I was wondering if anyone out there saw this (SnR?). The Angels used 2 pitchers to hold the dodgers hitless, yet still lost the game 1-0. Technically, the game isnt considered a no-hitter because the dodgers only batted 8 times. Thats absoltely insane that you can hold a team hitless in todays game, get sunk with a couple of errors, and then lose because you get shut out yourselves.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280628119

That's nothing. The Angels offense is so crappy that later this year we're planning on losing a game without even giving up a run.

It took several seasons but Mike Scioscia is 99% sure he's figured out a way to score -1 runs in a ballgame. Stay tuned.

Last year they led the AL West with 822 runs and were 5th in the AL. You'd prefer that they were more like the Texas Rangers, a team that routinely scores 100 more runs than the LAA but also routinely finishes 15 games behind them?

Anaheim is not a stadium known for inflated offensive numbers, and Seattle and Oakland are certainly pitcher's parks...Three stadiums where the Angels play 100 games per year.

I think Scioscia has done a nice job and they've had a successful model of building a roster that can get to the postseason. It can be tough sometimes if you are a fan (which I'm assuming you are) when scoring is down, but just ask the Rangers, Indians, and Cubs how much success they've had as offensive juggernauts.

Remember, both our teams are in the AL west, a division not exactly known for hitting prowess (well except for texas, but they dont believe in pitching). I feel your pain. Oakland's staff has pitched great this season, yet our bats are terrible. We are ranked like 12th or lower in all major hitting categories in the AL.

I love Billy Beane, and the guy has made some fantastic moves, but i havent yet figured out why anyone batting over .280 is red-flagged by him as a danger/risk. You wouldnt want an A's batter approaching .300 after all.

Last year was an outlier. The team has struggled to score runs since Scioscia (along with hitting coach Mickey Hatcher) took over. The team has a poor organizational approach to hitting that extends through the minor leagues. The emphasis is not placed on getting on base or patience at the plate, but being aggressive (i.e. swinging), putting the ball in play, and having speed on the basepaths. It is MUCH more difficult to score runs consistantly that way and the results from 2000 - 2008 have proven that time and again.

This is a team that run Troy Glaus out of town to bring in Orlando Cabrera. A team that has wasted the best years of Vlad's career by NEVER giving him another good hitter to hit behind him. The Angels gave Gary Matthews Jr. (a bench player!) $50M and a five year commitment to play every day. Garret Anderson's production is way down since he was diagnosed with arthritis in 2004 but, five years later, they still insist that he's a star player.

The Angels have had the pitching to win the World Series for several seasons now but their complete ignorance regarding offense is why they haven't and probably why they still won't. That's obvious to me, but maybe that's only because I've been following the team for most of my life.

So they make it to the playoffs with a roster full of horrible signings, and yet it's Scoscia's fault that they don't score runs? Aren't personell decisions on the GM? Seems to me, according to the info provided, that Scoscia should get more credit for their success rather than blame for organizational mistakes resulting in low offensive output.

Matt Holliday is suggested as a potential help to the halos problem. Perhaps Scoscia wants to field a team of 8 OFs?

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8304910?MSNHPHMA

of course, i spit out my drink when i read that the angels would have to find someone willing to take on gary matthews' contract in a trade. Including him in any trade drives the price up for the angels.

Angels: Here's the trade offer. Player X and 2 top prospects for Matt Holliday.

Rockies: Ok, sounds like a fair deal.

Angels: ok, we're going to throw in gary matthews jr in as well.

Rockies: ummm, if you do that, we're going to need more prospects or another player.

The make it to the playoffs because they have outstanding pitching and a fairly weak division to play in. If they had an offense that was even half as good as their pitching, they'd have a LOT of playoff success to go with those playoff appearances since 2004. Think of it this way, wouldn't you be upset if the Bills had the best defense in the NFL for several seasons but could never win because their offense was built around really mediocre players?

Scioscia deserves blame for the poor offense because he keeps Mickey Hatcher on as the hitting coach (he's terrible) and because he shared the same offensive philosophy with our GM, Bill Stoneman (there from 2000-2007 until he stepped down to become an advisor). There's no way they've made all the moves they've made in the past few seasons without his input.

Scioscia is a good manager because of how he manages the clubhouse. He's pretty mediocre managing the game and making a lineup. His ideas for how to build an offense just aren't that good and the results have shown that over the years.