Blanton, Angels bats go cold in frigid Minnesota, Halos fall to Twins 8-2

Just when the Angels looked like they were ready to finally get hot, they arrived in the frigid temperatures of Minnesota and cooled right back down.

This game had all the tell-tale signs of the struggles that plagued the team so far this season. Joe Blanton laid another egg against a weak lineup. The bats got unlikely output in the form of homers from Peter Bourjos and Brendan Harris, but the rest of the team failed to support them going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and hitting into two double plays.

The real kicker though was the bullpen going south once more. Michael Roth, Mark Lowe and Dane De La Rosa combined to allow four runs to thwart any attempt at a Halo comeback before it even got started.

Honestly, if you could write a script for all of the Angel losses this season, this was that script. Back to the drawing board, I guess.

Twins 8, Angels 2

Game Notes

— While Michael Roth did allow a run, he still looked impressive. At a minimum, he pounds the strike zone makes the batter earn their way on base. I'm not sure how long his deception will work once teams get a scouting report on him, but I hope it does because I kind of love the way Scioscia is using him as a multi-inning reliever right now.

— What I don't love is Mark Lowe. He just can't get the ball over the plate right now, which is kind of damning because he was a guy that was supposed to have good command. I really can't see him lasting on the roster much longer. I wouldn't even be surprised if the Angels just call up someone like Michael Kohn because they can't be any worse than Lowe is right now.

— Two more hits for Luis Jimenez. With the Angels getting a lesson in how much depth their roster lacked, he might very well be playing himself into a permanent gig as a bench player and possibly even a platoon role at third base.

— I had to watch the game on my phone, which made things interesting when you combine the guys wearing warm clothing under the hats and uniforms and sporting #42 on all their jerseys. I had a real hard time identifying players all game long. They all seemed to strike a disturbing similarity to Paul McAnulty, which might explain how they ended up getting baffled by Kevin Correia for seven innings.

Halo A-Hole

I've already had just about enough of Joe Blanton. Getting touched up by the Reds and A's in at least understandable. But getting hit all over the field by this lousy Twins lineup is making me wonder if Blanton will ever come around. I also wonder if management will have the balls to pull the plug on Blanton if Richards continues to look good up until Weaver returns from the DL.