Rangers get revenge.

Note: I gave up on the Angels in the bottom of the eighth to go to bed, so I hope they came back and this post is all backwards! 

Things seemed to be going the Angels' way in the second game of this gigantic three game series, that is, until the Rangers went nuts with a 6 run fifth inning. The return of the good ol' John we know and I love (solid until the 5th or 6th, and then gets rallied on) spelled disaster for the Halos, in a game that ended 4-7. 

Big John wouldn't consider this one of his better outings. The Texas native went just 4.67 innings of 6 run ball against the team from his home state. Despite getting 6 Ks and only allowing 2 walks, John went completely off the tracks after a homer run by Andruw Jones. Who ever said this guy is no good? Jones' three run jack in the fifth opened the flood gates for the AL West's second best, and was followed by Blalock scoring on a wild pitch and Saltalamacchia singling home Byrd to get the 6 spot. John wishes he could have had that pitch to Jones back, I'll tell you what. Lawerceville, GA native Jason Bulger came in to save the day with 1.3 innings of shutout ball. Matt Palmer went 1.67 inning of 2 run ball, Oliver went 0.3 innings of shutout ball, and something else that happened after I went to bed. 

Chone Figgins continued to make his case for that last All-Star spot after getting the Angels on the board in the third. The Halos scored 4 runs on 8 hits in the match, and it all started on a Figgins single to drive home Aybar in the third. Good ol' JR added a jack, Aybar added a single, and Chone would walk with the bases loaded for his second RBI to produce all that beautiful offense. The VIP club was kind of a lonely place tonight, with Erick Aybar giving us a 2 for 2 night with a walk (best game of the season for "Air-Sick?") and Juan Rivera going 2 for 4 with 1 RBI on a nice jack. The bottom line was that the Angels offense showed up, but the Rangers got all they needed in their outburst-type inning to get the job done. Tonight's spotlight has to be fixed squarely on Juan Rivera. Magic Juan-d went 1 for 3 with a solo jack to continue his recent run of success. In his last 7 days, Good ol' JR is hitting .357/.400/.536 with 7 RBI and 3 walks. So far in July, he's hitting a stunning .417. Are you kidding me? Is this where I bring up how I was the man on board saying that the JR/Ma$e for Guillen straight up was one of the best moves in Angels history? Let's not let the usually solid Bobby Abreu get off this one scott free. Abreu had a chance to get the Angels back in the game with the bases loaded and two outs, but got punched out by the erratic Jason Jennings. I know you can't just expect him to come through in that situation, but it was a tough one. 

The loss drops the Angels to 46-36, which is the identical record of the now tied for first place Texas Rangers. I know it's dumb, but I just wish we could sweep these bastards. As I type, the Mariners are 3.5 back (but losing 3-12, despite me picking them in Streak for the Ca$h), and the A's are 11.5 back (after losing to the Red Sox earlier this afternoon). With an evening game  on Wednesday for a lot of marbles (but not all the marbles, of course), the Angels and Rangers are squaring off for a big one. The Angels send Ervin "I think Tommy's Wife Has a Curse On Me" Santana (1-4, 7.43) to take on Tommy "Big Game?" Hunter (1-1, 3.18). Hunter, an Alabama graduate, only has three starts this season, with the Rangers going 2-1 in games where he opens up on the hill. However, this guy has only given up 1 run (last game against TB), 2 runs (against San Diego), and 3 runs (against Oakland). So, following a pattern I learned in first grade, it looks like Hunter is going to pitch a shutout against our boys. 3-2-1-0? Yikes. Wait, Tommy Hunter's real first name is Raymond? Feck him. Meanwhile, Erv Daddy has been straight awful lately. El Rosario has dropped his last two games (allowing 6 runs to Baltimore and 6 runs to Tampa Bay) and the Angels are just 3-4 in games he's started this year. To be fair, he has shined at times, but his shitty outing have well overwhelmed the good ones. June 5 against Detroit was our boy's last good outing, going 8.67 innings of 1 run ball with 7 Ks, and he's hoping he can put something together like that against Texas tomorrow night. 

