Well, in the spirit of Molina's thread on his Rangers...



I will copycat and do the Angels thread, keeping updates as often as I can (hopefully daily)....until season ends (or until I get bored, lolol)

Here goes -----

So far, so good. Except for opening night jitters, Angels took 2 out of 3 from Rangers....scoring 10 runs each in games #2 and #3, and giving fans free chicken wings for scoring 10 or more runs in a game ---- wooohooooo!!

And now, even though it's very early in the season, we have a very important series at Oakland, starting tonight.

Yikes!!!!

:hop:

BOOOOOO!!!!!
HISSSSSSSSS!!!!
ANGELS DIE!!!!!!!

Well, Appier didn't have a very good outing Friday as the A's torched him for a number of runs.

A's look really good!

Angels got beaten again this afternoon, 4-2.

Record now 2-3.

Boy, do the A's have good pitching, great defense, and timely hitting!!

a TREMENDOUS series that the A's had this weekend in their sweep of the Angels.

They're showing why they won over 100 games in each of the last 2 seasons.

A's Demonstrated great pitching, excellent defense, and timely hitting.


Angels now 2-4.

For a while, I thought I was gonna see the Lakers, Angels, and Dodgers all win in same day. Not often that this trifecta occurs.

Here's hoping the Angels do not start off the season like they did last year.

Garrett Anderson starting off really hot. But pitching so far is suspect. Let's hope we get it together soon.

to be continued.......

Nothing to report for today, as most teams were on an off-day.

As a matter of fact, the two games scheduled for AL were post-poned due to snow.

Guess most of the players were watching Syracuse beat Kansas, lol.

On a side note: my Dodgers lost to AZ today 6-4. So far, early into this season, both my favorite teams have losing records. Nothing to panic just yet...but not fun!

4/8/03: Angels vs. Mariners at Safeco

Angels 0; Mariners 5

Moyer pitched a whale of a ballgame in the Mariners opener; Ortiz fared pretty poorly.

Angels hitters, with exception of Garrett Anderson, are in a big funk!! And their pitching isn't all that hot, either.

It may be early, but with the A's winning a bunch, this is gonna be tough.

I hate the A's they beat my twins and that adam kennedy should be shot with a silver bullet.

4/9/03 update on the Angels

Angels 5 , mariners 1

Flew out to an early lead with several runs in first couple of innings, then hung on.

Fine pitching by both pitchers.

Oakland won yet again; Yankees are red hot; as are the undefeated Royals?!?!?

So, at the very very early outset...looks like Angels need to hunt down wild card spot.

still wayyyyyy too early.

Angels vs. Mariners again tomorrow.

And Dodgers also won, beating the D-backs yet again. Boy, talk about struggling teams.

Randy Johnson Curt schilling and Gregg Maddux all having horrific starts. yikes?!?!?

update 4/10/03: Angels 3, Mariners 0

A great pitching performance by J. Washburn. Good pitching by the Angels these past 2 games vs Seattle (couple with not so good hitting, I suppose).

I am worried about Eckstein, as he's not been doing too well offensively. Gotta get on base more.

Boy, Yankees and Royals just running with with the best records.

4/11 update: Angels 9, A's 5.

Pitching wasn't too good for either side as both Lackey and Hudson struggled.

It was basically the Angels offense, esp. Tim Salmon with 2 2-run homers, that overwhelmed Oakland. The little guys, Figgins and Eckstein each had 3 hits.

Here's hoping that gets Eck out of his mini-slump. Garrett Anderson continuing his hot hitting streak, with 19 hits total

K-Rod struggled yet again, giving up 2-run homer to Long. He's not locating the pitches well; but you have to credit the A's hitters. They tattooed him last Sunday as well, for 3 runs to come from behing to win.

Angels now 5-5. Would like to see a sweep.

On a side note: Dodgers lost again, as Bonds hit his 4th homer of season. McGriff looks old and slow.

Palmeiro of the Rangers hit #494. Only 6 more1!!!!!

4/12/03 update: Angels 9, A's 5

Angels offense clicking now, as they've won 4 in a row, and with a win tomorrow, will tie Oakland for the AL West.

Clutch bases-loaded single by Eric Owens was the eventual winner.

Angels did a good job in rallying after the A's came back from 3-0 with 4 runs.

Tomorrow's gonna be tough vs. Barry Zito, AL Cy Young last year.

Boy, it's tough to watch Troy Glaus, with the injured hamstring, run. Makes me wince every time.

Garrett Anderson had another great ballgame, with a 3-run blast.

Let's see if the Angels can return the favor that Oakland did for them with a sweep.

On a side note: Dodgers vs. Giants was a rain-out, to be made up in late September. Anaheim Mighty Ducks went to Detroit and two the first 2 games!! of course, last year, Detroit also lost the first 2 home games, and ended up winning the Stanley Cup

4/13/03 update: Angels 8, A's 2

Very nice job by the Angels this weekend, returning the favor to being swept by the A's last weekend, by sweeping them this weekend.

Beat up on A's pitching, averaging almost 9 runs in the 3 games, capped off by 8-2 beating of last year's Cy Young winner Barry Zito.

Salmon usually is a slow starter, but hit 3 homers this weekend - one in each game - and had at least 9 RBIs. Good pitching, good defense, and good hitting.

Now tied with A's for the AL West lead.

And headed to play Texas next week.

The way the Angels are scoring and pitching, doesn't look like Percival's going to get many save opportunities

4/14/03 update: Rangers 4, Angels 0

a dominating performance by Ismael Valdes, whose 2 victories this season comes courtesy of the Angels (he also beat them on Opening Day in Anaheim).

Angels bats just disappeared; Carl Everett had a great game.

A. Rod and Palmeiro didn't do much.

On the bright side, A's lost again, this time to Seattle.

Looks like a dogfight in AL West.

On a side note: Dodgers didn't lose today. lol. of course, they didn't play, either. And the Mighty Ducks are leading 2-0 with 7 minutes left in 3rd period. Wow, a possible 3-0 game lead!!!!

4/15/03 update: Rangers 5, Angels 4.

Angels got out to a quick 2-0 lead; but that was soon wiped out.

Not much to say here. Just better offense by the Red hot Rangers.

Angels not playing well away from home; but today, it was the pitching that let them down.

Angels try to avoid the sweep tomorrow. They did a good job holding down A. Rod and Palmeiro and Gonzalez.

At least the A's also lost, getting beat by the Mariners. A's have lost 5 in a row.

I consider A's to be more of a challenge to the Angels than the Mariners for the AL West title, simply b/c of that tremendous pitching of Zito, Hudson, and the other dude.

On a sidenote: Dodgers lost yet again to the Padres. Boy, over these past 3 years, Padres have just beaten up on the Dodgers, regardless of their records during the year.

So far, I haven't had the pleasure to see Angels, Dodgers, Lakers all win on same day they all play.

4/16/03: Angels 9, Rangers 8

wow, talk about a strange inning; Angels scored 7 runs in the 8th inning, helped in part by an umpire's call that ruled Salmon was safe on an attempted double play by the Rangers.

Rangers hit 4 homer, 30 for the season, including 2 by A. Rod.

Once again, pitching did in the Rangers.

On a side note: Angels won, Lakers won, Dodgers won, Clippers won, Kings won and Mighty Ducks won ---- talk about a winning night for California, eh??!?!?!?!? Of course, the Warriors lost, but they played us.

4/17/03 update: Rangers 9, Angels 7.

Well, Rangers returned the favor to the Angels today, rallying from behind to win.

Angels came out with 4 runs in 1st inning, but Angels pitchers couldn't hold down the Rangers hitters.

Carl Everett is absolutely hot!!

Angels now return home to play 1st place Seattle.

4/18/03: Mariners 8, Angels 2.

Jamie Moyer had Angels hitter baffled through 6+ innings, scattering hits here and there, but no threats to score.

Brett Boone launched a 3-run homer, and that was basically the game.

Angels had a chance with bases loaded, but Salmon struck out vs. Moyer.

Angels finally scored 2 runs, only to have Mariners come back with 3 more.

Angels now 2 games behind Mariners, and 1 game behind A's

When pitching is good; hitting is not. When hitting is good, pitching is not. But at least they're not 6-14, like last year's start.

To be continued tomorrow, where it's Troy Glaus rally monkey night.

On a side note: Dodgers lost again to the Giants. Looks like Giants will have division wrapped up soon. Dodgers only chance is wild card. McGriff struggling mightily!!

4/19/03: Angels 7, Mariners 6

wow, what a comeback!?!?!?!

On a night where all fans got a Troy Glaus rally monkey gift for attending the ballgame, the Angels rallied after being down 6-1.

It started like the past few games, with the opposition scoring early and often; and Angels unable to hit with men in scoring position.

But then, Angels started crawling back, getting a couple in the late innings, and topped it off with a rally in the 9th inning.

Figgins singled, stole 2nd, scored on Eckstein's single. Owens perfectly executed the hit and run with a smash b/t 1st-2nd.
Eckstein then scored as Salmon hit a blooper over the drawn-in infield. Had the infield played at regular depth, it would've been caught by Olerud.

Then Salmon and Owens executed a double steal; Glaus hit a hot shot to 3rd base, bobbled by McLemore (who earlier hit a 2-run homer), and Owens scored the winning run!!!

Let's hope this starts a nice winning streak. Looks like A's and Mariners are tied for 1st in AL West; and Angels 1 game behind.

to be continued..............

4/20/03: Mariners 7, Angels 6.

After clawing their way back to tie the score at 5, Percival came in the 9th, and the Angels bumbled their way to allow 2 runs to score.

Very disappointing. Julio Ramirez, just up from the minors, had a horrible game for the Angels -- base running mistakes, throwing mistakes.

Tomorrow's a day off.

On a side note: Dodgers fell behind 4-0, and I thought they were going to get swept again by the Giants, but Dodgers responded with 16 (that's right, SIXTEEN) unanswered runs.
wowow!!

Well, tonight is the start of a 3-game series vs. those RED HOT Yankees, coming in fresh off of a blow-out sweep of the Twins.

Boy, the Yankees beat the hell out of those Twins.

We'd better get our act together, or you're gonna see the Yanks pull off another sweep.

Tonight action will be recounted second-hand (i.e. from what I read from ESPN.)

Will be glued to TV set watching Lakers vs. Wolves. If we can take this 2nd game and go up 2-0, the game is over.

4/22/03 update: Yanks 8 Angels 3

Not much to say....still bummed out from the Lakers' losses.

As for the Yanks, superior pitching / offense / defense.... man, a 17-3 start. Who's going to stop them from winning the title?

4/23/02 update: Yanks 9, Angels 2.

Clemens won his 297 game, and beat Angels for the 28th time in his career, most of any team he's pitched again.

I do not know how Yankees can lose. It's frightening to see a team with hitting, pitching, and defense all clicking at the same time.

But there is one bright spot: it can't get any better than this for the Yanks. And the time to be hot and gain momentum is heading INTO the playoffs. Time will tell if they will reach 100+ games won, which seems to be a given.

but then again...both Mariners and Indians won 100+ games, and still didn't even reach the World Series

4/24/03: Angels 6, Yanks 2

Angels averted a 3-game sweep by winning the rubber match.

