Angels Run Out of Gas After Early Theatrics

The early theatrics of a Mike Trout two-run home run were not enough as the Angels let the Mariners chip away at their lead on the way to losing a long, dull game. The floodgates opened late, with Kevin Jepsen making a 4-1 ballgame a million to three,a ll with tow outs, perhaps saving the club only the embarrassment of a Fernando Rodney save.

Game Notes:

• Mike Trout's first inning home run was the kind of theatrics that make people come back to baseball games for a generation.
• The third run was courtesy of the Mariners defense - a bobble of an Aybar grounder at 3B and Dustin Ackley misplaying a long flyball by Albert Pujols that became a double - most major league left fielders would gave had that ball.
• Pitch Economy: Weaver had fewer than 60 pitches going into the fifth, something that never seems to happen enough with this team.
• The Calhoun to Howie to Ianetta relay throw to record the final out of the fifth inning was as good as it gets. Even Mark Gubicza sounded great describing in detail how the one-bounce throw to the catcher was the smart way of getting the job done instead of trying to muscle a cannonball home.
• Walk - Walk - Double by Weaver to finish the sixth inning and he comes out for the seventh. Yeah. No. NO!
• Hamilton cost the team a run by not being a great fielder, chasing a flyball in the seventh inning. Bourjos in CF / Trout in LF woulda had it.
• Fernando Salas enters the game with a man on 3B and promptly allows the inherited runner to score. I have a "rinse and repeat" nightmare about this one.
• Kevin Jepsen shouldn't pitch against Lefthanded batters. Five runs in 2/3 of an inning folks - thanks of course to inherited runners scoring off of Nick Maronde...
  
• Victor Rojas sang a familiar song: "two-out hits, two-out runs" kinda like listening to Hey Jude for three days nontstop. Sickening. Maddening. Pick one.
  
• Leaving Weaver in, leaving Jepsen in, Scioscia's bad habit of macho-love to the vet arms.

So Texas has a better run differential than us. Boo Hoo.