So we are all pretty confident that the Angels are going to clinch the division during this series against the Rangers. Last year the team clinched the division with three weeks left in the season and the team became complacent. They lost there fire and weren’t ready for the, again, Red Sox.

This year winning the division would come with less than a week left in the season, and given what the Angels have gone through this year I doubt the leaders of this team will let them lose their fire. But this still leaves us with a final weekend series in a crowd-less Oakland Coliseum. So how should the Angels treat this final weekend?

Part of the success of the Red Sox has come with their “I’m not worried about it” mentality, but the Angels just aren’t this way. Many have called for the Angels adoption of this New England style, but that’s not are game.

In Rocky IV, because it’s always relevant, Rocky isolated himself with one thing on his mind, Drago! Vladdy should have a picture of Josh Beckett on his mirror, and Torii Hunter should be listening to “Hearts on Fire” on loop. Oakland will be the perfect place for the Angels to get their heads straight. In baseball, there is no better isolation than Oakland.

Focus, and keep your eye on the prize.

- Tony C

I don’t need to go through the history of the Angels losing to the Red Sox in the postseason. We all know it. For some reason when October rolls around, and the Red Sox show up to town they can’t be beat. So why is that?

In 2004, when the Red Sox came back from three games to none against the Yankees, Manny Ramirez was interviewed after game three and asked if he was worried. He said, “If we lose, we lose.” I addition, the Red Sox that year were always laughing and very loose. Nothing seemed to bother them. You wouldn’t think a curse even existed if you saw them in the locker room.

Mike Scioscia runs the Angels like a business. This has worked for him against ever other team in baseball except for the Red Sox in the postseason. When the Angels play the Red Sox it seems to be less of a business mindset and more of a stick up there ass. Our hitters never come through with runners in scoring position because, even though they won’t admit it, they are nervous.

Now this may seem very doom and gloom, but here is why I think this year will be different. We have confidence. Now that Torii Hunter is in his second year with the Angels, and Kendry Morales seems ready to hit anything, this year will be different. My friends will tell you I say that every year, but we’ll see. Like the Yankees, the Angels have a new fire, and if it is to be put out, I don’t think it will be the Red Sox.

Also, as we saw a little bit last year with Teixeira, but he was only here for two months so it didn’t really have a chance to take hold, we have plate discipline. Two of the top five walks leaders in the American League are on the Angels, Chone Figgins and Bobby Abreu. This is what the Red Sox have had over us in previous years. We make Daisuke Matsuzaka look like a god because we swing at everything, and he doesn’t throw strikes. We saw a glimpse of this last night, but I don’t think it will be a trend.

So again, if the curse is going to be broken, it will be this year. Lets hope.

- Tony C

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Who would have thought at the beginning of this season that Kendry Morales would be the Angels MVP, and that Juan Rivera would be putting up numbers similar to those that Vlad has been putting up in years past. We all expected big things out of Bobby Abreu and he did not disappoint. And despite Torii Hunter’s injury that has sidelined him since the All-Star break; he is still considered one of the top candidates for the American League MVP. So if he’s being considered, why not the rest of these guys?
Many experts have Mark Teixeira at the top of their A.L. MVP list, but let’s compare some numbers here. Big Tex is batting .288 with 29 HR and 85 RBI, not too shabby. Now let’s look at our first baseman. Kendry “Give Me Some More” Morales is batting .303 with 25 HR and 76 RBI, stellar numbers considering his role with the team last season, and he’s only getting better. Since August 1, his average has gone from .295 to .303, and incredible leap. Put aside my love for the Angels, I still pick Morales over Teixeira. Why? Teixeira is making so much money. Morales, on the other hand, is making the same amount as a superstar in the WNBA. If I can get Morales’ numbers for the price of Lisa Leslie, I’ll take it.
Now we move onto our insanely stacked outfield. When the outfield is healthy, they boast a 1-2-3 punch of Juan Rivera, Torii Hunter and Bobby Abreu. All three of these guys are having monster-like seasons. Coming off of an injury to his leg that sidelined him for a majority of last season, no one thought that “The Chosen Juan” Rivera would be doing this well. This season has been a very large step in the development of Juan Rivera as a player. Torii Hunter has been one of the biggest names in all of Major League Baseball in the last decade. Not only has this guy’s glove been made of pure gold this season, his bat has also been formed from some of America’s finest silver, he’s a monster! He has been out since the All-Star break and still has numbers at the top of many American League batting categories: .305 AVG, 17 HR and 65 RBI. I have one word for that, amazing. Tony Reagins signing of Bobby Abreu in the offseason has been nothing short of genius. If you don’t think he is worthy of the AL MVP award then there is either something wrong with you or you are a dirty Yankee fan. Batting .306 with 9 HR and 77 RBI, many Angels fans consider him to be our MVP. But those aren’t his most impressive numbers; the number that sticks out the most is his OBP (On Base Percentage), .403. That is unreal. This guy is doing exactly what we need him to do, getting on base and scoring some runs. His patience at the plate is what puts him on base more than anyone in the American League. So Angel’s fans, we don’t miss Mr. Teixeira too much now do we.
These four Angels have been a vital part to our success this year and they all deserve to be recognized by the MLB.
Other Notable Angels having breakout seasons: Jered Weaver, Chone Figgins, Erick Aybar, Brian Fuentes
By: Zach B