Quickly through the MiLB, as I need to go to bed soon! The SLC Bees put together a nice 5-4 win against Tacoma last night, and DH (and UCSB native) Nate Sutton was off the chain. Sutton, who also graduated from Bellerman High School in San Jose ("a school for the gay boys," as Karen puts it), went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI to power the offense. Brad Salmon was glad that the offense bailed him out, after only going 3.67 innings of 4 run ball, and the bullpen really stepped up to nail things down as well. Raffy Rodriguez went 2 innings of 1 hit shutout ball with 4 Ks, so I hope all you idiot Angel fans are ready for his impending return to the big squad. The Travs had a double header against Frisco yesterday and lost both games (4-5 and 0-10). Terrible. Despite that, I'll still shine the spotlight on the Travs player of the double header RF Val Majewski. Everyone's favorite Jew from Rutgers went 2 for 4 with 2 doubles and 1 RBI in the first game to raise his average to .221 with 4 jacks and 14 RBI. Still, the Travs are not putting things together. The Quakes dropped their last game as well, 3-4 to Lake Elsinore (not really a big surprise). Player of the game Tulsa, OK native C Brian Walker went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI. He was the main man for the Q's last night... if only he could have driven in a couple more. Jayson Miller, a Washington State Cougar, didn't have a great time on the mound (5.3 innings of 3 run/7 hit ball), but he's still a work in progress. Finally, Cedar Rapids (the Low-A studs) won their game against Quad Cities with a 5-4 11 inning victory. Fun stuff. 

Two things on my way out: 1) I really suck at Streak For The Ca$h and 2) I'm always so proud to get this post up before any of the "real" sports websites! 

Canucks, Celtics each sign newbies.

The free agent season has opened up in both the NHL and NBA, and I think it's time to toss out my unasked for opinions on my team's biggest signings up to this point. 

I think I would argue that the signing of the Sedin twins is the biggest move by the 'Nucks to this point, but just for fun I'll look outside of the resigns. Vancouver welcomed former Detroit Red Wing Mikael Samuelsson to the squad with a three year contract on Friday, adding another Swedish powerhouse to the mix. The 8 year veteran (aged 32 years) was added to provide some more offense to compliment the Twins. Mikael tallied 19 goals and 21 assists in his 40 point season last year, reaching the Stanely Cup just 2 years after winning the cup with the hated squad from Rock City. In the playoffs last year, Sammy scored 5 goals and 5 assists with a +7 rating. He will be looking at reaching the 100 goal career mark in 09/10 season, and it'll be fun to have him score that with the 'Nucks. Samuelsson was on the third line in Detroit, but rumors have him teaming up with Daniel and H-Bomb on the top line, dropping Alex Burrows back down to teh speed line agagin, to have an all Swedish front three. "Experts" are predicting that he could look for something closer to a 55 or 60 point season if he is up with the Twins, and that added production could be just what we were looking when we signed the slow and old Mats Sundin. Despite this guy being on the Red Wings, I don't completely hate him, so I'm down to give him a ton of rope once we start this upcoming season. 

Meanwhile, my NBA team has possibly moved from being the Big 3 to being the Big 4 with a new reported signing over the weekend. Rasheed Wallace has reportedly signed a two year deal for the full mid-level exception with Austin. The 34 year old Philly native brings his big body to the C's to try and help give us that push forward that we didn't have last season to make it beyond the first round of the NBA Playoffs. In 08/09, 'Sheed averaged 12 points per game with 7.4 rebounds per game, and the UNC native does more than the average big man when it comes to steals (1.2), blocks (1.7), and trees (1.5). The move may spell the end for my favorite C, unfortunately, as Glen Davis could be signed by another team if Austin fails to match the offer. Wouldn't that be weak? The Celtics.com poll has 28% of fans picking signing Glen Davis as the Celtics most important offseason priority. Listen to the fans, Ainge! How could they not keep him as a backup for KG after the Big Ticket was so injury prone in 08/09. However, with a starting lineup of KG, Pierce, Allen, 'Sheed, and Rajon Rondo, it would be hard to pick against us in the East. Unless, of course, you are going to fall for the King James/Shaq Daddy scam. In other good news around the C's, Stephon Marbury isn't coming back! 

Did you hear that Michael Jackson died?

Halo offense heroic in another comeback.

Something about being down 0-4 brings out the best in the Angels. My Red Hats came back from a 4-run deficit again in today's 9-6 win against the Murder-More Orioles. This game had a little bit of everything: a poor Joe Saunders outing, the return of that sweet Vlad home run swings, and Brian Fuentes' MLB leading 24th save. 

