Watered Down Offense

Yet again, the Angels offense was shut down by a pitcher making his major league debut.  Last night, after toiling in the minors for 9 years, Orioles' pitcher Chris Waters went 8 innings against the Halos.  Waters gave up only one hit, a second inning single to Vlad Guerrero, in his first big league start.  It's becoming a trend with debut pitchers facing-off against the Angel squad.  Four pitchers have made their major league debut against the Angels, three getting wins, and all four pitching like veterans.  Matt Harrison of the Rangers, Charlie Morton from the Braves, Red Sox pitcher Justin Masterson, and now Waters have all made the Angels look like one of the minor league teams they had just faced in their previous start. The Angels have managed to score just six runs in the 27 innings these newbies have pitched, losing all four games.  I'm wondering what kind of advance scouting the Angels do, because whatever it is, it's not working.  Opposing teams might want to call up whoever the next pitcher is in their AAA rotation to start based on this season's outcomes.

Daily Notes:

• Jon Garland had a decent outing.  After a rocky start where he gave up 4 straight hits and 2 runs in the first inning, he settled down the remaining 6 innings he pitched.  With a 10-7 record, the Angels have to be happy about the preseason deal they made to get him.  Garland's been a steady starter at the backend of the Angels rotation, pretty much doing exactly what was expected, keeping his team in most of his starts and working deep into games.
• Mark Teixeira has yet to live up to hype.  He has added the desired "presence" to the line-up, but hasn't delivered much to support the hot-and-cold offense.  Teix is too good of a hitter for this to continue and Halo fans just need to show some patience.
• What was up with last night's line-up?  Both Matthews AND Quinlan getting starts in the same game?  Wouldn't it be more logical, if you're going to rest players, not to do it in the same game?  And why Quinlan at DH when Reggie Willits was available?  I would think it'd make more sense to have Matthews hit in the DH spot if his knee is bothering him and Willits play the field.  Or "rest" Rivera in the DH slot, especially against a lefty starter.  Scoiscia is an awesome manager, but sometimes he doesn't make any sense.
• Speaking of goofy line-ups, Scoiscia's still hitting Aybar/Izturis in the 2-hole and Howie Kendrick and his .327 batting average near the bottom (last night he hit 6th).
• Interesting article in the L.A. Times rag about the Angels starting to be more patient at the plate.  Hopefully Teixeira's methods are rubbing off on the Angels, and he can avoid Mickey Hatcher messing with him.
• The 6.4 Runs per game by the Angels during 25 games in July is the second-highest monthly average in franchise history.