DAILY HALOLINKS: Scott Kazmir's Strong Debut

Angels can't back up Kazmir's strong debut -- latimes.com
The Angels have lost nine of 14 games, and their American League West lead over Texas has dwindled to 3 1/2 games.

In debut, Kazmir shows Angels should win West -  FOX Sports on MSN
The Angels dropped a series to the third-place Seattle Mariners on Wednesday. They lost, 3-0, less than 24 hours after losing, 2-1. Not a great way to start September. But Angels fans should feel more confident than ever about the inevitability of their team's sixth postseason berth since 2002, because Wednesday brought two significant developments in the American League West race.

Harold discusses Kazmir, Michael Young and Penny - Video - MLB.com
Harold discusses Scott Kazmir, and Brad Penny's debut with their new teams, and Michael Young's injury

LAA@SEA: Izturis starts inning-ending double play - Video - angelsbaseball.com
Maicer Izturis and Erick Aybar turn an inning-ending double play, getting the Angels out of further trouble

Angels aim to support starters in KC - angelsbaseball.com
"The foundation of our club is our starting pitching," Scioscia said. "We like how it looks right now." The Angels are 6-0 against the Royals this year and have won seven of the past eight season series against Kansas City.

Team Reports - CBSSports.com
3B Chone Figgins was 2-for-3 with a walk. It was his seventh multi-hit game in the last 10 games. Figgins leads the Angels with 158 hits and 49 multi-hit games.

Team Reports II - CBSSports.com
Wednesday ended a stretch of 20 consecutive days between off days for the Angels. They went 10-10. After getting Thursday off, they will play another 20 consecutive days and 30 games in the final 31 days of the regular season.

Angels' Brandon Wood ready to leave triple A behind for good -- latimes.com
"It's a comforting feeling knowing it won't be as easy as last spring to get optioned," said Wood, who joined the Angels as a September call-up on Tuesday. "But at the same time, I have to work hard this winter and be ready to win a job in spring training."

Kendry Morales: What It Will Take To Be MVP - Bleacher Report
Scioscia is not the type to indulge in gratuitous extolment, even when it comes to his own players. But when asked whether Kendry Morales deserves to be the AL MVP this season, one word came to his mind: "Absolutely."

Angels re-sign Teixeira… sort of - FanGraphs Baseball
Over the winter, the Angels lost out on a bidding war to retain Mark Teixeira and watched him end up in pinstripes. In order to fill the hole on their offense, they gave their first base job to… Mark Teixeira?

Rangers lose Hamilton but gain ground with win over Jays - USATODAY.com
Texas moved within 3½ games of the AL West-leading Angels, who have lost two in a row. It is the closest the Rangers have been in the division since the same margin Aug. 9 after a win in Los Angeles. The Rangers are 2½ games behind wild-card leader Boston after the Red Sox lost at Tampa Bay.

Angels keeping consistent Rivera fresh - angelsbaseball.com
Manager Mike Scioscia likes to give his regulars breaks when he can, and with a day off on Thursday, Rivera will have two days to recharge his batteries. He has played as many as 100 games only three times in his career, with a high of 134 in Montreal in 2004.

Enough With the East Coast Bias Whining - Bleacher Report
Look, I'm not saying the media doesn't have biases. They do. We know that. And yes, we're all aware where ESPN is located. But you know what, West Coast fans? When you look at the numbers, you're not being ignored. You're not the victim of some vast media conspiracy to anoint the Yankees and Red Sox the Grand Champions of the World. You've been represented on the award podium better than any other division.

I hate it when people try to tell me what I can and can't whine about.

September 3 - BR Bullpen
Events, births and deaths that occurred on September 3.
1965 - In preparation of their move to Anaheim, CA the Los Angeles Angels change their name to the California Angels.
L.A. decides not to sue the Angels over the name change.
1999 - Terry Collins resigns as Angels manager and Joe Maddon is named interim for the remainder of the season. The Angels were 51-82 under Collins in 1999, with a 220-237 record since he took over in 1997. Maddon also served as interim manager at the end of the 1996 season, with a 8-14 record.