Re: GameTime!™
by loufla » Thu Apr 26, 2012 3:46 pm
We lose 4-2 No homers in last 9 games. Situational hitting has been pretty bad. Pitching Ok considering.
Lou--- It appears we are not the only team with these problems
ST. PETERSBURG --
Angels manager Mike Scioscia dismissed any tension between himself and Torii Hunter after Hunter hinted at the lack of execution following the team's 3-2 loss to the Rays on Wednesday night.
"Torii has no issue with strategies or anything," Scioscia said. "He didn't come to me about anything."
After suffering their third straight loss for the third time this season, Hunter made some comments about the Angels' state of existence.
"We're just going through the motions right now," Hunter said Wednesday. "We need to go out there and do what we're supposed to do, what we're capable of doing."
Hunter specifically mentioned key situations, including when the Angels failed to manufacture a run after putting the first two batters on in the second inning in Wednesday's game.
"You mean if we bunted in the second?" Hunter said when asked about early executions. "What can we do? All we do is play the game."
Hunter did not make himself available to speak with reporters on Thursday.
The Angels began four of the first five innings with a baserunner, but failed to produce a run after going 0-for-6 in that situation while leaving four stranded. Heading into Thursday's contest against the Rays, the Angels rank near the bottom of the American League with a .236 average with runners in scoring position (37-for-157).
"There's a level of execution that has to happen with this team, and these guys understand it," Scioscia said. "We've talked about situational hitting, getting on base and making things happen. It's important to all of us. We all see it.
"Everybody on the staff understands a need for the situational component of our game, getting runners over from second to third, being able to execute the hit and run, getting the ball on the ground, taking advantage of our team speed. We need to play at a higher level, and this team will."