Kuzul

The 2014 postseason was supposed to be Mike Trout‘s coming-out party. It was his chance to shine on the big stage and solidify his status among baseball’s immortal talents.

It isn’t over yet, but so far things aren’t going swimmingly.

In two playoff games, Trout is 0-for-8. And the Los Angeles Angels are down 2-0 in the best-of-five ALDS to the no-quit Kansas City Royals, who look more like a team of destiny with each nail-biting victory.

The Royals’ latest and most convincing win came Friday night, a stirring 4-1, 11-inning triumph.

To be fair, Trout’s not the only Angel who isn’t hitting. The Halos have managed just three runs in two games against K.C., and fellow middle-of-the-order hitters Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols have gone a combined 1-for-17.

But Trout is the stud, the prohibitive MVP favorite. The guy who is supposed to take the team on his shoulders and carry it across the finish line.

Right now, it looks like Los Angeles won’t advance past the first lap.

On Friday night, the Angels faced rookie Yordano Ventura, who has electric stuff but came out of the bullpen to surrender a two-run home run in the Wild Card Playoff against the Oakland A’s. 

Ventura can touch triple digits with his fastball, and he pitched like a flame-throwing ace against the Angels. His counterpart and fellow rookie, right-hander Matt Shoemaker, wasn’t so bad himself.

In fact, Shoemaker was downright excellent, allowing just one unearned run and striking out six in six innings. For a guy who missed the end of the season with an oblique strain, it was a gutsy, impressive performance.

But his teammates failed to reward him. Sure, the Angels plated a run in the sixth on a Pujols single to tie the game 1-1. As the contest stretched past the ninth, though, it seemed inherently to favor the Royals, who have now won three postseason games, all in extra frames.

As for the Angels? After accumulating the best record in baseball at 98-64 and running away with the AL West, they’re teetering on the brink of an early, unceremonious exit.

If they’re going to stave off elimination, they’ll need something from Trout.

As Robert Morales of the Long Beach Press-Telegram (h/t Los Angeles Daily News) put it Oct. 1:

[Trout] was Rookie of the Year in 2012 and could win the AL Most Valuable Player award for his efforts during this 2014 regular season.

He has not toiled in the postseason yet, however. And since the baseball world is looking at him as the new face of baseball, what with the Yankees’ Derek Jeter retiring, there is tremendous anticipation to see what the 23-year-old from New Jersey does with that first taste.

Will it be bitter? Sweet? Somewhere in the middle? 

We still don’t know the answer. The Angels, and Trout, will get another crack at the Royals on Sunday in Kansas City. It’s not over till it’s over; there’s still time for redemptive heroics.

Otherwise, the 2014 campaign will go down as a colossal disappointment for Trout and the Halos. 

After ostensible ace Garrett Richards went down with a knee injury Aug. 20, pitching was supposed to be the Angels’ biggest weakness.

Instead, they’ve gotten solid efforts so far in the NLDS from starters Shoemaker and Jered Weaver. And the ‘pen has mostly held its own.

It’s been the bats—which led MLB with 773 runs scored—that have gone limp at the worst possible time.

Trout, per Greg Beacham of The Associated Press (h/t ABC News), got some valuable advice from Pujols prior to the postseason: “He told me to just be myself…Just keep that same swing that got you here, and go from there. It’s definitely a bigger game, for sure. All eyes are on you.”

The problem, now, is that all eyes may soon be off Trout. And the party may be over before it starts.

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Despite falling just short of making the postseason, the Seattle Mariners had an exciting 2014 season.

The Mariners were in contention for the AL Wild Card until Game 162 of the year and were relevant well into September for the first time in several seasons. The wild-card race provided several thrilling moments for a fanbase that hasn’t had much to cheer for in quite some time.

Austin Jackson’s stretch to beat out the game-winner in Game 161 and Logan Morrison’s three-run home run in the ninth inning against the Los Angles Angels will be remembered as some of the top moments from the race in September. However, the Mariners provided thrills to remember throughout the year.

Ten of these moments stand out as the best, based on importance and the long-term impact on the team.

