Heating Up At The Deadline.

What's happening to our so-so Angels? As we approached the trade deadline, most of us were looking for big ways to improve our team via player swap. But now, as the deadline sits just two and a half days away, I'm left wondering if doing nothing might be our best option. Man, I'm starting to sound like a Tony Reagins apologist, and the deadline hasn't even happened yet.

Yesterday, the Halos opened their four game series in Detroit with a bang. A 12-7 win where the Halos, like some other team entirely, scored in bunches. Three runs in the second, four in the fourth, and five in the seventh? If I gave you that run down, you'd probably guess the Angels did it on your 30th attempt. And yet, it was us. Erick Aybar, Alberto Callaspo, and Mark Trumbo all had 3 hits, while Howie, Bourjos, and Jeff Mathis all had a pair. The 5 RBI day for Trumo is far and away the best game in his career, as he finished just a single away from the cycle, and he now has amassed 19 jacks in his rookie of the year campaign. 

All of this came to make up for Joel Piñero's rough 3.3 innings of 6 run ball. What is going on with him? The bullpen did the job it needed to do to allow the offense to strike back, as Horacio Ramirez, Cassevah, Rodney, Downs, and Walden all helped to hold the door shut. It was a thing of beauty...once Piñero got off the hill. The thing I'm thinking of is that he's really going to need to turn things around if we're going to make any head way in the playoffs (if we do, in fact, make the playoffs). We've got some impressive starters with Weav, Haren, and sort of Ervin (I'll admit I wouldn't have said that before the no-no based on his season so far) but we'll really need Piñata to come around to help make the last push a little more possible.

Don't look now, but the 58-48 Halos trail Texas by just 2 games in the division. With a 7-3 record over the last 10 games, we're the hottest team in the AL West (Seattle is 1-9 over the same time, which we can all enjoy). If we can win this weekend series with the Tigers, and stay on this hot streak heading into the trade deadline, we will be in a great place for the final 53 games.

Aramis Ramirez, anyone?

Enjoy the deadline, Halo fans.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē