@ Scott Miller: I sorta noticed that last year.

They hit and pitched and ran all over us. Looks look they can still pitch w/o Lee and with a far better bullpen.

Didn't look like Chatwood made it tonight.

I guess you'll get another look at Piniero in a few days.

Handling the pitching staff is extremely challenging and Scioscia's top three in my book.

Haven't seen much of Piniero since he washed out of the AL with Boston ....never thought too much of him. He always looked like a three-run homer waiting to happen.

I think that I agree with you that it's really unlikely that Scioscia yanked him from the rotation without very careful consideration...and considering that he's still putting too many guys on base, striking out too few, and has an ERA over 5 ... I'm sure as hell not putting his right arm on the mound in Arlington.

Don't remember Chatwood ... he a better bet than the other kid?

@ Scott Miller:who is then the fourth starter? Am I wrong to think that there wasn't a better option?

I think that it might have been better not to pitch the kid against power hitting teams in their home (and relatively small outfield) parks and preferable to give him a go in the Angel's somewhat more spacious park where a really good group of outfielders could weigh more heavily, but 3 starters just ain't enough.

California is clearly the ass-end cutting edge of the nation and gambling with young Californians is, as a great Californian once said....""We could do it, but "(unintelligible) "that would be wrong."

To me, the kid liked like a major league pitcher and possibly a good one and taint butt one way tuby sore.

@ Scott Miller:

Scioscia's gamble with the kid didn't pan out, but it was still a smart one. My guess is that the Angels were down to three good starters, and knowing that the post-season schedule was tightened up so as to necessitate a four man rotation, he was getting the kid some games against good teams.

(Cano and Granderson eat up lefties just as well as righties. For Cano that's always been the case, for Granderson, it's been so only since last August, from which time he leads in majors in HRs against lefties)

well Scott, now do you see?

Richards didn't give up a single earned run all night.

He was replacing Piniero in the rotation, right? A guy who has given up a heck of a lot of earned runs for a long time.

ERA from a one game sample is pretty much meaningless, Scott.

Scioscia knows pitching, and certainly his own staff, better than about anyone. The mystery will be demystified.

whoopdeedoo

And I thought that the Tea Party might be akin to the Great Awakening or even the second one in its upstate NY aspect.

@ George Jochnowitz:The right to bear arms was enumerated in reaction to practices in Europe where the absolutists disarmed the people.