April 16, 2017

The Royals completed a 3-game sweep of the Angels on Sunday afternoon with a 1-0 victory at Kauffman Stadium.  Alcides Escobar hit an RBI single in the bottom of the 9th inning for the dramatic walk off victory.

Both teams received excellent starting pitching in this contest.  The Royals got 8 shutout innings from Ian Kennedy, who yielded just 2 hits in 8 innings of work.  Kelvin Herrera pitched the 9th inning for Kansas City to earn the victory.

Tyler Skaggs also pitched well for the Angels.  He pitched 7 shutout innings, giving up only 4 hits, while striking out 9 before departing.  Jose Alvarez pitched a scoreless 8th inning, but Blake Parker ran into trouble in the 9th.

Parker gave up a leadoff single to Salvador Perez, and then allowed pinch runner Raul Mondesi to steal second.  Mondesi then advanced to third on a wild pitch.  Mike Moustakas came to the plate as a pinch hitter and walked, and that was all for Parker.  Cam Bedrosian came in after that.

After Bedrosian got Paulo Orlando to foul out, Escobar followed with the game-winning hit.  Parker was charged with the earned run, and ultimately the loss.

“Just tried to make the perfect pitch,” said Parker.  It was a tough weekend for the Angels but they have to be encouraged by the effort Skaggs gave.

“The first two innings, I was feeling for it,” Skaggs said. “But you need to keep attacking hitters. Today, I attacked the hitters, and I kept them off balance.”

The Angels are now off to Houston for a four-game set against the Astros beginning on Monday night.  It will be Jesse Chavez going for the Halos in game 1, with Joe Musgrove on the hill for the Astros.

April 15, 2017

Mike Moustakas hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 8th inning to propel the Royals to a 3-2 victory over the Angels on Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium.

It was the 5th home run of the season for Moustakas, which came off of Angel reliever Jose Alvarez, who took the loss.

The Halos fought back to tie the score at 2-2 in the 7th inning.  Ben Revere singled with two outs against Joakim Soria, which scored Cameron Maybin.

The Royals led 2-1 after after Brandon Moss took Matt Shoemaker deep to right field for a solo shot in the 4th inning.

Both teams exchanged runs in the 1st inning.  Albert Pujols had an RBI groundout for the Halos, and Eric Hosmer had a run-scoring single.

Soria got the win for the Royals, while Kelvin Herrera pitched the 9th to earn his 2nd save of the season for KC.

Matt Shoemaker went 5 1/3rd innings for the Angels.  He gave up 2 runs on 5 hits, while striking out 7.

The Halos will try to salvage a win out of the three-game set on Sunday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.  The Angels will go with Tyler Skaggs, and the Royals will counter with Ian Kennedy.

April 14, 2017

The Royals hammered the Angels on Friday night in KC by a score of 7-1.  It was another brutal night of pitching for the Angels.

J.C. Ramirez lasted 5 innings and threw only 75 pitches.  He took the loss after giving up 5 runs on 4 hits.

Danny Duffy allowed three hits over seven innings and Mike Moustakas hit a two-run homer for the Royals.

The Angels jumped out to a 1-0 lead after a Mike Trout RBI single.  However, the Royals would counter with 7 unanswered runs.

Salvador Perez hit a solo shot in the 6th inning for KC.

The Angels and Royals will get back at it on Saturday in game 2 of the series.

Matt Shoemaker will get the ball for the Halos and look to get on track after two rough starts.  The Royals will go with Nate Karns.

April 13, 2017

The Angels had a rough afternoon against the Rangers at the Big A on Thursday, losing 8-3 to the Rangers for the 2nd time in less than 24 hours.

This time the Rangers got 7 shutout innings from ace Yu Darvis, who allowed just 5 hits and struck out 10 batters to pick up his first win of the season.  Carlos Gomez and Nomar Mazara hit home runs in the victory for Texas.

