The Angels (49-37) ended their first half with a 3 game sweep over the New York Yankees (51-37), scoring 29 runs. The Athletics (37-49) just won 2 of 3 against the Tampa Bay Rays (48-41), winning their first series since June 21st. On opposite ends of the standings in the AL West, here’s what you can expect in the next couple of games:

It has to be frustrating to be an Oakland A’s fan right now. If you take Mark Ellis’ 7 season out of the line-up, no one has more than 3 years experience with the Athletics organization (not counting Jason Giambi’s former years before he went to the New York Yankees and was still a relevant and powerful threat). Their first 4 hitters are all off-season/mid-season acquisitions. Scroll down the line-up and you’ll see an equation of too young or too old that equals 6th fewest runs scored in all of baseball. Take a look at the pitching staff and you’ll see an extremely young group of kids. In fact, during the 4-game series, the Angels won’t face a starting pitcher who was born before 1983. The Angels have won 3 out of the 5 games they’ve played this season against the Athletics, and despite injuries to Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter, the Angels should take the series.

-Kevin H

The Angels (35-29) have done some early summer cleaning in California, bringing out the broom twice to sweep the San Diego Padres (29-36) and the San Francisco Giants (34-31). The Halos look to take on the red hot Dodgers (44-23), who still own the best record in baseball despite their 9-6 record in June. Here’s a quick preview of what you can expect:

The Angles took two of the three games at Dodger Stadium late last month, and will try to continue to assert themselves as LA’s team. It looks like it could be another close matchup.

Game to Watch: Saturday 6/20 6:05PM - Jeff Weaver (3-1, 3.72ERA 20K) vs. Jered Weaver (7-2, 2.08ERA 74K)

By: Kevin H.

The Angels (29-29) finish 4-5 on their 9 game road trip, and head back to Anaheim to take on the San Diego Padres (27-28). The Padres have gone 3-6 in their last 9 games, two of which were on the road, landing them 3rd in the NL West, 11 games behind the first place Dodgers (40-21) . Here’s a quick preview of what to expect from the San Diego Padres:

Heading back home, the Angels hope to gain some ground on the Texas Rangers(34-25), who are 4.5 games ahead. They’ll have a tough match up on Saturday, but the Angels should win the series.

By: Kevin H

After winning the first game, the Los Angeles Angels (28-27) drop the final two games of the series against the Detroit Tigers (31-25).  They leave Michigan and take a day off before heading down to Florida, taking on an injured Tampa Bay Rays (29-30) to finish the final three games of a nine game road trip.  Here’s a quick preview of what to expect.

Lineup:
CF BJ Upton (.216, 36R 17SB) - He hasn’t performed as well as experts have predicted, but if/when he gets on base, the Angels have to be aware of his speed.

LF Carl Crawford (.326, 4HR 27RBI 34SB) - A healthy Carl Crawford is dangerous.  He’s been plagued with injury the last couple of seasons, but he’s a stayed away from it this year, and has already stolen 34 bases, including 6 in a game earlier this year again the Boston Red Sox.

3B Evan Longoria (.316, 13HR 55RBI) - He missed a week with a sore hammy, but even after skipping out on a couple games, he still is tied for the most RBIs in the league, collecting 124 bases in just 54 games.

1B Carlos Pena (.220, 17HR 42RBI) - He’s a free swinger that knocks in runs, so the Rays will live with his 77 strike outs.  It’s no secret that he has power.

DH Willy Aybar (.250, 4HR 16RBI) - He had to fill in at 3rd with Longoria out, but he’ll move back to his DH role while Pat Burrell (.250, 1HR 17RBI) is out with a neck strain. He’s been struggling. but in his last year (324 at bats) he only hit .253, so his numbers should stay around here.

2B Ben Zobrist (.299, 11HR 33RBI) - Season ending knee surgery for a torn ACL on Akinori Iwamura has freed up second base for Zobrist to step in.  He’s a utility guy, who Manager Joe Madden will use in right field as well as shortstop and has taken advantage of his time on the field.

RF Gabe Gross (.255, 3HR 16RBI)/Matt Joyce (.200, 3HR, 6RBI)/Gabe Kapler (.173, 6R 7RBI) - It’s a toss up of who will fill right field, but any of these guys can/have played this season, none of which are huge threats.

C Dioner Navarro (.206, 3HR 13RBI) - Last year, in 120 games, he batted .295 and was a major reason for the Rays run at the title.  This year, the 24-year-old is struggling to get a bat on the ball.

SS Reid Brignac (.205, 5R 2RBI) - He’s been called up to replace an injured Jason Bartlett (sprained left ankle).  A career .282 minor league hitter is just a filler until Bartlett gets healthy again.

