Down 5, Angels Win in Tampa Comeback!

Rookie righty Tyler Chatwood dug the Angels a deep hole, surrendering 5 runs in the first inning, but he settled down for three shutout innings and allowed the Angels offense to come back and take the lead on a day when ace Jered Weaver was scratched from his scheduled start because of a stomach virus.

The Angels bullpen was stellar in support of the comeback allowing two hits in five shutout innings. Scott Downs pitched two innings of zeroes, entering the game in the fifth with two on and nobody out with Chatwood having walked that shutdown tightrope as far as a kid could. Rich Thompson got the win, Fernando Rodney got a Hold and Jordan Walden had 1-2-3 9th for his 5th save. When Rodney walked the leadoff bater in the 8th, the alarm bells promptly sounded and Hisanori Takahashi and Wolverine Rodriguez jumped into warmup tossing. When Chatwood was shaky early, longman Trevor Bell was spotted warming up, meaning every all arms were on deck this afternoon for a game the Angels, by all rights, should have long lost.

After his non-stat CERA had suffered with five runs in the first inning, Hank Conger started the long road back for the Angels with a solo homer to RF. A four-run fifth inning saw the Angels score on three walks, two singles and a passed ball. In the 8th inning, Torii Hunter scored on a 1-out dribbler form Conger when Vernon Wells smartly pulled a Benny Hill and Yakkity-Saxed between two infielders, allowing Hunter time to cross the plate before the out was recorded.

After taking this series from the Rays, the Angels open a four game series in Boston's overrated capitol of whitebread sentimentality, Fenway Park with their nemesis Red Sox awaiting.

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