The Angels only offense came on a 3-run homer from Danny Espinosa in the 9th inning.  It was his 3rd home run of the season.

Ricky Nolasco had a tough day for the Halos.  He went 5 innings, giving up 5 runs on 8 hits.  He struck out 7, but allowed the two home runs.  In three starts, Nolasco is now 0-2 with an ERA of 5.40.  As a team, the Angels starting pitchers are sporting an E.R.A. of 6.00.

Despite a tough last two games, the Halos are still 6-4, and tied atop the AL West with the Houston Astros.

The Rangers didn’t waste much time in this one, getting on the board with a leadoff homer from Gomez on the 2nd pitch of the game.  An RBI double from Robinson Chirinos,  a run-scoring single from Jurickson Profan, and then the two-run shot from Mazara made it 5-0 after 3 innings.

Chirinos drove in two more runs with an RBI double in the 7th inning, and then he would score later in the inning on a single from Shin-Soo Choo.  Chirinos finished the game with two hits, two runs, and three RBI.

Daniel Wright pitched the final four innings for the Angels.  He gave up 3 runs on 3 hits, and after the game was optioned back to Triple-A Salt Lake.  The Angels also learned that Garrett Richards will not return from the disabled list when he is eligible to be removed from it this weekend.  There is no timetable scheduled for his return, nor for him to resume throwing.

The Halos will hit the road for the next 7 games, beginning with a 3-game set starting tomorrow night in Kansas City.  The Angels will start J.C. Ramirez, while the Royals will counter with Danny Duff.

April 12, 2017

The Angels ran out of comeback magic on Wednesday night at the Big A, losing to the Rangers 8-3.  Texas hit 3 home runs in the victory.

Mike Napoli, Elvis Andrus, and Carlos Gomez all went deep for the Rangers.  Joey Gallo hit a go-ahead two run triple in the 5th inning, and Texas never looked back.

A.J. Griffin got the win for Texas.  He pitched 6 innings, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits.  It was his first victory in six starts dating back to last September.

J.C. Chavez took the loss for the Angels.  He went 4 1/3rd innings, yielding 5 runs on 5 hits.  The Halos also got a solo home run from Mike Trout in the 3rd inning.  His 3rd long ball of the season.

The Rangers got off to the quick start in this one, after Napoli and Andrus connected on solo blasts in the 1st inning.  A pair of sacrifice flies from C.J. Cron and Danny Espinosa tied the game at 2-2, before Trout gave the Halos a 3-2 lead in the 3rd inning.

However, Gallo’s RBI triple, and Jurickson Profar’s run-scoring single made it 5-3 after 5 innings.

The Rangers would add three more runs on a Carlos Gomez home run in the 7th, and then a 2-run triple by Rougned Odor in the 9th inning.

“Jesse got into some bad counts,” manager Mike Scioscia said.  “He just wasn’t as effective as he was in his other outing.”

The Angels return to action on Thursday afternoon at the Big in rubber match of the 3-game set.  Ricky Nolasco gets the call for the Halos, while the Rangers will go with Yu Darvish.

April 11, 2017

The Angels rallied for 3 runs in the 9th inning on Tuesday night to defeat Texas 6-5 at the Big A in 10 innings.  It was their 2nd straight dramatic comeback win.

The walk-off hit came on a squeeze bunt from Carlos Perez in the 10th, which scored Cameron Maybin.  The bunt came with one out , and runners at the corners.

The Halos rallied for seven runs in the 9th inning on Sunday to defeat the Mariners.  This time the Angels were down 5-0 by the 3rd inning.  Mike Napoli started things off with an RBI single in the 1st, then in the 3rd, Elvis Andrus and Jonthan Lucroy went deep, and Texas had its 5-run cushion.

Tyler Skaggs was tagged for all 5 runs on 8 hits, in 5 innings of work.  However, Bud Norris, Yusmeiro Petit, and Cam Bedrosian combined to allow just 2 hits over the next 5 innings of work.