Oh, where have you gone Joe Saunders? The usually amazing Big Joe Saundo continued his run of inconsistency in the final game of the Angels "Patriotic Days" celebration. Joey went just 5.3 innings of 6 run ball (although he'd argue only 5 were earned, and he'd be right). He only punched out two of the AL East's worst, walking 3 and giving up 7 hits (2 of which were bombs). Joe has allowed 20 home runs this season after just 17 games, which is 1 home run less than his 2008 total. In his last two starts, Joe has gone just 9 innings and allowed a whopping 14 runs. He has only had 4 games out of his last 10 starts where he has allowed less than 4 runs. Only 64 of his 111 pitches were strikes, and I think most of us are still wondering why Scioscia brought him back out for the sixth. I know that the Angels got the game tied, and you want to give him a chance to pitch for the win, but he was already over the 100 pitch mark by that time, and wasn't in control during any of the previous five innings. Ah, pitch count. Lucky for the Angels, the bullpen has been resurgent lately. Today's combination of Justin "Not of This World" Speier, Darren "KC Wizard Fan" Oliver (who earned the win), Jason "Bulger In My Pants" Bulger, and Brian "Still My BFF" Fuentes closed the door on the Orange Bird's offense with 3.67 innings of shutout ball. The Angels bullpen still boasts the worst relief ERA in the big (5.15), but they have been putting things together much better here in June/July. 

Add the improving bullpen to an offense that always seems to come back, and you have a good combination. Just another Halo win has started to mean just another Halo comeback, and that's so 2002. In today's game it was Bobby Abreu, Torii Hunter, and a sweet grip of walks that pushed the Angels offense toward the win category. With 9 runs on 8 hits, it wasn't the kind of game where everyone gets a hit (like last night), but it was a busy VIP club. The after party at the VIP Club today featured Torii Hunter (2 for 5 with 1 RBI and some slick glove work) and Erick Aybar of all people (2 for 4 with 1 RBI). However, we have some honorable mentions to be handed out. Bobby Abreu (1 for 3 with 2 RBI, 3 runs, and 2 walks), Vladdy (1 for 3 with 2 RBI, 2 runs, 1 walk, and one of the nicest home runs swings I've seen all season), and Mike Napoli (0 for 1 with 1 RBI and 3 walks). Getting walked with the bases loaded is so clutch. And, doing it with back to back hitters is almost unheard of! Chalk up those RBI! Howie Watch '09 featured my main man going 1 for 4 with a run from the #8 spot, including his seventh stolen base of the year. Nice to have him back, but unless he starts putting up numbers soon, the idiots of Angels Nation (myself NOT included) will be calling for HR Rod again. Best of luck Howie. Today's spotlight, as it often has this season, is fixed squarely on Leary, GA native Chone Figgins. With Torii Hunter and Brian Fuentes being elected to the All Star team, Angels Nation took on a collective smile. However, a third Halo can be elected in that gay "fans vote the last guy on" thing. This year it is slightly less gay, though, as Chone Figgins is one of the homies on the list (good, I was getting sick of AJ Piers-whatever-his-name-is always making the list). Does our man Chone have the goods to earn a spot on the elite squad? Let's look at his numbers: .312/1/25 with a .389 OBP and a .405 SLG. 24 stolen bases, a 50/42 K/BB ratio, a 61 runs all list his impressive numbers here in '09. As far as rankings go, Figgy is 8th in BA, 4th in SB, 2nd in R, and 8th in OBP (all rankings are in the AL). That's not bad, ultimately giving him his best season to date as a leadoff man. Maybe the rankings don't convince you that he deserves a spot, but I'm going to work some ranking magic here. If you filter the AL OBP category to just leadoff hitters, Chone ranks second, just .007 behind AL leading Ichiro Suzuki. If you filter his runs scored down to just third baseman, Chone leads the league by far. His 61 runs scored is higher than #2 Brandon Inge by 14. I don't know if you care, but Chone has a higher BA, OBP, and R than starting AL All-Star third baseman Evan Longoria. Whoever values homers and RBI over OBP is just an idiot, right? Vote Chone in. 

Don't even get me started on my issues with Jered Weaver not being selected. 

