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Archive for the 'Francisco Rodriguez' Tag

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Players pick Lee, Lincecum as top pitchers

October 20th, 2008, 2:36 pm by BILL PLUNKETT, OCREGISTER.COM

Indians left-hander Cliff Lee and Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum were named the Outstanding Pitcher in the American and National Leagues, respectively, in the first of the 2008 Players Choice Awards announced Monday.

Lee outpolled Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez as well as fellow finalist Roy Halladay of the Blue Jays.

The annual awards are being announced in a series of internet “web-isodes” at http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/awards/pa this week. Next up — the Outstanding Player in the A.L. and N.L. to be announced Tuesday.

The finalists:

AMERICAN LEAGUE:

Outstanding Player: Josh Hamilton (Texas), Justin Morneau (Minnesota), Dustin Pedroia (Boston)

NATIONAL LEAGUE:

Outstanding Player: Ryan Howard (Philadelphia), Chipper Jones (Atlanta), Albert Pujols (St. Louis)

Posted in: Angels • Francisco Rodriguez • | Post a Comment »

Vote for Frankie as Pepsi Clutch Performer

October 15th, 2008, 9:10 am by Brian Perdue

Frankie Rodriguez is one of six finalists for the 2008 Pepsi Clutch Performer.

The website states that:

“This award recognizes the player who performed his best when the game was on the line, who delivered the walk-off homer or who was there with six-plus strong innings. It celebrates the player who always connects on a two-out hit or is automatic in the bullpen. He is the player that rises to the occasion when his team needs him most. He is clutch.”

Other finalists are: Houston’s Lance Berkman, Cleveland’s Cliff Lee, Minnesota’s Justin Morneau, St. Louis’ Albert Pujols, and Milwaukee’s CC Sabathia.

Click here to vote.

The winner will be announced at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22 on ESPN.

Below the contest, you can also enter a drawing to win a trip to two to the 2009 All-Star Game in St. Louis.

Remember fans, Frankie notched 62 regular-season saves. Let’s try to overlook the postseason …

Posted in: Angels • Francisco Rodriguez • Uncategorized • | 1 Comment »

Angels set playoff roster — Jepsen in, Speier out

September 28th, 2008, 6:08 pm by BILL PLUNKETT, OCREGISTER.COM

Angels manager Mike Scioscia confirmed the obvious after Sunday’s game – that John Lackey, Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders (in that order) will start in the first round against the Boston Red Sox.

He also revealed the Angels’ roster for the first-round series. They will go with a 10-man pitching staff including both displaced starters (Jon Garland and Jered Weaver) and rookie reliever Kevin Jepsen (who did not make his big-league debut until Sept. 8).

Left out is veteran reliever Justin Speier.

The 15 position players include both Reggie Willits and Gary Matthews Jr. as well as Kendry Morales and Brandon Wood but not Sean Rodriguez.

Here’s the list:

PITCHERS (10)

RHPs John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Jon Garland, Jered Weaver, Francisco Rodriguez, Scot Shields, Jose Arredondo and Kevin Jepsen

LHPs Joe Saunders and Darren Oliver

CATCHERS (2)

Jeff Mathis and Mike Napoli

INFIELDERS (7)

Mark Teixeira, Howie Kendrick, Chone Figgins, Erick Aybar, Brandon Wood, Kendry Morales and Robb Quinlan

OUTFIELDERS (6)

Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter, Gary Matthews Jr., Juan Rivera, Garret Anderson and Reggie Willits

Posted in: Angels • Francisco Rodriguez • Mike Scioscia • Vladimir Guerrero • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • | 3 Comments »

K-Rod gets one MVP award

September 26th, 2008, 11:55 pm by Al Balderas, staff writer

Francisco Rodriguez was selected as the Angels’ Most Valuable Player and was awarded with a trophy prior to Friday night’s game. His teammates did the voting.
Rodriguez, who will probably get league MVP consideration, broke Bobby Thigpen’s single-season saves record when he saved his 58th game on Sept. 12. He has since extended that record to 62 saves.

Posted in: Angels • Francisco Rodriguez • | 2 Comments »

Angels 6, Mariners 5 (final)

September 24th, 2008, 10:12 pm by BILL PLUNKETT, OCREGISTER.COM

The Mariners got to 100 first.

The Angels made the Mariners the first 100-game losers in the majors this season while moving a step closer to their own century mark (for victories).

They had to overcome a poor start by Jon Garland to do it. Garland gave up five runs on 11 hits in five innings. But the Angels pounded out 16 hits against three different Mariners pitchers (starting with Felix Hernandez) and finally took the lead on Mark Teixeira’s solo home run off reliever Mark Lowe with two outs in the top of the eighth inning.

Scot Shields worked out of a self-created bases-loaded jam (two walks and a hit batsman) in the eighth and Francisco Rodriguez pitched the ninth for his 62nd save.

With the win, the Angels remained two games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays for best record in the American League, shaving their magic number to clinch that honor to three. They need to win just two of their final four games to reach 100 victories for the first time in franchise history.

Posted in: Angels • Francisco Rodriguez • • • | 1 Comment »

K-Rod will get the votes — but not the awards

September 24th, 2008, 7:33 am by BILL PLUNKETT, OCREGISTER.COM

With a record 61 saves this season for a team that has the best record in baseball, Francisco Rodriguez is likely to get votes for both the American League Cy Young and MVP awards.