Jefry Marte got the Angels on the board in the 7th with a solo blast off of Cole Hamels.  That was the only run of the game that Hamels would allow in 7 innings of work.  The Angels could only manage 4 hits off of the Rangers’ ace.

In the 8th, Maybin doubled to right field, which scored Mike Trout, and cut the lead to 5-2.  In the 9th, Danny Espinosa homered, Trout had an RBI double, and Albert Pujols had an RBI single to tie the game at 5-5.

The Rangers looked like they were going to get the lead back in their half of the 10th, but Trout robbed Mike Napoli for a home run.

Game 2 of the Series will be tomorrow night in Anaheim.  The Angels will give the ball to J.C. Chavez, while the Rangers will go with A.J. Griffin.

April 9, 2017

The Angels did the unthinkable on Sunday afternoon in Anaheim.  The Halos rallied from a 6-run deficit in the bottom of the 9th inning to defeat the Mariners 10-9.  The win completed a 3-game sweep over Seattle.

The 9th inning rally was started by Albert Pujols hitting his 592nd career home run, a solo blast which made it 9-4.  After an RBI groundout from Danny Espinosa and a 2-run double from Yunel Escobar, the score was 9-7.  Pujols would come through again later in the inning, hitting a 2-run single to tie the game at 9-9 with 2 outs and the bases loaded.  Cliff Pennington had the game-winning RBI single after that, scoring Mike Trout, which capped the epic comeback.

Andrew Bailey collected the win for the Angels, after he pitched a scoreless 9th.  Edwin Diaz took the loss for Seattle, after allowing the final 3 runs of the game.

The Angels couldn’t generate much against M’s starter Hisashi Iwakuma.  Iwakuma went 6 innings, giving up just 1 run on two hits.  Matt Shoemaker didn’t fare very well in his start for the Angels.  Shoemaker went 4 1/3rd innings, yielding 6 earned runs on 5 hits.

“That was unbelievable,” Shoemaker said. “That was absolutely awesome. Those guys picked me up huge. I had a really, really sour day turn out sweet.”

It was the first time since Aug. 28, 1986, that the Angels scored at least seven runs in the ninth inning to win.

“We found some holes, those guys helped us with a couple of walks and we just had good at-bats all the way through,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “There was some incredible clutch hitting at the end.”

The Angels will get Monday off before beginning a 3-game set with the Rangers at the Big A on Tuesday.  The first game of the series will feature Tyler Skaggs pitching for the Angels, and Cole Hammels on the Hill for the Rangers.

April 8, 2017

Mike Trout hit a 2-run blast in the 7th inning, and the Angels held on to defeat the Mariners 5-4 at the Big A on Saturday night.

Trout was honored before the game by the Angels, recognizing him for his 2nd AL MVP award in 3 years.  Owner Arte Moreno presented Trout with a large commemorative ring.  The Angels center fielder was 0-3 in his first three at-bats with 2 strikeouts, before connecting in the 7th inning on what would be the decisive blow to Seattle.

Andrelton Simmons also made an incredible defensive play in the 3rd inning.  Jean Segura attempted to advance from first to third base on Mitch Haniger’s grounder.  Simmons was covering third, and snagged Jefry Marte’s off-target throw and twisted in midair to apply a behind-the-back tag on Segura.  It took video replay, but Segura was ruled out on the play.

J.C. Ramirez recorded the win, and Cam Bedrosian got his 2nd save of the season.  He threw 18 pitches in the 8th inning, then struck out the side in the 9th for a five-out save.

“He felt great when he got out of the eighth,” skipper Mike Scoscia said. “He had some gas in his tank. And we’re closer to the day off on Monday.”

The Halos got off to a slow start in this one.  Ricky Nolasco surrendered a 2-run homer to Haniger in the 1st.  Nolasco pitched 6 innings, yielding those 2 runs on 4 hits, while striking out 3.

