The Angels reunion with former pitcher Ervin Santana went exactly as planned, as the offense greeted him with four homeruns, including one from his former catcher to win their fifth game in a row. But, four homers was not tonight’s story, folks. Joe Blanton got his first win of the season pitching 6 1/3 innings, giving up 2 earned runs before being pulled in favor of the bullpen. It almost seemed too good to be true so Ernesto Frieri decided to make Blanton sweat in the bottom of the 9th, but Coello took his place with two outs, and finished the game off.
Whenever it appears Blanton is headed for the bullpen, it seems like he steps up for one start to end the argument. With Jered Weaver coming back next week, Scioscia has a tough decision to make. Who stays, who goes? It’s either Jerome or Joe.
Game Notes
–Scott Downs came on in the 8th inning and walked Gordon on 4 pitches. Apparently his ERA is 2.57, but it seems like he has pitched so much worse than that so far this season.
–It took Blanton TEN starts to get his first win of the season. Jerry Dipoto is definitely going to sleep a little bit better tonight.
–Trout, Pujols, Iannetta, and Trumbo all homered, with Trout’s shot going an estimated 463 feet. That would be the longest of his career.
–Robert Coello has now appeared in six games, and has yet to give up a run. Gotta love the forkball. Yu Darvish should be taking notes.
Halo Hero
Joe Blanton. Pitching wins ball games.
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