Begin Slideshow

Despite a 22-33 record over the past two months as well as injuries and inconsistency, the Oakland Athletics secured the second American League wild-card spot in the season’s final game.

With 162 games now in the rear-view mirror, MLB.com’s John Schlegel reports the A’s will send Jon Lester to the mound on Tuesday night against Kansas City’s James Shields in the hope of avoiding an early offseason.

During the team’s stretch-run slide, Oakland’s lineup struggled to hit in the clutch, its defense looked shaky on routine plays and several members of the starting rotation showed signs of fatigue.

In recent weeks, fans and media learned that the Athletics had been playing with less than a full deck, including a Brandon Moss hip condition that will require offseason surgery and nagging knee issues for Josh Donaldson—not to mention John Jaso and Craig Gentry being lost for the foreseeable future with concussions.

Jonah Keri and Neil Paine of FiveThirtyEight offered some statistically based reassurance to Oakland fans, indicating that heading into the postseason hot has had no correlation with performance in the playoffs since 1969.

Regardless, the Athletics need to click from the moment the lineup is submitted until the final out is made to survive Tuesday night’s play-in game. How can Oakland give itself the best chance to win?

Here are its three keys to winning the Wild Card Game.

Lean on Lester

It’s been repeated over and over: Jon Lester wasn’t acquired for August. He was brought on board for October. After shipping fan favorite Yoenis Cespedes to Boston in exchange for the lefty ace, general manager Billy Beane’s insight will—fairly or unfairly—be judged by Tuesday night’s outcome.

Faced with a win-or-go-home scenario, there’s not one starter on the roster that manager Bob Melvin would rather send to the mound.

“This is why you get a Jon Lester, to pitch in big games,” Melvin told Schlegel.

Lester faced Kansas City three times in 2014, winning all of his decisions and compiling a 2.61 ERA. Throughout his career, he has held middle-of-the-lineup power threats Alex Gordon and Billy Butler to .160 and .143 batting averages, respectively.

To further aid Lester’s cause, MLB.com’s Dick Kaegel reported that Ned Yost will sit Jayson Nix—who is 8-for-26 with three home runs in his career against Lester—in favor of Mike Moustakas.

The Royals offense finished last in the league in home runs and walks, which means Lester must stay aware of sacrifice plays and heads-up baserunning.

“It’s the same mentality, same preparation, same routine,” Lester told Schlegel about the preparation for this game.

An early lead of one or two runs may be all Lester needs to shut down Kansas City and continue his long history of success in October.

Get Clutch Performances from Donaldson and Reddick

While Oakland’s ace has only worn green and gold for two months, right fielder Josh Reddick and third baseman Josh Donaldson have been part of Athletics postseason baseball since their division win in 2012.

Reddick was the team’s most consistent hitter through the doldrums of August and September, putting up a .294/.337/.510 line with six home runs over 46 games. Donaldson has been debatably the gutsiest, making spectacular plays at the hot corner and igniting the offense in the clutch despite a nagging left knee injury.

“What [Donaldson] means for our team is pretty significant,” manager Bob Melvin told MLB.com’s Jane Lee. “It’s production, it’s defense, all of the above. He gives us exactly that.”

Oakland will need both cornerstones to be a presence in the lineup, especially in the early innings.

Reddick’s numbers against Shields—three home runs and a .318 average in 22 at-bats—speak for themselves, and the team will need big hits from him and Donaldson to take the lead before the game winds up in the hands of the Royals’ bullpen.

Control the Running Game

What the Kansas City lineup lacks in pop, it makes up for in speed. With burners Jarrod Dyson, Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar on the roster, the Royals will depend largely on their running game to manufacture runs.

Protecting against the stolen base begins with the backstop, and Derek Norris’ struggles throwing out runners have been well-documented as of late.

Melvin showed his commitment to keeping Royals runners honest when ESPN.com’s David Schoenfield reported that Geovany Soto would get the nod despite never catching a Lester start.

Soto gunned out 10 of 23 attempted base stealers, which is stellar when compared against Norris’ 12 of 72, and his bat came alive with five hits in the final series against Texas.

