Halo Hotline

Angels Sweep M's Out of Anaheim, Prepare for BoSox

: 2R, 6H, 1E
: 3R, 9H, 0E

After sweeping Seattle in a four-game series for the first time since 1986, the Angels prepare to welcome the Boston Red Sox to Anaheim. It was clutch hitting in the 8th and 9th innings that won Sunday's game against the M's combined by a nutter of an outing by every Halo pitcher: Santana, Romero, and Donnelly (W, 3-0).

It was a single by Garret Anderson in the 8th that tied the game and then classic Halo Baseball in the 9th to win the game. The 9th started with a single by Willits. He was then sacrificed to 2nd by Molina; finally, he scored on a walk off single by Figgins. Classic "small ball" by the Angels. The team hit a meager .275 (9-34), however, they got the hits that mattered. They again had inflated LOB numbers, with 15 total, 9 as a team, and 4 RISP/2.

They now welcome Boston into Anaheim. The BoSox are coming off of a series of drubbings by the Yankees. In what might be an end to their playoff hopes, they lost five in a row to the Bronx Bombers and are now 6.5G out of the lead in the AL East and 4G back of the ChiSox for the wild card. By contrast, the Halos are 5G back of Oakland and 9G back of Chicago, however, the Angels have stayed with the A's and, in the season series, are 22-18 against the AL West with 7 games to go against Oakland. Boston, on the other hand, is 29-26 agains the AL East with only 4 games left against New York. If everybody plays .500 ball against the rest of the league, the Angels clearly hold the key to their destiny while Boston does not.

Tonight's game is a 7:05 PT start time and features "Joltin'" Joe Saunders (4-1, 3.64) taking the pill for the Halos and Kyle Snyder (3-2, 6.35) tossing for the BoSox. Snyder was claimed off of waivers in June from the Royals and was sent to AAA only to be called up on July 16th.

Angels Win Again

: 7R, 18H, 1E
: 9R, 14H, 4E

In what turned into a messy game for the Angels, they still managed to pull out a victory over the hapless Seattle Mariners. It was all looking good for Halos hurler John Lackey, until the 5th inning. He managed to last only 4.2IP, giving up 12H, 5R, 5ER, 1BB, 7K, 1HR. He was followed by Hector Carrasco (W, 4-3), who tossed the next 2.2IP, allowing just 3H, 1BB, 1K. Scot Shields pitched into the 9th (1IP, 2H, 2R, 1ER, 1K), however, 2-runs in the ninth was enough and he was replaced by Frankie Rodriguez (S, 34) who slammed the door on the M's, with a .2IP, 1H, 2K outing to record his 34th save of the season.

Offensively it was all about Macier Izturis, the kid went 3-5, 2R, 1RBI, 1 2B, 1 HR. Garret Anderson didn't look too bad in the DH spot either, going 3-4, 3R, 2RBI, 1 2B. Juan Rivera (2-4, 2R, 2 2B) and Rob Quinlan (2-4, 1RBI, 1 3B) also had a multi-hit night. Mike Napoli, hitting in the 9-hole, only went 1-4, however, he hit the ball hard and had 2RBI. The team left only 7 on base, 10 total, and 6 RISP/2. The biggest disappointment of the night, offensively, was Chone Figgins, who went 0-4, 1R, 1BB, 1K, 3LOB to lower his season average to .265. Overall, however, the team hit well, .359 (14-39), with 6 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR and appears to be shaping up into a post-season threat, if they can catch Oakland. Defensively it isn't worth talking about, suffice it to say that it was a horribly sloppy game with errors by Napoli, Rivera, Quinlan, and Guerrero.

Today's game, which sees a return of Mike Scioscia to the bench, is a 12:35 PT game, and sees Ervin "Black Magic" Santana (12-6, 4.36) tossing for the Halos and Jake Woods (3-1, 4.11) taking the hill for the M's. The Angels are attempting something today that they haven't done in 20 years, and that's sweep the M's in a four-game series. The game will be carried on KCOP 13, 710 ESPN, and 830 AM (en Espanol).

