Adenhart hearts W

W is for win, and therefore Nick Adenhart is for W's. The Angels rookie picked up the first of his career Monday night at the "Big A," which is a nickname for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's stadium, not Adenhart. Maybe they should call him "Big A," too. Not because of his long, lanky stature, but because of his ability to give up the big inning. Adenhart didn't win this one because he pitched well. He won because his team hit Mark Buerhle and the White Sox all over the yard.

Adenhart's statline on Monday night:

5.2 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, (9.00 ERA in 3 starts)

It looks like a losing pitcher's numbers, and yet somehow Adenhart gets the win. It wasn't his fault that he gets credited with a victory. Blame Vlad Guerrero for launching a 3-run moon shot in the 5th off Buehrle that made Adenhart the pitcher of record for one more inning. He couldn't get through the sixth, yielding to his bullpen after just 57 of his 98 pitches were thrown for strikes. This was an icky win.

Fantasy Impact: Much has been made of Adenhart's age. He's just 21 and now owns a career record of 1-0, but that's the nice part of the story. While he dominated in the minors this year to the tune of a .170 avg. against and 4-0 record, he walked nearly as many batters as he struck out. Adenhart's strikeout total of 19 in 31 minor league innings suggests he's not yet ready to dominate at that level let alone the big leagues. He's got time and room to grow, but with John Lackey getting set to come off the DL Adenhart's time at the major league level might be short for this year.