SB Nation - Justin Speier

Maicer Izturis Paves the Way for Angels 7-1 Bulldozing of ChiSox

Rev Halofan — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 04:41:35 -0000

More photos » by Chris Pizzello - AP

3 months ago: Los Angeles Angels' Vladimir Guerrero hits an RBI single during the ninth inning of an MLB baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Anaheim, Calif., Friday, Sept. 11, 2009. The Angels won the game 7-1. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

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Final Score in Anaheim: White Sox 1, Angels 7

Angels lefty Joe Saunders pitched 7 innings of 1-Run Ball, striking out 3 and throwing only 99 pitches; meanwhile his offense was there tonight, making ten hits count as they brought around 7 Runs, the big blow being a 2 run double in the 5th inning by 2Bman Maicer Izturis.

Best play of the night was a foul ball off the bat of Erick Aybar that smacked the arm of Pale Hose manager Ozzie Guillen. It was part of a 13-pitch AB that helped to wear out Chicago starter Gavin Floyd.

Saunders was efficient, scattering hits and inducing a lone double play when he needed it.

Four of the Angels hits were doubles, 2 by Izturis and 1 each by Bobby Abreu and Juan Rivera. A base hit late in the game by Vladimir Guerrero drove in another run, Vlad's 2nd RBI of the night, both on sharp basehits with men in scoring position.

Chris Petit made his major league debut replacing Guerrero on the basepaths and sporting the jersey number of the recently-released Justin Speier. Petit stole 2B and scored on Rivera's double for the final run of the evening. Justin Bulger and Darren Oliver pitched the 8th and Jose Arredondo made use of the insurance runs to pitch a 1-2-3 9th inning, a year and a day after he got caught playing with the garden hose after the game.

Poll

Panther of the Game

Maicer Izturis

57 votes

Joe Saunders

175 votes

232 votes | Poll has closed

Thursday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:58:38 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

Alcides Escobar talks with Willie Randolph during the first inning Wednesday.

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Some things to read while searching for a signature sign-off.

So, yesterday morning I skipped out early for an appointment, got back home, ate some breakfast, mowed the lawn, then sat down at my coffee table to check the comments on the Mug and discovered what might have been the biggest news day of the season, as the Brewers demoted J.J. Hardy to AAA, promoted Alcides Escobar, fired Billy Castro, designated Bill Hall for assignment and called up Jason Bourgeois. Adam McCalvy has reactions from the clubhouse, and here are several more reactions from around the web:

J.J. Hardy has until Friday to join the Sounds, and says he's looking forward to a few days off.
Brewed Sports was not pleased with that response.
Brewer Paradise Lost is one of many who suspects this move might have been made to prevent Hardy from becoming a free agent following the 2010 season. Hardy would have to remain in the minors past September 1 for the demotion to count against his service time, and it seems unlikely the Brewers will leave him there once rosters expand.
R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs isn't sure the Escobar-for-Hardy swap helps the Brewers this season, or helps Hardy's trade value down the road.
Meanwhile, Cash Kruth caught up with Bill Hall, who seemed upbeat about his situation and expects to be on a team again soon. With that said, this is the same guy who still thought he was the best third baseman in baseball a few weeks ago.
Ken Rosenthal is reporting that at least one NL team is interested in trading for Hall.
Cincinnati Reds Blog sees the Hall situation as "a big opportunity for the Reds to pick up a talented player."
Billy Castro, who had been with the Brewers as a coach for nearly 18 years, left with no regrets. He may not get another chance to be a pitching coach, but it sounds like he'll always have a spot in the Brewer organization, if he wants it.
A Girl's View of the Brewers wonders if these moves will be enough to get the Brewers back on track.
Big League Stew accused the Brewers of waving the white flag on the 2009 season.
PocketDoppler says the Brewers are pushing the panic button.
Aaron Gleeman of Circling the Bases says the move likely came too late for the Brewers' playoff hopes.
Keep Turning Up the Heat says "these are some dark times in the Brewers organization," and doesn't agree with the decision to call up Escobar or fire Castro.
Quevedo at the Buffet doesn't get the timing or the logic behind the moves.
The Bucky Channel wonders why Alcides Escobar was only used sparingly and Jason Bourgeois wasn't used at all last night.

Meanwhile, the Brewers did actually play a game last night, and lost their second straight to the Padres, dropping their playoff chances to 2.9%, the first time all season they've fallen below 3%.