Curbing Kansas City’s speed goes beyond the starting catcher, however. The Athletics will need to avoid the miscues in the field that haunted them down the stretch and prevent runners from reaching or advancing on errors.

Despite two months of play that it’d like to forget, Oakland is in a position to win behind one of the strongest postseason pitchers in the game.

Expect a tight game, a low score and an Athletics team ready to turn the calendar’s page.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

A disappointing 4-7 road trip has left the Seattle Mariners on the brink of playoff elimination.

The Mariners dropped crucial series to the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays, leaving them two games out of the AL wild-card race with three to play. Anything can happen until a team is mathematically eliminated, but it would take nothing short of a miracle for the Mariners to make the postseason at this point.

Seattle’s offense continued to struggle apart from a pair of outbursts, while the rotation finally hit a wall and showed signs of regression. While the Mariners have put together a better season than just about anyone anticipated, it still hurt to watch the team crash so hard suddenly when it was given a golden opportunity.

If the Mariners are indeed eliminated this weekend, they will spend a lot of time looking back on this past road trip. Seattle was hit with an absolutely brutal travel schedule at an unfortunate time, but a playoff-caliber team needed to do better than 2-5 against the Astros and Blue Jays.

As disastrous as the road trip was, the Mariners did have one silver lining.

Phenom Taijuan Walker received the start against Toronto on Wednesday, desperately needing a win to boost Seattle’s hopes. While the Mariners would lose 1-0 on a bloop single in the eighth inning, Walker would turn in the best outing of his career.

Walker went eight strong innings, allowing the one run on four hits while walking one and striking out six batters. He looked more dominant than that strikeout total would indicate and was far better with his command than in some previous starts.

Wednesday’s outing put Walker’s electric fastball on display, as it touched 97 miles per hour with late life. Walker has shown flashes with the pitch before but struggled to throw strikes with it on a consistent basis.

According to FanGraphs.com, Walker has thrown his fastball for a strike only 63.6 percent of the time in 2014. That percentage was much improved on Wednesday, as Walker threw 99 pitches overall for 66 strikes.

Better fastball command helped make Walker’s arsenal of off-speed pitches more effective. Walker mixed in a devastating splitter well on Wednesday to go with his curveball and changeup, which looked better than in any other previous start of his young major league career.

His standout moment came on a 3-2 pitch in the fourth inning to Jose Bautista, as Walker was able to completely fool one of the best hitters in the majors with a curveball. Bautista doesn’t look so off-balance often, as he has walked more than he’s struck out in 2014.

The Blue Jays were fooled all night until the eighth inning, as Mariners announcer Aaron Goldsmith highlights. 

Nobody was panicking about a 22-year-old Walker yet, but Mariners fans were patiently waiting for Walker to display his full arsenal. He did that effectively on Wednesday.

Manager Lloyd McClendon believes Walker’s outing was an important step toward building for next season despite the disappointing result of the game, via Greg Johns of MLB.com. 

In all of this, that’s one thing I certainly don’t want to get lost, That young man threw a tremendous ballgame, really stepped up and did everything we asked him to do. He was outstanding. I think his last two outings have really given us a glimpse of the future. We have a lot to be proud of and this young man is going to be part of that future. We have a lot to be excited about. Was this important? Yeah. I think it was. I think he’s turned a corner and is starting to move in the right direction.

Walker is going to be an important part of the Mariners in 2015. If Walker lives up to his potential, the Mariners will have an outstanding rotation again, even if Chris Young leaves in free agency or Roenis Elias isn’t as effective.

The 4-7 road trip put a serious dent in the Mariners’ hopes, but it gave them one reason to be optimistic for the future.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

My mama always told me, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” Well, if you go by that philosophy, there hasn’t been much to say about the Oakland A’s over the past two months.

But with the A’s looking likely to fall backwards into the postseason, fans are looking for something, anything, good to say about this team. “All you need to do is get in, then anything can happen,” they say, halfheartedly. Because, while that’s ostensibly true, there’s not a whole lot of evidence in front of us for anyone to truly believe that.

Nonetheless, I’m nothing if not an eternal optimist. There is a bright side to Oakland’s collapse, and I will find it if it drives me to insanity.

