tonight and should be played under far more hospitable conditions. Today's forecast calls for sunny skies all day, a 10 percent chance of precipitation and a temperature of about 55 degrees at game time. "You always want to play -- you don't want to lose your rhythm," Angels center fielder Torii Hunter said. "We knew there was a chance the game would get rained out. We hate it. The Yankees hate it. You want to keep playing.""
Burnett takes heat for Game 4 loss
Comment
October 25
Toronto Sun
 
"The honeymoon appears to be over for A.J. Burnett in New York. All season long, Burnett and Nick Swisher have been credited for injecting a bit of fun into the Yankees clubhouse; Burnett for his pie-in-the-face routine after every Yankees walkoff and Swisher for his general carefree personality. But after he failed not once but twice in Thursday's clinching game, Burnett is taking heat from fans and media. The New York Daily News ran a poll of 7,000 fans trying to find out who should take the lion's share of blame for the Game 4 defeat and 34% of them said it was on Burnett, edging out manager Joe Girardi."
Rainout raises risk Yankees could lose rhythm
Comment
October 25
Toronto Star
 columnist Richard Griffin
"Usually, major league baseball waits deep into the night before postponing one of its marquee games in the post-season. But some two hours before first pitch on Saturday night, with a steady rain pouring down and more wet stuff in the forecast, the smart decision was made to postpone Game 6 of the ALCS between the Yankees and Angels. "The one thing is you don't want to stop and start, so I respect the decision they made," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "I'm sure both clubs would have loved to have played. The weather is not permitting." The game was rescheduled for Sunday night, with a possible Game 7 set for Monday."
Rainout may help Angels
Comment
October 25
Boston Globe
 
"The Los Angeles Angels received some unexpected assistance last night in their quest to upset the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. Game 6 at Yankee Stadium was postponed by heavy rain, which will enable the Angels to use top starter John Lackey tomorrow if they can force a seventh and deciding game. "I don't see how this hurts us,'' said Los Angeles center fielder Torii Hunter, who on Friday predicted the Angels would "shock the world'' by rallying to beat the Yankees. "Our pitching was a little beat up. We'll be fine now.''"
Rainout means Yankees' ALCS Game 6 on Fox will go head-to-head with New York Giants
Comment
October 25
New York Daily News
 columnist Bob Raissman
"Those were not raindrops falling from the eyes of Fox Sports suits Saturday night in the Bronx. There is every reason to believe that when Bud Selig decided to call ALCS Game 6 before the first pitch was even thrown, moisture was seen in the vicinity of their eyeballs. Chances are the Foxies were not smiling. The commissioner's decision was not good for Fox business. Still, by moving Game 6 to tonight, and a possible Game 7 to tomorrow evening, Seligula - at least for one night - silenced critics who accuse him of continually rolling over for his network TV partners. Saturday night, Selig put the fans - those who purchased tickets and those who would tune in at home - first. More ..."
Rainout thickens plot in AL Championship Series against Yankees and Angels
Comment
October 25
New York Daily News
 columnist Mike Lupica
"The starting pitchers don't change for the Yankees and Angels because it rained Saturday, the stakes don't change. The Yankees try to win their 40th pennant Sunday night instead of Saturday night, bring the World Series back to New York for the first time in six years. The Angels try to win themselves another day of a baseball season. Andy Pettitte still gets the ball from Joe Girardi, and if Pettitte does the kind of job he has done for a very long time in New York, going all the way back to October of 1996, then the Yankees don't have to worry about another one-game season against the Angels. Game 7 goes right off the boards. Pettitte has done this sort of work before, won 15 postseason ..."
Angels' Mike Scioscia makes tweak to lineup to keep Jeff Mathis in order
Comment
October 25
New York Daily News
 
"Angels manager Mike Scioscia made an adjustment in his lineup to keep a hot hitter in the batting order. That's nothing new. The hot hitter is catcher Jeff Mathis, and that's definitely new. While several of the Angels have struggled in the ALCS, Mathis has been a bit of a savior. He is known for his defense - he's a lifetime .200 hitter and batted .211 this season - but his production with the bat has been welcome. The 26-year-old has hit .600 for the series (6-for-10) with a 1.000 slugging percentage; he won Game 3 for the Angels with his walk-off double. Over Games 2, 3 and 5 Mathis had a string of six straight hits, an Angels postseason record. Four of the hits went for doubles. In 237 ..."
Los Angeles Angels pitcher John Lackey could return to mound if Game 7 is forced
Comment
October 25
New York Daily News
 