Things could get worse today, as they play a day game against the Padres, who are sending Cesar Carrillo to the mound to make his major league debut today. The Brewers are 0-4 this season in games where the opposing pitcher is making his debut. And, of course, they haven't been good in day games either, or in games played in June, July or August.

Doug Melvin may not be done dealing. The Brewers claimed Doug Davis off waivers from the D-Backs (h/t FanShot), giving the two teams 48 hours to work out a deal to bring him back to Milwaukee. Davis says it would be fun to return to Milwaukee, but Tom H. says it's unlikely to happen.

A bunch of news got lost in the shuffle with everything else that happened yesterday. Here are the important notes that got buried in today's game preview:

Both Dave Bush and Jeff Suppan are expected back before September 1.
Jesus Colome was available to pitch last night despite his bruised pinky finger.
Nick Green cleared waivers after being DFA'd and will remain in Huntsville.

One other minor league note to pass along today: Matt Hagen of The Hardball Times nominated Jeremy Jeffress for most disappointing minor leaguer in 2009.

On power rankings:

The Brewers jumped from 23rd to 20th in WhatifSports' rankings.
MLB FanHouse has the Brewers holding steady at 19.

Around baseball:

Angels: Released reliever Justin Speier.
Cardinals: Placed Todd Wellemeyer on the DL with elbow inflammation.
D-Backs: Placed Scott Schoeneweis on the DL with depression and released Tom Gordon.
Giants: Placed Rich Aurilia on the DL with ankle tendinitis.
Indians: Claimed R.J. Swindle off waivers from the Rays.
Mariners: Erik Bedard is expected to undergo shoulder surgery and miss the remainder of the season.
Marlins: Signed Esteban Yan to a minor league deal.
Pirates: Placed reliever Evan Meek on the DL with an oblique strain and claimed reliever John Meloan off waivers from the Rays.
Reds: Placed Scott Rolen on the DL with a concussion.
Royals: Acquired pitcher John Bannister from the Rangers.
Twins: Placed Glen Perkins on the DL with shoulder trouble and released Mark Grudzielanek.

By shuffling the deck in the bullpen a little bit this offseason the Brewers created some new problems, but at least they're done with this one: Reflections of Blue has had it with Guillermo Mota, who posted a 0.26 ERA over one 35.1 inning stretch and a 10.32 ERA since.

Here's something to ponder for all of you who want to make the case that J.J. Hardy should be moved to second or third base, Rickie Weeks should be moved to center field and Mat Gamel should play first base or right field: Will Carroll says a player playing out of position has a 30 percent greater chance of getting injured, based on unfamiliarity with the position.

Brian Anderson wants your help to raise money for the I Back Jack Foundation. Follow the link for more info on how you can help Jack Bartosz, a young man fighting neuroblastoma.

Speaking of causes that could use your money, UW-La Crosse, alma mater of former Brewers Jerry Augustine and Vinny Rottino, has raised enough money to keep the program alive for one more season, but is still on the chopping block.

On this day in 1987, Paul Molitor homered in the ninth to extend his hitting streak to 28 games, but the Brewers still lost to the Orioles, 5-4.

Happy birthday today to Corey Patterson, who turns 30, and former Milwaukee Brave Tony Cloninger, who turns 69.

Drink up.

THURSDAY ANGELS ROUNDUP: Trevor Bell Makes Debut, Bozo Would Be Proud

WiHaloFan — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:33:08 -0000

No Bozos!

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Angels continue power surge, sweep Rays - FOX Sports on MSN
Gary Matthews Jr. and Howie Kendrick both hit three-run homers in the Angels' latest comeback win. By next week, both might be back on Los Angeles' bench. Such is the prodigious offensive depth of the AL West leaders, who keep finding big hits in the most improbable places.

Angels' Trevor Bell makes a good first impression -- latimes.com
Wednesday, he was the starting pitcher for a team that is now 24 games above .500 and an obvious force to be reckoned with in the postseason. He was going against the American League representative in last season's World Series, a Murderer's Row whose first five hitters were all-stars this year.

Angels withering against West, dominating elsewhere - USATODAY.com
After years of ruling the American League West, they have gone 15-19 against their division rivals this year but still hold a five-game lead on the Texas Rangers.