Probable Pitchers:
RHP James Shields (5-4, 3.40ERA) - In 7 career starts against the Angels, he has 2 complete games and a 3.22 era.  He also has a 1:3 BB/K this year, and is coming off a 8 inning, 2ER 8K win over the Kansas City Royals.

RHP Jeff Neimann (5-4, 3.77ERA) - Another young pitcher the Rays took a chance on, and it has paid off, especially in his last 6 starts, where he hasn’t allowed more than 3 earned runs.  He also had a great outing against the Royals, finishing with a 2 hit, 9 strike out complete game shut out.

LHP David Price (1-0, 2.45ERA) - This highly touted prospect  finally got called up after Scott Kazmir (4-4, 7.69ERA) went down with a right quadricep strain.  He’s sandwiched his 5.2 inning, 1ER 11 strikeout performance with a few no decisions that included 5 walks each.

Bullpen:
It’s a crapshoot to see who will come out in close games situations.  Troy Percival (6.35ERA, 7K) has 6 saves on the year, but he’s out with shoulder tendinitis.  J.P. Howell (2.17ERA, 36K) has the most save oppportunities (7), but has only converted 2 on the year.  Lance Cormier (2.19ERA, 17K) has been the most effective pitcher out of the bullpen, pitching in 37 innings. They also have former closer Jason Isringhausen (2.84ERA), and have listed Grant Balfour (6.31ERA, 25K) as their closer, who has recorded 8 holds on the year.

The Rays are coming off a three game series with the New York Yankees (34-23), and will have a tough homestand against the Angels.  The Halos may be able to finish a long road trip by taking the series from an injury-depleted Tampa Bay team.

By: Kevin H

After a three game stay in Canada, the Angels (27-25) will head over to Motown to take on the Detroit Tigers (28-24), who are 1st in their division, 2.5 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins. Here’s a quick preview of what to expect…

Line-up:
LF Clete Thomas (.247 15R 13RBI) - Thomas didn’t start playing until May, when he was filling in for the slumping Magglio Ordonez. But now he’s been promoted to lead-off man after Granderson was moved to the 5th spot.  He had 116 at bats last year, but this is basically his rookie season.  Didn’t have lights-out numbers in the minors, but he’s been a solid option for the Tigers.

2B Placido Polanco (.250, 22R 21RBI) - Polanco hasn’t batted under .290 in the last 7 years, so his numbers are a little down as of now.  He usually bats .319 in June with an on base percentage of .356

RF Magglio Ordonez (.275, 2HR 19RBI) - The 35-year-old couldn’t, for the life of him, figure out how to hit the ball in the middle of May, but has raised his average 55 points by the end of the month. Typically a 20+ homerun guy with over 100 RBI’s by the end of the season, but the Angels may be able to take advantage of a down year, though Ordonez does have a .330 lifetime batting average against the Angels, contributing 21 home runs.

1B Miguel Cabrera (.354, 10HR 38RBI) - By far the biggest producer on the team. The young recently converted first baseman is made an immediate impact after signing with the Tigers, and had 37 homers while knocking in 127 runs last year.

CF Curtis Granderson (.271, 13HR 33RBI) - Once batting lead off, coach Jim Leyland decided it’d be better to give bat this guy 5th. Granderson has taken advantage of the position change, cranking 13 homeruns, but still giving the Tigers some speed, stealing 9 bases this year. He also has a .338 career batting average against the Halos.

3B Brandon Inge (.280, 12HR 35RBI) - Aside from batting .287 during 2004 season, he has never batted over .261 in his 9 years of service.  He’s hot right now, and already has more homeruns than he did last year. Look for him to cool of as the season progresses.

DH Jeff Larish (.224, 4HR 7RBI) - He’s just a filler in the lineup, and the second-year player is trying to adjust to the majors. He did hit 75 homeruns in 5 minor league seasons, but had a .261 average, so probably won’t do much better than this for the remainder of the season.

DH Ryan Raburn (.265, 3HR 12RBI)/LF/RF Josh Anderson (.260, 10SB 10RBI) - Injuries to Carlos Guillen (right shoulder inflammation) and Marcus Thames (left ribcage strain) have opened spots for these two young guns. Shouldn’t do too much damage against the Angels, but they need to be wary of Anderson’s speed on the bases.

C Gerald Laird (.224, 2HR 14RBI) - The Tigers scooped up Laird  after Pudge left, but has struggled in Detroit, tallying 3 hits in the past 10 games.

SS Adam Everett (.267, 17R 18RBI) - Everett raised his average nearly 50 points in May, but is a career .247 batter, and has been injury prone the past couples years.