At 45-35 (+26 run differential), my Angels are temporarily in sole possession of first place in the AL West with a 0.5 game lead. I picked Tampa Bay to beat Texas in Streak For The Ca$h, so I'm pretty sure the lead with be 1 game by the end of the night. Texas currently leads 1-0, but there is no way they can sweep the Rays, right? Seattle sits 3.5 back and the A's 11 back of my boys. Speaking of Texas, we have another huge series coming up at the Stadium Monday thorough Wednesday as the Rangers stroll into town. At least they'll be tired tomorrow night! The first game of the series is a doo-hoo-hoo-zee. Jered "So Easy A Caveman Could Do It" Weaver (8-3, 3.10) will try to have an amazing start to piss off Joe Maddon and the AL All-Star selection committee. He'll have a tough time against Kevin Millwood (8-5, 2.80). Milly last pitched against the Angels out in Texas, going 6.3 innings of 4 run ball in a no decision that ended in a 9-7 Rangers win (remember the ninth inning jack that cancelled out Juan Rivera's game tying three run eighth inning bomb?). The Rangers have gone 5-1 over Millwood's last 6 starts, and he hasn't allowed more than 4 runs in any of his last 10 games. He also beat the Angels on May 15 with 6 innings of 2 run ball that ended in a 10-8 Texas win. This guy is 5th in the AL in ERA, and as I stated the Rangers have won twice against the Angels when he started this season, so this game is no joke. Meanwhile, we're going to be pining our hopes on a Big Baby still trying to right the ship. The Angels are 1-2 in Weaver's last three starts, including the 7-9 loss to Texas where he went just 5.3 innings of 7 run ball. He was having a great season up until he met up with his brother back on June 20, and since then everything has been kind of off. Can he earn us a much needed win against an increasing hated club? 

In other news, did anyone know that Ervin married some Hooters waitress and they have a one year old kid? 

Weekly football post #43.

We're back to a football post that actually gets to talk about actual football? How exciting. The result wasn't, however, but let's get down to business. 

That's right my fellow Canada lovers, the CFL is back in action. Each year, right around Canada Day, we get back to business. This time around, my BC Lions are looking to do anything they can to get back to their past glory days. Buck Pierce giving up six turnovers to the Riders to start the season, however, isn't going to do that. Of course, the first problem with the game is that the Lions refused to start Jarious Jackson. I've been saying for a number of years that, given a full season, he would prove to be one of the best in the CFL. In this game, it was a whole bunch of sloppy play that resulted in a 28-24 win for the hated Saskatchewan Rough Riders. The two teams combined for 15 turnovers in front of 30,062 fans, that was further made an awful game due to a huge injury to Lions' running back Ian Smart. For some reason, the Lions put their golden boy Pierce at the helm, and he finished with a 17 for 33 night for 186 yards a 1 TD. Add to his stat line two interceptions and four fumbles, and you have created a situation where all of Lions Nation will be calling for my favorite Notre Damn alum in the CFL to take over. Sadly, when given the chance, Jarious Jackson threw his only pass of the game into the arms of a waiting Rough Rider defender. Rough stuff. With just 43 yards, Utah graduate Paris Jackson led all BC receivers, and Pine Bluff, Arkansas native Martell "M&M" Mallett led on the ground with 63. Highlights in the game, and there weren't many, included Ryan Phillips taking an interception and running it back for a 60 yard TD, Emmanuel Apceneaux's (no typo) 23 yard TD catch, and a Buck Pierce 6 yard TD run. But, with all that excitement, it was a really bad night for the boys from BC. At 0-1, my Lions line up against Hamilton next Friday. The T-Cats were beat down by Toronto in their season opening game, so we'll need to stomp them out and get back to .500. 

A couple of news notes coming from Newcastle these days. First off, Michael Owen has signed with Manchester United. Enjoy him, Devils; he's washed up. In bigger news, is there a possibility that Joe Kinnear could return as the Newcastle manager with Alan Shearer being pushed aside? Kinnear was the replacement for Kevin Keegan, as you remember, and was told he had to leave the post because of heart issues. Alan Shearer eventually took over of the losing squad, but now Kinnear wants a chance to get back in there and turn things around, now that he's fit. He's a native of Dublin, so you know I'd be glad to give him another chance to bring us back to the EPL. 

There isn't much news out of Celtic camp, except the fact that we'll be getting to preseason fitness tests starting on July 12 against the Brisbane Roar. Bring it. 

Meanwhile, Chivas USA continued their unlucky (or should I just say bad?) play in the US Open Cup. Going up against the USL First Division's Charleston, the Red & White dropped the game 1-3 and dropped out of the US Open Cup in just the third round. What is going on around here? In this game, the Goats dominated the time of possession, dominated the play overall, and got twice as many scoring chances. All of that, of course, means nothing if you don't put up on the scoreboard. Jesse Marsch had the lone Chivas goal in the first half, and had this to say, "I thought we played well and didn't get any breaks tonight. From our end the story of our season is that we don't score enough goals. So, as much as we command parts of the game, we don't score enough and that hurt us again tonight. We certainly had chances, but in the end the scoreboard says 3-1 and there's not much of an argument you can make." The Princeton grad makes a good point. He's a big offender of the problem, as the midfielder from Racine (he's a Belle?) has 0 goals in the 14 MLS games thus far. A perfect example of the way things have been going was when Atiba Harris picked up a loose ball at the box and blasted a ball that got stopped by a diving Charleston keeper. It was an easy goal, that just didn't go our way. It's been going that way lately. Now all eyes focus on the Super Clasico next weekend. Chivas and the LA Galaxy will be getting it on at the HDC (home game for Chivas). As I said before, Chivas (8-4-3, 27 points, -1 of first place Houston) have to show up for this game to turn their season around. I know their the #2 team, but if you've been watching the games, you've been noticing that we have not been playing well as of late. Is there anything better to get us back on track than to bust the Galaxy? I think not. 

