Angels Groove to Sweep of Twins

Final Score in Anaheim: Angels 6 Twins 4

Jered Weaver pitched seven strong innings, getting a clutch popout with threats on the basepaths on his final pitch, the Halos scored early and added some insurance late and while the bullpen didn't melt down - almost but not quite - at least Mike Scioscia got a stern reminder of why Ernesto Frieri is a bad choice in high any leverage situations.

Mike Trout hit two doubles, Albert Pujols went 3 for 4 with two runs scored and two RBI and even Efren Navarro had two hits and a run scored. After Weaver started the game by striking out the side, Kole Calhoun led the bottom of the first off with a base hit, one of two he would have on the afternoon. Howie Kendrick also had a two-hit game. It was two-zip before Weaver got the ball again.

The Weave walked one, scattered eight hits and struck out six over 106 pitches of crafty corner-sniffing. Cory Rasmus pitched a scoreless eighth and then the circus came to town in the person of Frieri - He got two outs but loaded the bases and the Soth was forced to bring in Joe Smith. Yes, to a 6-1 game. To face Joe Mauer. The Mau-Mau cleared the bases on a double to left and all of a sudden visions of a terrible Pujols blunder on the bases in the bottom of the eighth revisited us.

In that frame Pujols was on 1B and Trout was on 3B with nobody out. A flyball to shallow LF was not far enough to score Trout but Her Majesty Alberta decided to advance to 2B. Well, decided to TRY to advance. He was easily out and the Angels blew a golden opportunity to add to a lead... a lead that the Bullpen of Doom proved was not necessarily safe.

Smith got Kendrys Morales, the tying run, to strike out with Mauer on to end the game, so nervously Light Up Your Halo and clean up those Christmas decorations. Weaver joins C.J. Wilson and Garrett Richards as an eight game winner and the team gets on the plane for a game tomorrow night in Kansas City.