Series Countdown: Initiate the Test – Angels @ Yankees

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Counting down to the Angels’ series against the Yankees in which their season test begins, wait for it… now!

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (50-45) @ New York Yankees (58-33)

Game 1 Starters: LAA – Sean O’Sullivan (0-0, 1.29 ERA)  NYY – Phil Hughes (11-2, 3.65 ERA)

Game 1 Info: 4:05 PM PT TV-Fox Sports West; Radio-ESPN Radio, KLAA 830 AM, KWKW 1330 AM

Game 2 Starters: LAA – Joel Pineiro (10-6, 3.95 ERA)  NYY – Javier Vazquez (7-7, 4.45 ERA)

Game 2 Info: 10:05 AM PT TV-Fox Sports West; Radio-ESPN Radio, KLAA 830 AM, KWKW 1330 AM

5. The Angels’ season officially goes to trial by fire starting today.  They are now sitting five games back of the Rangers in the AL West and have just ten games left before the trade deadline and they are all against contenders (Yankees, Rangers, Red Sox and Rangers again).  We’ve all been clamoring for the Halos to add a bat and some relief help, but if they don’t start making up ground immediately, they could turn into sellers awfully fast.  This is only a two-game series against the Yankees, it is also a litmus test of whether or not the Angels really are good enough to be considered contenders in their own right.

4. It is less than ideal to kick off this stretch with the infamous Sean O’Sullivan as the starter, but the Angels didn’t really have a choice.  But really the important thing here is that Scott Kazmir is NOT taking the rubber tonight which actually should give the Halos a shot at winning the game, which is always nice.  Still, the Angel bats better be on their game if they are going to pick up the necessary slack to help them survive using spot starters in place of Kazmir.

3. The Angels do catch a break in getting Javy Vazquez in the second game of this series as they have already knocked him around twice this year.  Unfortunately, both those matchups came back in April and Vazquez has figured things out since then and will be coming into his start having allowed just one run in his last fourteen innings of work.

2. Last time the Angels ventured into Yankee Stadium, Hideki Matsui received a hero’s welcome, but I suspect the happy memories will have faded for Godzilla.  I’m sure the Yankee fans will still cheer him during introductions, but I fear that they will cheer him further if he continues to be such a zero at the plate for the Angels.  This series actually could prove to be a big test for Hideki individually because he looked so tight in that first trip as he was clearly hoping to impress his former employer and he can’t afford a repeat of such a performance this series, not with the Angels so badly in need of him becoming a contributor again.  Who knows, maybe the memories of his days as a Yankee will be exactly what he needs to snap out of his funk at long last.

1. Maicer Izturis is back now, but how will he be used?  It would make sense for him to get the majority of starts at third base for the Angels, but where in the order is he going to hit?  Aybar has been hot in the leadoff role of late and Howie Kendrick has been a model of consistency in the two-hole, so the two likeliest order spots for Maicer are pretty well occupied.  Then again, with the Angels desperately looking for some productivity from the five-hole, maybe Scioscia will put his personal pet Maicer there or slide Howie Kendrick into that role.  Really, it is anyone’s guess at this point.