When are the Angels going to learn that you don’t run on Yoenis Cespedes?
A day after throwing out Howie Kendrick at home plate on one of the best throws of all time, Cespedes hosed another Angels runner on the bases. This time Albert Pujols was his victim.
Pujols hit a ball into the left field corner in the bottom of the sixth inning with the Angels trailing the A’s 4-1. Just like Tuesday, Cespedes misplayed the ball, leading Pujols to try taking an extra base. Instead of stopping at second with a stand-up double, Pujols tried going to third, and Yoenis fired another missile to gun him down.
Cespedes leads the majors with nine outfield assists this season, four of them coming against the Angels. He’s hosed three Angels at the plate and now Pujols at third.
The Angels have just been giving away outs on the bases, and Pujols has been especially terrible about it this season. He needs to realize he’s not the guy who had decent speed earlier in his career. Station to station, Albert, that’s how you have to play the game now. I’m sure it’s a tease watching Mike Trout do those things every day and you want to show you can do it too, but you can’t anymore. Just admit it and let it go.
As for Cespedes, I’m beginning to think the practice of muffing a ball and throwing out a runner is a planned strategy. He’s like that cornerback who plays off the receiver or pretends to trip in order to trick the quarterback into throwing his way so he can get an interception. He’s too good.