Don't forget, the Mexican Football League's Primera Division gets things back underway on July 29th as Chivas de Guadalajara plays Toluca in the Apertura 2009. Not long after that Chivas will play one of the biggest games in recent memory, against Bacelona in San Francisco on August 8. That would be such a huge upset! 

Enjoy the fireworks. 

El Comedulce, Angels break O's.

El Comedulce roughly means "sweet as candy," and Bobby Abreu was showing why that is his nickname with his sweet swing last night. A superb offensive night by BA, combined with a second straight amazing start by John Lackey, led to a nice 5-2 series opening win against the Baltimore Orioles. 

Big John Lackey continued his strong comeback last night at the stadium, going 8 runs of 2 run ball with 7 punch outs. Only 5 reached base against Big Lack Dog (4 hits and 1 walk), and he really went easily through the O's lineup despite a rough fifth inning (a long inning that allowed just 1 run). Lack's eight innings really helped the bullpen get some rest, as he tossed 114 pitches (73 strikes), and he walked off the mound with his head held high. Brian "My BFF" Fuentes came in for a shutout ninth, getting his MLB leading 23rd save on just 8 pitches. What a pitching night! John Lackey made some statements about how hot he was after the game, "I was able to get through the first inning without throwing anything but a fastball so that kind of establishes that and gets you rolling a bit." Nothing but a fastball in the first? What a stud. 

The Angels offense was held silent through the first three innings, but then they busted the game wide open. Big Ol' Bobby Abreu blasted a solo bomb in the fourth inning to start the run parade, and matched that up with a three run jack in the next inning to put us ahead for good and to cap off one of his best games of the season. He finished the night 2 for 4 for 4 RBI, and was joined in the VIP club by Chone Figgins (back at it with a 3 for 4 1 RBI evening), Juan Rivera (2 for 4 with a double), and Mighty Maicer Izturis (2 for 4 with a run). It was an enjoyable offensive night, with 5 runs on 11 hits (just another double digit hit game for my boys). Here are some stats for all of you Angels Haters (and fans who think we either A) have a weak offense or B) need just one more big bat): 1. The Angels are ranked #1 in Major League Baseball with .279 team batting average.  2. The Angels OPS of .772 is good enough for sixth in the American League. 3. The 79 SB has the Angels as the #2 running team in the AL. 4. With just 50 double plays, we have the third least GIDP in the American League (an underrated stat). 5. We're getting better too, as we have the second most doubles in the American League over the last 7 days, including 10 home runs (which is the second most in the AL). Watch out baseball, the Angels are on a path to the championship. 

Combine last night's win with an off day for the Rangers, and my Halos increased their lead in the AL West to a full 1 game. At 43-34 (with a +18 run differential), the Angels are continuing to work toward their third consecutive AL West title (which would be their 5th in 6 years). You know, before this recent run of division success (meaning before 2004), the last time the Angels won the AL West was 1986? But, also note that the last time the AL West Champions went on to win  the world series was 1991 when the Twinkies beat the Braves 4 games to 3. But, I digress. Currently, the Angels lead the Rangers by 1, lead the Mariners by 3.5, and lead Oakland by 10. Tonight, we have the second coming of Ervin Santana (1-3, 7.47). Erv already came off the DL once, and showed some sweetness and some dullness on the mound. He went back to the DL, and is again ready to come back and show that he deserves that gigantic contract (4 years/$30 million with a 2013 option). Black Magic had a rough outing in his last game, going just 4.67 innings of 6 run ball against the Rays, but was brilliant the game before that against the Tigers (8.67 innings of 1 run ball). In his six starts this season, he has three games where he allowed 3 runs or less and three games where he allowed 6 runs of more. The Angels are 3-3 in his starts, but are definitely hoping that a return against the last place Orioles is just what he needs to get back on track. El Rosario will be going up against Sacramento native David Hernandez (1-2, 4.19). The rookie has started just three games this season, never going more than 5.67 innings. The O's are 1-2 in his starts and 1-3 in games where he's been on the mound at all. On the road this year, Hernandez is 0-1 with a 5.67 ERA in 8 innings, and you'd have to hope that the Halos will take advantage of this Nor Cal rook. 