"It's pretty simple, really. You can talk about momentum and the psychology of a rainout, and who really knows. But there's no doubt the Angels have more to gain from Saturday night's rainout simply because it could put their ace, John Lackey, back in play in a big way. If the Angels, trailing 3-2 in the ALCS, win tonight's rescheduled Game 6, Lackey could loom as the Game 7 starter tomorrow, when he would be pitching on three days' rest. He's started on short rest only a few times in his career, but he's famous for one of them, when he earned the win in Game 7 of the World Series in 2002 as a rookie, holding the Giants to one run over five innings. Perhaps even more relevant to these ..."
Joe Girardi sticks with Andy Pettitte for ALCS Game 6 over CC Sabathia
Comment
October 25
New York Daily News
 
"Joe Girardi made another controversial decision Saturday night, one that could lead to massive second-guessing if the Yankees can't find a way to close out the ALCS. After Game 6 was postponed due to inclement weather, Girardi announced that he would stick with Andy Pettitte Sunday instead of starting CC Sabathia, who would have been pitching on regular rest. "CC has been great, but Andy will pitch tomorrow," Girardi said. "Andy has pitched in a ton of big, big games in his career. We just like him in this spot." The Angels will stick with Joe Saunders Sunday, hoping the southpaw can give them another solid performance after he held the Yankees to two runs over seven innings in Game 2 at ..."
Rain forces MLB to postpone ALCS Game 6 between Yankees and Angels
Comment
October 25
New York Daily News
 
"Major League Baseball officially postponed Saturday night's Game 6 of the ALCS because of a forecast of heavy rain throughout the evening at the Stadium. The game will now be played Sunday night starting 8:20. If there is a Game 7, officials say it will be played Monday, with an expected first pitch at 7:57 p.m. Saturday night's starters, Andy Pettitte and Joe Saunders, are scheduled to start Sunday night. If there is a Game 7, Yankees ace CC Sabathia would start, likely against Angels ace John Lackey. While the rain may have washed away Saturday night's game, one thing that has remain constant for the Yankees is the sight of Mariano Rivera making his way out of the bullpen. "I hope we ..."
Rain washes out Game 6, but not Yankees' plan
Comment
October 25
Washington Post
 
"Saturday was a day for watching big green blobs creep across radar screens, for conference calls with meteorologists and groundskeepers and Major League Baseball officials. It was a day for buying a $4 umbrella off a street vendor, getting a late lunch and heading to a stadium where you'd barely have time to change into your uniform before they'd be sending you back. Above all, it was a day for starting pitchers to bank an extra day of rest -- the critical development from Saturday's inaction that could change the complexion of the American League Championship Series. It was not a day, or a night, for baseball at Yankee Stadium, where persistent rains -- and the threat of more of the same, ..."
Postponement could bring relief for the Yankees
Comment
October 25
Washington Post
 
"While the New York Yankees have chosen to keep their starting rotation for the American League Championship Series intact, despite the opportunities for tweaking created by Saturday night's rainout, there was one small tactical gain: right-hander A.J. Burnett, who started and received a no-decision in Game 5 on Thursday night, will be available for emergency relief work in a potential Game 7, if not Game 6. "If I'm needed to come in, I'll be ready," Burnett said following the rainout announcement Saturday night. "I'll be ready for anything." Burnett, in fact, was preparing to throw his normal between-starts bullpen session Saturday when a team official suggested he scrap it -- in order to ..."
Angels keeping it positive in face of elimination
Comment
October 25
Los Angeles Times
 
"Even with the Angels one defeat from elimination, the vibe in the visitors' clubhouse at Yankee Stadium on Saturday seemed more relaxed than it did before the first two games of the American League Championship Series. "I think the first two games we didn't know what to expect," said center fielder Torii Hunter. "It was cold and guys were kind of quiet." And now? "We're running around cracking jokes and lighting guys' shoestrings up and different things like that," Hunter said. "It's pretty laid back. We know we're down and we're ready to play but we don't feel any pressure." Hunter said the Angels were looser because they were trailing in the series, three games to two, and the Yankees ..."
Rain could precipitate Game 7 start for Angels' John Lackey
Comment
October 25
Los Angeles Times
 
"The heavens blessed the Angels. The rain won at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, but so did the visiting team. If the Angels get to Game 7 on Monday, following two days off and Game 6 tonight, they could have several attractive choices for their starting pitcher. "Are you . . . me?" John Lackey said. "This is mine." Lackey said that Thursday, as Mike Scioscia pulled him from Game 5 with a shutout intact. Lackey did not say that Saturday, but he did not have to. If the Angels get to Game 7, it's his. All we heard before the series was how the mighty New York Yankees could vanquish the Angels by using CC Sabathia three times. The Angels have the extra day in their favor now, and they're just as ..."
Phillies big winner in Angels-Yankees rainout
Comment
October 25
Chicago Tribune
 columnist Phil Rogers
"There is no truth to the rumor the Phillies convened an emergency clubhouse meeting Saturday to vote Nick Swisher a full share. But they have to be enjoying the squirming that is starting to go on in the Yankees' clubhouse. If Swisher had delivered a game-turning hit Thursday, when he popped up a fat 3-2 fastball with two outs and the bases loaded in the ninth inning, the Yankees would have spent the weekend resting and getting ready to face Cliff Lee. Instead the Yankees are left twisting on a spit, the specter of a Game 7 against the Angels suddenly looming as something to fear. It became a whole lot worse of a possibility when Game 6 of the ALCS was rained out Saturday night at Yankee ..."
ALCS delay could play into Angels' hands -- specifically, Lackey's
Comment
October 25
L.A. Daily News
 