Probable Starters:
RHP Justin Verlander (6-2, 3.63ERA) - A shaky April has led to a 5-0, 1.52 ERA June, bringing a grand total of 90 strikeouts and 20 walks in 11 games. Aside from his 11-17, 4.84ERA 2008 season, he’s been the best hurler on the Tigers pitching staff.  The Angels have had his number though, as he is 0-2 with a 6.08 earned run average.

RHP Edwin Jackson (5-3, 2.30ERA) - Originally drafted by the Boys in Blue up the freeway, Jackson has had his fair share of bumps and bruises, only becoming a relevant starter in Tampa Bay during the 2007 season. He struggled with control, but has cut last year’s ERA in half.

RHP Rick Porcello (6-4, 3.70ERA) - The big righty (6′5″) has pitched well in his 10 starts in the 2009 season, but typically only goes about 5 or 6 innings. Known for his control, his 2-1 strike out to walk ratio has kept his whip at 1.25, and was 4th on MLB.com’s top 50 prospects of 2009.

Bullpen:
Setup - RHP Joel Zumaya (2.65ERA, 16K) - The guy has been known to hit 100mph on the clock, but has blow up outings, especially since he’s been known to frequent the disabled list.

Closer - RHP Fernando Rodney (2.86ERA, 10SV) - Recorded 13 saves last year, and has stepped into the fulltime closer role this year.  He can throw some serious heat, but can wear down later in the season.

The Tigers have some power in their line up with some dangerous pitchers, and currently sit in 1st place in the AL Central. Los Angeles will face the three most productive rightys on Detroit, and it looks like it should be another good series as the Angels continue their 9 games road trip.

By: Kevin H

The Los Angeles Angels (25-24) will start off their 9-game road in Canada, as they take on the Toronto Blue Jays (29-24)).  Here’s a quick preview of what you can expect…

Lineup:
SS Marco Scutaro (.305, 25RBI 43R) - He’s strung together 7 multi-hit games, tallying 5 doubles and knocking in 3 runs during that period.  Last year, he hit .267 with 23 doubles, but has 14 in just 50 games this year. He went 1-8 last time he visited Anaheim, but scored 3 times during the 2 games he played.

2B Aaron Hill (.333, 12HR 37RBI) - He’s dropped his batting average 42 points in May, but he still has 12 HR in just 53 games this year with one of the highest batting averages in the big leagues, including a .370 on base percentage. 4-9 last time he faced the Angels with 2 jacks and 4 RBIs.

RF Alex Rios (.276, 5HR 22RBI) - A healthy Rios is a scary player. He’s a solid combination of speed and power, recording 47 doubles, 15 home runs, 79 RBIs and 32 stolen bases in 2008. His batting average is a little low  right now, considering he’s a .288 career hitter in May, but has a .275 career average against the Angels.

CF Vernon Wells (.266, 5HR 25RBI) - He’s put together a 6 game hit streak, but is a shaky option for the Jays, frequently visiting the DL.  He’s been healthy all year though, and has been a solid clean-up hitter for Toronto.

LF Adam Lind (.288, 8HR, 38RBI) - This 25-year-old has been the biggest producer on the team, maxing his May batting average at .336. He’s dropped his batting average considerably towards the end of May, and should hover around here but the power looks like it might be there all season.

3B Scott Rolen (.303, 3HR 18RBI) - The vet has shown that he still has it, but hasn’t played a full season since 2006, when he was batting .296 with 22 homers and 95 runs batted in. Another big bat in an already powerful lineup if he’s healthy.

DH Kevin Millar (.267, 3HR 16RBI) - The Los Angeles native has a .340 on base percentage in the 2009 season.  He hit 20 homeruns last year, and has a .281 career average against the Halos.

1B Lyle Overbay (.274, 5HR 23RBI) - Overbay has enjoyed May, raising his batting average 34 points. 2-8 last time he faced the Halos with a home run and 3 RBIs.

C Rod Barajas (.285, 3HR 26RBI) - Barajas is doing exactly what the Jays need him to do; giving minor contributions.  He’s been a backup pretty much his whole career, and is hitting 50 points over his batting average. He has the potential to hit for power, recording 21 RBIs in 2005 with Texas, and has 5 homeruns life time against the Angels.

Probable Starters:
RHP Roy Halladay (8-1, 2.65ERA) - This 2008 Cy Young contender has continued his dominance in the 2009 season, tallying 68 strike outs in 82 innings. His last game against the Angels was an 8 innings, 1 earned run, and 6 whif outing.  However, the LAA have had his number, totaling a 7-5 record with a 4.35 earned run average.

RHP Casey Janssen (1-1, 4.15ERA) - The third-year righty has less than 180 innings pitched in the majors, and has a 9-14 cummulative record.  The Jays promoted him from the bullpen last year, where he recorded 24 holds with a 2.35  earned run average.  In his two starts this year, he’s given up 3 runs each to Boston and Atlanta.