Team Reports - CBSSports.com
CF Torii Hunter began his minor league injury-rehabilitation assignment with Class A Rancho Cucamonga on Tuesday and went 0-for-2 with a walk while playing five innings in center field. Wednesday, he went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer in his second rehab game. He could rejoin the Angels in Baltimore this weekend.

Justin Speier bids a gracious farewell -- latimes.com
A day after being handed his unconditional release, reliever Justin Speier returned to Angel Stadium on Wednesday to publicly express his gratitude to the team's owner and former general manager. "I want to thank Arte Moreno and Bill Stoneman for signing me . . . giving me an opportunity to pitch for the Angels," he said. "It's been a glorious, glorious experience and I've built a lot of relationships along the way."

What a classy guy. Good luck Justin Speier.

Grading debuts on the curve - SweetSpot by Rob Neyer - ESPN
This afternoon, Trevor Bell debuted. He's the 13th pitcher to start a game for the first-place Angels this season, which I suppose is a story in itself. I prefer the story about Bell's grandfather, who for many years was Bozo the Clown. How did Bozo's grandson fare in his first Big Boy League action? Well, it depends on who you ask.

Scioscia says Escobar is likely done - angelsbaseball.com
"At this point, it doesn't seem that way," Scioscia said of the possibility of Escobar returning. "But obviously he's still rehabbing."

Sean Rodriguez drives in seven at Triple-A - angelsbaseball.com
After delivering a two-run single in the first inning, Rodriguez belted a three-run shot to right field in the second and sent a two-run blast over the fence in left in the sixth. When the dust settled, he was 4-for-4 with three runs scored.

Angels' Matthews gets lift from former junior college coach - LA Daily News
Gary Matthews Jr. knew as soon as he left tickets for Dave Mendoza, his former coach at L.A. Mission College would bring a much-needed lift Wednesday.

Steady Scioscia helps Halos persevere - angelsbaseball.com
"Ah, leave me out of it, OK?" Scioscia says, earnestly. "Make this about somebody else. It's the organization that's done this, not me." Leaving Scioscia out of this is like avoiding President Obama in a discussion of the current administration.

August 13 - BR Bullpen
Events, births and deaths that occurred on August 13.
1995 - Flags fly at half-mast at the stadium as Yankee legend Mickey Mantle dies of liver cancer at the age of 63 in Dallas, Texas.

Remember Snake Cans?

Poll

Greatest kid show of all time (if you're over 40)...

Bozo The Clown

44 votes

Romper Room

52 votes

Wonderama

14 votes

Hobo Kelly

16 votes

Sheriff John

40 votes

166 votes | Poll has closed

Justin Speier Released as Angels Welcome Trevor Bell

Rev Halofan — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 06:54:10 -0000

More photos » by Julie Jacobson - AP

Former Angel Justin Speier

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As reported earlier tonight, before Tuesday's game, the Angels released Justin Speier to make room on the 40 and 25 Man rosters for Trevor Bell who will start Wednesday afternoon's game in Anaheim.

By releasing (Instead of Designating For Assignment) Justin Speier, the Angels made it easier for the veteran relief pitcher to sign on with another team more quickly.

The Angels owe him almost $7 million for the rest of this season and next, minus the major league minimum salary he would be paid by any team that signs him as a free agent, the status he now holds.

Justin Speier as an Angel

8 - 13, 4.39 ERA

158 IP (ranks 114th all-time Angels out of 390 pitchers)

685 Batters Faced (also ranks 114th in franchise history)

149 Hits, 77 ER, 142 Ks, 54 BB

ERA+: 103

The story broke on Halos Heaven in a FanShot by 44Fan, a FanPost by tdschino and a FanPost by Brody

Joe Saunders Injured In Angels Defeat

Rev Halofan — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 05:38:14 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

Take one last look at Hokie Joe on the mound...

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Final Score in Los Angeles of Anaheim: Rangers 11, Angels 6

Pitcher Joe Saunders had another short, bad outing for the Angels, one from which the Halos could not come back. But it has been revealed that the culprit was not the former All-Star's grit levels, heart or desire to win. No, the Lefthander has been diagnosed with a strained shoulder and was placed on the Disabled List ten seconds after tonight's game ended. Reliever Jose Arredondo will be in Anaheim tomorrow. But just as the injury news was being announced late in the game, pitcher Shane Loux's 4 innings of 1 ER ball seemed to be a glimmer of hope amid the wreckage. Loux seesm to be the logical candidate to take Saunders' spot in the rotation.

