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On a gorgeous Anaheim afternoon showcasing that perfect idyllic Southern California weather into the abysmal faces of an envious nation, Dan Haren retook the mound for the Angels and slid through 6 fairly decent innings of 3 hit, 3 strikeout, 3 walk pitching and only the single mistake of a 2-run homer to Nelson Cruz to fret about. The offense awoke from another 40-hour slumber and outpaced the vaunted Texas Rangers offense by a winning score of 7 to 4.
More after the jump...
Mike Trout was, as usual, remarkably devastating on offense. 2 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored and zero K's. An opening triple to start the game was the only thing that could have been more impactful than the simple base hit in his final at-bat. That base hit was smacked on the very first pitch he saw from reliever Mike Adams, who then spent the next 20 minutes staining his pants with worry over Trout on the base paths. Unfortunately, only Torii Hunter took advantage of the mess Trout made inside Adams' head.
Behind Trout, Hunter went 2 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI. Albert Pujols went 2 for 5 with a run scored and 3 RBI that was amped up by his 25th 18th home run of the season and 25th double, branding into the cowhide ass of everyone wearing "T" on their caps the mark of "L", singing them with the knowledge that this was a game they were going to lose. Mark Trumbo had a quiet 2 for 5 with some missed opportunities to pile on more runs. And Howie Kendrick went a completely silent 2 for 4, if such a thing is possible.
And that brings us to the surprise of this fine evening. The following is NOT a typo: Bobby Wilson! Three for four with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI that included his first home run of the 2012 campaign AND a ground rule double. Holy shit. Maybe Chris Ianetta should do rehab assignments every day! Nothing like hearing the footsteps of career doom on the horizon to light a little fire in one's bat.
For the record, Ernesto Frieri went a little K-Rod on everyone tonight but did hold on to allow the Halos to remind TexA$$ that a REAL team , in a REAL stadium, can still take 2 out of 3 from those poseurs. 5 wins against 4 losses, suckers! See you in a few!!