Game Rewind: Look, Ma, Runs! – Angels 6, Mariners 3

Look, Ma, the Angels finally scored some runs and they did all by themselves!  Yaaaay!

With one swing the Angels got the RISP monkey off their back.

After games of frustrating pop-ups and generally lousy situational hitting, the Angels FINALLY cashed in on a bases loaded situation courtesy of a Kendry Morales bases-clearing double.  That was very nearly all the runs the Angels would score in the game, but no doubt that big hit did a little something to make each and every Angel relax a bit at the plate after a week of stranding dozens of runners in scoring position.  Even Juan Rivera, whose bat has been so cold that his hands were starting to get frostbite, was able to tack on two insurance runs in the eighth inning with a clutch two-out jack.

With another sparkling performance from their starting pitching, the Angels need their offense to kick into gear if they want to make some noise in the post-season and Morales’ big knock might just be the spark they needed to make that happen.

Scoring runs is fun for everyone!  Fist bumps all around!!!!

Angelic Accomplishments:

• Juan Rivera is alive!!!!! His eighth inning home run was hit so damn hard that I think he might have cracked one of the boulders in the center field rock pile.
• Vladimir Guerrero is starting to heat up.  He was hitting the ball with some real authority again tonight and could be ready to go on a tear just in time for the home stretch of the season.

Devilish Details:

• Ichiro, you clever little rascal.  That deke on Vladdy’s base hit off the wall in the first even had me fooled.  It might have even saved some runs had Ian Snell been capable of throwing near the strike zone.  Bravo, Ichiro.  Bravo.
• Mike Scioscia must hate me.  My prediction of less than nine runs total was spot on until he curiously decided to let Trevor Bell try and finish the game off.  I get trying to let the kid get some work, but a four-run lead is a little too close for comfort for me.  At least go with someone with a bit more major league experience under his belt.
• So much for the power of “9.”  Figgy did make a nice diving stop, but otherwise had an unremarkable game.  Maybe he should’ve hijacked a Mexican airliner.

Halo Hero:

• Jered Weaver

Save for those two solo shots he allowed, Weaver had the Mariners totally baffled in his 6.1 innings of work.  He even made Ichiro look silly at the plate which is damn near unheard of.  If he can keep pitching like he did tonight (6.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K), he might even earn himself a few Cy Young votes.