"For once, the Angels could reap benefits from inclement weather. A steady rain that caused large puddles to form all along Yankee Stadium's warning track postponed Saturday's Game 6 of the American League Championship Series until 5:20 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time today. The Angels are down 3-2 in the best-of-seven series, but if they win today and force a Game 7, ace John Lackey will almost certainly earn the start on three days rest. CC Sabathia already is scheduled to pitch for the third time in the series, and Sabathia has baffled the Angels twice in winning Games 1 and 4. "Obviously, I want to be in games as often as I can be," Lackey said. A Game 7 pitting the aces against one another ..."
So far, Teixeira harmless to Angels
Comment
October 25
L.A. Daily News
 columnist Jill Painter
""Tex" has not been the Angels' hex this postseason. First baseman Mark Teixeira chose a$180 million contract with the New York Yankees instead of re-signing with the Angels. The move hasn't come back to haunt the Angels. Teixeira and the Angels had a fleeting relationship of just two months, but it was great while it lasted. The Angels loved Teixeira's defense, work ethic, personality, presence in the community and powerful bat. They'd just gotten a taste of what the Texas Rangers loved so much and before they knew it, it was over. It had to hurt to watch Teixeira move on, especially when he donned smiled in his new pinstripes at an introductory news conference in the Big Apple. The ..."
Another Day Off for Yankees and Angels
Comment
October 25
New York Times
 
"Eric Hinske shivered in the Tampa Bay dugout in Philadelphia last October, the final game of the World Series playing out in the slop of a rainstorm. It was no way to decide a champion, and the game was suspended in the seventh inning. "Nothing compares to Philly last year," Hinske, now a nonroster Yankees outfielder, said Saturday. He left Yankee Stadium in shirt sleeves. It was warm enough on Saturday, but the rain in the Bronx was so heavy that Game 6 of the American League Championship Series between the Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels did not even start. The game was postponed until Sunday at 8:20 p.m., just another day off in a series that has been full of them."
Girardi Sticks With Swisher
Comment
October 25
New York Times
 
"Nick Swisher was in the starting lineup Saturday as the Yankees' right fielder for Game 6, which was rained out, and there was never much doubt he would be. Swisher was 3 for 29 this postseason after popping up to end Game 5 at Angel Stadium, but Manager Joe Girardi stuck with him, and stuck to precedent. Girardi kept Johnny Damon in the lineup after Damon went 1 for 12 in the division series. He has also watched Mark Teixeira deliver important hits despite a .171 average, and drew off his own memory of the 1996 World Series, when Joe Torre started him in the final game against Atlanta. "Sure, you think about your lineup all the time, you do," Girardi said. "But there were a lot of things ..."
Angels' Hunter Provides Stability in the Lineup and the Clubhouse
Comment
October 25
New York Times
 
"Cause and effect is nearly impossible to quantify in baseball, but there are times when the evidence is almost overwhelming. For the Los Angeles Angels, who hope to defeat the Yankees in the American League Championship Series, Torii Hunter's charisma and leadership are often the cause of good results. Known for his ability to delight with his infectious smile and cagey humor, Hunter possesses a gritty, aggressive side that makes him a fierce competitor, too. For instance, after the Yankees had just wiped out a four-run deficit by scoring six runs in the top of the seventh inning of Game 5, Hunter stormed into the dugout and fired his glove against the bench. Whether it inspired the ..."
Harper: Skippers, bullpens will decide Game 6
Comment
October 24
New York Daily News
 columnist John Harper
"Their respective bullpens have left burn marks all over Joe Girardi and Mike Scioscia , and now, the way the managers deal with the pain figures to go a long way toward determining the winner between the Yankees and the Angels . Will either one try to milk every lastout of his starter in tonight's Game 6 when he otherwise might have gone to the pen? Will either one make significant adjustments to his late-inning formula? Specifically you wonder if Girardi will be reluctant to use Phil Hughes as his primary setup man, and Joba Chamberlain at all after their difficulties of late. Hughes looks as if his confidence has been shaken while Chamberlain hasn't been sharp at all, and ..."
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