Final Score in Atlanta: Look, we lost.
For years, decades even, the "lovable loser" Angels have been the perpetually ignored underdogs during their few and far between national telecasts. Suffering thru these marathons of bad color commentary and mediocre camera angles has usually meant that the national broadcasters drool and skool over the opposing team.
Almost always against the Dodgers, Yankees or Red Sox, Angels fans have to endure non-stop worship of the opposing team.
Well the tables were turned and the shining corporate clean cut Carpinoesque overdog Angels got the über-slurpee treatment from ESPN's microphone mediocrities. Five and a half innings of "Pujols has ended his slump" and "Mike Trout will win five MVPS" and "Hector Santiago has figured it out" and on and on and on and on and on...
Just as the revenge of living well was beginning to taste sweet, the baseball gods smirked. In the bottom of the sixth inning, with a 3-0 lead, Hector Santiago suddenly couldn't put hitters away after ten-pitch at-bats. Mike Scioscia turned into a pumpkin and the IQ of a pumpkin knows to let a mediocre starter stay in too long and then bring in Kevin Jepsen and, well, it was 4-3 in a real short period of time.
Ah... but before we pile on the arms, let's point out that the 3-0 lead included two solo home runs out of eleven hits. The inability of this team to manufacture runs, to even move runners over let alone drive them in, to do anything creatively with men on base (besides "pressure the defense" with bad baserunning except of course allowing Mike Trout to ever attempt a steal); the offense is like flat seven up... a little sweet but no fizz and no caffeine.
So that was that. They are stale and flat. The pitching went splat. And that is where we are at.