Bright side No. 1: I’m no longer scared of aces.

The last two seasons, the A’s have gone into the postseason and gotten mowed down by aces. They were 0-5 against the combination of Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. Even with Oakland adding an ace of their own, Jon Lester, there was still the worry that the offense could get beat again by a certified No. 1.

Now? Over the past week, the A’s have managed one run or fewer against the following pitchers: Colby Lewis (ERA of 5.18 this season), Wade LeBlanc (4.23) and Jerome Williams (4.71).

So right now, every pitcher terrifies me. No matter how good or bad they are, every pitcher has the ability to shut the A’s down. I’m no more scared of facing Felix Hernandez than facing Roberto Hernandez. The A’s can get shut out by anyone, why should an ace make any difference?

Bright side No. 2: There’s no chance of being crushed emotionally.

Both times the A’s lost to the Tigers in the postseason, they came in hot and got my hopes up. Both losses, in the fifth game, to Verlander, left severe emotional scarring. I wasn’t sure if I could take another exit like that.

Now? Oakland has left me so dead inside with their play over these past two months that there is no possibility of being disappointed. They lose the Wild Card Game? Oh well, saw that coming. They lose in the ALDS again? Well it was great to even get to that point. Lose in the ALCS? They’re playing with house money at that point. 

Bright side No. 3: Every run feels like a wonderful gift.

Remember early in the season when the A’s were scoring runs at will? The first two months of the season they were scoring 5.28 runs per game. Oh, another run, that’s nice. I see runs all the time. Nothing special there.

Now? 3.46 runs per game over August and September and that feels high. They have been held to one run or less in 10 of the last 26 games.

A’s fans now appreciate every single run that crosses the plate. Nothing is taken for granted. Each run is a blessing and is meant to be celebrated as such. Because who knows when we may see one again?

See? There are positive takeaways from the A’s recent play. So even though baseball is not exactly “fun” anymore, it doesn’t mean that we can’t try to find the little things to appreciate as fans.

There’s still a small chance Oakland could miss the playoffs. At this point, I wouldn’t put it past them. But if they make it in, if they find themselves in that one-game playoff with Lester on the mound, say it with me: “Anything can happen.”

There, didn’t that feel good? I almost believed it.

Follow @TheRealMattKing

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker, who is hoping to return from an oblique injury for the playoffs, set a franchise rookie record in recording 16 wins this season, per MLB Stat of the Day. The previous record of 14 was held by Dean Chance (1962), Marcelino Lopez (1965) and Frank Tanana (1974).

Though not considered an elite prospect, the 27-year-old Shoemaker was often dominant after joining the starting rotation in mid-May. He’ll finish the season with a 3.04 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 124/24 K/BB ratio over 136 innings, with those fantastic numbers complementing a sterling 16-4 record.

The right-hander had a pair of 10-strikeout performances, and he notably got better as the season went on, posting a 1.87 ERA after the All-Star break, compared to a modest 4.38 mark before the Midsummer Classic.

Despite starting just 20 games, Shoemaker leads all rookie pitchers in wins this season, sitting ahead of Kansas City Royals flame-thrower Yordano Ventura (14) and New York Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka (13).

It was an excellent year for rookie starting pitchers in the American League, with Colin McHugh of the Houston Astros, Jake Odorizzi of the Tampa Bay Rays, Marcus Stroman of the Toronto Blue Jays and Roenis Elias of the Seattle Mariners also sticking out.

According to ESPN.com, there are seven rookie starters in the American League with 1.5 or more WAR this season, while New York Yankees rookie reliever Dellin Betances incredibly has 3.7 WAR through 70 appearances out of the bullpen.

If not for the presence of Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, the American League would have a slew of pitchers competing for Rookie of the Year honors this season. As is, Abreu rightfully looks like a lock to take home the trophy.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Seattle Mariners had several prospects make their major league debuts in 2014, with a few of them going on to be important contributors on a contending ballclub.

Roenis Elias, James Jones, Dominic Leone, Carson Smith, Chris Taylor and Stefen Romero all made their way to Seattle from the minors this year. With James Paxton and Taijuan Walker also in the majors, the Mariners figure to have quite a few young players on their roster next year.

