Weekend Countdown: Let’s Get Ready to Rumble! – Rangers @ Angels

Texas Rangers (60-47) @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (64-42)

Game 1 Starters: TEX – Scott Feldman (10-4, 3.91 ERA)  LAA – Joe Saunders (9-6, 5.07 ERA)

Game 1 Info: 7:05 PM PT TV-Fox Sports West, Radio-KLAA 830 AM, KFWB, KWKW 1330 AM

Game 2 Starters: TEX – Kevin Millwwod (9-7, 3.39 ERA)  LAA – Jered Weaver (11-3, 3.79 ERA)

Game 2 Info: 1:10 PM PT TV-Fox, Radio-KLAA 830 AM, KFWB, KWKW 1330 AM

Game 3 Starters: TEX – Derek Holland (4-7, 5.60 ERA)  LAA – John Lackey (7-4, 3.96 ERA)

Game 3 Info: 12:35 PM PT TV-KCOP, Radio-KLAA 830 AM, KFWB, KWKW 1330 AM

Let’s get ready to rumble, Texas!!!!

Time to get ready for the biggest series of the year for the Angels (well, until that Angels face the Rangers again in September, anyway).  The Angels hold a nice 4.5 game cushion over the visiting Rangers and have a chance to step on their perennial whipping boys throats once again or let them hang around the AL West division title race for a few more weeks.

We all know all too well that the Rangers have had the Angels’ number so far this year, winning seven of their nine match-ups this season.  But now the Angels are a team on fire, winning 15 of their last 20 games while the Rangers come limping into Anaheim having just dropped three of four games to the lowly Athletics and riddled with injuries.  Angel-killer Ian Kinsler is on the disabled list, slugger Nelson Cruz probably won’t play at all this series and Kevin Millwood will be trying to avoid getting scratched from his fourth consecutive start.

For the Angels it is an ideal time to put the Rangers out of their misery and assert their dominance in the AL West.  If don’t put the Rangers down like a dying dog, they may come to regret it in late-September when this young, upstart club hosts the Halos in the decisive final week of the year.

THREE Questions:

• Can Saunders snap his curse against Texas?  Not only has Colonel Saunders been getting hammered lately, but Texas has always owned him even when he is pitching well.  If he wants to get his season back on track, a strong performance Friday night would be tremendous towards that end.
• Are the Angels cooling off or was the series against the White Sox just a brief hiccup?
• Who is going to throw at Vladimir Guerrero’s head now that the Rangers have designated Vicente Padilla for assignment?  Well, at least he can’t give the Angels the swine flu now.

TWO Predictions:

• Vlad gets back to his old ways and becomes a one-man Ranger-killing army as in seasons past.
• Though it isn’t Scioscia’s style, the Angel pitchers will go out of their to intimidate the Ranger hitters to try and take advantage of their inexperience in pressure-filled games.

ONE Wish:

• I wish for not just an Angels sweep of the Rangers, but a sweep of three flat-out ass-kickings just to remind the Rangers who the real champ of the AL West really is.

ZERO Tolerance for… anything less than a playoff-like atmosphere at the Big A.  If the Halos are going to break their 2009 jinx versus the Rangers, the onus will be on the fans to bring the passion and energy at the stadium all weekend long.

Leave your own questions, answers, predictions or wishes as a comment or just hang out with us during the game or even chat with us on twitter (@MonkeyWithAHalo).