Ortiz pitched a whale of a ball game, albeit only 5+ innings. Then the bullpen kept the lead.

Salmon hit his 6th homer of the season, with 16 RBIs and .325 BA.

Looks to be headed to his 1st ever All Star game, esp. given that he's usually a slow starter in April.


Eckstein clawing his way back to .250 after being under Mendoza line.

On to the Red Sox this weekend, who got rocked by the Rangers today 16-5.

4/25/03: Angels 2, Red Sox 5...

slowly slipping away from the division title, as Mariners and A's keep winning while Angels keep losing.

They got bit by homers again.

Tried to rally in 8th and 9th inning, but came up short.

Eckstein slowly crawling up the batting average.

4/26/03 update: Angels 3, Red Sox 1

Finally, some pitching!! Eckstein steam rolling now, with another 2 hits as he tries to go from .187 to .300

Fortunately, the Mariners lost 2 games out of the 3 vs the Tigers (wow1!!), with another game Sunday. A's won.

We're slowly crawling up the division. Gotta beat up on teams outside of the AL West.

Tomorrow is a tough one, with Pedro on the mound, who's 7-1 against us career-wise, and an incredible 30-3 against AL West teams.

Then it's on to SARS-plagued Toronto.

Not sure if I'll be watching tomorrow game on ESPN vs. Red Sox ...Lakers play, and if they lose, I'll be drowning out my sorrows in Heinekens.

4/27/03 update: Angels 4, Red Sox 6

Angels lost on back to back homers in 14th inning.

They did a good job against Pedro..but couldn't pull out the victory.

With all these losses, they slowly slip slide from the division leaders Mariners and A's.

Can't expect to have a winning streak like they had last year.

4/28/03: no games scheduled today.

Next up, we visit Cleveland before heading to Toronto, where the Royals grumbled about having to travel to a SARS-plagued place, then played as if they were already sick, losing Sunday after having a 5-run lead in 8th inning.

On a side note, my Dodgers had a 3 game sweep of Pittsburgh over the weekend, then promptly got shut out by Phillies today 3-0.

4/29/03: Angels 10, Cleveland 1.

A huge offensive game for the Angels. Ramon Ortiz is showing his stuff this year after a very slow start. Now 4-2. Nice complete game, which one doesn't see much anymore.

While this may seem like a great win, both Mariners and A's won as well. So no games gained on the leaders.

Angels got some big time catching up to do.

On a side note: Dodgers won 6-1 over the Phillies and the Lakers blew out Wolves.

So, a rare 3 wins by the local home teams tonight!!!

4/30/03: Angels 6, Indians 2.

For the second game in a row, the starting pitchers came through. It was Ortiz pitching a complete game last night, giving up only 1 run; and now Washburn gives up only 2 runs in 8 innings.

two 2-run homers by Molina and Fullmer helped Angels keep up the scoring, and Eckstein is continuing his nice hitting after a horrible slump in April.

Salmon currently hitting over 0.300 and looks headed for his first All-star game.

Mariners lost to Yanks; but Oakland won.

5/1/03 update: Rain out b/t Indians and Angels, a good thing for the Indians in 2 respects.

1. Doubleheaders usually result in each team winning one.

2. Angels were just pounding the stuffing out of Cleveland pitching, so they get a reprieve.

On a good note: both Mariners and A's lost to Yankees and White Sox respectively

5/2/03 update: Angels 1, Blue Jays 3

Lackey pitched a pretty good game, but gave up a 3-run homer in the 1st and that did him in.

Salmon hit a homer for the Angels lone run

So far this year, Angels have given up some pretty damaging 3-run home runs. Solo shots are much preferred.

Lackey hasn't yet regained the form that made him 9-4 last season, not to mention winning game 7 World Series

We gotta start beating up on these lesser opponents. Tough enough to beat the A's and Mariners.

5/3/03 update: Angels 1, Blue Jays 7

Another damaging home run given up by Angels pitching, but instead of it being a 3-run homer, it was a grand slam this time.

Angels stopped hitting the minute they entered Canadian border.

Eckstein did hit his 2nd homer of the season.

Oakland and Seattle both won....and Angels slowing slipping down the standing.

On a side note: Dodgers winning 4-1 in bottom of 8th inning. Shawn Green hit a 2-run homer to break game wide open. Gagne looks to pitch to 9th for another save.

5/4/03: Blue Jays 8 Angels 2

Got swept by the Blue Jays in this 3-game series. Wasn't even close. Ortiz pitched a bad game, and Angels offense was stymied the entire series.

Now in last place, as Mariners and A's continue their winning ways.

Not good!

5/503 update: an off-day for both Angels and Dodgers.

On a side note: Lakers lost but the Mighty Ducks won!!

5/6/03 update: Angels 6, Indians 1.

Well, the Angels returned from a disastrous trip to Canada, where they were swept in 3 games, and dominated both offenisvely, and pitching-wise.

Returning home, Angels saw their ace Washburn pitch a rare complete game to even his record to 3-3.

Molina broke open a fairly close ball game with a 3-run homer.

Angels have been beating up on Cleveland so far, winning 2 games at Jacobs Field (game 3 was rained out)..and then winning the 1st game here. Game 2 tomorrow.

On a side note: Dodgers lost 3-2 to the Mets. Piazza had a mole removed, and since he didn't play, there was nothing eventful happening.

Dodgers are getting to the point where they have to play for the wildcard position. Giants are just absolutely on fire!! Bonds hit another homer today, I think it's his 11th.

5/7/03 update: Angels 6, Indians 5

A tremendous rally by the Angels, after being down 4-1 and then 5-2, to come back and win the game.

I think they just play much much better at home.

Lackey wasn't very sharp again today...what did he do this off-season, just sit on the couch and rest on his game 7 victory in World Series.

But the relievers did their job in holding down the Indians until Angels made their comeback.

Incredibly, Glaus was a double away from hitting for the cycle.

5 straight games Angels have now won vs. the Indians.

Next up are the Blue Jays. We need to return them the favor for sweeping us out of Canada last weekend.

5/8/03: Angels 7, Indians 1. A belated update b/c I was not able to get online late last night until tonight.

Angels have won 6 out of 6 games vs Indians, and basically dominated them.

Garret Anderson broke the game wide open with a grand slam.

Just a fabulous picthing performance by Appier, who really hasn't done too well.

Angels start their slow climb out of the cellar....still quite a ways from A's/Mariners.

Toronto comes in to town for the weekend series; Angels hope to return the favor by sweeping them this weekend.

Right now, it's the top of 2nd inning, no score..

5/9/03: Angels 6, Blue Jays 1.

Nice game of pitching by Aaron Sele as he attempts to make a comeback from injuries suffered last year.

The pitching and hitting are clicking..and Angels slowly begin their climb back over 0.500 ball. Currently sitting at 17-17

The Angels have won 4 in a row, ever since a closed door meeting by Manager Mike Scioscia.

5/10/03 update: Blue Jays 7 Angels 4

another game where Blue Jays offense just dominated the Angels pitching, as Blue Jays scored 5 times in 6th inning to break open a 2-2 tie.

Blue Jays, for whatever reason, have the Angels number.

Angels tried to rally in 7-8th innings, but failed to score with runners in scoring position.

Tomorrow's rubber match has ace Washburn pitching for Angels.

On the bright side, Mariners and A's also lost, so no ground gained nor lost.

5/11/03 update: Blue Jays took 2 out of 3 at Anaheim, combined with the sweep of 3 games last weekend.

Blue Jays have the Angels number. A's won, Mariners won.

boy, it's a good thing this is a 162-game season, b/c Angels just don't have it so far this year.

5/12/03: Angels are off today, as is the majority of AL teams except for MN vs KC.

Angels travel to New York to play the vaunted Yankees.

Although they will not face Clemens in his quest for 300 wins, they start the 1st two games vs Wells and Mussina.

uh oh!!!

5/13/03 update: Angels 10, Yanks 3

how about them Angels? After struggling with Toronto, losing 5 out of 6 to them,

Angels came into Yankees Stadium, faced the red-hot Mussina, and promptly spanked him for a 10-3 victory.

Anderson hit a 2-run homer; Spiezo, struggling mightily and in a 1 for 23 slump, hit a solo shot. Eckstein, batting .325 ever since going 3-for-31, went 4 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

Lackey pitched a wonderful game.

Now, the Angels face Wells, another red-hot pitcher.

5/14/03 update: Angels 5 Yanks 3

Angels beat both redhot Mussina yesterday and then Wells today, coming from behind after falling behind by 2 runs.

Angels are now 5-2 vs Yanks so far this season, with the rubber match coming tomorrow.

From sportsline.com:

"...Troy Glaus doubled home the go-ahead run off David Wells in a three-run eighth inning and Scott Spiezio was 4-for-4 as the Anaheim Angels kept beating the New York Yankees, rallying for a 5-3 victory Wednesday night..."

And Spiezio went 4-4. In this series, he raised his BA from 0.180 to 0.215.

And get this!!! --- Detroit beat Mariners; and Cleveland beat A's.

Can't do better than that!!!!!

Angels now back to 0.500, now 4 1/2 games behind both teams.

Boy, wouldn't that be something if Angels sweep the Yanks AT their stadium, huh?

5/14/03 update: Yankees 10 Angels 3

Yanks get away with one victory as Weaver pitched a good game.

Yanks jumped on Aaron Sele early and didn't let up, as he gave up 5+ runs

I thought Scioscia should've pulled him out in the 2nd after he gave up 5 runs, but alas he didn't and Yanks kept scoring.

Soriano started it all with a lead-off homer.

5/15/03: Angels 6 Red Sox 5.

Angels won 2 out of 3 vs the Yanks and their red-hot pitchers Mussina and Wells, both of whom were undefeated.

Now, they face a red-hot team in the Red Sox.

Promptly fell behind 4-0 before rallying to tie the score.

And Jeff DaVanon made a game saving home-run catch that he eventually dropped. It resulted in a Nixon triple, but the next Red Sox batter grounded out.

Percival came in for the 6th save.

Nomar had a hit, in 17th consecutive game.

Tomorrow's game is early 1pm EST, and first one on Fox.

5/17/03 update: Angels 6 Red Sox 2

It was a close, well pitched game through 7 innings, as both Lowe and Washburn were on their game.

Score was 2-1 headed into the 8th, then Glaus hit a 2-run homer in the 8th to give Angels the lead.

In 9th inning, with runners on 1st and 2nd and one out, Eckstein hit a fly ball to Nixon, who caught it, thought it was the third out, tossed the ball to a little boy in the seats, and Molina scored from 2nd base as a result.

Last player to do that was Larry Walker.

Angels got 3 insurance runs in the 8th....and Percival closed the door.

But, Mariners won as well, so no ground gained.

So far, what looked like a tough road trip has been fun! Angels won 2 of 3 from Yankees. Now won the first 2 from Red Sox, both come from behind victories, and look to sweep tomorrow.