RBI singles by Danny Espinosa and Kole Calhoun over the next two innings would tie the game at 2-2.  The Halos would then take a 3-2 lead on a solo shot from Yunel Escobar in the 5th inning.  The Angels’ shortstop had 3 hits on the night.

Mike Zunino tied things up a 3-3 in the M’s half of the 7th inning with an RBI single.  However, Trout came through with his big blast just half an inning later.  The Mariners got one back in the 8th on a sacrifice fly from Nelson Cruz, but that’s as close they would come.

Felix Hernandez started for Seattle.  King Felix went six innings, giving up 3 runs on 10 hits, and striking out 6.  Evan Scribner took the loss for the Mariners, after giving up the home run to Trout.

The Angels will go for the sweep on Sunday afternoon in Anaheim.  Matt Shoemaker will be on the hill for Halos, while the M’s will give the ball to Hisashi Iwakuma.

April 7, 2017

The Angels got home runs from Cameron Maybin and Kole Calhoun in their home opener, and beat the Mariners 5-1 at the Big A on Friday night.

Jesse Chavez gave up only 4 hits and 1 run in 5 2/3rd innings of work, as the Halos improved to 3-2 on the season.

“We played a good game,” Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. “We didn’t play a perfect game, but we played really good defense early. We scratched out a couple runs and we kept going.”

Mike Trout started the scoring for the Angels with a sacrifice fly in the 1st inning.  Albert Pujols made it 2-0 in the 3rd after Kyle Seager bobbled a grounder that would have been an inning-ending double play with the based loaded.

In the 6th, Chavez ran into some trouble.  Mitch Haniger, Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz all singled in a span of seven pitches, making it 2-1.  However, Jose Alvarez got the Angels out of the inning.  Bud Norris, Andrew Bailey, and Blake Parker shut down the Mariners in each of the next 3 innings to secure the victory.

Maybin’s solo blast in the bottom of the 6th inning made it 3-1.  It was his first home run as an Angel, which sailed into the right field stands.  Calhoun would extend the lead to 5-1 on his 2-run bomb in the 7th.

Prior to the game, the Angels put Garrett Richards on the 10-Day DL after he suffered from a cramp in his bicep on Wednesday night.  An MRI showed that there was no structural damage to the elbow that gave him trouble last season.

Game 2 of the series will be Saturday night  at the Big A.  Ricky Nolasco will go for the Angels, and he’ll go up against Mariners’ ace Felix Hernandez.

April 6, 2017

The A’s got a 4-run third inning on Thursday afternoon, and beat the Angels 5-1 to split their four game series with the Halos.

Andrew Triggs pitched into the 6th inning for his 2nd career win.  Triggs, who has a business degree from USC, allowed just 1 unearned run on 4 hits in 5 2/3rd innings.

The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the 3rd on an RBI groundout from Albert Pujols.  However, the A’s would strike back in the bottom half of the inning.

Marcus Semien tied the game with an RBI single off of Tyler Skaggs, and ended up at 3rd after a Mike Trout error.  Semien would score on a sac fly from Khris Davis.  Ryon Healy delivered the big blow after that with a 2-run homer.  The A’s would add 1 more in the 6th on a Trevor Plouffe RBI single.

Liam Hendricks, Santiago Casilla and Sean Doolitte combined for hitless relief for Oakland.

The Angels generated only five hits, but pitching is the bigger concern again.  None of the Halos starters went more than 5 innings in the first four game series.

Tyler Skaggs had gotten a victory in his first start each season from 2013-16 but that streak came to an end as he gave up five runs, five hits and three walks in 5 1/3rd innings.

Skaggs just seemed happy to be out there though, and was encouraged despite the results.   “It was fun,” Skaggs said. “Besides the third inning, everything was really good.”

Mike Scioscia on the other hand knows that much improvement is needed.  “We’ve got confidence in our rotation,” Scioscia said, “but they’re going to have to do a better job to get a little deeper into games.”