Meanwhile, there is hockey news floating around out there. As far are the Canucks are concerned, here is the latest: 

Recently Signed/Acquired Players (and my opinion)- Lawrence Nycholat (Ny Ny had 1 assist in 14 games with the 'Nucks last year, and he's a solid #7 defender), Nolan Baumgartner (we signed the Baumer for the second time before the '07 season, and I was crazy excited. Then, he never really got to play. I've been a fan since his first tour with the team on '02, and I hope he gets some time), Matt Pope (the right winger was on the Moose for some of last season, and is a home town boy, so let's hope he can skate), Daniel & Henrik Sedin (maybe I should combine them, but they both scored 82 total points in the last season, and I couldn't be happier about this signing. Thank you Gillis!), Rick Rypien (I love the center, as long as he tries to not be made out of glass, like last season), Steve Bernier (one of the most underrated Canucks since coming to the team, and one of the more underrated young players in the NHL prior to that). 

Departed Players (an my opinion)- Jason LaBarbera (there isn't an offseason that goes by where the 'Nucks don't lose their backup goaltender. The Barbarian was 3-2 in 9 starts with the 'Nucks with a 2.66 GAA, and I wish him all the best in Phoenix- or whatever city in Ontario that Phoenix moves to), Mattias Ohlund (this one hurts. The Pieta, Sweden native has been a solid player on my favorite team since 1997, and had 6 goals and 19 assists as the assistant captain in his previous 82 games. I guess we have a couple of guys ready to step into Ohlund's role, but I am definitely going to miss this guy. Tampa Bay got one of the more underrated pickups thus far). 

Other, non-Vancouver, notable moves have Jordan Leopold going to Florida from Calgary, Adrian Aucoin going to Phoenix from Calgary, Nik Antropov going to Atlanta from the Rangers, Mark Recchi going to Minnie from Boston, Martin Havlat going to Minnie from Chicago, Marian Gaborik going to the Rangers from Minnie, Sammy Paulson moving to Columbus from Chicago, Mike Cammalleri going to Montreal from Calgary, Khabibulin going to Edmonto from Chicago (boo), Brian Boucher heading to Philly from San Jo, Marian Hossa coming to the Hawks from the hated Wings, and Jay Bouwmeester heading to Calgary from Florida. 

There is still a lot of action sure to shake down before the season opens, but who do you think will have the largest impact on their new team? 

No-Show Joe, Angels lose.

That may be a really cool picture to the left of this text (with JR in the foreground), but it was a really un-cool game on Tuesday afternoon, as the Angels took a nose dive against the second place Texas Rangers 5-9. It was the No-Show-Joe version of Saunders that showed up in Texas, as we all kind of feared, and the offense couldn't recover anywhere near enough to cancel out the Rangers potent offense. 

Big Joe Saundo (now 8-5 with a 4.24 ERA) went 3.67 really short innings this afternoon, allowing 8 runs on 6 hits. He walked five and only struck out two, as an example of how he just wasn't having it. Joey gave up a solo jack (Kinsler) and a two run bomb (Byrd) in the opening inning, and then allowed a solo homer (Cruz) and a three run jack (Byrd, again) in the third and fourth before getting pulled off the bump. What an unusually awful game for Saunders. I mean, the Colonel has been off a couple of times this year, but nothing like this. The Rangers offense was having a field day. Surprisingly, Rich "Croc Dundee" Thompson came in from the pen and pitched 2.3 innings of shutout ball, giving up just three hits while punching out three. Not surprisingly, DR native Reffy Rodriguez (6.97 ERA in 20.67 innings) gave up an extra run in his 2 innings of garbage relief. It was not a pitching night to remember for my Halos. 