Angels now 22-20 after a terrible start that saw them 6 games under 0.500

Still 5 1/2 out from Mariners and 4 from A's.

Just keep chugging along. Still a long ways to go.

5/18/03: Red Sox 5, Angels 3

Lackey and the Angels fell behind for the 3rd straight game as Boston put up 4 runs in 2nd, followed by Manny Ramirez solo shot in 3rd.

That was all Burkett needed, as he pitched a whale of a ball game.

Angels almost mounted a comeback, but with a runner on 3rd in 8th inning and less than 2 outs, they didn't score.

Nice road trip, taking 2 of 3 from Boston and NY

Unfortunately, Seattle kept winning.

Angels now back to 0.500 again.

Day off Monday

5/20/03: Angels 7, Orioles 6.

Just a tremendous rally by the Angels after falling behind 4-0 in the 1st inning. Appier will not last long, as he has been the weak link.

But, Troy Glaus hit 2 homers and a double; Garrett had a 2-run homer.

And in the 9th, down by a run, Glaus doubled, and Fullmer singled him in. Fullmer was out trying to stretch the single to a double. Spiezo hit a triple, and the Orioles decided the walk the next 2 batters to load the bases.

Eckstein hit a line drive to a 5-man infield; shortstop trapped the ball, then threw it to the catcher, who dropped it. Spiezo score the game winner!!!

Too bad the Mariners and A's won as well.

5/21/03: Orioles 7 Angels 6.

Aaron Sele, like Appier yesterday, got the Angels down by a quick 5 runs.

Angels crawled back to 5-4 before Frankie Rodriguez gave up 2 runs in 8th inning.

Glaus is red hot, hitting a solo shot. Angels had a runner on and Salmon at bat with 1 out, down by 2. But Salmon grounded into a double play.

It's a shame appier and Sele are still pitching. Getting paid a ton of money, and can't pitch worth a darn.

But, Mariners and A's both lost.

As for K-rod, his rookie card was one of the hottest in this season, but he's giving up run after run this season.

5/22/03 update: Orioles 7 Angels 4

Very very disappointing game.

Angels had 4-3 lead going into the 9th on superb pitching by Ortiz and Donnelley.

Percival came in, and the first 3 Orioles got on base. Some minor leaguer who just got called up a couple of days ago then hit a grand slam.

And that was that.

Angels now 7 1/2 out of 1st and fading fast!!

5/23/03: Devil Rays 3 Angels 1.

Not a bad pitching performance by Washburn, but the Angels gave no run support.

Last year, Angels were beating up on bad teams while splitting with the great teams.

THis year, not so.

Now 8 1/2 games out of 1st place.

Very disappointing.

And for the Dodgers---- their 8th consecutive victory, as Shawn Green, on the anniversary of hitting 4 homer and going 6-6 with a MLB tying 19 total bases, hit a 3-run homer to lead the Dodgers to the victory.

Combined with Giants loss, Dodgers now only 2 1/2 games out of 1st place and coming on strong for the wildcard.

Giants went 15-2, and now have been playing below average ball.

No saves for Gagne this time, as he was given a rest by Manager Tracy; Mota pitched 3 innings of great relief to get the save.

5/24/03: Angels 7, Tampa 2

An offensive explosion, spear headed by Troy Glaus' 4 hit performance, including a solo shot and a bases-loaded clearing double and a stolen base.

Got good pitching from struggling John Lackey.

Angels now 1 game under 0.500

They need to get tomorrow's rubber match. Already, they've lost 2 of 3 to lowly Baltimore at home; and can't afford to lose this series at home as well.

Now with Mariners continually winning.

Angels came in today in last place, 1/2 game behind Texas

5/25/03: Dodgers 5 Brewers 1

Now that the Dodgers are back into the hunt for the play-offs.. I am gonna start keeping updates on these fellas

Brown continued the Dodgers dazzling pitching performance, as he went 8+ innings to get the win.

Both Brown and Sheets pitched a great game, until Sheets gave up McGriff's 2-run homer , 486 of his career.

Then Lo Duca hit a 3-run bomb...and game was basically over.

Gagne didn't have to pitch any of these games. And with Monday off, he'll be well rested as Dodgers travel to play Colorado

Right now, Rockies leading Giants 3-0 in bottom of 7th, and if Giants lose, Dodgers are a whopping 1/2 games back. wowowowow

10 straight victories, it's been since 1980 when that occurred.

5/25/03 update: angels 6 Devil rays 1

Well, it's about time; angels took a series from devil rays after losing the previous series to the Orioles.

Nice pitching by Appier, who has a 7-0 record vs Tampa.

Mariners lost and A's won, with a 2-run 9th inning homer by Erubiel Durazo to tie the ball game and a run in extra inning to win it ---- nice A's comeback.

Rangers lost, so Angels now 1 1/2 games out of last place, and
6 1/2 games from 1st. 3 1/2 from the A's.

Next up is 2 games at Baltimore and 4 vs. Tampa --- all on the road. Should produce 4-5 wins from this 6 game trip

5/26/03 update:

Both the Dodgers and the Angels are off for today.

But, I'll be watching ESPN all day, as Roger Clemens goes for 300.

Right now, it's raining at Yankees Stadium, so ESPN is showing the Tigers vs. Indians and Detroit is having an offensive explosion!!!!

2-2 score, bottom of 1st, 2 outs, bases loaded for Tigers

5/27/03 update: without even having played a game, the Dodgers come into Tuesday's game vs Colorado tied for 1st, as Giants lost Monday to Colorado and have lost 11 of their last 16, while the Dodgers are 10-0 in the last 10.

Dodgers swept Colorado at home, but now go to CoorsField, where the Rockies play very well, having just beaten the Giants 3 of 4.

Can the pitching staff continue their tremendous pitching, where the ERA has been less than 2 in their last 10 games?

We'll see.

And the Angels play at Baltimore for a 2-game series today.

Updates tonight

EKK Doesn't look to good for the Anges tonight...the O's bats are HOT!

5/27/03: Orioles 12, Angels 4

Not worth talking about, as the bad starting pitching continues

And for the Dodgers

Rockies 7, Dodgers 3

as the Rockies scored 5 runs in the 1st inning and cruised to an easy victory. McGriff lost the ball in the sun, leading to a 2-run error. Dodgers closed to within 5-3, before Mota gave up 2 more runs.

That's the problem with having little offense. Any time the pitching staff gives up 3 runs, game is over.

5/28/03 update: in one sentence: Angels and Dodgers lost.

And now the ugly details

Angels 2, Orioles 6
That minor leaguer just called up did it again, hitting his 2nd grand slam in less than 2 weeks vs the Angels. Ortiz pitched a terrible game; and the offense didn't do anything. Orioles have won 3 of 4 from the Angels, who now travel to play Tampa for a 4-game series. Angels getting further and further away from the Mariners.

Dodgers 0, Rockies 6
The Dodgers have such a weak hitting offense that they actually got shut out at Coors Field; what's more; they didn't come close to threatening for a run, as they only had 3 measly singles.
As with yesterday, Rockies jumped out to an early lead in 1st-2nd innings, and game was basically over. Pretty much the entire Dodgers offense is in a slump. Now 2 games behind the Giants.

5/30/03 update: Rockies 12 Dodgers 5

The Rockies offense just totally overwhelmed the Dodger pitching staff in sweeping the 3-game series.

Prior to this series, Dodgers pitchers were 10-0 in 10 straight games with 1.50 ERA.

Colorado rocked the Dodgers, who now fall 2 1/2 games out.

5 runs by the Dodgers is monstrous performance, and they should've won this game; but alas, it wasn't to be.

5/29/03: Angels 2, Devil Rays 1

both pitchers, Washburn of the Angels and Zambrano of the D-rays, pitched well enough to deserve the victory.

zambrano gave up 2 runs in 1st running, then shut down Angels after that.

but Washburn pitched one of the finer games for the Angels this year -- very good performance, and boy did the Angels need it, what with the Mariners winning yet again.

5/30/03:

Dodgers 3, Brewers 5...Dodgers had a 3-1 lead, until Milwaukee scored 4 runs with 2 outs, led by Sexson 2-run shot.

Once the Brewers scored those 4 runs, you knew the game was over, b/c the Dodgers are just absolutely weak hitters, and McGriff is a very very old 1st basemen, with no mobility to chase down foul balls, and little ability to dig out short hops from the infielders.

Angels lost to the Devil Rays. There is no TV coverage for the Rays series (except yesterday's ESPN2), so I won't experience much angst over them losing.

Lackey was given a 3-0 lead, and just didn't have it. The starting pitching staff has a 6.0 ERA while the relievers have a 2.40 ERA.

Mariners won. Angels now 9 1/2 games out.

Looks like the lights are out. but at least the Angels gave us a tremendous year last year, one to last a lifetime.

((SIGH))

the angels are currently on a skid, they lost 4 out of 5 to my O's

Your Orioles are playing good baseball.

We are playing bad baseball, and given that we're 9 1/2 games out of 1st place, it's do or die time, b/c the Mariners are pulling away really fast with the division title

5/31/03 update: Angels 6 Tampa 1

A well pitched game by Appier, something sorely needed by the Angels, as he came within 1 out of a shut-out.

Angels scored runs in the first 4 innings, and Appier did the rest.

Salmon and Garrett Anderson had hits to keep their 0.300 level

Eckstein is struggling mightily, having not scored a run in his last 11 games.

Mariners won yet again vs the Twins, with clutch hits with 2-outs to score their 1st 2 runs.

Dodger update coming up tonight.

5/31/03 Dodger update

Dodgers 3 Brewers 0

Kevin Brown looks to be back to his old form, as he shut out Brew crew over 8 innings, giving up 6 lousy hits and had 6 K's. Brownie hasn't lost to Brewers since 1995

Boy, did the Dodgers need this win, having lost 4 in a row and 3 1/2 games behind the Giants.

McGriff supplied all the need power with his 487th career home run. He may just get to 500 homers this year!

Great Dodger defense, too, esp. by Beltre, who's not hitting worth sh*t, but still plays the 3rd base position just fine.

Giants also won. But Dodgers are closing in on Expos for wild card position.

6/1/03 update:

Dodgers 3, Brewers 4. Dodgers had a 3-2 lead but blew it. Was a fairly solid pitched game on both sides; and the Brewers basically had a bit more offense. Nothing much else to say about this game.

Giants won again, so now the Dodgers are 4 1/2 games back.

Angels 9, D-rays 4
DaVanon looks like he has at least secured a spot on the bench once Erstad comes back. Today, in the leadoff spot for Eckstein, who has been struggling mightily and was given the day off, DaVanon went 4-5 with 4 runs scored, 3 RBIs, and 2 solo blasts.

Nice bit of pitching by Sele, who has pitched pretty poorly most of this year.

Garrett Anderson went 0-5 and is now under 0.300. He's also in a big time slump

No ground gained as Mariners again won. I believed they swept the 4 game series from the twins.

6/2/03 update:

day off for most teams as inter-league play starts tomorrow. Giants lost to Rockies, Padres beat the D'backs, and Cleveland swept white Sox.