Overcoming adversity

For the Angels, the beginning of the season was a roller coaster to say the least. It began with a plague of injuries to some of our key stars, especially, the pitching staff. This included John Lackey, Ervin Santana, and Kelvim Escobar (who is still out). The problem, however, was alleviated due to the depth of the Angels pitching. This was topped by outstanding performances from Jered Weaver and Joe Saunders, and completed by a solid back end lead by top prospect Nick Adenhart.

Our heart was then broken by the passing of this outstanding young pitching prospect. The death of Nick Adenhart is something the team, and Angels fans will always remember. Most of us didn’t even know who he was, but it didn’t matter because he was one of our Angels. The young men that all of us at this end of the 5 freeway cheer for year after year. But, as many tragedies do, it made this team stronger both on and off the field. Lead by Torii Hunter, the Angels became a new team. One to be reckoned with.

Highlights

With all of the issues the Angels have had, some leaders have emerged. This begins with our Gold Glove and All-Star center fielder Torii Hunter. Most of us were pretty upset with the problems that arose with Gary Matthews Jr., but Torii has made us forget. His 17 home runs, 65 RBI’s, and amazing defensive play have been the Angels rock during the first half of the season.

Also, both Juan Rivera (.312 avg., 14HR, 50RBI) and Kendry Morales (.285avg., 14HR, 45RBI) have emerged as elite players in this league. With Mark Teixeira turning his back on us, most of us thought we would have a huge hole offensively. This has proven not to be the case, especially with the addition of Bobby Abreu.

With all the injuries to our rotation who can forget the 30-year-old rookie. With a 7-0 start, Matt Palmer locked down a much needed rotation spot and gave consistent starts when we needed them the most.

Finally, Chone Figgins has been has returned to the Figgins we all know and love, and plants a solid bat at the beginning of the lineup.

Outlook

With everything the Angels have gone through, and with the exception of Kelvim Escobar and Scott Shields, our team is healthy and performing. Mike Scioscia should win coach of the year and the Angels should win the division. Hopefully, the adversity the Angels have overcome has given them a toughness they have lacked in the past. And maybe, just maybe, they can take down the Red Sox this year.

-Tony C

Bobby Abreu gave us a sign of things to come this weekend, knocking two out of the park for his first multi-homerun game as an Angel, and contributing 4 of the 5 totals runs scored by the Halos. He’s now second in RBIs for LA with 48, only trailing Torii Hunter who has 59.

With the 5-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles, the Angels stop a two game skid after a visit to Texas , which almost resulted in giving first place back to the Rangers. This was not because of run support, as the Angels tallied 17 runs in the three game series. Rather, it was shaky pitching from Joe Saunders (3.2in, 8ER 5BB 2K) and Jered Weaver (5.1in, 7ER 3K). Juan Rivera tried to salvage Weaver’s outing by tying the game at 7-7 in the top of the 9th inning with a 3-run homerun, but Hank Blalock would hit a 2-run shot in the bottom of the 9th to win the game.

This was a great game for the Halos. Fans saw a flash of Bobby Abreu’s power and John Lackey had a very solid outing, throwing 8 innings, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits, fanning 7 with 114 pitches. Brian Fuentes also earned his 23rd save of the year.