The Angels offense scored 5 runs on 8 hits, and it all came in the second and ninth innings. It was a couple of temporary shining moments, with the Halos matching the Rangers first inning three spot with a three spot of their own as well as a desperate GMJ helper in the ninth. But, like I said, it was only temporary.  In the third it was a good ol' Angels hit parade in the third: Napoli singled home Morales, Abreu singled home Izzy, and T-Hunt singled home Napoli. In the ninth, it was a single by our Most Valuable Junior with a RBI single and an extra run on an error by big bopper Marlon Byrd. Now that is Angels baseball! But, when the other team scores 9 runs, it doesn't really matter. The Angels VIP Club was a lonely place for Mighty Maicer Izturis (2 for 4 with 2 runs scored). Izzy seems to only get respect on this blog, going unmentioned in most of the main stream media reports, but he is going big lately. He's hitting .291 with a .348 OBP and has 24 clutch RBI. He's only owned by 1.5% of fantasy teams on ESPN! Idiots. Honorable mentions are sent out to Torii "Big Game" Hunter (1 for 2 with a walk and 1 RBI) and Mike "That's-a Spicy Meatball" Napoli (1 for 3 with a walk and 1 RBI, as well as 2 runs). Has anyone noticed that Chone Figgins is starting to trail off here as we approach the All-Star break? With how much love he got for his solid start to the season, even here at the LSF admittedly, he has to face the facts when he starts playing a sub-par style of stick. In the last seven days, Figgy is hitting just .217/.321/.217 with no extra base hits and just 1 stolen base. Don't start dropping off now! You've converted so many of us #9 haters! Please, don't prove us all right! 

The Red Hats are now 42-33 with a 1.5 game lead on the Rangers. The lead over Seattle is 3.5 and it is 10 over Oakland. This means that this huge AL West series all comes down to the final game, an afternoon scuffle in Arlington for a moderate amount of marbles. A win, and we're 2.5 up heading into a 4-game weekend series with the Murder-More O's. A loss, and we're up by just a slim 0.5 with Texas going to match up with the current AL Champs from Tampa, Florida. The final game of the series, which just happens to be the first game of the month of July, features Angels mega-pitcher Jered "So Easy A Caveman Could Do It" Weaver (8-3, 2.65) goes toe to toe with 12 year veteran Kevin Millwood (8-5, 2.64). Both pitchers have had solid seasons, and both pitchers have been solid as of late. Milly has only allowed 5 runs in his last 34.67 innings on the mound. That is some serious stuff. Texas has gone 4-1 in his last 5 starts, and he loves going deep into games (3rd in the AL in IP, 4th in the AL in CG). He could be trouble. Let's hope his age catches up with him. Meanwhile, Jered "My Wife Thinks He's Ugly" Weaver has some rankings of his own to deal. J-Dub is 2nd in complete games (take it Milly!), 5th in WHIP, and 6th in ERA (that's all in the AL, of course). My boys are 6-1 in Weaver's last seven starts, the only loss coming to the young guy's brother in Blue. If you take that loss to the Doyers out, Big Baby has only allowed 13 runs in 65 innings. That is some solid action, if you ask me. I'm not a genius when developing my own stats, but I think that's a 1.80 ERA. Don't check my math. Hopefully we can shake off the dust of tonight's loss and get things back in the win column. 

This just in: The Angels ranked as the #1 most friendly sports franchise based on an ESPN survery. The Doyers (50), Lakers (51), and Clippers (122) came up short of the heroes of Gene Autry Way. The Halos have now owned the #1 ranking for baseball's most friendly franchise six years in a row. What a squad! 

Angels beat Rangers into submission.

This is exactly how we needed to start this huge AL West series. This is a three game set that could really set us apart as we work toward the end of the first half of the regular season. Today it was a combination of another solid Sully start and some timely come from behind offense that earned the Angels the 5-2 win against the Texas Rangers. 

Good ol' SOS. San Diego boy Sean O'Sullivan continued his dream call up season, chasing the magic of Matt Palmer, with another nice outing. The rook went up against the second best team that the AL West had to offer, and walked off the hill with 6 innings of 2 run ball, punching out 5, and allowing just 8 to reach base (6 hits and 2 walks). He nailed down 53 strikes on his 90 pitches, showing pretty nice command against the beloved Texas offense, and improved his record to 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA. The Angels have now won in all three of Sully's starts here in 2009. Who says we have a pitching problem? Well, I guess starting pitching has never been the problem. But, with Ervin Santana saying he's ready to come back, will we see SOS bolster the recently successful Halo bullpen? We'll have to wait and see. Speaking of the bullpen, the Red Hats sent Darren Oliver, Justin Speier, and Brian Fuentes out to the bump to maintain the lead, and did they even. The three relievers blanked Texas, with Fuentes earning his MLB best 22 saves. This guy has filled into the closer role pretty nicely, eh? 

