Vernon Wells Delivers Angels Win for Dan Haren

by Rev Halofan on Jun 13, 2011 9:58 PM PDT in Angels Postgame

Will you recall where you were the night that Vernon Wells hit two homeruns for the Angels? You had already given up and he gave you a sliver of hope under the glowing moonlit night.

Dan Haren will take it, a rare victory from an unusually prolific offense. Acting quite a bit like excited congressmen showing off their wood while away from their wives, the Angels started an excruciating twelve game/eight thousand mile road trip with a solid victory over the Mariners at Safeco field in Seattle.

With Felix Hernandez having pitched yesterday for the Mariners, #2 starter Dan Haren labored through a six inning high pitch count quality start, but previously silent Angels bats came alive on his behalf. Mocked as a June cleanup hitter entering the game with a batting average below .190, Vernon Wells hit two homeruns, the second a 2-run shot to break a 3-3 tie. Jeff Mathis stretched a single into a double and dislodged a ball form the catcher on a contact play grounder fielded on a throw to the plate. The throw beat the subpar catcher, but he knew what to do with a tentative catcher glove grasp on the ball. Safe was the call, blast when the Vernon and the bullpen held their own, Bobby Abreu bought some late insurance, plating Maicer Izturis and for a lone night, the Angels looked like a good team.

Jordan Walden had his "closer-quinceañera", celebrating his 15th save of the season and Howie Kendrick was 2 for 4 with a ribby. On the day they sent Fernando Rodney to the disabled List and a day after Kevin Jepsen was sent to Salt Lake, the bullpen tossed three goose eggs, Rich Thompson and Scott Downs each leaving home plate empty on their watch.

Gotta enjoy, hopefully more of them among the next Ninety-Some contests coming our way...

Poll

Panther of the Game

Mathis

17 votes

Wells

420 votes

437 votes | Poll has closed

Tweet Comment 43 comments | 0 recs |

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Comments

Haren with the W

Wells with an ungodly 2 HR night = Panther

Swung on and missed, he struck him out! ~ Terry Smith

Angels' 2011 W-L record with the alternate red jersey: 8-7

by blast21dave on Jun 13, 2011 9:59 PM PDT reply actions

Lol @ Mota trying to push Wells out of the way

and wells mocking him

by GutterDem0n on Jun 13, 2011 10:03 PM PDT reply actions

when

He said that he was hot it looked like he was looking at us like, “ha take that fan base I can too produce.”

Now that is what I call a fish.

by Alavel on Jun 13, 2011 10:05 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions

Lets hope he continues to do it.

by GutterDem0n on Jun 13, 2011 10:07 PM PDT up reply actions

when

He said that he was hot it looked like he was looking at us like, “ha take that fan base I can too produce.”

Now that is what I call a fish.

by Alavel on Jun 13, 2011 10:06 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions

too loose to produce

I love this team.

by Downing Rules on Jun 13, 2011 10:06 PM PDT up reply actions

Amazing what happens when the heart of your line up produces.

Official prediction: The Angels will win the AL west this season.

by RexTookMyStash on Jun 13, 2011 10:04 PM PDT reply actions

If Haren is a #2 starter

That makes WTY #3 and Chatwood our #1. No and NO

New look rotation has Haren #1 and Weaver #2. Hopefully Santana gets less Flashback Fridays and Pineiro gets more evening starts

Swung on and missed, he struck him out! ~ Terry Smith

Angels' 2011 W-L record with the alternate red jersey: 8-7

by blast21dave on Jun 13, 2011 10:04 PM PDT reply actions

Gotta respect the home run

by homercles on Jun 13, 2011 10:05 PM PDT reply actions

Weird to see Mathis and Wells as panther candidates...

Wells gets my vote, with a big hat tip to thebigtizzle

I love this team.

by Downing Rules on Jun 13, 2011 10:08 PM PDT reply actions 3 recs

nice

"You realize that Ive been posting on AN since 07 on this name and I am one of the most rec'ed posters there right?" - Some douche named DFA from AN

by 2pintsofbooze on Jun 14, 2011 12:56 AM PDT up reply actions

Wells comparison

A couple of Vernon’s homers from 2010:
Against the Rangers
and the Padres

And his two homers tonight:
First
Second

Good similarities compared to 2010 in terms of bat speed and the way Vernon drives the ball to left field.

by Fan Since 1981 on Jun 13, 2011 10:27 PM PDT reply actions

Never thought I'd see a PotG vote quite like this

So I have this rock in the back yard that does nothing but sit there so I named it Juan Rivera.

by hobbit_86 on Jun 13, 2011 10:28 PM PDT reply actions

Mathis and Wells . . .

Rapture, anyone?

"Working is the curse of the drinking class." - Oscar Wilde

by WateringTheGarden on Jun 13, 2011 10:37 PM PDT reply actions

Did Jeff Sullivan's article incite a Wells-Figgins competitive rivalry?

by Suboptimal on Jun 13, 2011 10:45 PM PDT reply actions

Wells the Mariner killer, can't quit laughing over that one.