Look for the Angels to continue their hot play during the holiday weekend. Everyone have a happy and safe 4th!

Noteables: Ervin Santana (1-3, 7.47ERA) will pitch for the first time since June 11th after a brief stint on the DL with right tricep inflammation. Against the Orioles, he is 2-2 in 7 starts with a 4.60 earned run average, and nearly has a 1:4 BB/K ratio.

Torii Hunter has a 7-game hit streak, scoring 3 times and knocking in 7 during the span.

Kenry Morales also has a 7-game hit streak, scoring 4 times, earning two doubles, a triple, and a homerun. He is 10-26 during the span with a .385 batting average.

Matt Palmer came out of the bullpen two days ago and did not allow a hit. Although he walked 1, he struck out 2 in 2 innings.

By: Kevin H

Here are his numbers: Avg. (.330) Runs (54) Stolen Bases (23) OPS (.827). So whats the problem? Well, he plays third base, and third requires home runs in the eyes of most fans which is ridiculous. And these numbers don’t include the defensive gems he has given Angels fans all season. He is a rock at the beginning of our lineup. I’m going to make this short and sweet. Go to MLB.com and vote for Chone Figgins to the 2009 All-Star team. Oh, and don’t forget Torii as well.
-Tony C

Many critics have been saying pessimistically that the Angels (35-29) have only been scoring runs because they have been facing the terrible pitchers in the National League West. It is true the Angels have not face the best the San Diego Padres (28-35) and San Francisco Giants (34-31) have to offer, but I still thought it was something to be excited about because they were averaging 9 runs a game during a 5 game winning streak. We haven’t seen this kind of production at all in past years.

Today, the Angels offense proved its critics wrong by scoring 4 runs against the reigning Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum (8in, 3ER 9K). This is not the 9 runs they were averaging, but it was a solid number against arguably the best pitcher in baseball.  Not to mention this was without Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter and Bobby Abreu in the starting line-up.

This offense is for real and is ready to take down the best the National League has to offer, our cross town rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers (43-22).

Notes:

Brian Fuentes (4.43ERA, 24K) nailed down his 18th save of the season as is starting to lock down the back of the rotation for the Angels.  However, I still think I would be more comfortable with Kelvim Escobar (0-1, 3.60ERA) there.

-Tony C

Although the Giants (34-29) gave us a scare, the Angels (33-29) continue to roll as they win their fourth straight against the National League West.  The Angels record against the NL West this year is 6 and 1, which goes to show that the American League is still King regardless of a World Series loss.  The Angels offense, which is averaging 9 runs in the last four games, proves that it will not be the problem this season and in fact should be our strength.  With strong outings from our starting pitching, the production of the offense, and Kelvim Escobar (0-1, 3.60ERA) stabilizing the bullpen, we can look forward to a strong second half.

Player Notes:

Torii Hunter (.319, 16HR 51RBI) hit the wall hard Monday night but the x-rays seem to show only a bone bruise.  He will be out maybe 2 or 3 days, but should be fine.

Ervin Santana (1-3, 7.47ERA) will miss his next start due to some soreness in his elbow.  It seems as though this is purely precautionary and Santana will be back shortly.

Sean Rodriguez (.400, HR RBI) hits his first Major League home run of the season, and may prove to be a nice boost to the bottom of that lineup.

Interesting Matchups:

Matt Palmer (6-0, 4.11ERA) v. Tim Lincecum (6-1, 2.66ERA 103K) on Wednesday

Joe Saunders (7-4, 3.66ERA) v. Chad Billingsley (9-3, 2.72ERA 93K) on Friday

By: Tony C

Torii Hunter has been nothing short of spectacular for the Angels this season, and yet he is struggling to get All-Star votes. Not only as fans of the Angels, but as fans of Major League Baseball we can not let this happen. This year, Torii Hunter is hitting .310 with 11 Home runs and 40 RBI’s. These numbers would be good enough for a DH to make the All-Star Game, but Torii also adds his unbelievable defensive ability. You could say he’s been a better closer than Brian Fuentes (19Ks, 13SVs) with his amazing end of game grabs. There is no doubt Torii Hunter deserves a bid to the All-Star Game, and you have the power to make that happen. Click here to vote.

By: Tony C