Nine times since the Cy Young Award was instituted in 1956, a pitcher has won both awards (most recently, Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley in 1992).

Rodriguez isn’t likely to make it 10 despite his record-setting season. Indians left-hander Cliff Lee (22-2, 2.41 ERA) could be a unanimous selection for the A.L. Cy Young.

“Both are remarkable,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of the seasons Lee and Rodriguez had. “Historically, closers have to have incredible years to win it (the Cy Young Award). I believe this (Rodriguez’s season) is incredible.”

Meanwhile, the MVP ballot goes 10 deep (compared to three votes on the Cy Young ballot). With no clear favorite in this year’s field, Rodriguez is likely to appear somewhere on almost every MVP ballot.

“I don’t think about it,” Rodriguez said of the award voting. “I should have consideration to win it. That’s out of my hands. … If I win it, I win it. It would be great. But that’s something I can’t control.”

Posted in: Angels • Francisco Rodriguez • Mike Scioscia • | 1 Comment »

Angels 2, Mariners 1 (final)

September 22nd, 2008, 9:30 pm by BILL PLUNKETT, OCREGISTER.COM

The Angels’ 1-2 punch looks ready for the playoffs.

One day after John Lackey dominated the Texas Rangers, Ervin Santana did the same to the Mariners.

Read the rest of this entry »

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K-Rod gets to 60

September 20th, 2008, 11:37 pm by BILL PLUNKETT, OCREGISTER.COM

When the Angels scored twice in the ninth inning Saturday to extend their lead to four runs (7-3), manager Mike Scioscia brought in Jason Bulger to pitch the bottom of the ninth.

When Bulger gave up a walk and a two-out single, that created a save opportunity and Scioscia brought in Francisco Rodriguez.

Rodriguez’s 60th save of the season was one of his easier ones this season. He got Nelson Cruz to fly out to end the game.

But Rodriguez’s two-handed celebratory thrust to the sky was back after a one-save hiatus. He skipped the gesture after a rocky save for No. 59 in Oakland Thursday.

“I just feel so happy, so proud,” Rodriguez said of reaching 60 saves. “Sixty – wow. I accomplished something that no one has. That’s a lot of games.”

Posted in: Angels • Francisco Rodriguez • Mike Scioscia • | Post a Comment »

Angels 7, Rangers 3 (final)

September 20th, 2008, 8:24 pm by BILL PLUNKETT, OCREGISTER.COM

The Angels clinched homefield advantage in the first round and moved a step closer to finishing with the best record in the American League with another win over the Rangers.

Just two questions really remain for the Angels’ playoff plans — who will it be (the Rays or the Red Sox, almost certainly) and when will it be (Game 1 on Oct. 1 or 2)?

They can answer the second question for themselves by finishing with the best record in the American League. The team with the best record gets to choose between the two possible first-round schedules.

Saturday’s win was another sloppy game that featured nine extra-base hits (eight doubles and a two-run home run by Garret Anderson), 12 walks, two errors, two wild pitches, two hit batsmen, two ejections (Rangers second baseman Ramon Vazquez and manager Ron Washington) and a passed ball.

Francisco Rodriguez recorded his 60th save of the season by retiring the final batter after Jason Bulger gave up a walk and a single in the bottom of the ninth.

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Angels 6, A’s 4 (final)

September 18th, 2008, 3:33 pm by BILL PLUNKETT, OCREGISTER.COM

The Angels’ offense came back to life after two games in which they managed a total of three runs on 10 hits and didn’t have a hit with a runner in scoring position.

The back-to-back-to-back home runs by Kendry Morales, Mike Napoli and Brandon Wood made the most noise Thursday but Gary Matthews Jr. quietly had another good game with three hits including a double.

Matthews is making a move recently to salvage his lost season. With Thursday’s three-hit game, he has hit safely in nine of his past 12 games, batting .339 (20 for 59) in that stretch.

Joe Saunders threw seven shutout innings, allowing six hits. Justin Speier pitched a scoreless eighth but Jason Bulger continued to hurt his chances of making the post-season roster by hitting the first batter he faced in the ninth then walking the next.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia replaced him with Jose Arredondo at that point. Bulger has failed to retire any of the seven batters he has faced in his past two outings, walking four, hitting two and giving up a single.

Arredondo walked a batter to load the bases then gave up a run-scoring infield single off the glove of first baseman Kendry Morales to lose the shutout bid. He struck out Travis Buck then gave way to Francisco Rodriguez..

With the bases loaded and the tying run on deck, it was probably the least pressure-packed of Rodriguez’s 66 save opportunities this season (the most in major-league history).

So he supplied his own. Rodriguez walked pinch-hitter Jack Cust to force in a run before getting a forceout that brought another run in. Kurt Suzuki singled in another run to make it a two-run lead before Ryan Sweeney grounded out to end the game. 

The Tampa Bay Rays play later tonight (the Boston Red Sox are off). But the Angels’ win Thursday afternoon trimmed their magic number to clinch the best record in the American League to 10 (seven to eliminate the Red Sox from consideration).

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