Expect more prospects to debut in 2015. While many of Seattle’s top pitchers have already reached the majors, a few position players should be on the way in the near future.

D.J. Peterson and Patrick Kivlehan shared Seattle’s Minor League Player of the Year honors and rank among the Mariners’ most major league ready prospects for next season, along with a few others.

Begin Slideshow

The Los Angeles Angels franchise has enjoyed plenty of success since being established back in 1961. While the Angels have a relatively short franchise history in comparison to some MLB teams, there has been no shortage of both team and player achievements. The Angels have seen multiple MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of Year Award winners, as well as a World Series Championship in their franchise’s history.

With players like Nolan Ryan, Tim Salmon and Mike Trout documented throughout franchise record books, determining the top-five players in Angels franchise history is no easy task. However, a careful analysis of statistics and player value may help give perspective to this never-ending debate.

This list will count down the five best players in Angels franchise history.

Begin Slideshow

The Oakland A’s could look a bit different in 2015, dependent on how the postseason plays out.

If the team doesn’t make the playoffs at all, general manager Billy Beane could put everyone in cleats on the trade block. If they win the World Series, Beane may feel that after capturing that elusive ring, one in Oakland is good enough and recommit to the farm system.

If, however, the team barely falls short of a World Series win, management could keep the roster intact. With Beane at the helm, you just never know.

Let’s be realistic and go somewhere in the middle.

The A’s make the playoffs and win the one-game, sudden-death Wild Card Game to move on. Then, unfortunately, they lose in either the ALDS or ALCS—which round they exit doesn’t matter in this scenario.

Again, it’s hard to read Beane, but he’s shown in the past that he’s more inclined to accumulate prospects and keep the payroll down than he is to sign stars.

That said, you would see the same mix of cheap, young players, cheaply signed veteran free agents and a stud or two.

Based on that, here are the positions that could have new starters in 2015.

Left Field

Currently, Jonny Gomes and Sam Fuld split time in left field.

Gomes is a free agent at the end of the 2014 season. Once with Oakland, he left in free agency after the 2012 season in search of more playing time. If he left once because he doesn’t care for platooning, not much should stop him from doing so again.

This time, however, it might be mutual.

Gomes didn’t provide the spark and magic that he did during 2012. Another club will likely try to sign him to bring in positive clubhouse presence for a budding team at a price the A’s are reluctant to even attempt matching.

Fuld may stay on in Oakland, but if he does, it should be more as a fourth outfielder rather than a platoon starter.

Here’s how the outfield should play out: Coco Crisp and Josh Reddick stay in center and right field, respectively. Craig Gentry returns to full health and becomes the everyday starter in left field. Gentry will be arbitration eligible but won’t cost more than $3 million, and he played well enough that if the team is looking to move forward on the cheap, Gentry is more than serviceable.

That keeps Fuld as the fourth guy and the outfield as speedy, defensive specialists.

If the A’s do kick the tires on a few veteran players, guys like Chris Denorfia, Reed Johnson or Grady Sizemore would probably be the biggest names considered, assuming the team keeps that salary toward the lower end of the scale per the norm.

But if they just miss in playoffs and want to make a bigger splash, why not bring back Seth Smith or Josh Willingham?

Starting Pitcher

Jon Lester will be one of the biggest free-agent names available. I will set Oakland’s chances of re-signing Lester at less than 1 percent. He will command way too much money for the Athletics to compete.

And if there’s anyone on the current team the A’s could trade, it’s Jeff Samardzija.

He’s yet to turn 30, he’s talented and he’s still controllable for another full season before becoming a free agent. This is the same guy that landed the Chicago Cubs two top prospects from Oakland. You can guarantee someone will call about Samardzija this offseason. You can also bet Beane will listen and contemplate restocking the minor league system.

Jason Hammel will not be re-signed, or at least shouldn’t be, due to a poor performance.

So two, possibly three, starting pitchers will be gone.

That leaves Sonny Gray, Scott Kazmir, a returning Jarrod Parker and a returning A.J. Griffin. Multiple names could once again compete for the fifth spot, including Jesse Chavez.

