Series Countdown: The Pressure is Bigger in Texas – Angels @ Rangers

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Counting down to the utterly crucial Angels’ series against the Rangers in which everyone will realize the playoff pressure is bigger in Texas.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (51-46) @ Texas Rangers (58-33)

Game 1 Starters: LAA – Jered Weaver (9-5, 3.16 ERA)  TEX – Cliff Lee (8-4, 2.59 ERA)

Game 1 Info: 5:05 PM PT TV-Fox Sports West; Radio-ESPN Radio, KLAA 830 AM, KWKW 1330 AM

Game 2 Starters: LAA – Joe Saunders (6-9, 4.83 ERA)  TEX – C.J. Wilson (8-5, 3.23 ERA)

Game 2 Info: 5:05 PM PT TV-Fox Sports West; Radio-ESPN Radio, KLAA 830 AM, KWKW 1330 AM

Game 3 Starters: LAA – Ervin Santana (8-7, 3.63 ERA)  TEX – Scott Feldman (5-8, 5.48 ERA)

Game 3 Info: 5:05 PM PT TV-Fox Sports West; Radio-ESPN Radio, KLAA 830 AM, KWKW 1330 AM

Game 4 Starters: LAA – Sean O’Sullivan (1-0, 2.08 ERA)  TEX – Tommy Hunter (7-0, 2.09 ERA)

Game 4 Info: 5:05 PM PT TV-KCOP; Radio-ESPN Radio, KLAA 830 AM, KWKW 1330 AM

5. Make no bones about it, the Angels MUST come up with a series win this weekend.  If they can’t close the gap on the Rangers in these four games, then Tony Reagins is really going to have to start seriously considering raising the white flag on the season and become a seller at the trade deadline.  If they leave this series five games back still, it is margin the Halos could overcome but is still big enough to consider just surrendering, but if they drop to seven or nine games back, they’re flat out done.  Hell, if they lose this series, they could very well end up in third place in the division come Monday morning.

4. Out of all the games this series, the first one is a real must-win for the Angels for a litany of reasons.  First off, they need to get the series started right by taking the opener, that is just common sense.  But the real driving force here is that it is a battle of aces, Cliff Lee and Jered Weaver.  If the Rangers use their newly acquired stud starter to take out the Angels top pitcher, it will be a crushing blow to the Angel confidence.  Conversely, if the Angels topple Lee, they are pretty much giving a big middle finger to the Rangers and all the media experts who said that the Lee acquisition spelled a premature end to the Halo season, functionally robbing Texas of all their newfound swagger for themselves.

3. This is where Sean O’Sullivan could become a liability.  It is one thing to get fired up for his first start of the season or to face the hated Yankees, but it could be too much to ask for Sully to put together another strong performance in the anchor leg of this series.  Imagine the kind of pressure he is going to be under if he is tasked with getting the Angels a series win rather than a series split?  And he is going to have do it against Texas’ young phenom Tommy Hunter who has yet to take a loss this season.  Oy, even I am starting to get butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it.

2. If the Angel bats go silent this series, I am going to be incredibly pissed off and not just because it will likely translate to the Angels losing this four-game set.  One thing that has been eating at me and other Angel fans the last few weeks is why Tony Reagins didn’t get more proactive on the trade market.  If they are going to add some lineup help before the trade deadline, they should have done it before this series so that they could be as loaded as possible to take on their rival and not waiting until after this crucial series to figure out how they want to play the trade deadline game.

1. I can’t wait to here what C.J. Wilson will have to say after this series if the Angels win it (and frankly, I am embarrassed to share a surname with him).  After the Halos took the last series back in Anaheim, Wilson popped off to the press about how upset he was that the Angels won the series even though he knew the Rangers were the better team.  I don’t know what it is about the Rangers having so many pompous asses on their team (see Ian Kinsler), but nothing would make me happier than getting to hear Wilson trying to rationalize yet another Angel triumph over Texas.