Angels Big Three Homer, Garrett Richards Cruises

After giving up two walks and a three-run home run in a thirty-pith first inning, Garrett Richards was throwing 98 MPH into the eighth inning. He finished the eighth with a 97 MPH Cut Fastball that Gordon Beckham. The young hurler manifested poise by only allowing one other hit after that early, demoralizing speed bump.

Garrett's final line on the day was nice: Eight Innings Pitched, Two Hits Allowed, Two Walks, Nine Strikeout and Three Earned Runs Allowed. The homer was a brutal slash by slugger Jose Abreu after Richards had walked the first two batters of the game. Imagine C.J. Wilson giving up three runs to start a game with nobody out... yeah, Garrett was the opposite of that. This afternoon.

The Angels "Big Three" - Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton - each hit a homer. The latter two had solo shots while Trout had a game-tying three-run bomb in the top of the fifth inning to put the Halos on the board. Chris Iannetta had two RBI and scored a run as well. Lefty Pitcher Rich Hill, acquired from the minor league Pawtucket Sox for cash considerations earlier today, entered the game wearing Jersey # 51. He looked a lot like Ernesto Frieri minus the home runs, giving up a single and two walks before being pulled. Joe Smith got the Save.

Light that baby up for a half-hour. Game two of the doubleheader scheduled to start thirty minutes after the end of game one.