In Angels Win, Howie Kendrick Waits Not for Pujols

Final Score in Anaheim: Angels 6, Orioles 3

Baseball victories are usually discussed as an offense supporting a pitcher's effort, but with the anemic Angels batters early this season, the 3 ER 6.2 IP effort of fifth starter Jerome Williams could best be described as a pitcher holding off the opponents in support of the offense.

The mutual support came courtesy of Howie Kendrick, whose bases-clearing double in the bottom of the sixth gave three more runs of breathing room to the Angels mound men, Williams immediately giving two runs back and being followed by LaTroy Hawkins, Scott Downs and Jordan Walden delivering the Orioles goose eggs. Walden's Save was the first by an Angels pitcher this season.

It was theorized that with Kendrick batting ahead of Albert Pujols in the lineup he would see a lot of good pitches to hit and be an offensive force in his own right. Seems Howie isn't waiting for Albert to get hot and is taking care fo the fat fastballs he sees to leave fewer runners on base for Pujols, whose 9-game hitting streak ended on a night that saw half of the Angels 10 hits produced by Howie and Mark Trumbo, starting in LF with Vernon Wells in CF.

Williams bounced back from a terrible season debut in Yankee stadium on Sunday to win in front of the home town fans desperate to cheer for something after a lackluster start to the season. Although he allowed 7 hits in 6.2 IP, he only let in 3 ER and struck out 6 Baltimore birds. Some of the arms slotted above him in the rotation would have loved that line in their starts earlier this week.

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