:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/7101532/145256510.jpg)
Dan Haren's back felt better, apparently, because tonight it looked like Dan Haren's back...in 2011 form, that is. Or perhaps that is premature. But he needed a victory like this, to say the least. Oh, and that Albert Pujols fellow squared up a few balls nicely, hit one out of the park. You know, just a great game to watch, basically. Ho hum.
I'm sorry, what I meant to say was:
CUE THE SHUFFLEBOT. DIRTY DAN HAREN WAS DEALING, PUJOLS WAS PULVERIZING, MORALES ADDED TO THE OFFENSE, YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!
Good. Got that out of my system.
Tonight we got to watch Dan Haren, the grizzled, bearded, well- traveled workhorse of a pitcher that we've come to know and love, look absolutely amazing as he got a career high 14 strikeouts against the AL West rival Seattle Mariners. 9 IP, no runs, 0 BB, 14 SOs...to be exact! Those 14 Ks included his career 1,500th strikeout, no big deal(Read: Very cool, big deal). In fact, Dan Haren had the second most Ks without giving up a walk in Angels club history, second only behind Frank Tanana's 17 in 1976. Superb, career highlight, red letter day for "Dirty" Dan Haren, and it couldn't have come at a better time.
The Angels also did something very important tonight at the plate, something they sometimes forget to do when the pitcher is doing his fair share of the work, and that was score runs. This was done mostly by the elusive Albert Pujols: slugger of baseballs, formerly of the Cardinals of St. Louis. You know, the one that rakes. The one that puts fear into the hearts of men and dudes-sitting-against-the-rails-in-left-field-but-refuses-to-put-down-beer-to-catch-homerun-balls. Is HE back, too? La Maquina hit a bomb early in the game, number 450 of his career to be exact. He is now two behind the guy whose baseball card Milhouse wanted ever so badly to buy from Comic Book Guy...the one with the sideburns. It was also his fifth of the season, and again, I think the guy may be waking up. For reals this time. Each ball he hit(okay, except for the last at-bat) was squared up nicely, and for Angels fans, it was the icing on an already amazing baseball cake that was Haren's insane evening.
Two career milestones for two bonafide studs who haven't been too studly this season... so far. That can all change. Gram Parsons once wrote "When today, I heard them say your name, that's all it took." He was undoubtedly talking about a love lost that was still taking up residency in his mind, and how the simple uttering of a word can bring back the flood. But for two men in love with the game, perhaps a great evening like tonight is all it will take to light up Haren and Pujols, to break down the floodgate that's been holding back the Deluge of Awesome this season. For tonight, we'll settle for it lighting up the halo.
/cue shufflebot
Game Thread Roll Call: ladybug, Angelsfan015, eyespy, LanaBanana, the king of CERA, DanishThunder, ihigh, ryanfea, tanana40, Rev Halofan, BrownLunchSack, RexTookMyStash, Darth Duane, ~MMP~, red floyd, MH252525, halosfan4ever, trojanangelfan, HalosFanInNorCal, Halosfan777, Morales8, firebird81, gyoung08, Halos 4 Life, Frank158369, WiHaloFan, SLOfan, Nocturne, mathisrocks5, lightupthehalo29, HaloDanO, Henderson-Sports 06, Halostradamus, Spird, angelsfan7, BartonSpringsMatt, Tapatio Man, obieone, Halofan1043, ACE79, boyjohn, hobbit_86, Dono Romantico, Oxygen48, raskul, joberooni, Unclearnie, maze88, clover_black, FlaAngelFan, goangels1, opiejeanne, Christie2002, angels_rally_mom, migfig, PhiSlamma, K3YEROUT, sunsforlife34, chiliv06, justaguy92320, Caseys Kiss of Death, homercles, OC Awhole1, WillGoAngels27, Quad Fin Rider, Halos2008, Quinlan's Goofy Swing, yeswecan, TheGodofRuns, LosAngel, miketrout, dan73962, pereubu77, AngelsHIMYMfan, 5thStarter, DAD OF VLAD
Total Users: 76 • Total Posts: 1,348