Angels face Expos in Puerto Rico --- no TV for this series

Forgot who the Dodgers will face.

should be fun -- I like inter-league play

6/3/03:

great day today!!

Angels 15 Expos 4, game played at Puerto Rico, where fly balls were flying outta here!!

Homers by DaVanon (2) - 2nd multi-homer home in less than 1 week; Glaus, Salmon, and Molina.

Every starter had at least one hit, except for Spiezo and Pitcher Ortiz.

Great game for the Molina brothers returning home to Puerto Rico in front of friends and family - Benji had a 3-run shot, and 4 of 5 hits. Jose had pinch-hit single.

A's lost, and Angels are now 1 game over 0.500. Mariners won.


Dodgers update:
Dodgers 4, KC 3

very tight ball game 3-3 in bottom of 9th
Dodgers got 4 walks in the inning to get the GW run.
Giants lost, so Dodgers now 2 1/2 games behind, and closing in on Expos for the wild card spot!!

6/4/03:

Angels are loving Hiram ballpark in Puerto Rico. Second game in a row that they scored in double digits as they beat the Expos 11-2.

Garrett Anderson hit 3 homers
Jeff Davanon now has 3 straight games with 2 homers
Glaus and Fullmer also homered.

After hitting six homers yesterday to tie a franchise record, Angels hit 7 today.

Washburn had a quality start, giving up 1 run in 6 innings.

Great offense and good pitching helped Angels to get to 2 games over 0.500.

Mariners keep winning..but Angels 3 games behind Yanks and 3 1/2 games behind A's for wild card spot. Doesn't look like Mariners are going to lose any time soon

Dodgers 1 KC 2.
Not much to say about a game that had great pitching. KC did just enough to get the victory.

With Giants winning in the bottom of the 9th, Dodgers now 4 games out of 1st place, but 1/2 games behind Expos for wildcard

6/4/03 update:

Angels 6, Expos 7

Angels scored 2 runs in top of 14th inning, only to see Callaway give up 3 runs to lose the game.

Callaway should be gone soon, now that Percival will be back, and Sele and Appier appear to be pitching ok.

The division title is pretty much over, as Angels are now 10 1/2 games out.

Dodgers leading KC 3-2 in top of 8th, Brownie pitched a great game, now we'll see if the Dodgers can hold KC scoreless in 8th inning for Eric Gagne in the 9th

6/5/03 update: 1 day delay due to time spent on NBA Finals stats for the trivia

Dodgers 2-1 over White Sox, nice pitching by Kaz Ishii over Buerhle, who pitched a pretty good game himself.

A Jordan homer, and a Loduca RBI single and that was the anemic Dodger offense; fortunately, the pitching was great yet again. And Gagne (who was drafted in 1995 by the White Sox, but didn't sign) once again shut the door. He's got an incredible 58 or so Ks to only 7 walks!?!?!? Gagne now 21-21 in saves this year and about 29-29 going back to last year.

Giants won, so no ground gained, so did the Expos

Angels 1 FL 4
Appier gave up a 3-run homer to Ivan Rodriguez, and that shut the door, as the Angels bats went silent. Mariners won again, and Angels now 10 1/2 games back.

Barring a miracle in which the Angels win 10 and Mariners lose 10, the division title looks to be the Mariners, and now it's on to the wildcard spot

6/6/03 update: Angels got back on track with a 9-2 blasting of FL.

G. Anderson is red hot. Ever since he went 0-5 to drop below 0.300 BA, he's been scorching, having hit 6 homers in last 5 games, including a 3-run shot in this game.

Unfortunately, no TV yet again, so can't say much more about this game. Although I noticed Eckstein was "rested" again in favor of Benji Gil. Eck has been in a horrific slump.

Mariners and A's both rained out, but Boston won. Angels have to start putting together a streak of several wins in a row...the division appears lost; but not the wild card

Dodgers 1, White Sox 4
Bartolo Colon pitched a gem of a game, finally giving up a run in the 9th inning. Once the White Sox got 2 runs in the 3rd, it was lights out for the anemic Dodgers offense.

Colon was hot, retiring 19 (that's right, 19) straight batters.

Giants won again, and now 4 games up on Dodgers.
Expos also beat the Rangers, so now 1 game up in wild card hunt

6/8/03 update:

Angels 8 FL 5

Ortiz didn't pitch a particularly good game, but the offense more than made up for it. he gave up 5 ER in just 6 inning, but great relief work by the Angels, as Percival got his 8th save, having come off the DL several days ago

G. Anderson is red-hot, 2 more hits, with 1 RBI. Glaus hit a homer
These two are most likely to make the All Star game

Mariners kept winning...so all the Angels can do is shoot for the wildcard, as they're just a few games behind Red Sox and A's

Eckstein should get some sort of award. He always hustles and come through in the clutch. Go Eckstein!

I certainly agree! But he has to hustle like he does, b/c he's a very small guy, and not particularly strong arm from the shortstop position.

But, he's certainly adored in Anaheim.

Right now, he's got a badly bruised hand, and he's been in a big time slump.

Erstad comes back tonight vs the Phillies, and it looks like Percival is ok, although he is not throwing the fast ball as hard as he used to

6/9/03:

Only one game in MLB today, and it was Phillies vs Angels, with Erstad coming back.

Padilla pitched a whale of a ballgame, as he and the Philllies shut out the Angels 3-0

Washburn pitched a fairly good game as well; but it was all Padilla today

6/10/03:

Dodgers 3, Tigers 1
In a game of the 2 weakest offenses (emphasis on OFFENSE), it took, naturally, 12 innings for Dodgers to win.

Nomo pitched a great game, 7 innings, 1 ER, 6 K's
The relievers did a great job as well

as well as Nomo pitched, Tigers' Knotts was even better, as he pitched a 1 ER, 8-inning ball game.
The Relievers also did well

But, alas, someone had to win, and that happened in the 12th, as Alex Cora singled in 2.

Gagne got his 22nd save in 22 tries.

Giants got beat by White Sox, who just took 2 of 3 from Dodgers.

Angels 2, Phillies 1
Well pitched ball game by both Lackey and the Philllies pitchers. Angels scored the winning run on a wild pitch.

Oak and Atl are tied 3-3 in 11th; Expos lead Mariners by 1 in 8th inning; Cardinals beat Red Sox; Yanks won.

Angels have to start hoping the teams above are losing and losing soon, b/c while the division title looks to be over; the wildcard is still very much in reach

6/12/update: this is late....but better late than never

Dodgers 3, Tigers 1

Kevin Brown won his 8th in a row, and is the first 9-game winner for the NL; looks to be headed to the All Star game as he lowered his measly 1.50+ ERA even lower.

McGriff went 1-4 with an RBI to tie Joe Dimaggio on the RBI's list; but he's still bating under 0.250
Green went 0-2 with an RBI. Slumping as mightily as Sosa, both with about 6-7 homers.

Not much in the way of offense for these two teams that are #1 and #2 in lowest runs scored per game.

But Dodger pitching is keeping them near the division leaders.
Giants won, 11-4, as Bonds went deep for the 17th time.
Expos also won, beating the Mariners for the 2nd straight time (WOWOWOW)
No ground gained on either leaders


Angels 5, Phillies 3
Nice comeback by the Angels, who trailed 3-1 before exploding to score 4, capped by a clutch single by Molina to tie the ball game and a 2-run shot by Gil, his 1st of the season

Fairly good pitching performance by Appier, who went 5 2/3. Then the majors #1 relieving staff took over, with Weber getting the win and Percival another save.

A's and Mariners lost, so Angels gained ground on both.

6/13/03 update: Dodgers 4 Indians 3

Great pitching by both teams (or was it bad OFFENSE, lol)

Gagne pitched in 3rd game in a row for 3rd save. He's now got 25 saves in 25 chances

Shawn Green and Jolbert Cabrera both went 2-5 with 1 RBI
Lo Duca extended his streak of games hit safely in (I think he's at 18)

Perez went 6 innings, allowing 3 ER


For the Indians, Bradley, Spencer, and Coco Crips (lolol) each had 2 hits.

Anderson pitched a good game with 5 innings, 1 ER, but the bullpen didn't do their job

KC beating the Giants 4-1 in 7th.
Dodgers currently 3 games behind.

6/13/03: Angels lost to the Mets 7-3

It's a shame that Mike Scioscia has such faith in Sele and Appier.

Both have struggled mightily this year.

And rather than pulling them out before the damage is done, he lets them stay in there to continue pitching.

Case in point: Sele was struggling with his control right from the start. In the 3rd, one could see that he just didn't have his stuff.
In the 4th, Mets scored 4 runs, then Sele was pulled.

lolol

Why wait until the horses have left the stable? Why not fix the problem right away?

Even the announcers for the Angels were saying that Sele was having a bad pitching performance, and this was the inning BEFORE he gave up those 4 runs.

lolol

6/14/03 update: Angels 13 Mets 3

No problems with pitching here, Angels started hitting right from 1st inning and never let up

Garret Anderson went 4-5, 2 homers, 3 RBIs, and has 61 total RBIs so far

Jeff Davanon relieved Erstad, and his a homer in the 8th...he's got 7 in June, tied with Garret for majors lead in June homers

The highlight of the game was a grand slam by Fullmer after the Angels and Mets were in a tight 3-2 ballgame. That broke the game open, needless to say

Jason Roach pitched his major league debut for the Mets, but gave up 7 runs.

Burnitz played CF and misplayed 2 balls for doubles by Salmon and Anderson that lead to a couple more runs

A's won, but the Mariners lost.

Angels now looking to win tomorrow to grab the 5th consecutive series they've won in a row

6/14/03: Dodgers 5 Indians 2

Dodgers won 5 straight, but the storyline was the Lo Duca and Milton Bradley trash talking

Bradley hit a homer, and right when he left the batter's box, started taking off his batting gloves.

Lo Duca didn't like it, said a few words, and the trash talking began. And it escalated when Bradley caught a short fly ball to the outfield; Lo Duca ran for 3rd to tag up, and Bradley threw him out, starting another war of words.

Lo Duca did get a double, hitting safely in 22. Brett Butler hit safely in 23 games back in 1990s

Andy Ashby pitched a good game; Wilson Alvarez got the save by pitching the last 4 innings

No work for Gagne, as he worked in saving the last 4 straight games for the Dodgers

David Ross had a fine game, 3 hits, 3 RBIs, a 2-run homer

Dodgers now 1/2 ahead of Expos for wildcard, and only 3 behind Giants.

how is k-rod doing I got graded cards of him?

Francisco started the season as the setup man to Percival; but his control problems led Scioscia to choose Donnelley, with a 0.38 ERA currently!!, to be the setup man.

So K-Rod basically pitches when Angels are up a bunch of runs or down a bunch of runs.

With Percival having injuries with his hip (although he is fine now), K-Rod is being groomed for the next closer of the Angels in 2-3 years. He's only 21 or so, so there are many years left. He's got a tremendous fastball, but needs to figure out better command of his breaking balls.