Weaver Joins Whitey, Halos Win Again

: 0R, 4H, 1E
: 3R, 9H, 0E

Jered and Whitey, the only two AL rookies in history to win their first nine decisions. Weaver (W, 9-0, 1.95) got his 9th win in a 3-0 shutout of the Seattle Mariners, a game which saw him toss 7IP, giving up 3H, 1BB, 7K and lower his career ERA to 1.95. Scot Shields came in to pitch the 8th getting three outs on ten pitches. Francisco Rodriguez (S, 33) then came on to close out the game, pitching 1IP, giving up 1H, and getting 1K. Weaver looked very sharp in his second straight start after a couple of dicey outings in which he got no decision.

Offensively, the Halos weren't on fire, however, with Oakland losing it's pair of games against Kansas City, the Halos picked up 1.5 games on the division leading A's. Mike Napoli seems to be breaking out of his slump, going 1-3, 1R, 2RBI, 1BB, 1K, 1HR (13th, in the 4th off of Hernandez, with 1 on). OC and Vlad also had good outings at the plate, each going 2-4, and Vlad got his 96th RBI as well. The team's LOB numbers went back up again, with a team total of 10, a combined total of 21 and 6 RISP/2. Kendrick and Figgins each picked up a SB, Kendrick's 5th, Figgy's 45th. In all, it seems as though the scuffles in Texas earlier in the week have helped this team to pull together and get back on the right track.

Tonight's game, at 7:05PT, sees old friends tossing at each other again. Jarrod Washburn (6-11, 4.30) is tossing for the M's and John Lackey (10-9, 3.35) is tossing for the Halos. The game is, again, on KCOP 13 in the greater LA area, and on 710 ESPN, and 830 AM (en Espanol).

Angels Take Opener

: 2R, 10H, 0E
: 5R, 8H, 0E

After losing Scioscia and two players the Halos came out and beat up on the cellar-dwelling Seattle Mariners to gain a ½ game on the A’s. Needing just 8H in 28AB (.286) the Angels put 5R across the plate behind outstanding performances by Chone Figgins (3-4, 2R, SB) and Garret Anderson (2-4, 1R, 3B). The hitters only left 10 on base, 7 as a team, and only 4 RISP/2. In all, a good offensive outing for a club that hasn’t had a lot of rest in the last month.

All of the offense was behind a great outing by Kelvim Escobar (W, 9-10, 3.77), Who tossed 7 strong innings, giving up 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 7K. He made the Mariner hitters look silly in several cases. Scot Shields followed up and pitched 1.1IP giving up 2H, 1R, 1ER but was pulled in the 9th with the tying run on deck. Frankie Rodriguez came in to get the final 2 outs giving up 1H, and getting 1K, the hit being an infield single, however, K-Rod got out of the 9th for his 32nd save of the season.

Tonight’s game, with a 7:05PT first pitch, seed rookie stud Jered Weaver (8-0, 2.14) facing off against Mariners hurler Felix Hernandez (10-10, 4.50). This will be a huge outing for Weaver who’s looking for his 9th win of the season while still without a loss. This compares to another Southern California rookie phenom who took the hill for the Dodgers back in the 80s, Fernando Valenzuela. Tonight’s game is on KCOP13, 710 ESPN, and 630AM (en Espanol).

Halos Suffer From Beanballs

The Halos will loose Mike Scioscia (3-games), Adam Kennedy (4-games), Kevin Gregg (4-games), Brendan Donnelly (4-games), and Ron Roenicke (1-game) for the basebrawl last night. The Rangers loose Showalter (4-games), Scott Feldman (6-games). All players will also receive fines, in addition, John Lackey and Juan Rivera will also receive fines. Seems like MLB leaned heavily on the Angels and not quite so heavily on the team that started this festival, the Rangers.