LHP Brian Tallet (3-3, 4.26ERA) - After getting blown up against the Kansas City Royals (4IN, 10ER), he’s contributed 6 quality starts, averaging 4 hits a game with a little over 2 earned runs a game in about 6 innings.

Bullpen:
Closer - Scott Downs (Sv: 6, 2.45ERA) - He’s converted 6 out of 7 saves this season, fanning 23 hitters in 22 innings, only walking 2.  The Jays bullpen isn’t exactly lights out, but when Downs has been called upon, he’s converting.

By: Kevin H

The Angels (24-22) take a day off before heading back home to LA to take on the Seattle Mariners (22-26), who dropped two out of three to the last place Oakland A’s (18-26). Here’s a quick outlook of what to expect when the Mariners visits Anaheim…

Lineup:
RF Ichiro Suzuki (.343, 14RBI 8SB) - There’s no secret that Ichiro is one of the best lead off men in the league, and he’s upped his batting average 33 points in the past six games, contributing 4 multi-hit games and 2 stolen bases. Unfortunately, the Mariners can’t drive him in, as he’s only scored one run during that same time span. Suzuki went 5-18 the last time he faced the Angels, and has a .305 BA against LA.

SS Yuniesky Betancourt (.258, 14RBI 11R) - Betancourt’s average has been fluctuating this year, but his contributions have been steadily decreasing since his rookie year in 2005. He doesn’t get a lot of hits, a lot of RBIs, a lot of runs, nor does he strike out or walk a whole lot (17BB and 42Ks in 559 at bats in ‘08). He’s just very…average. He’s been shaky on the field this year, tallying 8 errors in 43 games.

3B Adrian Beltre (.212, 3HR 19RBI) - Beltre had a 48 home run, 121 RBI season in 2004 with the Dodgers, and ever since, he hasn’t hit over .276 or recorded more than 100 RBIs. He went 2-12 last time he faced LAA, and has 1 home run with 4 RBIs since.

DH Ken Griffey Jr. (.218, 5HR 12RBI) - Last time he faced the Angels, he lit them up, going 5-9 with a home run and 3 runs batted in. Still has one of the sweetest swings in baseball, and is a career .281 hitter against the Halos, and the Mariners are gonna need the 39-year-old to swing a big bat to have a chance to win.

1B Russell Branyan (.311, 11HR 23RBI) - By far the biggest threat on the Mariners aside from Ichiro. Branyan hasn’t been a major contributor on any team (he’s been on 8 teams in 11 years of service), maxing out at 54 RBIs over 8 years ago. His .OPS is 1.006 right now, and he went 4-10 last time he faced the Angels.

2B Jose Lopez (.216, 3HR 21RBI) - Lopez has not been able to find his bat in 2009. His batting average has dropped 50 points in May, and went 2-16 last time the Angels visited Seattle. Last year, he hit .297 with 41 doubles, but it’s gonna be hard to get it going against the Halos.

C Rob Johnson (.211, 8RBI 6R) - He’s filling in for Kenji Johjima (.250, 3HR 10RBI) who is on the DL with a broken big toe. He’s just a filler, but went 2-3 with 2 doubles his last game in Oakland.

CF Franklin Gutierrez (.273, 3HR 19RBI) - A 3-game hit streak has raised his batting average to .273, and he’s third on the team in RBIs. He’s a career .246 hitter against the Angels, and can blow up if he gets hot.

LF Wladimir Balentien (.234, 6RBI 12R) - He’s 5-36 in his last 10 games, and he’s splitting a lot of time with Endy Chavez (.272, 10RBI 13R). Endy has the wheels and Balentien…gives Chavez rest.

Probable Pitchers:
LHP Jason Vargas (1-0, 1.29ERA) - The 26-year-old has 21 innings under his belt, and has a .221 opponent batting average, but he’s going up against John Lackey, so it’s gonna be a tough outing.

RHP Felix Hernandez (5-3, 3.76ERA) - He got lit up against the Angels last time they played, allowing 11 hits and 6 earned runs in 5.2 innings, but he’s been strong for the rest of the season, leading the Mariners with 66 strike outs.

RHP Chris Jakubauskas (3-5, 6.45ERA) - Jak was the only successful pitcher last time they took on the Angels, only giving up 2 hits in 6 innings. He’s almost the opposite of Hernandez, with only 18 strikeouts in 44 innings during the 2009 season.

Bullpen:
Closer - David Aardsma (6SV, 1.19ERA) - He took over after Brandon Morrow lost the closing position earlier this season, and he’s been strong in the 2009 season, tallying 25 strike outs in 22 innings, converting the 1-0 save last time the Angels played.

Should a good one in Anaheim beginning Friday night at 7:30.

By: Kevin H