K-Rod's a good one; even has a family of his own, and stays out of trouble off-the-field.

6/15/03 update: Dodger 4, Indians 3

Dodgers swept 3 at Detroit, then swept 3 from the Indians for a perfect 6-0 Interleague record.

Gagne pitched his 26 save in 26 chances; he's got 34 straight saves dating to last year.

Nomo pitched a great game. 7 innings of 1 ER and 8 K's.

S. Green went 1-4 with 3 RBIs
Lo Duca went 2-4, he now has 23-game hitting streak

all the trashtalking b/t Bradley and Lo Duca stopped today as they made up


KC beat SF despite Bonds homer

Dodgers closing in on Giants, 2 behind them; Giants at Dodgers Stadium this coming Tuesday!!

omg man i thought the angels were good how could they get shutout by the mets??????? 8-0 i hated that i dropped trachsel threw a 1 hitter for brandon webb a promising better den trachsel starter

6/15/03 update: Angels 0, Mets 8

Trachsel was hot today, and Angels helped out by swinging right from the heels.

He had a no-hitter going until Eckstein broke it up with a single, and went to 3rd on 2-base error by the right-fielder in the 7th inning.

Other than that, nothing going for the Angels.

Jose Reyes blasted a grand slam off Washburn -- nice homer by the rookie just called up.

Burnitz also blasted a homer.

Mets took 2 of 3 from the Angels.

Angels now play the Mariners, and need to take the series to get back into the hunt for the division. Now 10 1/2 games out.

It's looking bleak..

dang that sucked i started washburn and i dropped trachsel this week sucked for my fantasy teams lol

Washburn hasn't done as well as I'd hoped; as a matter of fact, none of the Angels have. Consider tonight's game

M's 6, Angels 3

Angels got 3 quick runs off Pineiro in 1st inning, then got shut out the rest of the way.

Glaus is struggling, going 0-his last 21
Anderson did have 2 hits
Eckstein had an 0-fer

But the Mariners are just playing tremendous ball

Cameron hit a solo blast and added a 2-run homer for insurance to make the score 6-3, off K-Rod
Olerud also hit a 2-run homer

Angels now 11 1/2 games out

Dodgers had the day off. Tuesday -- it's the Giants!!!

it was great seein garret anderson get hott like how many homers in a span of games hes on my team as well

Garret currently is #6 in outfield in All Star votes; but there's 2 other ways he could get in:

players and coaches vote soon for the 9 positions available

and Scioscia will take him along as his choices, a privilege that managers who the the pennant get

6/17/03 update

Dodgers 4 Giants 1

great game by the Dodgers, who won for only the 2nd time in 8 meetings vs the Giants this year.

Lo Duca went 4-4, with a homer, and extended his hitting streak to 25 straight games. Brett Butler of the Dodgers last had a 23-game streak in 1990s

Brownie pitched another gem, allowing only 1 run in 7+ innings. This is the 11th STRAIGHT game he has pitched in which he allowed only 2 runs or less. He's now 10-1, with 2.00 ERA, and his only loss was earlier to Giants in the season. A definite Cy Young front-runner.

Bonds had a walk, and went 0-3

Gagne pitched for his 27 consecutive save in 27 tries, 35 if you count back to last year.

game 2 tonight --- Ishii pitches for the Dodgers


Angels lost 8-4. The division crown is over..and it's looking like the Angels will go meekly into the night, as their chances for a wildcard starts to slip away.

Bret Boone did the damage with a grand slam

6/18/03 update:

Angels 0, Mariners 2

Basically, this 3 game series has shown the superiority of the Mariners hitting, pitching, and defense.

Tonight, there wasn't much offense by either team; but the Mariners managed 2 runs; and Angels got shut out.

Now 12 1/2 games out.

Freddy Garcia was awesome in 8 innings, allowing only 5 hits, 2 by Fullmer.

Cameron and Wynn both went 1-4 with 1 RBI.

And that was it.

Mariners are flying away with the division.

Angels now back to 0.500 level and fading fast

6/18/03 update:

Dodgers 8, Giants 2

An offensive EXPLOSION, by Dodgers standards, as they scored 6 runs in the 7th inning. Heck, 6 runs is what they score in 3 full games.

Ishii made that stand up, with 6 innings of 1 ER allowed.

Lo Duca had a double to stretch his streak to 25, driving in a couple of runs.

Kinkade had a couple of hits, and made some nice plays at 1st base, his first start there while subbing for McGriff, out with injured groin.

Grissom hit a 9th inning meaningless homer

Bonds was again held in check for 2nd straight games.

Dodgers and Giants tied for 1st place; rubber match to be played tonight

Brown is scheduled to make his regular pitching duty, as he apparently isn't too hurt from the groin....but to be decided, still

Tonight, Perez pitches for the Dodgers

6/19/03 update:

Angels 2, Mariners 0

It finally took a shutout for the Angels to beat the Mariners, their only win in 4 games.

Owens had a solo blast

Benji Gil had a sac fly

That was the offense, as Ortiz out-dueled Moyer

Angels still way way way out of 1st place.

Next up is the Dodgers, for a 3-game series this weekend

6/20/03: Dodgers 5 Angels 2

a well pitched game by Nomo, who went 7 1/3 with 1 ER, 2 walks, and 6 K's

Dodgers exploded for 4 homers, all solo blasts: Green, Coomer, Davis, and Jordan

Garret Anderson hit one for the Angels.

Gagne pitched for his 28th save in 28 chances -- just remarkable!! He's got 8 walks, and 69 K's

That's an incredible ratio!!!

A's currently lead Giants 5-3 in top of 9th in Oakland
Bonds hit a solot shot for his 20th

a Giants loss will tie them with Dodgers for the lead

6/21/03 update: Dodgers 4, Angels 2

oh wow!! Gagne allowed an ER!!!!

Another great pitching performance by the Dodgers Andy Ashby.

Raul Mondesi put the game away with a 3-run homer early in the game, and that was basically hit.

Garret Anderson managed a double amongst his 2 hits...but Lackey was sluggish from the start, and paid for it in the 1st inning.

Dodgers now await the Giants-As game --- where it's 6-4 Giants in top 8th.

6/22/03 update: Angels 6, Dodgers 3.

Throughout this interleague series, neither team has swept the other.

But after 2 wins and with Brownie going today, it seemed ripe for a Dodgers sweep...which didn't happen, as Angels clawed their way to a 6-3 victory, aided by 3 hits from Garret, including a 2-run homer that added insurance runs in the top of the 9th inning.

Appier pitched well; as did Donnelley in relieving Weber, who gave up 2 runs to get the score to 4-3.

Brownie struggled throughout the game...his first bad start since April, and suffered his 2nd loss of the season.

Lo Duca had 3 hits, including a gift triple when DaVanon misplayed a liner.

Giants lost to the A's

Dodgers-Giants tied for 1st, as the Dodgers travel to N. CA to play them for a 3-game series.

Meanwhile, Angels travel to Seattle for a 3-game series, just a few days removed from losing 3-4 at home.

6/23/03 update

Dodgers 2 Giants 3

Dodgers rallied in the 9th for 2 runs to tie the ball game, with help from a Ray Durham error

then in extra innings, Gagne walked Bonds, who stole 2nd for his 500th stolen base

and promptly was single home for a win.

yick!!

6/24 update:

Dodgers 1, Giants 2
Not much to say. Dodgers leading 1-0, then Perez threw a pickoff attempt that appeared to nail the Giants base runner. Umpire called a balk,

Dodgers went wild, as did Oswaldo. Grissom promptly hit a 2-run homer, and that was all she wrote

Dodgers now 2 games back


Angels lost 6-3 or 6-4 to the Mariners. It doesn't really matter. The time has come for the team to realize its chances for the division are slim and none, with the Mariners winning 4 of the last 5 games these past 2 weeks.

And the chances for a wildcard also slipping away, as they're 7 games back of Oakland

Originally posted by gioperation
I hate the A's they beat my twins and that adam kennedy should be shot with a silver bullet.

I know this is a little off subject...but GI did you say you were good friends with LaTroy? He had one hell of a game tonight!

6/25/03 update

Dodgers 6, Giants 0
One day after which the Dodgers were steamed at a balk call that eventually led to 2 runs in the loss to Giants, 2-1, the Dodgers exploded for 6 runs.

a 3-run HR by Beltre and a solo shot by Kinkade helped the offense. Meanwhile Nomo did a great job shutting out the Giants and Bonds in 7+ innings.

Dodgers now 1 game back, and head to face the Angels at Edison Field starting Friday


Angels 6, Mariners 3

David Eckstein, placed in the #9 position to take pressure off of him (a huge slump that took him from 0.280s to 0.230s), responded with a 4-4 performance including a double and a 2-run HR in 8th inning that broke open a 4-3 game. The HR barely left over the 330 sign.....let's hope he starts hitting now

Ortiz pitched a pretty good game, as the Angels now need to win tomorrow to start a run at the wildcard.

A's lost to Rangers

6/26/03: update Mariners 10, Angels 6

A very bad day for the Angels, as they not only lost the game, but lost their DH, Fullmer, to a ruptured patellar tendon, for the rest of the season.

Ace Jarrod Washburn was given a 4-run lead, and promptly gave up 3 runs in the next inning.

Mariners just spanked the Angels, winning 5 of the 7 games. They don't meet again until September.

Fullmer was running hard towards 1st base on a grounder in the 8th inning, stretched to touch the bag, and his leg buckled -- it was a pretty bad sight on TV.

Angels don't have what it takes, and all they can hope for is the wildcard.

Dodgers come into town Friday with their ace, Kevin Brown

6/27/03 update:

Angels 2, Dodgers 0

Lackey pitched perhaps his best game of the season, besting the Dodgers ace Kevin Brown, for 7+ innings, with great relief by Brendan Donnelley, who has a 0.43 ERA!!!

Brownie pitched good, but was done in by RBI triple by Eckstein and RBI single by DaVanon (who went 3-4)

Giants crush A's 6-0, with Bonds' 21st homer; only 26 homers from tying Willie Mays

6/28/03 update: Angels 3, Dodgers 1

The Dodgers are such a WEAK hitting team that even when they have bases loaded, with one out, they can't even hit a sac fly.

For the last 2 games vs the Angels, Dodgers have had the runner on 3rd with 1 out, and both times, didn't score.

absolute pathetic offense.

But then again, this is exactly like the 1988 World Champions Dodgers, who couldn't hit a lick, but still managed some clutch hits and tremendous pitching.

Can they repeat this in 2003?

Only time will tell.

All I know is, if the Dodgers pitching staff gives up 3 runs...game is over

6/29/03: Angels 3, Dodgers 1

For the first time in interleague history b/t the 2 teams, there was a sweep, as the Angels took all 3 games at Edison Field, and hold an overall 20-18 record.

Benji Gil started the scoring with a triple, and came home on an Alex Cora throwing error. Angels scored 2 more runs, and you knew the weak hitting Dodgers were done for.