Angels Fall To Rangers in Beanball Fest

: 3R, 7H, 1E
: 9R, 10H, 0E

Joe Saunders (L, 4-1, 3.64), took the loss last night in what turned into a beanball festival. Saunders lasted only 2.2IP, giving up 5H, 8R, 7ER, 5BB, 1K, 1HR. Kevin Gregg came in and had a great showing, going 5IP, 4H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 4K, 1HR. The Angels went into thebottom of the 8th inning down by 6 runs, but, had gotten another run in the top of the inning and were looking to make a come back against the weak Texas bullpen. Donnelly was warm in the pen and with 2-outs, Gregg tossed at Michael Young and was ejected. Donnelly came in and his first pitch was right at Guzman, he was then tossed and Romero came in and struck out Teixeira for the last out of the 8th. That was fine, just a little pay-back for the throwing at Vlad on Tuesday, even though Scioscia said he doesn't endorse this type of retribution. Well all was even, at this point, right? Apparently not in the eyes of Bucky Showalter. With 2-outs in the top of the 9th, Feldman hit Adam Kennedy with his first pitch. That plunking quickly led to a bench (and bullpen) clearing brawl with Feldman, Showalter, and AK getting tossed...and several Halos getting in some nice blows, Lackey being one of those that was DEEP into the fray, along with Salmon and several other Angels. Lackey had to be restrained by the Angels bullpen coach. The brew-ha-ha lasted about 4 minutes.

The Halos hitters looked bad, with the team hitting a meager .212 (7-33). They left only 7 on base total, 6 as a team, and only 1 RISP/2. Izturis drove in all 3 Halo RBIs and was the best Angel hitter on the night, racking up his 4th HR of the season, a 2-run jack off of Eaton in the 6th.

Now the Halos return home to Anaheim to start a 10-game homestand against the Mariners (4G), the Red Sox (3G), and the Yankees (3G). They're currently tied with Texas, again, for 2nd place, 6.5G back of division leading Oakland. Tonight's game sees Kelvim Escobar (8-10, 3.89) taking the hill for the Halos to face off against Jamie Moyer (6-11, 4.40) for Seattle. The game will be carried on FSNW, 710 ESPN, and 830AM (en Español).

Halos Pull Back Ahead of Texas

: 9R, 11H, 0E
: 7R, 11H, 0E

More Ranger pitching woes last night as the Angels were looking to come back from a loss to the Yankees the previous night. The Ranger pitchers were intimidated by Halo hitters once again and decided it was a good idea to start throwing at people. Vlad Guerrero was hit, thrown at (2x), and Juan Rivera was plunked also. The plunkage of Rivera came after a Guerrero 3-run bomb and after the dugouts were warned...so...Padilla and Showwalter were both asked to leave the building.

Ervin Santana had a messy outting, going 5IP, and allowing 7H, 6R, 6ER, 2BB, 3K, 3HR. He was relieved by Romero who tossed a clean inning. On came Carrasco (W, 3-3) to pitch the 7th where he gave up 2H, 1R, 1ER, 1K, 1HR, but he did get the win. Shields tossed the 8th allowing 2H, and getting 1K; finally, Frankie Rodriguez (S, 31) closed the game with an aggressive outing with 1K and two ground outs.

Offensively it was a slugfest as you might imagine. Kennedy was the only starter without a hit, going 0-4, however, the rest of the team amassed 11H for a team total of 11-37 or a .297 AVG. Figgins got his 5th 3B of the season in what turned out to be the game winning hit, scoring Willits and Pride. Pride was in PH for Molina, and went 1-1, he's on fire when pinch hitting. Molina, Kendrick, and Willits also scored 2B in the game and Vlad got his 27th HR in the 4th; in addition, he swiped his 14th bag off of Padilla/Barajas as well. The team only left 8 total on base, 6 as a team, and 4 RISP/2.

This victory put the Halos back in sole possession of 2nd place, a game in front of Texas, but, still 5.5G behind Oakland. Tonight's game is another opportunity to reel in the A's (or at least stay close, they're in Seattle, a team that has lost 14 straight to the A's). Taking the mound tonight for the Angels is another Halo rookie, Joe Saunders (4-0, 1.67). He'll be facing a guy that got tossed in the 1st inning the last time these teams faced each other, Adam Eaton (2-2, 4.41). It should be another exciting game, and one where pitches are headed at people if the Rangers and Showwalter stay true to form. The game is a 5:05PT affair, and will be on FSNW, 710 ESPN, and 830AM (en Español).

Weaver Wins Eighth

: 5R, 15H, 0E
: 3R, 5H, 0E

It's been a busy week since I last posted, sorry about that. The Indians took 2 of 3 from the Angels. Right after that, however, the Halos ventured into the Bronx where Joe Saunders pitched the Angels to a victory in the first game. Kelvim Escobar had another "hard luck" loss in the 2nd game, and, then, last night, Jered Weaver won his eighth game. Weaver becomes only the 3rd pitcher in the last 100 years to go at least 8-0 in his first 11 starts (Whitey Ford and Livan Hernandez are the other two) and the only pitcher with a better record to start a career was Hooks Wiltse in 1904.