Saturday's game was all Rangers, despite an exciting Maicer Izturis 3-Run Homer in a 4-Run 7th inning, which at least forced Texas "manager" Ron Washington to exhaust Neftali Feliz, who ended up throwing 28 pitches, only 23 of which broke the sound barrier with none even close to the speed of light, so so much for all the hype, right?

Angels "reliever" Justin Speier might have ended his carer on the same night as Saunders, Giambi, Padilla and Smoltz with an inning that saw him surrender 3 solo HRs to Michael Young (probable), Taylor Teagarden (who makes Mario Mendoza looks like Babe Ruth so WTF, Justin) and Omar Vizquel (a 43-year old infield glove).

If the game had ben reasonably close, you can bet the miserable home plate umpiring of Bill "fistbump" Hohn would have been the subject of criticism. At one point, he consulted THE CATCHER to rule on a foul tip. You know, because the opponent is so damn objective about close plays. Even Mumbling Mark Gubicza split his lps into coherency and remarked that he had never ever seen that in a baseball game in his whole life. When the MLB finally gets a Tim Donaghy-style scandal ... Dave Parker's cocaine and David Ortiz' steroids are going to look like jacuzzis compared to the tsunami that is on it's way.

Poll

Blame of the Game

Joe Saunders

184 votes

Justin Speier

86 votes

270 votes | Poll has closed

Joe Squanders Doesn't Stop Angels Broom in KC

Rev Halofan — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 03:42:29 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

"Please to meet you, hope you get my name... but what's confusin' you is will I bring you Halladay?"

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Final Score in Missouri: Angels 9, Royals 6

Down by 4 runs to the Royals in Kansas City with only 7 outs to go, the Angels built a 3 run lead before they made 4 more outs. On a night when Joe Saunders ran out of gas after his 80th pitch (which is becoming quite the clockwork notion), the Angels made the longball matter. Maicer Izturis hit a 2-run HR early, Howie Kendrick hit a solo shot when the chips were down and Mike Napoli hit a blast in the 8th to tie it.

Saunders was on the ropes in a terrible 5th inning that saw 3 runs score with two outs. Hokie Joe then wimped in another run in the 6th and that was all, the boat that was to have sailed sunk, but Justin Speier, usually a bucket-hand on deck to stop the leaking, turned into a shutdown sunny day on the high seas as the SS Angel made a turn at the Comeback Sea. Speier got the win in relief and Brian Fuentes picked up his league leading 30th Save, becoming only the 2nd lefty in baseball history to have 30 Saves in each league.

Poll

Panther of the Game

Maicer Izturis

77 votes

Howie Kendrick

27 votes

Mike Napoli

122 votes

Reggie Willits

16 votes

Chone Figgins

80 votes

322 votes | Poll has closed

Erick Aybar Stays Hot As Angels Take Two

WiHaloFan — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:11:05 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

4 months ago: Los Angeles Angels shortstop Erick Aybar (2) holds the ball after forcing out Kansas City Royals' Billy Butler (16) at second on a ball hit by Mark Teahen during the seventh inning of the first game of baseball doubleheader Tuesday, July 21, 2009, in Kansas City, Mo. Teahen was safe at first. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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Final Score in Game Two: Angels 10, Royals 2

Angels shortstop Erick Aybar lit up the Kansas City pitching staff, going 4 for 5 with 3 RBI, Bobby Abreu added in three doubles while driving in 3 runs and Rob Quinlan muscled up with a homer in the 3rd inning as the Angels scored 18 runs in the twin-bill. For the day, Aybar was a blistering 7 for 9 with 4 RBI and 5 runs scored. On the pitching side, rookie Sean O'Sullivan went 5.1, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits to get his 3rd win.

The shocker of the evening came in the 6th inning when Justin Speier entered the game with Jose Guillen representing the tying run on second base. Speier, who had retired just one batter out of the last 13 he faced, struck out John Buck and Ryan Freel to preserve the Halo lead.

The Halos broke open the game in the 7th when they scored seven times, highlighted by Aybar's bases loaded triple.

With Tuesday's losses, the Royals have lost 8 straight, while the Angels improved to 54-38 on the season and have won 8 of their last 10.