Aaron Sele pitched 5 shut out innings and was lifted. Scioscia is making plans to limit Sele to 5 innings, as it's apparent he doesn't have the arm strength for more than this. In his previous starts, the 6th+ inning is where Sele starts giving up runs

Mike Kinkade blasted a solo shot off closer Percival for the Dodgers lone run.

They scored 2 runs in these 3 games.

Ishii pitched well, but lost b/c he gave up a run.

Angels now play the Rangers starting Monday for a 3-game series, then face the A's.

podstock, i humbly bow
you are a true fan
ive been rooting for the angels since i was 6 (my dad grew up in OC) i sat threw all the late-season breakdowns (agh!) year after year...but now we win

and we get the bandwagon fans...they should be shot! well maybe not, but at least have a hampster crap in their breakfast cereal...ive got no idea where that just came from...think i need sleep

oh, we could use all fans in Anaheim, bandwagoners or not.

As for 6/30/03 update:

Rangers 6, Angels 3

Like most games this season, Angels were down early in the game 2-0.

The Rangers pitchers pitched a whale of a ballgame, the only mistake being a solo blast by DaVanon and a 2-run shot by Garret (who had an INCREDIBLE June, with something like 12 homers, and 30 RBIs, with 0.330 BA).

But the pitching staff just could not hold off the Rangers, who were aided by a 2-run insurance blast by A. Rod.

They kept Palmeiro in check, however.

Angels keep toying with 0.500 level, but can't stay firmly above it.
Now 1 game under 0.500

3 more games to go vs the Rangers, with Thursday being a 4th of July fireworks show

7/1/03: Angels 7, Rangers 5

Finally, the pitching staff held the opposition in check long enough for the Angels rather than giving up 5 runs in the 1st inning.

Michael Young gave the Rangers an early 1-0 lead with a solo blast (one of his 2 homers)

But the Angels roared back to tie the game in the bottom of the 1st inning on a DaVanon double, and sac fly by Salmon

Benji Molina blasted a 3-run bomb; Garret had a run-scoring double; and Glaus finally hit a homer.

A. Rod hada 2-run homer, but it was too little too late.

Angels now 1 game over 0.500

Still have a chance for the wildcard

7/2/03 update: Angels 5 Rangers 0

a FANTASTIC pitching performance by John Lackey for his first ever complete game shut out. This comes just 1 game after he beat Kevin Brown of the Dodgers, allowing 1 run in that game

A. Rod struck out THREE times and went 0-4
Palmeiro likewise was shut down

For the Angels, the first run came on an Adam Kennedy sac fly after a double by Molina put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out; Eckstein then doubled in the 2nd run and DaVanon tripled home Eck.

That was basically all Lackey needed, as he was just dominating!!

Salmon did blast a 2-run shot

7/3/03: Rangers 6, Angels 5

Hank Blalock's 2 homers helped do in the Angels, who made a good rally attempt but couldn't get that last run.

didn't see most of the ballgame, so don't have much comments to make, other than to say that Benji Molina is having a career year, more homers and almost as many RBIs as last year.

Angels vs A's tomorrow!!! Gotta start winning against the big boys if they are to make an attempt for the wildcard


Dodgers vs. Padres
Despite Kevin Brown pitching, the Padres scored 7 runs

so, it goes without saying the Dodgers lost once the Padres scored 3 runs.

lolol...incredibly weak offense, and I mean OFFENSE!

7/4/03: what a great pitching performance by both teams, as Angels won 1-0

Eckstein drove in the only run of the ballgame, scored by Benji Gil.

Mulder pitched a complete game, with 5 K's and only 99 pitches thrown.

But the Angels Sele (5 innings), K. Rod (2), Donnelley (1) and Percival (1) were better.

Angels now 5.5 back of A's.


Dodgers now in a tight battle 1-1 in 10th inning. D-backs have men on 1st and 2nd with 0 outs.

7/5/03 Dodgers update:
Dodgers 2, D-backs 0

After losing 10 of 11, and losing 6 straight, it took an Odalis no-hitter into the 6th and a couple of runs scored, for the Dodgers to finally pull out a game.

Gagne finally got save #30. In games he has appeared where the score is tied and he's not in a save opportunity, the team is 2-7. But, in save situations, he's 30 out of 30 and, if you count last year, he's 38 out of 38!!

Dodgers didn't do much on offense, again....but when the pitching gives up zero runs, all you need is one.

Dodgers now 1 game behind D-backs for 2nd place.

7/5/03 update Angels 6, A's 3

Angels roughed up the starting pitcher of the A's in the 1st, with a 3-run blast by Salmon, who later hit a solo shot.

Salmon, after going homer-less in 57 games; has 4 in the last week alone.

Ortiz pitched fairly well; Donnelley was brilliant again, and now has an 0.40 ERA (lowest among all MLB relievers with at least 40+ innings). Donnelley is headed to All Star game, or should be!

Anderson had an RBI single

Jose Molina, giving his brother Benji a day off, had a single and a double.

Angels kept Tejada in check for 2nd straight game; now they have a chance for the sweep tomorrow.

Earlier in April, A's swept 3 from the Angels at the Coliseum; Angels returned the favor with a 3-game sweep at Anaheim.

7/6/03: Dodgers 1, D-backs 2

what a shame.

Dodgers offense this year is even worse than their horrific offense in 1988 (the last time they won a title).

Men on 2nd and 3rd with 0 outs. Darryl Ward strikes out; Ross grounds into a double play.

if you had Dodger pitching and Rangers hitting, you've got the makings of a championship contender.

Dodgers just have no passion when they are playing.

Shawn Green doesn't dive for a bloop single that ended a no-hitter last night in the 8th inning. He says that if he dived and missed, the ball would've gotten away from him and the player might have ended up on 3rd.

What a crock. It was a softly hit blooper. Had he dived and missed, the ball wasn't gonna get away from him, b/ it was a play directly in front of him.

Green was roundly booed last night, and again this afternoon

7/6/03 update: Angels 5, A's 6

After Benji Molina's RBI double gave the Angels a 1-0 lead, Jarrod Washburn promptly walked the first batter he faced in the next inning, and gave up 3 runs, 2 on a bases loaded double by Mark Ellis.

a 4-1 lead looked good for Mark Mulder, but Angels crawled back to tie the game on a 2-run homer by Spiezo in top 9th; only to see the A's score the winning run on a sac fly in bottom of 9th

Angels off tomorrow; play the Royals Tues-Thurs

7/7/03 update:

Angels have the day off before a 3-game series vs Royals starting Tuesday

Dodgers are currently playing the Padres in the 6th inning. They're down 7-0.

For this entire season, they've averaged 3.14 runs a game
Since the past 14 games, they've averaged 2.34 runs a game.

I don't think we need to wait for the game to officially end, do we, before reporting the scores?

The pitching has finally caved in under the pressure. No pitcher can pitch well when he knows that if he gives up 2 runs, game is practically over. And should he allow 3 runs, the game might as well end on that spot

7/7/03 update:

Angels have day off; they play Royals in 3-game series starting tomorrow.

Dodgers down 7-0 in 7th inning. Will they come back against the Padres?

Well, during this season, they've averaged 3.14 runs a game
For the past 14 games, they've averaged 2.34 runs a game (not including the ZERO runs they've scored tonight).

So, game was over when the Padres put up a 5-spot back around 4th inning.

Pitchers can't pitch well when they know that if they give up 2 runs, they probably lose the game.

Man Shawn Green has to come out of his slump sooner or later.Whats wrong with him.

I think it has to do with his mechanics when he's batting. He's no longer hitting balls sharply, and when he does, it's going foul.

When he does hit a fair ball, it's weakly hit to the infielder

Green's now pressing big time, swinging at pitches that are totally out of the strike zone.

And by not diving for the bloop single that broke up Odalis Perez's no-hitter, our crowd is totally booing the hell out of Green.

Much like what they did to Sheffield

7/8/03 update: Dodgers losing to the Padres 6-1 in the 5th

Game over. Not waiting for it to end before giving a summary.

Dodgers now averaging 2.1 runs in their last 15 games; and 3.15 the entire season.

Does any Angels fan here like Eric Owens hitting in the DH spot? I'd say they should give the guy some time, he can be a good, solid hitter.

Tim

Eric Owens doesn't really fit well into the Angels system now that Jeff DaVanon has had a great June (he hit 8-10 homers, with 0.320+ BA).

DaVanon is needed to play right field, b/c Salmon is getting up there in age; and Salmon could DH

I don't know much about Owens, but from what I've seen, he's a pretty wild swinger. Perhaps if he had more at-bats, he could show how well he will do.

--------------------------------------------------
7/8/03 update: Royals 4, Angels 0

Mays totally baffled the Angels hitter the entire game.

Meanwhile, Lackey, who had 19 1/3 scoreless innings, gave up RBI hit to Michael Tucker and a 2-run shot to Guile.

With A's losing and Blue Jays losing, Angels had a chance to creep up towards wildcard

Originally posted by podstock
Eric Owens doesn't really fit well into the Angels system now that Jeff DaVanon has had a great June (he hit 8-10 homers, with 0.320+ BA).

DaVanon is needed to play right field, b/c Salmon is getting up there in age; and Salmon could DH

I don't know much about Owens, but from what I've seen, he's a pretty wild swinger. Perhaps if he had more at-bats, he could show how well he will do.

--------------------------------------------------
7/8/03 update: Royals 4, Angels 0

Mays totally baffled the Angels hitter the entire game.

Meanwhile, Lackey, who had 19 1/3 scoreless innings, gave up RBI hit to Michael Tucker and a 2-run shot to Guile.

With A's losing and Blue Jays losing, Angels had a chance to creep up towards wildcard

Yeah, he's a bench warmer but he had a solid season or two a few years back with the Padres. Like to see guys like that get a chance every once in a while.

Tim

7/9/03 Dodgers update: Dodgers 6 Cards 5

oh my gosh!!! Dodgers scored more than 2 runs!!

David Ross, catching for the Dodgers hit a solo blast, went 2-2 and 2 walks

Paul Shuey struck out Pujols with 2 outs and bases loaded.

And Gagne was sent to pitch in BOTH 8th and 9th inning. Gagne very rarely pitches in the 8th inning; but when you have lost 6 straight and 12 of last 15, you don't give the other team a chance to win the game

Gagne has 31 saves in as many opportunities and 38-38 straight saves going back to last year. Thus, the selection to the All star game.

Well, Tim, you asked for Eric Owens and he showed up big time tonight!!

Angels 5, Royals 3

Three key plays occurred tonight.

1. with 2 outs, men on 1st and 3rd, the Royals tried a double steal. Benji Gil, the SS, caught the throw from Molina and immediately fired it back to the catcher, who stood his ground, got barrelled over by Harvey, Royals 1st basemen

Molina got out of it fine; Harvey was out, and he was gimpy for the rest of the game, with sore knees and shoulder.

(btw, Jermaine Dye tried the same tactic in running over Molina this past week, injured his shoulder as he went out of the baseline to run over Molina and is out for 1 month. Had Dye tried to score with a slide; he most likely would be safe)

2. with runner on 1st in 8th inning; Spiezio made a fantastic diving grab and got the runner out at 1st

3. With 1 out, runners on 1st and 2nd, a fly ball was hit deep to right field. Owens caught the ball and fired a perfect strike to get the runner at 2nd base.