The LAA offense put up nice numbers with 5 runs on 12 hits, and it was all about the gigantic four run sixth inning against Vincente Padilla. Juan Rivera (with Vlad on base) and Kendry Morales (solo job) hit back to back home runs to hand the Angels the lead after the Rangers got back to back jacks earlier in the game. The inning also featured a timely Chone Figgins sac fly, that helped push the lead even further along. The Angels VIP club was pretty packed today, with Bobby "Chupame" Abreu (2 for 4 and a walk), VAG (2 for 5 with 2 runs), "Magic Juan-D" Rivera (2 for 5 with 2 RBI), and Kendry "Cuban Cleanup" Morales (2 for 4 with 2 RBI) leading the way. Honorable mention goes out to Mike Napoli (1 for 3 with a walk) and Erick Aybar (1 for 2 with a walk). On the down side, it was an unusually tough night for All-Star hopeful Torii Hunter (1 for 5 with 3 punch outs). Hopefully this game will be a memorable one for all the Angel fans who think that we can't string hits together, hit the long ball, or come back against quality teams. Ya'll be idiots. Let's put today's spotlight on my main man Kendry Morales. K-Mo has been smacking at a .333/.429/.667 clip over the last 7 days, with 6 RBI and 5 extra base hits. He is continuing to pick up the pace, and it is nice to see it coming on the road, were he is hitting -.072 compared to at the friendly confines. 

The win is the Angels sixth in a row and they have won 13 out of their last 16. We're rolling along at a sweet 42-32 mark with a nice little +21 run differential. The big news, of course, is that we have increased our lead in the AL West to 2.5 games over the Rangers. Meanwhile, the M's are 3.5 back and Oakland are a comfortable 11 away. Isn't is nice to be back in control? We can become much more in control if the right Joe Saunders (8-4, 3.66) comes to the mound in Texas tomorrow afternoon. He'll be facing off against Hawaiian Scott Feldman (5-2, 4.06). Felds has looked pretty good this year, but he hasn't earned a win since June 3 (that's 4 times out without a win). In fact, the Rangers have only won once in the last four outings for Feldman. Are we hitting him at the right time? Man, I hope so. Add in the fact that Big Joe Saundo has found his groove recently, and we may have a guaranteed win situation. The Angels have won the last three Saunders outings, with Joe giving up just a single run in two of those outings. However, it has been well documented on the LSF that he has been inconsistent this year. Can he continue to bring the right stuff and hopefully improve on his #6 ranking in the AL wins category? I think so. 

You know I love my MiLB, so here is today's little trip. SLC grabbed a big win against Fresno last night, 3-2. CF Terry Evans seems to earn a lot of player of the game nods lately, and he kept it up with a 2 for 5 night that included a jack. Evans is now hitting .292/17/54 and is somehow begging for a call up in the Angels busy outfield. HK-47 went 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a run in his continued efforts to get called up. Are you still following the HK hat strike on the LSF Twitter page? Despite the dominating hitting from Terry, the spotlight needs to be shared in this one. Shane Loux has a nice game as the short starter. He's literally listed as on a rehab assignment, with the Angels looking forward to him swapping into the bullpen. Loux Dawg picthed 4.3 innings of 1 run ball, allowing just 3 hits in his outing. Big Moose, Robert Mosebach, was also huge with 2 shutout innings and save artist Jeremy Dee Hill earned his 16th save of the year with a good enough ninth. Despite the win, the Bees still trail division leading Colorado Springs by 4.5. AA Arkansas didn't have it as easy. The Travs dropped their game with NW Arkansas 3-7 despite the best efforts of player of the game Hank Conger. Big Hank has a sweet game, going 2 for 5 with a 2-run jack. He's hitting .286/5/32 in 65 games with the Travs, and I'm wondering if the Angels are interested in bringing him up fast with the lack of studliness from Naps or Mathis? Someone has to stand up for Barret Browning, who didn't have as bad as a start as most might think. He may be 0-7 with a 4.03 ERA this year, but he really only gave up 2 earned runs over 5 innings in the game. As we start the second half of the AA Season, the Travs are just 2.5 games back from first with their start-over 2-4 record in the second half. Single-A Rancho didn't have much better of a time against the Inland Empire, dropping the game 1-4. Player of the game Jeremy Moore had a nice outing, going 3 for 4 with a single, double, and triple. The LF is hitting .306/4/28 with the Quakes this year. Cal Poly Pomona graduate Taylor Wilding ("Wildwing?") looked good in relief, with 2.3 innings of shutout ball, punching out a big 3. Despite all the positives, it was still a loss, and the Quakes are just 1-3 since the records got reset at halftime, trailing first place Lake Elsinore by 2 games already. Low-A Cedar Rapids also dropped their game, 2-3, making SLC the only bright spot this time around. 

In hockey news: Huge ups to the Canucks for signing Rick Rypien and Stevie Bernier to 2 year extensions so far this offseason. Nice moves, boys.