At the minimum, you’ll see Parker and Griffin, new faces—sort of.

As for that final spot, if it’s not a guy like Chavez, there’s one of two options. First, the A’s typically always sign a veteran reclamation project. But they usually keep one at a time, and Kazmir is that guy currently. Names like Colby Lewis, Kevin Correia or Chris Capuano might work if an addition is made.

The alternative route is promoting someone from Triple-A. The best option is Arnold Leon. Leon went 10-8 with the Sacramento River Cats in 2014, with a 4.97 ERA. He struck out 128 and walked 51.

What About Second Base or Shortstop?

I don’t think second base or shortstop will change.

Jed Lowrie and the A’s still seem to be a good match. The team needs someone it can get on the cheap to continue as a stopgap until an up-and-coming prospect is ready. Lowrie has had a down year, making him much more affordable.

Teams will likely swoop in on Asdrubal Cabrera, Hanley Ramirez and J.J. Hardy first. Jimmy Rollins may even go off the market before Lowrie, pushing his stock down more.

Beane showed fans that second base clearly was not a priority this season. Instead, he concentrated on pitching at the trade deadline.

Nick Punto has an option, Alberto Callaspo is a free agent and the team still has Eric Sogard. Additionally, Oakland has Andy Parrino. Callaspo is the most expensive at around $4 million. All other options are extremely cheap. The A’s, typically, are also extremely cheap.

Second base clearly isn’t a need, so the team will probably hold onto the current options—much to the dismay of fans.

Final Thoughts

Beane may listen to phone calls about Crisp, Reddick and Brandon Moss, but I don’t see him moving any of them. The returns wouldn’t be worth too much due to various reasons (age or talent).

For giggles, let’s say Beane does sell off all of Oakland’s assets and goes back to disappointingly cheap ways again.

Nate Freiman takes over first base. Sogard stays at second. Parrino starts at shortstop. Callaspo plays third base full time. Gentry starts in center field. Fuld would probably still be the fourth outfielder, with Shane Peterson coming up from Triple-A to play in left field. Let’s say Reed Johnson (or another cheap-but-older free agent) is signed to play right field. Your starting rotation is Parker, Griffin, Leon, Chavez and a cheaply renewed Drew Pomeranz (arbitration eligible) or a super-cheap veteran.

The above scenario assumes Brandon Moss, Josh Donaldson, Sonny Gray, Kazmir, Crisp and Reddick are all traded. Lowrie is not re-signed either.

Again, this is worst-case scenario. I don’t see this happening either.

Ultimately, Samardzija is the most likely to be traded—no one else. Lowrie will be re-signed, and Lester, Hammel and Gomes will leave via free agency.

(You might have noticed I didn’t mention catchers at all. I think all three stay: Derek Norris as the starter, Stephen Vogt as the backup and John Jaso as the full-time designated hitter.)

For the most part, you should see just about the same team on the field in 2015.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Updates from Tuesday, Sept. 16

Angels communication director Eric Kay confirms Albert Pujols‘ status for tonight’s game vs. the Mariners: 

Original Text 

Everything has been going right for the Los Angeles Angels lately, but they could have a problem on their hands with an injury to Albert Pujols.

Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports provides the latest on the veteran first baseman:

This injury was later confirmed by the team’s official Twitter account:

After the Angels 8-1 win over the Mariners, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register provided an update: 

The double was Pujols’ 36th of the season while bringing his RBI total to 97 on the year. He also has 26 home runs to go with a .274 batting average. While the three-time MVP has clearly had better seasons, he has bounced back nicely from a subpar 2013.

Unfortunately, this injury can be a setback if it ends up being serious. Hamstring injuries are difficult to judge and can sometimes keep a player out for weeks.

He was removed for a pinch runner (Tony Campana) against the Seattle Mariners on Monday. Efren Navarro was moved to first base and will likely take over the bulk of playing time if Pujols is unable to play.

With the best record in the majors and a 10-game lead in the AL West, the Angels can afford to be cautious for the rest of the regular season. However, they’ll certainly need Pujols in the playoffs and hope he can return as soon as possible.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com