Wooten was the hero, with a 3-run shot to give Angels a 5-3 lead

7/10/03 update: Angels 7, Royals 1

Angels now 7-1 vs the AL Central, their only loss being just 2 days ago to the Royals when they were blanked 4-0 by May

Today, Garret Anderson was RED-HOT, hitting two 2-run homers, going 2-3 with 2 runs scored and 4 RBIs. Now has 82 RBIs and over 110+ hits in only 1/2 season!!

How good is Garret? Since 1995 (when he became full time starter, the year before he got 5 hits in 13 total at bats), only A. Rod and Jeter have more hits than Garret, and the margin b/t the 3 isn't that big!!


Adam Kennedy, the 2nd baseman with the McGwire-like swing, hit his 4th homer. This guy needs to shorten his swing, b/c he strikes out too often!

Aaron Sele, as has happened the previous 2 times, only pitched 5 innings and again won. Manager Scioscia has put a limit for Sele, telling him to pitch as hard as possible for 5 inning, and that's it.

So far, the experiment is working, although it taxes the bull pen, the 2nd best in the majors.

For the Royals, Guiel had the lone RBI, scored by Berroa.

Angels now go on to face the struggling Twins, who got swept by the Rangers.

7/10/03 Dodgers update: Dodgers 9 Cards 4

Dodgers scored 5 runs in the 1st inning!!!!!!

After scoring 6 runs yesterday, Dodgers unloaded for 9 today, for their best offensive explosion in weeks!!!

Perez was the starter, gave 4 runs in 5 innings, which would normally result in automatic loss when you pitch for the Dodgers this year.

But the Dodgers offense was terrific for the past 2 days.

Shawn Green went 4-5, with 2 doubles, 2 singles, 4 runs scored and 1 RBI

Lo Duca went 3-4 with 2 RBIs, upping his BA to 0.315. Lo Duca was born to hit, much like Piazza, but without the awesome power. How in the world he stayed in the minors for EIGHT years!?!?!?

Beltre had 2 hits and 2 RBIs, but barely is above Mendoza line with 0.215 BA

Pujols, struggling mightily vs NL West pitching, had 2 hits to raise his BA to 0.365

Bo Hart went 3-5 --- this guy is forcing La Russa to keep playing him!!

a 2-game sweep for the Dodgers, who now head to Colorado, where the Rockies are very very tough!!

7/11/03 Rockies 3. Dodgers 1

bottom of the 1st inning

Dodgers go Nomo a run in the top of the 1st.

Nomo proceeded to walk the lead off hitter, loaded the bases and promptly gave up a bases clearing double.

I am not watching the rest of the game.

3 runs is more than enough and the Rockies should win this game.

I cannot stand pitchers who are given a lead, and then promptly walk the first batter in the next inning.

For crying out loud, pitch the ball right down the middle of the plate and make him hit the homer.

7/11/03 Angels update: Angels 5, Twins 0

Great game by 2nd basemen Adam Kennedy, with 4 tremendous defensive playes (no hits in the game), including a play in the 8th in which he dove for a ball in the hole that was a sure base hit, got up and threw the Twin out.

Adam also made a great sprawling play in which a Twins player hit a laser off Ortiz, which bounced slowly towards 2nd base. Adam made a bare-handed play and threw the player out!

In the game, Salmon hit a 2-run homer and Spiezo add another 2-run blast.

Twins struggling, having lost 5 fo 6

Originally posted by podstock
Well, Tim, you asked for Eric Owens and he showed up big time tonight!!

Angels 5, Royals 3

Three key plays occurred tonight.

1. with 2 outs, men on 1st and 3rd, the Royals tried a double steal. Benji Gil, the SS, caught the throw from Molina and immediately fired it back to the catcher, who stood his ground, got barrelled over by Harvey, Royals 1st basemen

Molina got out of it fine; Harvey was out, and he was gimpy for the rest of the game, with sore knees and shoulder.

(btw, Jermaine Dye tried the same tactic in running over Molina this past week, injured his shoulder as he went out of the baseline to run over Molina and is out for 1 month. Had Dye tried to score with a slide; he most likely would be safe)

2. with runner on 1st in 8th inning; Spiezio made a fantastic diving grab and got the runner out at 1st

3. With 1 out, runners on 1st and 2nd, a fly ball was hit deep to right field. Owens caught the ball and fired a perfect strike to get the runner at 2nd base.

Wooten was the hero, with a 3-run shot to give Angels a 5-3 lead

He finally did some good :) Give the man (Owens) a round of a applause! LOL. Can you keep me updated on his progress? Thanks.

Tim

7/12/03 Angels update: Angels 6, Twins 1

Twins continue their slide with 7th consecutive losses; Angels have won 11 of 15 and a chance for a sweep tomorrow

Great pitching performance by Radke and Washburn through 6 innings, with Radke winning 1-0 on a Hocking solo blast.

Then came the 7th inning, and the dam burst open.

DaVanon (with 2 hits and 2 runs scored) and Kennedy started the rally with back to back singles. Erstad blasted a shot off the wall, ruled a single and a 2-base error, driving in 2 runs.

Spezio and Garret Anderson had run-scoring singles in the same inning.

In the 8th, with bases loaded, Spezio almost had a grand slam, coming within about 2-3 feet. But he settled for a sac fly, overall good day with 3 hits and 2 RBI

Angels still 5-6 games out of wildcard and 9 games out of division lead; but they are 5 games over 0.500 for the first time this season

7/13/03 update: Angels 8, Twins 3

Angels sweep the Twins, and head into the all star break winning 12 of last 16 games to get back into the hunt for the wildcard position with the Red Sox and A's

Angels are 8-1 vs AL Central (Mariners have played over 18 games and so have the A's vs the AL Central). In August, Angels will play 20 straight vs the AL Central -- a division they conquered last year. The same should happen this year

Torii Hunter went 2-3 with a 2-run blast

But that was it as John Lackey and the Angels relievers shut down the Twins. Angels starting pitchers have a less than 3.00 ERA these last 16 games and appear to be rounding into shape.

Donnelley pitched a scoreless 8th inning; his ERA is an incredible 0.38 in 41 games with 82 innings pitched!! 10+ years in the minors, a scab player in the 1990s strike, and now, an All STar!!

Garret Anderson wen 2-4 with a solo shot. He's got 22 homers, 78 RBIs and 117 hits. That's a season for most players!!!

Angels broke open a tight 4-3 game in the 8th inning with 4 runs off Latroy Hawkins

7/13/03 Dodgers update: Dodgers 9, Rockie 3

Ever since the 2-game trip to St. Louis this past week (which they swept), Dodgers have been exploding on offense.

Earlier this afternoon, the first 3 batters doubled (Izturis, Cora, Green) and the rally continued with a Cabrera bases clearing double for a 5-run 1st.

Wilson Alvarez made a surprising starting spot, and pitched ok, going 5 innings with 3 runs allowed.

Gagne finished off the 9th (no save, since he came in with Dodgers leading by 6)

Gagne now goes to the All Star game, the Dodgers lone All Star; Kevin Brown is hurt, and will not pitch.

Dodgers are in sole possession of 3rd place, about 3-4 games behind phillies for wild card spot.

D-backs look dangerous as Randy and Curt come back for entire 2nd half

7/14/03 update:

GUESS WHO WON THE HR DERBY?!?!?!

None other than the sweet swinging (this side of Rafael Palmeiro and Will Clark) Garret Anderson

in 1st round:

Sheffield 4
G. Anderson 7
Sexson 1
Boone 0
Pujols 4
Delgado 2
Edmonds 4
Giambi 12 (not sure exact number)


then in 2nd round:

it was Garret vs Edmonds and Pujols vs Giambi

Edmonds hit 4, and Garret responded with 6 to advance to the finals

but the highlight was Pujols slamming 14 homers. One would think that Giambi would've given up; but NO! Giambi caught everyone's attention as he got to 10....but alas, it wasn't enough

Then, to everyone's surprise, Garret his NINE in the final round.

And Pujols hit 8 HRs, with 3 outs remaining....but alas, it wasn't to be, as he couldn't hit that 9th and tying HR.

So, Garret won!!!!!!!

Now, does that mean that Glaus or Donnelley wins the All STar MVP to give the Angels a sweep?!?!?

wowoowowowowowow

7/15/03: and guess who wins the All Star MVP?!?!?!!

that's right GARRET ANDERSON!!

With a single, a 2-run homer to bring the AL to within a run, and a double....only a triple short of a cycle.

And who gets the victory?

Brendan Donnelley, of the Angels!!!

And who was the AL winning manager ---- Scioscia, of the Angels!!!

wowowowowowowow

7/17/03 update: Orioles 2, Angels 1

well pitched ball game by Ortiz.

The play (or non-play of the game occurred in 7th inning: Garret Anderson led off with a double, and with 1 out, Angels had man on 1st and 4rd. Molina hit a fly ball to the outfield, not too shallow, but not deep either.

So, with Struggling David Eckstein due up next, rather than tagging up on this sac fly, Garret decides not to do so.

What happens? Eckstein weakly grounds out to the SS.

Angels lost.....yet another damn loss to the Orioles!

7/13/03 Dodgers update: Dodgers 6, St. Louis 3

Dodgers continue their excellent play vs the Cards and got off to a good 2nd half start.

Rickey Henderson got a single in his first game back in the majors this year

But Nomo was the big story, pitching 6 strong innings, and blasting a 2-run homer and an RBI double.

with a man on in the 9th, and Dodgers up 3, and 2 outs, Jim Tracy removed reliever Paul Shuey for Gagne, who promptly got the last out for one of the easiest saves you can get. He's now 32 out of 32 this year, with 40 straight saves dating to last year.

No ill effects from losing the All star game.

Still 2 games behind D-backs for wildcard spot

7/18/03 Angels update: Angels 5, Orioles 6

The Orioles now have the Angels number. In the last series, O's won 3 of 4, and then 2 of 3. Now, they've won the first 2 games, with 2 more to go.

Washburn was HORRIFIC in the first inning, giving up a grand slam to Bautista, who later hit a solo shot.

Angels, down 5-0, came back to tie at 5-5, behind clutch hits by Garret Anderson, Bengi Molina.

But, Frankie Rodriguez gave up the eventual game winning homer in the 8th inning.

A's / Mariners / Angels have lost the first 2 games post-All Star break

Angels try again tomorrow, vs the O's hottest pitcher, no less. lol

7/18/03 Dodgers update: Dodgers 8, Cards

What is it about the Cards that cause the Dodgers to have offensive explosions??

In 4 games, including today, Dodgers are 4-0, and have scored over 30 runs total. That's about an average of 7.1 runs.

This season, Dodgers are barely averaging 3.4 runs

Burnitz and Rickey Henderson contributed mightily, the former having 2 hits, 2 RBIs, 1 run scored, 1 SB; the latter blasting a solo shot to CF and adding a run and another single.