Poll

Panther of the Game

Erick Aybar

256 votes

Sean O'Sullivan

9 votes

Justin Speier

11 votes

Bobby Abreu

33 votes

309 votes | Poll has closed

Fun With Beyond the Boxscore's Trade Value Calculator

hugo — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:50:52 -0000

The great site Beyond the Boxscore has created a nifty little trade value calculator which makes it easy to calculate the value of any player on the trade market. With so much talk about the notion of whether the Jays should be looking to deal away players at the trade deadline this year, I thought it'd be worth exploring what some of our players would be worth should we choose to explore the trade market for them. I used fangraphs for WAR and Cot's for salary data. "Sal" is what the player is earning, WAR is their wins above replacement level, VAL is what the player is worth (based on their WAR), and Net is the difference between what they're making and what they're worth.

Roy Halladay

Year	Sal (M)	WAR	Val (M)	Net (M)
2009	$7.0	3.0	$13.7	$6.7
2010	$15.8	7.0	$31.9	$16.2
2011
FA Picks			$5.0
Total	$22.8	10.0	$50.6	$27.9

Marco Scutaro

Year	Sal (M)	WAR	Val (M)	Net (M)
2009	$1.3	2.5	$11.5	$10.2
2010
2011
FA Picks			$5.0
Total	$1.3	2.5	$16.5	$15.2

Scott Rolen

Year	Sal (M)	WAR	Val (M)	Net (M)
2009	$5.0	2.0	$9.2	$4.2
2010	$11.0	4.5	$20.7	$9.7
2011
FA Picks			$5.0
Total	$16.0	6.5	$34.9	$18.9

Lyle Overbay

Year	Sal (M)	WAR	Val (M)	Net (M)
2009	$3.3	1.0	$4.7	$1.5
2010	$7.0	2.0	$9.4	$2.4
2011
FA Picks			$2.5
Total	$10.3	3.0	$16.6	$6.4

Vernon Wells

Year	Sal (M)	WAR	Val (M)	Net (M)
2009	$4.8	1.0	$4.7	$0.0
2010	$21.0	2.0	$9.4	-$11.6
2011	$23.0	2.0	$9.4	-$13.6
2012	$21.0	1.5	$7.2	-$13.9
2013	$21.0	1.5	$7.2	-$13.9
2014	$21.0	1.0	$4.9	-$16.1
2015
2016
FA Picks			$5.0
Total	####	9.0	$47.7	-$64.1

Alex Rios

Year	Sal (M)	WAR	Val (M)	Net (M)
2009	$2.5	1.5	$7.0	$4.5
2010	$9.7	5.0	$22.9	$13.2
2011	$12.0	5.0	$22.9	$10.9
2012	$12.0	4.5	$20.7	$8.7
2013	$12.5	4.5	$20.7	$8.2
2014	$12.5	4.0	$18.4	$5.9
2015
2016
FA Picks			$5.0
Total	$61.2	24.5	$117.5	$56.3

Jason Frasor

Year	Sal (M)	WAR	Val (M)	Net (M)
2009	$0.7	0.7	$3.4	$2.7
2010	$2.0	2.0	$9.4	$7.4
2011
FA Picks			$5.0
Total	$2.7	2.7	$17.8	$15.1

Scott Downs

Year	Sal (M)	WAR	Val (M)	Net (M)
2009	$1.8	1.0	$4.7	$2.9
2010	$4.0	2.1	$9.9	$5.9
2011
FA Picks			$5.0
Total	$5.8	3.1	$19.6	$13.8

Some Thoughts:

Doc is truly a bargain and any team that trades for him should be sending significant value back. That value doesn't even include the contribution he would make for whatever playoff-bound team acquired him.
Vernon Wells' contract looks worse by the minute. That's actually a somewhat optimistic projection for Vern, as he has been worth -0.9 WAR thusfar this season according to fangraphs. That said, most of Wells' liability is his defense, which UZR absolutely abhors. If you figure Wells either: (1) isn't as bad on defense as UZR thinks; (2) rebounds defensively; or (3) will move to a corner spot and be an above-average outfielder there, the deal might not be as bad. Wells was a 1.2 WAR player last season in 2/3 of a season, so one could certainly see him providing positive value to the team. But at that salary, it's still a tremendous liability. If he gets back to being a 3 WAR player, less likely as he continues to age but still very possible if he should have a rebound offensive season, then it wouldn't be so bad.
Marco Scutaro and Scott Rolen have significant value. About 1/3 of Scoot's value is tied up in his being a type A free agent. So if the Jays can't get a decent return for him, he might be worth holding on to for now. I was optimistic on Rolen's projection as he was only worth about 3 WAR last year. But I think UZR underestimates his defensive prowess, even at his age, and I think his line-drive swing is mostly for real.
Lyle Overbay, on the other hand, shouldn't necessarily expect to return much on the trade market. Lyle's contract represents a reasonable, but unexceptional, measure of his worth. If he hits lefties enough to play every day, that would help his value.
Alex Rios is not equal to Vernon Wells. The Jays should not be looking to just unload Rios' contract. If they trade him, it should be for value. The only risk with Rios is that if his defense starts to decline (it shouldn't be, but UZR doesn't like it much this year) and his bat never budges, he's not really a great corner outfielder. That said, he was worth 5.5 WAR last season in an average year at the plate, so I don't think those projections are overly optimistic at all. His deal isn't something the Jays need to run from.
I was perhaps overenthusiastic about Frasor's projection. Maybe Downs too, but you can't argue with what they've done on the field. In truth, Downs has been one of the best relievers in the AL (and therefore, in baseball) since moving to the bullpen. For both, significant value is tied up in their being Type A free agents, so if the Jays can't get a good return, they're probably worth hanging onto. Don't forget how Justin Speier turned into Brett Cecil.

Angels Let Oakland A's Walk Away With Victory

Rev Halofan — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 05:14:17 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Chiu - AP

BOB GEREN: What happens when those guys score less than us? . . . . . . . . . . . . . UMPIRE: You ain't the one who wrote that book 'bout your team with all the numbers and money, are ya? Was that Macha?

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Final Score in the Bay Area: Angels 3 Oakland 7

Joe Saunders ran out of gas for all the world to see, except it was only a crowd of about 4,000 beerdrinking animal lovers, who watched all the walks fall down on last year's all star.

Saunders gets a lot of help on grounders to the defense but more and more he has been spelling his team with gift Homers to the opposition. Tonight it was the washed-up Bobby Crosby hitting a 3-Run Ding Dong off of Saundo.

With the score tied 3-3 in the 6th inning though, the offense could not capitalize on the Oaky Choaky Weak Sauce. Maicer Izturis struck out with the bases loaded after three Angels had walked. Mike Napoli called for a few of the hangers Saunders threw and made them count by leabing three runners on base. Jason Bulger could have kept it at 4 - 3 when he came in to one-on, none-out situation int eh bottom of the 7th but he allowed an inherited baserunner to score. Justin Speier failed to retire a baserunner... his eleventh straight batter faced reaching safely was a HBP to Scott Hairston. The streak dates back to Sunday against the Yankees.

Texas Lost so the Angels maintain a 2 game lead in the American League West. Seattle crept to within three games of the division lead. If baseball games bring highs and lows with victories and defeats, this was the closest thing to Przac ever manufactured from an entity in Anaheim. Any flatter play by both squads and Eli Lilly could have sued for patent infringement on its magic leveling the mood to gray blah nothing pill.

Poll

Blame of the Game:

Jason Bulger

8 votes

Maicer Izturis

7 votes

Mike Napoli

5 votes

Joe Saunders

150 votes

Justin Speier

39 votes

209 votes | Poll has closed

Angels Sweep Yankees; All Star Brian Fuentes Gets Save #26

Rev Halofan — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:41:49 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

...and time will tell, just who has fell, and whose been left behind... when you go your way and I go mine!

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Final Score in Los Angeles of Anaheim: Angels 5, Yankees 4

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim swept the New York Yankees with a nail-biting 5-4 victory Sunday afternoon in Anaheim.

Oh, does this sound like a boring baseball game writeup? Well we can fix that with a dose of bikini wax. yes, Mark Teixiera and Alex Roodriguez both had their pub folics waxed in the hopes of keeping an 8-game road win streak alive. Robinson Cano was spotted in a thong waiting in line for the Pirates of the Caribbean late Saturday night and Melky Cabrera cruised West Hollywood looking for male tail ... but there was no lucky set of buns to rub ... none of these adventures in dorking out in your Don Ed Hardy shirts brought the East Coast tourists any luck, although rumor has it that Joe Giradi beat Jorge Posada in an In-N-Out burger eating contest before Sunday's matchup.

That was the lone highlight and All Stars Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira will have some indigestion on the plane ride to St. Louis knowing that they faced the Angels without Torii Hunter AND Vladimir Guerrero and still had their noses rubbed deep into a moist umber-colored place where the California Sun don't shine.

