| Craig Sternberg. 26th April, 2010 - 11:19 am
 With 20 games already in the books, the Angels are stuck around the .500 mark trying to find a sense of consistency. After starting a putrid 2-6, the Angels have been playing better ball as of late all things considered. Still, this early in the season it shouldn?t come as any surprise that a team with this many changes to the roster will be seeing some ups and downs. Analyzing the good and the bad, here is what has defined the club's inconsistencies so far in 2010.
Good
Middle of the Line Up ? The middle of the line up for has been the most consistent out of any part of the Angels offense. The addition of Hideki Matsui is already proving to be a huge boost as he?s been by far their best player. With a powerful left-handed bat protecting Torii Hunter, you can expect Hunter to see better pitches throughout this season as opposed to last season. With this in mind and the knowledge that Hunter is a streaky hitter, look for Hunter to be able to snap out of any slump he may get into with a bit more ease.
Now that Bobby Abreu is getting his hitting stroke into form, you can continue to expect great things from the middle of the Angels lineup. The key to all this continues to be the play of Matsui who has been one of the best offseason additions so far in this young baseball season.
Fernando Rodney ? The ups and downs of Fernando Rodney are well documented. The hard throwing right-hander, often times is his own worst enemy and often times makes things much more interesting than they should in save situations. Regardless, the Angels saw the importance of having a hard throwing right-hander at the end of the bullpen in case Fuentes pitched poorly. When Fuentes was sent to the 15 day DL, Rodney was called on to close out games and pitched very well in Fuentes absence. This is crucial going forward, as Fuentes has a vesting option and is a more expensive option than Rodney in the closer role. If Rodney continues to pitch well, the end of the Angels bullpen with two hard throwing right-harders in Rodney and Kevin Jepsen combined with a lefty in Fuentes could prove to be one of the better bullpens in the league.
Jered Weaver ? After the departure of John Lackey in the offseason, many were wondering who would step up as an ace for the Angels. While Scott Kazmir started the season hurt and has still been trying to find his rhythm upon his return, Weaver has led the starting rotation. Weaver has a 2-0 record with a 2.77 ERA and has shown the tenacity and mental make up similar to that of Lackey. While the rest of the starting pitching is going through its early season ups and downs, Weaver has carried the load and given his team a chance to win each and every time out.
Bad
Brandon Wood? One of the most disheartening story-lines of the early 2010 season is the struggles of Brandon Wood. It isn?t so much about him struggling as much as it has been about him looking like he?s completely lost and pressing out there. When he is at his best, he provides a powerful right-handed bat and above average defense at third, something this line up could use at the bottom of the order. Unfortunately, so far we?ve just seen an overmatched young player who hasn?t quite proven yet if he belongs in the big leagues. While Wood could turn it around at any given moment and certainly isn?t the only one struggling right now, the prospects of him becoming the player we all had hoped he would be are dwindling by the second. With Maicer Izturis waiting in the wings, Wood doesn?t have the luxury of being able to work through his early season struggles. All in all, the Angels are running out of options when it comes to Wood and could also be running out of options when it comes to third base as Izturis has always had injury problems. If Wood doesn?t turn it around shortly, look for the Angels to replace him effective immediately with Izturis full time and be on the market for a third basemen when the trade deadline approaches.
Catching Situation ? With Jeff Mathis out approximately six weeks after starting out the season so well and Bobby Wilson being run over at home plate this weekend, the Angels catching situation is becoming one of the more perplexing and least talked about situations with the team. Mathis had been one of the Angels best players in 2010, playing great defense behind home plate and his bat is finally doing some real damage. So aside from the injury, why would the Angels catching situation be such a bad thing? It?s because of the use of Mike Napoli. Mike Napoli was on fire throughout Spring Training and is one of the five best offensive catchers in the league. While his defense isn?t up to par with Mathis, Mike Scioscia?s inability to find playing time for Napoli has been perplexing. With Matsui taking at bats at the DH spot, it was imperative to at least split the playing time 50/50 between Napoli and Mathis and possibly insert Napoli into the lineup as a DH vs. lefties. Now that Napoli is getting playing time, it seems like his bat has cooled off after having sat on the bench for so long and his confidence isn?t completely there. Scioscia must find a way to get Napoli?s bat into the lineup a bit more even when Jeff Mathis is healthy.
Scot Shields ? The weak link in the bullpens armor right now is the confidence and mental attitude of Scot Shields who hasn?t been the same since coming back from injury. After being one of the best set up men for such a long time, his play has faltered to the point where many are uncertain if he will ever regain his old form. Shields can be a huge boost in the mid innings for the Angels in tight situations due to his experience. But until he puts together the mental aspect of coming back from a serious injury, he will never be the same player he once was before.
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