Rickey is 4-8 with 1 HR and several runs scored in 2 games. Why didn't another team pick him up before the All Star break?

Dodgers fell behind 3-0 on an Edmonds 2-run blast and Pujols solo blast in 1st inning.

Dodgers responded with a Green double and a run in bottom of 1st

Dodgers eventually came back to tie the game on a clutch hit by Izturis, and scored go-ahead run on clutch hit by pinch hitter Ward, both hits occurring with 2 outs.

Gagne then worked the 9th for his 33 straight save, 41 dating to last year. He is tied for 2nd amongst most consecutive saves with Hoffman. Tom Gordon had the record at 51.

Too bad Giants and D-backs also won. Dodgers still 2 1/2 back of D-backs and a whopping 7 1/2 behind Giants.

Kevin Brown pitches tomorrow!!!

7/19/03 update: O's 8, Angels 4.

The Orioles have dominated the Angels this year, and are 7-1 overall, going for the 4-game sweep tomorrow.

Appier has been atrocious, and in this game lasted 1 1/3 innings, giving up 7 earned runs and 7 hits.

He has told the Angels that he would like to sign a contract extension, and at a lower salary than he's currently receiving. Angels refused to extend the contract. This farker will be gone after this year. He was pretty much useless last year, and not much better this year.

Matos and Surhoff both had 2 hits and 3 RBIs
Conine with 2 hits and 3 RBIs

Glaus hit his 16th for the Angels;
Garret also had a single with RBI.

Not much to say about this game; it was over in 2 innings as the O's scored 7.

What's is so sad is that the A's and MAriners have now lost 3 straight, and instead of beating up on bad opponents, the Angels couldn't gain ground these past 3 days.

7/20/03 update: Dodgers lost the rubber game of the 4-game series but still managed to win 3 of 4.

Angels got swept by the O's, who are something like 10-1 vs the Angels this year.

7/21/03: Angels have now lost 5 in a row since All star break, losing 3-2 to the Devil Rays. The road to the wilcard is almost over

7/22/03: Angels 3, Devil Rays 1

And finally, the Angels have won their first game of the second half, having lost 5 in a row, and failing to gain ground as A's and Mariners also went into losing skids.

Ortiz was just awesome today, allowing 1 lousy run in 7 innings before Donnelley and Percival took over in the 8th and 9th innings.

Eckstein had a hit and scored 2 runs
Garret had 2 hits and 1 RBI

Not much else to report on, as this was a 9 am PST game -- hmmm, interesting start time there in FL.

Angels now play the Rangers tomorrow

7/23/03 update: Angels 9, Rangers 12.

I cannot believe this sh*t!!!

Jarrod Washburn has had a terrible year.

The Angels score 4 runs for him in the 1st inning; what does Washburn do?

He promptly gives up A. Rod's 2-run homer in bottom of the 1st

Then, in the 2nd inning, Washburn gives up 5 runs, for a total of 7 innings.

Does Scioscia take him out?

NO.... he waits until Washburn gives up TEN runs, then takes him out in the 3rd inning.

what the fark is the goddam bullpen for if you're not going to use them??

Why do managers allow starting pitchers this much leeway? If you give up 5+ runs in 1+ innings, it's time to go to the showers.

After all, if you don't have a need for the bullpen, then why have the bullpen?

Angels scored 9 runs....and still lost!!

7/24/03 update: Dodgers 1, Colorado 0

In a TREMENDOUS pitching duo b/t Kevin Brown and Shawn Chacon

the Dodgers came out ahead with a run in the 11th inning. Cora had a single, was bunted to 2nd, and then singled home by Green.

But, through the first 9 innings, there was NO score as both Brown (8 innings) and Chacon (7 innings) were fantastic.

Brownie, who had lost 4 straight, lowered his ERA to 2.12, but go a no-decision.

7/24/03 Angels update: Angels 10, Rangers 5

This time, Angels got out to a lead, and the pitching staff held on to it, as Kevin Appier pitched a pretty good game, giving up 2 runs in 6+ innings.

Eckstein had a great game, going 4-5 with 3 runs scored, including a tremendous slide to the outer part of home plate to score a much needed run in the 8th inning. Had he not slid to the outer part, he'd have been out dead to right.

Spiezio had a great game, with a single, double, and triple. Only a HR from the cycle.

Garret missed out on the hitting attack, thus breaking his 15-game hitting streak.

A. Rod hit another homer, his 41st homer vs the Angels in his short career. Blalock blasted one as well.

A rally in the 9th inning was cut short by stopper Percival, who struck out A. Rod with runners on 1st and 3rd on a 98-mph fastball.

Angels now return home for a 3 game series vs. the A's.... we need to sweep!!!!!

7/25/03: Angels 2 , A's 3

Gretat pitching performance by Lackey and the A's pitcher, both of whom had losing records coming into the game.

Angels eventually scored a run; and had Brendan Donnelley pitching the 8th.

Normally, that's lights out.

But, Donnelley gave up a double to the first batter he faced; then a double to Tejada, then another double, and the A's had a 2-1 lead.

Francisco Rodgriguez pitched the top of the 9th and promptly gave up a solo blast to make it 3-1.

Adam Kennedy had a pinch hit homer; but Jeff DaVanon struck out for the final out.

it's looking very dim for the Angels, and the reality is slowly setting in as this looks like the last straw for the Angels.

7/25/03 update: D-backs 2, Dodgers 1 in 15th innings!!!!


That's right...a total of 3 runs scored in 15 innings. Shea Hillenbrand singled in the D-backs player and Quantrill lost it.

Dodgers are so incredibly weak offensively

in 2 games (today and yesterday), they played 26 innings (11 yesterday, 15 today) and scored TWO stinking runs.

in the top of the 15th inning, with Dodgers on 2nd and 3rd and 2 outs, Jeromy Burnitz tried to bunt for a base hit!!

damnnnnnnn!!

your power hitter trying to play small ball.

And the Dodgers actually had a streak of 22 straight batters making outs!!

7/26/03: Dodgers and Angels update both in same post b/c I did not get a chance to watch either game, so I can't elaborate on details of the game.

Dodgers 0, Az D-backs 1: for 35 innings, Dodgers have scored a total of 2 runs (1 run in win vs. Rockies in 11 innings; 1 run in loss vs D-backs in 15th innings; and 0 runs today)

Angels 1, A's 8: Sele had a horrible game; Angels just played badly, and have lost the first 2 games to the A's, and now are 9 1/2 games out of wildcard. Game over for the Angels

7/27/03 update: Dodgers 1, AZ 0

In the last 4 games, the Dodgers have scored 3 runs and won 2 games, 1-0!!

How's that for tremendous pitching?!?! And horrific hitting?

Burnitz doubled, and Barnes followed with RBI double off Curt Schilling and that was the entire offense of the game. Nomo won and Gagne saved his 35th game this season and 43rd going back to last year

Angels got their butt whipped by Oakland 10-1
It's over for the Angels...and they're playing like it

7/29/03: Dodgers 0, Phillies 2

Of course, the anemic hitting Dodgers would not score against the wild card leading Phillies, and trail them by 4 games. Absolutely Pathetic

Angels 2, Yankees 6

Appier got rocked, and was gone after 2 outs in the 1st inning, giving up 4 runs. at least Garret Anderson got his 24th homer

well, I do believe that the end is coming for the Angels.

Since the All Star break, they are 10+ games under 0.500, and just lost a double-header yesterday on the road to Cleveland.

Just a sad way to celebrate your World Series title...by playing sub-par ball. Pitching has been horrific, and so has the offense.

When the Angels score 9 runs, the pitching gives up 10 runs (see Rangers game)

When the pitching gives up 2 runs, the offense scores 1 run.

Game over for the Angels.

Speaking of Game Over (the slogan for Eric Gagne)...the Dodgers have gotten themselves right back into the thick of the battle, having won 5 in a row, and going for the sweep over the Cubs this afternoon, with Brown vs Prior.

Gagne now has the record for most consecutive saves in 1 season, with 38, and he has 44 straight going back to the previous season. Twice this year, he has saved 4 consecutive games.

Dodgers only 3 1/2 games out of wild card, and the offense is slightly showing signs of life

die rally monkeys

angels suck

well, it's that time of the season, and baseball is back!!

The Angels had the best off-season of all the teams in MLB, as they

1. needed a right fielder, and stole Vladmir Guerrero, albeit for $70M

2. needed pitching and grabbed Bartolo Colon for $48M and Kelvim Escobar for about $30M

3. grabbed Jose Guillen, making him their left fielder

a TREMENDOUS off season...and that helped them sell tickets for the upcoming year.


and just as importantly, everyone got healthy!

however, Garret did suffer a mild biceps strain of the arm and the Angels have kept him out of spring training games so far to allow him to rest

Donnellley just broke his nose shagging fly balls 2 days ago (what the hell is a reliever doing shagging fly balls???)

but, everyone is expected to be ready for Opening Day

Angels are about 4-1 in pre-season so far........

this looks good; and they should be contenders for the division title!!

While the Angels were actively trying to improve their roster, the Dodgers did the exact opposite.

1. all activities were put on hold as McCourt awaited approval to be the new "owner", even though he doesn't have much liquidity (cash to spend on players).

2. Dodgers got rid of Kevin Brown and his massive contract, in exchange for Jeff Weaver

3. Dodgers finally acquired the likes of Bubba Trammell and a few other folks, irrelevant to helping the Dodgers win the title.

the only thing to root for is Eric Gagne

even though the Dodgers did nothing this off-season, they still sold more season tickets and general public tickets than the Angels so far this year -- go figure!!!

3/12/04 update:

Well, the injury bug is hitting the Angels, but the injuries are somewhat minor

Garret Anderson still hasn't played in spring training, and could possibly miss opening day due to strained biceps muscle.

Reliever Donnelley had minor surgery for a broken nose, after he was shagging fly balls, and missed one, which hit him square in the nose. He is expected to be ready opening day

Troy Glaus got hurt yesterday running the bases, and his sprained ankle keeps him day to day

Vladimir has a bruised forearm after being hit by a ball yesterday

Nothing big....so hopefully, they'll be recovered by Opening Day

So far, the Angels are 6-3 in spring training:

Mar 5 San Diego Won 8-7
Mar 6 @Oakland Lost 3-26
Mar 7 Oakland Won 5-2
Mar 7 @San Diego Won 6-3
Mar 8 @Seattle Won 5-3
Mar 9 @Arizona Won 10-3
Mar 10 Seattle Lost 1-7
Mar 11 Arizona Won 5-0
Mar 12 Kansas City Lost 5-8


fairly good pitching, hitting, and defense.

3/12/04 update:

as for the Dodgers, I have pretty much given up on them -- no major acquisitions to help them score a run when they have bases loaded and no outs. The only good thing about going to Dodgers Stadium is hoping Gagne pitches, and buying Dodger Dogs.

As for their spring training record --- they have been scoring runs. But, it's only spring training


Dodgers are 5-6, having won their first 4, then losing 4....



Mar 3 N.Y. Mets Won 13-4
Mar