NEW YORK — Through the first nine games of the season, the Angels
know where their strength lies. They just don't know when it's going to show
up.
Pitching is what's going to win games, but it has been unreliable and
inconsistent. Now, the Angels trudge home with a losing record, in last place
in the American League West.
They keep waiting and hoping that their starters will turn a corner and shut
down an opponent. But so far, only left-hander C.J. Wilson has been dependable.
He's 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA; the other starters are 1-4 with a 6.52 ERA.
They sent their next two starting pitchers, Jered Weaver and Dan Haren, home
early to get some rest rather than wait out Sunday night's 11-5 loss to the New
York Yankees that ended after 11:30 p.m. in the East. Good idea.
Maybe a return to Angel Stadium is just what the Angels need. The next seven
days, they play the Oakland A's four times and the Baltimore Orioles three
times, and those two clubs combined to lose 181 games last season.
If the Angels can't feast on them, well, something is seriously wrong.
But manager Mike Scioscia is confident his starting rotation will come around,
and based on past performance, he's probably right. It's just that it's overdue
for something good to happen.
"These guys know they're good, and they WILL come around," Scioscia
said. "It's an area that we have so much confidence in that it gives you
peace of mind, and you know things will turn."
No. 5 starter Jerome Williams, who failed to get out of the third inning
Sunday, insisted he wasn't caught up in the emotion of making his first start
of the season or pitching in Yankee Stadium or the pregame ceremonies over
Jackie Robinson Day. He just fell behind in counts, and that's when everything
fell apart.
"That got the ball rolling," he said.
The Angels trailed 8-1 after four, rallied to within 8-5 in the seventh, then
let the game get out of hand again. The bottom of their batting order — Mark
Trumbo, Maicer Izturis and Chris Iannetta — was a collective 6 for 10 with four
RBI and two walks. Trumbo homered in the second inning, Iannetta in the fifth.
But the Angels were also 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position after going
1 for 8 Saturday. Torii Hunter struck out three times and Albert Pujols twice,
although he contributed an RBI single in the seventh.
"We've been driving the ball," Scioscia said. "On the offensive
end, you're seeing some guys coming around. Some guys who are important to us
haven't hit stride yet, but there's so much talent on our team that, like any
good team, it depends on your pitching setting the tone."
And the pitching isn't there. It will come through, as Scioscia said, but no
one knows when.
In the meantime, the Angels are 3-6, having lost two of three games to each of
their first three opponents: the Kansas City Royals at home and the Minnesota
Twins and Yankees on the road.
"No one is ever happy when you start off slowly," Scioscia said.
"No one is saying it's no big deal. You're out there trying to win every
ballgame. But you also need to understand the need for some guys to get into
their game.
"Some guys are going to hit their stride coming out of spring training and
hit the ground running, and some guys are going to have to work into some
innings or at-bats. There's no crystal ball as to what's going to happen. We
have a deep team, a good team, especially starting pitching. That will turn,
and it'll turn in our favor."