All the while through most of the game it seemed both teams were trying to hand the other the game with all the miss- steps. But Vernon decided this was his night.

"It's our money," owner Arte Moreno said.

by 44FAN on Jun 13, 2011 10:50 PM PDT reply actions

Congrat on Vernon Wells 2 HR night and Brandon Wood HR

Haters gonna Hate!

by LA Tenshi on Jun 13, 2011 11:12 PM PDT reply actions

Were there any Angels stolen bases tonight?

I couldn’t listen to the whole game, and MLBtv won’t let us see the game until tomorrow because we live too close to Seattle. Stupid blackout.

THIS… IS… ANAHEIM!!

by opiejeanne on Jun 13, 2011 11:13 PM PDT reply actions

official boxscore is at the angels website

by Rev Halofan on Jun 13, 2011 11:14 PM PDT up reply actions

Thanks

I rarely go to that site, but I should have known.

THIS… IS… ANAHEIM!!

by opiejeanne on Jun 14, 2011 8:10 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions

Nowadays, you can pretty much see all the highlights that make the game interesting

by watching the different video links from MLB.com…..Angelsbaseball.com.

by wumbug on Jun 14, 2011 8:46 AM PDT up reply actions

No but Bobby Abreu was caught stealing.

Haters gonna Hate!

by LA Tenshi on Jun 13, 2011 11:15 PM PDT up reply actions

Wooo for an offensive win!

I like everyone else has been tearing VW a new one so for one night, he deserves his richly rewarded props.

This is the first (and only?) game he has contributed directly to a win.

So if we can dish out the hate, he deserves props for what he did tonight.

Hopefully this will become the norm and not part of some chaos theory I don’t understand.

by RedFog on Jun 13, 2011 11:39 PM PDT reply actions

ooh...and i laid it on Vernon hard tonight too...

M’s fans were all trying to figure out all the venom spewing from the guy in the Angels hoody…then laughing at me when he hit the HR’s. Too damned funny actually!

Tyler Chatwood and Trevor Bell say, "Kaz who?"

by K3YEROUT on Jun 13, 2011 11:57 PM PDT up reply actions

Were you the one booing torii? lol

I could hear someone booing him real loud at one of the at bats and knew it had to be an angels fan lol.

by Darth Duane on Jun 14, 2011 12:33 AM PDT up reply actions

No, but...

If Maffy had been thrown out at the plate on the piece of shit grounder he hit to Figgy I would have jumped out of my skull booing at the top of my lungs! I was the one letting Big Dump have it though…til he shut my sorry butt up w/the 2nd HR!

Tyler Chatwood and Trevor Bell say, "Kaz who?"

by K3YEROUT on Jun 14, 2011 1:55 PM PDT up reply actions

I think I'm in a small minority...

…and it’s easy when he isn’t doing it on the Angels…but I felt really bad for Chone getting boo’d tonight.

The dude is struggling at best and needs some new scenery fast. It’s so in his head you can all but see it.

I wish him well as he is a top-3 fav of mine over the last decade.

by RedFog on Jun 13, 2011 11:42 PM PDT reply actions

Sat right by figgy tonight. Felt horrible for him…money can’t buy me love.

Tyler Chatwood and Trevor Bell say, "Kaz who?"

by K3YEROUT on Jun 13, 2011 11:59 PM PDT up reply actions

Yeah. Wish Figgy well.

Dude always has a smile on his face. No. Matter. What. Gotta love that.

by homercles on Jun 14, 2011 6:56 AM PDT up reply actions

Wells...

Does he have 2 Panthers and 1 botg going this week?

by Zookeeper on Jun 14, 2011 12:05 AM PDT reply actions

Correct me if I'm wrong...but if I recall correctly,

this is VDub’s second 2 HR game…wasn’t his first against Boston?

Representing the Angels in Sin City.

by maze88 on Jun 14, 2011 12:21 AM PDT via mobile reply actions

He didn't have a 2 HR game against Boston.

He did have 2 HRs in Fenway against the same reliever, but in seperate games.

by ~MMP~ on Jun 14, 2011 12:41 AM PDT up reply actions

Vernon is learnin

"Ballplayers play baseball. Hrrmmmff." -Jose Mota
"That'll solve the pain."

by Fred Fredrix on Jun 14, 2011 5:30 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs

It seems now that VWells' return to the norm was inevitable (It's a lot easier to write thad today than it was last week).

Remember, he is supposedly the reincarnation of Torii Hunter.

Interesting that Rodney was disposed of (temporarily) a day after Jepsen was eliminated from sight. Two more young player are given an opportunity to show what they can do while eliminating lingering cancers.

Is it possible that this team of jocks sensed a pattern?

Vernon was all smiles as he returned to the dugout after the second HR. Scioscia was more animated than usual, along with Butcher. Oh, Happy Day!

by wumbug on Jun 14, 2011 6:19 AM PDT reply actions