News
No-no O'Sullivan is back
Los Angeles (63-41) at Chicago (55-52), 5:11 p.m. PT
By Lyle Spencer / MLB.com
08/04/09 11:41 PM ET
CHICAGO -- Robust rookie Sean O'Sullivan made his Major League debut on foreign turf, and that's where he's done his best work, winning all three of his road tests. The 21-year-old right-hander from El Cajon, outside San Diego, rejoins the Angels in the Windy City with a few tales to tell, assuming he has time. O'Sullivan is coming off a no-hitter eight nights ago in Sacramento in the uniform of the Salt Lake Bees, the Angels' Triple-A Pacific Coast League affiliate. O'Sullivan was one strike away from a perfect game, yielding a walk to the leadoff hitter in the seventh inning after getting ahead of him 1-2 in the count. Bobby Wilson, who caught O'Sullivan that night, returned to Salt Lake on Tuesday with Vladimir Guerrero getting activated. Wilson said "about 80 percent" of O'Sullivan's 122 pitches in Sacramento were fastballs, "and he was pounding the zone with them." Angels manager Mike Scioscia has been impressed with O'Sullivan's ability to make in-game adjustments in his five starts with the Angels -- all victories, with three belong to O'Sullivan. As with most pitchers, O'Sullivan's command of his fastball dictates how he proceeds -- but he has other weapons in his tool kit, a sharp breaking ball and a changeup that's advanced for such a young pitcher. "He has had games where his fastball is there, other days when he changes speeds well," Scioscia said. "That's one thing Sean can do. He has a fastball that he turns into different looks, and his breaking ball and changeup are a combination. "Any one of the three pitches he can use in any situation to any hitter and feel comfortable with it. Some pitchers have a show pitch, one that they like to just show to hitters, but Sean's got three Major League pitches he has command with -- and that's what you want with a starter." Poised and in command in his debut in San Francisco on June 16, O'Sullivan made it through seven innings, allowing five hits and one earned run, walking one man and striking out five. While the 6-foot-4 O'Sullivan has won all three of his road starts with a 2.45 ERA, at Angel Stadium he has no decisions in two starts and a 5.91 ERA. Pitching matchupLAA: RHP Sean O'Sullivan (3-0, 3.72 ERA)
O'Sullivan is coming off a near-perfect game for Triple-A Salt Lake at Sacramento on July 28. He walked the leadoff hitter in the seventh inning on a 3-2 count after having him down 1-2. He threw 122 pitches, 85 for strikes, and about 80 percent of those deliveries were fastballs. O'Sullivan has been a big shot in the arm for the sagging, injury-riddled rotation, the Angels winning all five of his outings. He keeps his 90-92 mph fastball in good locations and mixes in quality breaking stuff. In 29 innings with the Angels, he has yielded 32 hits and eight walks while striking out 16 hitters. CWS: RHP Gavin Floyd (8-6, 4.07 ERA)
In one of his best outings of the season, Floyd outdueled Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte, but earned a no-decision in what became a 3-2 White Sox victory on Thursday night. Floyd lasted 7 2/3 innings, allowing one run on four hits while matching a career high with 10 strikeouts. He allowed more than one baserunner in only one inning and threw 63 of his 103 pitches for strikes in producing his 11th quality start in his last 13 outings. Over that span, Floyd is 6-2 with a 2.33 ERA. Floyd also became just the second White Sox pitcher to fan 10 batters this season, that feat last coming on May 9 when John Danks struck out 10 hitters against the Rangers. Floyd is 0-2 in three career starts with a 4.12 ERA against the Angels, but two of his three career complete games have come against them. Tidbits
Bobby Abreu, the AL's Player of the Month for July, said he could remember one other time, when he was with the Phillies, that he earned a Player of the Month award. "It's been a lot of fun, being part of this team the way we've been going," Abreu said. "We just have to keep it up now." ... On his way back to Salt Lake, Wilson -- who has appeared in one game for the Angels this season and saved it with a great stop of a pitch in the dirt by John Lackey -- said his mission was to keep swinging a hot bat and make it back to the big club. Wilson batted .346 in July for the Bees with a 12-game hitting streak. ... Team Momentum: The Angels have scored four or more runs in an inning 17 times in the past 25 games, including six or more runs in an inning six times. ... From 2006-08, the Angels averaged 4.09 in team ERA, ranking third in the AL and fifth in the Majors. Their starters ranked second in the AL and Majors in that period with a 4.17 collective ERA. The team currently ranks 12th in the AL and 27th in the Majors in team ERA at 4.75, with its starters at 4.73 -- 10th in the AL and 22nd in the Majors. Yet, largely because the offense has gone off the charts, the starters' 44 wins are second most in the AL. Tickets
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• KLAA 830, KFWB, KWKW 1330 (Español) Up next
• Thursday: Angels (Ervin Santana, 3-6, 7.31) at White Sox (John Danks, 9-7, 4.00), 11:05 a.m. PT
• Friday: Angels (Joe Saunders, 9-6, 5.07) vs. Rangers (Scott Feldman, 10-4, 3.91), 7:05 p.m. PT
• Saturday: Angels (Jered Weaver, 11-3, 3.79) vs. Rangers (TBD), 1:10 p.m. PT
Lyle Spencer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
