Around the Hornet: Persevering Injuries

In the course of a 162 game baseball season, it is inevitable that teams will suffer injuries. The question then becomes who will fill in and produce?

A complete game shutout by Ervin Santana and an 11 run outburst by the Angels offense would be the finishing touches to the team's third straight American League West division crown.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have battled all season long, when I say all season long I mean just that. They have had to deal with many losses this season.

Perhaps no loss was bigger to the organization than the tragic passing of Nick Adenhart, who moments before losing his life tossed the game of his life. Adenhart pitched 6 scoreless innings allowing seven scattered hits.

The loss of Adenhart is not the only loss the team has had to overcome. The team also suffered a huge blow to its bullpen when they lost setup man Scott Shields to injury for the entire season back in  early may.

The Angels also have been without pitchers Dustin Moseley, and Kelvim Escobar all season long. Not to mention the team started the season without ace John Lackey.

If that wasn't bad enough the team would then lose Vladimir Guerrero 4-6 weeks because of a torn pectoral muscle in early may. They also lost Tori Hunter for two weeks who at the time of his injury was the team's best player.

They have been without two all-star pitchers from last year when they lost Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana to the 15-day disabled list.

The injury bug has riddled the Halos all year long, but somehow the team has overcome the injuries.

 Guys like, Jason bulger, Kevin Jepsen, and Matt Palmer have all done outstanding jobs this year after their call up from the minors.

Palmer has filled in as a starter and is now in the bullpen where he holds a 10-2 record to go along with a 4.12 era. Bulger has been stellar all year long out of the bullpen with his 3.38 era; he also has a 6-1 record out of the pen.

On offense the team has seen guys like Juan Rivera, Macier Izturiz, Eric Aybar, Mike Napoli, and Kendry Morales have break-out seasons. Howie Kendrick who at one point of the season was hitting a sluggish 2.37 was sent down to the minor league.

Since kendrick's recall, he is hitting well over .300 and has raised his batting average to .297  along with 10 home runs and 60 rbi's.

The fact that the Angels will most likely play the Boston Red sox should not have the Angels worried. Yes, they have suffered four early exits at the hands of the Red Sox, including two straight. This is a new year and not only are the Angels coming in with a healthy pitching rotation, but the offensive is also finding their grove scoring 28 runs in three games.

The Red Sox will come at the Halos with Josh Beckett, John Lester, and may go with Clay Buchholz over Daisuke Matsuzaka. For the Angels we know Lackey, and Jered Weaver are almost automatic. Scott Kamir would be my guess to get the third start. Think about it he is 6-4 in Boston with an impressive 3.04 era.  Not to discredit what 15 game winner Saunders has done since returning from the DL, but Kazmir has played well against Boston in Fenway where he would likely face them in game three.

I believe that this will be the year the Angels get past the first round and repeat what they did when they won a World Series in 2002. The team  added south paw Kazmir, who  has solidified that pitching rotation which had been shaky all season long. Kazmir has a 2.01 era in his five starts since being acquired from  the Tampa Bay Rays.