Coming into this season everyone was sure the Angels would be able to use the Astros for the sole purpose of fattening up their record. Prior to this season the Angels had a paltry losing record against the lowly Astros, only to atone for their mistakes with a much needed sweep of the Astros. This sweep is huge for the team considering they've just come off a sweep of the AL powerhouse Tigers. Despite some rocky glovemanship by multiple Halos throughout the game the Angels were able to pull it together to steal a tight win away from the Astros and keep the winning streak alive.
If only the Angels could play this consistently all season.
Game Notes
— Despite an incredibly rocky 6th inning that saw errors by Callaspo and C.J Wilson (who I am convinced is the worst pitcher in the game at making throws over to first) which saw the Astros tie up the score 1-1 the Angels were able to pull it back by a very Astros like play that allowed a Josh Hamilton RBI double to turn into a little league inside the park homerun. After that it was pretty stale for the rest of the game aside from the usual anxiety ridden save attempt by Ernesto Frieri. What put the Angels in the game was an early solo bomb from Mark Trumbo, who has been slumping incredibly hard as of late. Luckily for the Angels they were able to keep playing the game on their terms without letting the Astros take any semblance of control despite their little "rally" off the errors of Wilson and Callaspo for one run. If they can keep playing games on their terms then who knows where they'll be come October (hint: it includes tragically dry and neglected fishing boats).
— Frieri continued to do what he does best, show up and throw nothing but balls to start off an appearance. He let the first hitter take the count all the way full before he put a ball in play that Erick Aybar could not handle. I should actually rephrase that, it was an incredibly routine pooper of a ground ball that Aybar tried to bare hand when he had more than enough time to play it like any other ball and get the easy out. I don't know if it's just me or not, but it seems like the Angels play their absolute worst defense against the Astros. Aside from the magic they worked last game throughout the season they've been putting a hearty amount of pressure on the pitching staff, which in turn has resulted in a lot of losses at the hands of the Astros. Frieri was able to work through the error to get three consecutive outs to end the ball game and ensure the sweep and a 6-0 road trip for the Angels. Now if only Frieri can come into games on a hotter note the 9th inning might not be so interesting.
— It's been a while since the Angels have seen a Troutless game since he came up, but today was one of those days. Manager Mike Scioscia gave him a day off to nurse some minor hamstring issues he's been dealing with. Against, nothing to worry about, but minor issues that won't impact him in any serious way. Definitely not Peter Bourjos-tier. It's a little funny to see the one Troutless game go so quietly on the offensive front.
Halo Hero
Today was a little difficult in terms of deciding who to give the Halo Hero to since the game was mostly quiet and uneventful. Gotta give major props to Wilson for putting up such a fantastic effort today though, he never let the game get away from him and had a tight handle on his pitch count through the 7 innings that he pitched, quite masterfully might I add. Had he and Callaspo not extended the 6th inning with errors he could have very well gone on to throw a CG shut out. Let's hope he can keep a handle on the consistency for the rest of the season.
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