That's right, my fellow AP Spanish 5 alumni; the Angels came away with a huge series sweep over the hated Oakland A's this weekend. The three wins seem to have totally turned the feeling around among the citizens of Halo Nation, as the pitching was strong, the bats were mighty, and the Red Hats were winning. A Toronto sweep of the Rangers (thank you, Andrew) added to the weekend joy, as the 18-21 Angels are now just 2.5 games back of the AL West lead. We are so lucky our division sucks.
Here are the reasons why I think this series will be seen as the turning point in the Angels season when it is all said and done:
1. The Angels outscored the A's 20-3 over the three game set. The offense was explosive in game 2, with Kendry Morales leading the charge with two jacks and a 5 RBI evening. He finished with 6 runs batted in in the series. The pitching was on point as well, getting a complete game shutout from La Piñata yesterday (9 IP, 4 H, 5 K) and a complete game shutout on Friday from the revitalized Joe Saunders (9 IP, 4 H, 6 K). That's not even taking Ervin's Saturday night into account 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 K). Good stuff all around.
2. The bullpen got some much needed rest. The starters have always been the part of the team that was supposed to carry us to victory, and this weekend they did just that. The only bullpen effort was on Saturday, when Bozo Bell and Bobby Cassevah combined for 3 innings of shutout ball. Letting the most suspect part of our squad take the weekend off is bound to help us in the upcoming non-stop week of ball.
3. Howie Kendrick hitting second works again! My boy has been moved up to the 2 hole, and is working it out. Despite going 0 for 3 on Friday, HK went 1 for 5 with an RBI on Saturday and 3 for 4 with an RBI on Sunday. Add to that some sparkling middle infield defense (showing some ultra-range on a play yesterday), and you've got a solid 2B. He's really helping out with Aybar still struggling at the top (.236).
4. It's a confidence booster beating your rival. There is rarely a better feeling than smashing the A's. Maybe beating NYY or BOS in the playoffs, but as far as the regular season goes, it's all about beating up on Oakland. When you are down in the dumps, the Angels were 3-9 in May before the sweep, this kind of all around good series can shift your whole season. This upcoming week will be a way to see if it really is going to have that impact. I sure hope so, because you don't want to be sub-.500 into June.
Now, we've got a crazy week ahead. Things start tonight against "The Best in the West," from Arlington. We play a quick two game set with Los Guardaparques before getting another quick two games against the struggling White Sox. The weekend finishes up the seven day run against the Cardinals, as Interleague Play gets under way. The next day off is May 27th for the Angels, which is fun for the fans, but taxing on the players.
Keeping with the present, though, we see if the recent turnaround will continue, as Scott Kazmir (2-3, 6.82) keeps his fingers crossed against Derek Holland (1-0, 0.00). The rookie, Holland, held the A's to 6 scoreless innings in his debut, and looks to be the Rangers stopper. Meanwhile, rumors are swirling that Kaz may be pitching for his big league life this afternoon. Pitch well and you'll be back on the mound at Busch Stadium in 5 days. Pitch poorly, and you'll be wearing the Yellow & Black of the SLC Bees as early as tomorrow.
Texas may have lost their last 3, but thet have the not-so-secret weapon of Vlad Guerrero ready to prove his former team wrong. The Impaler is hitting .336/7/31. Now blink, rub your eyes, and read that again. Our "Vladdy Replacement Player," Hideki Matsui, is hitting .241/5/19. Please don't point out that we're paying Godzilla $6 million, while the Rangers are paying Vlad a cool $5.5 million. Paying $500,000 less, and getting .095/2/12 more sounds like a good deal. Good grief.
So, let's go Kazmir. I believe the expression is, "Don't be a didn't."
-- Sent from my Palm Prē
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