John Lackey got a deserved W, Darren Oliver stuffed the YanTurKees with the bases loaded and nobody out after Justin Speier proved the 4th law of thermodynamics (the one that states that a body in motion to left handed batter will suck if that body is named Justin Speier) to be true yet again and All Star Brian Fuentes struck out non-All-Star Alex Rodriguez to end the game.

On offense, the Angels spread it around. 5 Angels scored a run each and each of the 5 Ribbies was shared by a Halo. The Angels scored 29 runs in the three game series without their two biggest bats and with Juan Rivera, their 3rd biggest bat, hurt for the final two games. And the Angel defense, led by All-Star (in my humble opinion) Chone Figgins, was... well I am out of adjectives for greatness, so let's just say it was An-frickin-gelic for California fans and hurt more than a winter bikini wax if you were rooting against Holy Red.

It is called domination. Bow to your master, New York, bow and keep that head down in subservient shame. Thank you very much!

Roll Call: Rev Halofan, angelsfan777, Quinlan's Goofy Swing, AlanFalcon, swiss mcgee, anaheim angels, FanStrong, Zu Long, salmonforever, vlad IS my man, deejayelleseven, Turks Teeth, neochoa, highlandhalo, scottnak, princeton11loveshalos, devildogamp, Matt UK, halofolife, RexTookMyStash, ladybug, The Limey, cupie, Funke5ive, tanana40, ZiK, norcaliangelsfan, howiestheman, NW angels Fan, lightupthat420, Fan Since 1981, SCHalo, Figgi4life, Epic Dean, AmyAngel, Demmitt, mastermind565, Scotty G, BryanHarvey'sMoustache, Stirrups, BigBangRobbDawgg, halofan4life, MH252525, opiejeanne, Fred Fredrix, wumbug, mjhsieh, UK Halo, 44FAN, thrill000, moosemastr, hbhalofan, clover_black, UCIHalo, SoCalWine, teopeht, SMUangelFan, WillGoAngels27, HawaiiHaloFan35, PieceOfAase, turs12, OntariGro, im4kiss, acuda27, sunshine thermometer, vladtheimpaler, rspencer, matthiasstephan, Moondoggy, linkbruin, robbiesqp, Zoe Necrosis, leftwing, TheGrinch, pendletonmike, Ant Fan, Andyman, TheTypingFiend, Beachbum Willy, Jack Kerouac, Big Game Hunter, Big Easy Halofan, sothball, Wittness, feNOMINAL, red floyd, adirondackangelfan, trojanangelfan, HoustonHaloFan, Chone's Chonies, wildwill, Downing Rules, ReggieBullits, Red, WiHaloFan, gorams77, Brew Angel, billhune, Clip Show, AngelKeith, snowhor, RER, btown100, ALucky22, V-Hawk Angelorum
Total Users: 105
Total Posts: 1339
Total Threads: 3

Name	# of Posts
highlandhalo	105
deejayelleseven	86
RexTookMyStash	78
vlad IS my man	78
FanStrong	77
Zu Long	76
Figgi4life	68
angelsfan777	62
Quinlan's Goofy Swing	55
AlanFalcon	54
neochoa	50
swiss mcgee	45
BryanHarvey'sMoustache	37
MH252525	35
tanana40	32
Rev Halofan	32
salmonforever	28
Demmitt	26
scottnak	20
princeton11loveshalos	18
BigBangRobbDawgg	17
anaheim angels	15
cupie	13
AmyAngel	13
devildogamp	11
Scotty G	10
Fan Since 1981	10
Funke5ive	10
halofan4life	9
UK Halo	9
Matt UK	8
UCIHalo	8
The Limey	7
44FAN	7
howiestheman	7
ladybug	6
Turks Teeth	6
ZiK	6
lightupthat420	6
halofolife	5
mjhsieh	5
thrill000	4
clover_black	4
NW angels Fan	4
Epic Dean	4
norcaliangelsfan	4
SoCalWine	3
opiejeanne	3
mastermind565	3
Stirrups	2
hbhalofan	2
WillGoAngels27	2
wumbug	2

Everyone Else: 1 Post

Poll

Panther of the Game:

Figgins

98 votes

Fuentes

56 votes

Izturis

11 votes

Lackey

178 votes

Oliver

54 votes

397 votes | Poll has closed