Angels streak equals hope

An offensive outburst against the Seattle Mariners was exactly what the doctor ordered. A cycle by Trout seemed evitable with his speed, hitting ability, and power. It’s a rare feat that most people think he will achieve multiple times throughout his career.  He became one of the youngest players in history to do it. The last person his age to hit for the cycle was Alex Rodriguez when A-Rod was with Seattle. Trout is back to hitting right around .300. It wasn’t all Trout though, as the Angels scored 19 runs in two games versus Seattle.  The bats continued on the short road trip to Kansas City.

The bats continued to stay hot with 22 runs in the four game sweep.  Josh Hamilton had a pair of home runs and JB Shuck has continued to be a pleasant surprise, getting two RBI’s on Sunday and hitting over .350 during the winning streak. What needs to be mentioned more than the offense is the pitching. The hitters get paid the big bucks, and it was a matter of time before they started whacking the ball all around the yard.  The pitching has been the question, especially without Jered Weaver. Of the 14 pitchers who have pitched during the streak, only one has an ERA above 3.00 (Frieri).  The Halo hurlers have all stepped up from Wilson to Vargas to even Blanton who got his first win. However the most crucial has been spot starter Jerome Williams. In 14 innings, Williams has 10 strikeouts and has only given up two runs in two starts.

During the Angels winning streak, the Oakland athletics have won 9/10 but Texas has been middle of the road. Still way back in the standings, the Angels have shown fans life of winning ways. The Dodgers on the other side of town are still scratching their heads. This four game week series will be interesting as fans clash for bragging rights. Will the Dodgers be able to break the Angels streak, and then can they take more than one out of four? Dodger fans are thirsty for the streak that the Angels are on. Can they find the same watering hole? Or will the Dodgers winning column stay dry?

Angels have now become a dangerous team with Trout leading the way. The rest of the team needs to keep pulling their weight. It looks like they have figured it out for now.

Shuck & Harris filling in just fine

In order for a struggling team of all-stars to stay afloat, role players need to make strong contributions to the ball club. Both JB Shuck and Brendan Harris were two guys who came into the season with minimal responsibility. Only four active players on the Angels roster are hitting over .280, and they both have their name in that pot. Shuck is filling in for the injured Peter Borjous in left field while Harris replaces Aybar at short. They also hit back to back in the lineup in the nine and one spots, and both contributing to the win over the White Sox Friday night with each getting RBI's.

So who are these guys and where did they come from? As of right now, they look like small gifts from heaven for the Angels, as they continue to put in their two cents each night. JB Shuck came up for the first time with Houston for 37 games in 2011 and didn't get a chance in 2012. He is a career 300 hitter in the minors who held his own with a .272 average in those games with Houston. Born and raised in Ohio, Shuck did see the field a few innings in the Angels opener at Cincinnati. Shuck does a good job of putting the ball in play and has a strikeout to walk ratio of 1:1. Shuck has also been solid in the outfield with 2 assists and no errors

Brendan Harris made his major league debut in 2005 with Washington and was also a two-year starter for the Minnesota Twins where he hit .262 in 848 at-bats. After struggling in 2010, Harris was sent back down to the minors, finding his grove again in 2012 where he hit 317 in 106 games in AAA. Harris beat out Andrew Romine for the back-up middle infielder position during the spring. Romine has been up and down with the Angels since 2010 and has continued to struggle at the plate this season. Although Harris might not have the strikeout to walk ratio that Shuck has, Harris is hitting .288 in 66 at-bats with 3 home runs, which is right there with other Angels who have close to 100 at-bats.

These two guys have come in nicely for teammates who had to hit the shelf. Angel fans will be happy to see Aybar and Borjous return healthy. When they do, you can feel comfortable that if a player goes down again, there's someone to fill in right behind them and give the team 110%.