Yesterday's game was a slugfest for the Halos, with Chone Figgins leading off the game with his 6th HR of the year. The Halos went on to hit 15-38 (.395). Only Curtis Pride (0-4) and Mike Napoli (0-3/1BB) failed to get a hit. Figgy went 3-4, 2R, 1RBI, 1BB to lead the team from the top of the order. They did leave a total of 19 on base, 10 as a team, and 5 RISP/2, however, with 15 hits, that's to be expected.

Weaver (W, 8-0, 2.14) tossed 6IP, giving up only 3H, 1R, 1ER, 3BB, 8K, 1HR. Donnelly pitched one inning of relief keeping a clean slate, then Scioscia went with Shields for 1.2IP, Scot hit a rough 9th, giving up a total of 2H, 2R, 2ER, 3K, 2HR, the hits and runs coming in the 9th. K-Rod (S, 30) came in to close the door throwing to only one hitter, Posada, and getting him to fly out to LF.

Tonight's game, a 4:05 PT affair, sees John Lackey (10-8, 3.33) facing Randy Johnson (12-9, 5.03). This will be a match-up of tall, hard throwing aces and should be a low scoring pitchers duel. The game is on FSN, 710ESPN, and 830AM (en Espanol).

Angels Stop Slide, Blast Texas 10-3

: 3R, 5H, 0E
: 10R, 13H, 1E

It was a good day for Angels baseball yesterday as Ervin "Black Magic" Santana (W, 12-5, 4.09) took the hill and dominated for 8IP, giving up just 5H, 3R, 2ER, 3BB, 5K on 103 pitches and the Angels climbed back into 2nd place in the AL West just 3-games back of Oakland. JC Romero had "mop-up" duty for the 9th and came away cleanly with 2K on 12 pitches. Not only was Ervin pitching a day game and getting a win, but, the offense UNLOADED on Texas pitching. They drove the Rangers starter Koronka after 4IP, 7H, 7R, 7ER, 5BB, 4K, 2HR. They then beat up on Benoit for 3IP, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, 3K; finally they saw Wilson for an inning and touched him for 3H, 1R, 1ER, 2K.

The offense was outstanding, finally, with only Vlad Guerrero going hitless (to end his streak of consecutive games against a single opponent with a hit) in his single official AB. He went 0-1 with 4BB. The team hit an excellent .361 with Anderson (2-4, 1R, 3RBI) and Rivera (2-4, 1R, 4RBI) picking up the offense. In addition, Timmy "Kingfish" Salmon (2-5, 1R, 1RBI) got his 297th regular season home run with a towering shot over the bullpens in LF in the 2nd inning. The team is still leaving too many on base, 20 combined, 10 as a team, but, only 4 RISP/2. That will happen when hits are coming as fast and furious as they were in yesterday's game, though.

Today's game, the last of this homestand before the Halos get on a plane for one game in CHI before heading to CLE, NYY, and TEX over the next 10 days, sees the Halos sending rookie call-up Joe Saunders (2-0, 1.93) taking the hill for them to face ex-Padre Adam Eaton (1-1, 2.79). The game is another early affair so the Angels can catch that plane, so the first pitch is at 12:35PT. The game will be carried on FSN, 710 ESPN, and 830 AM (en Espanol). It was nice, yesterday, to see the game in hi-def on the FOX broadcast; when, oh when, will all TV be in HD???

Colon Done For Season?

ESPN is reporting that Bartolo Colon has a partially torn rotator cuff. He will begin rehab, in an attempt to avoid surgery, however, there is no timetable for his return.

Scioscia seems less than confident that Bart will return:

"I haven't gotten any formal direction from the medical department yet, but we'll talk and they'll have an assessment," Scioscia said. "I know those things take some time. I would assume it's going to be lengthy. And with about seven weeks left in the season, it would seem doubtful that he's going to return. It would be a tall order for him to come back and pitch this season." - via ESPN.com

This does, however, mean an opportunity for Joe Saunders (2-0, 1.93) to stay with the big club and see what he can do in the big leagues.