Garrett Richards in All Star Form Blanking Texas

Final Score in Arlington: Angels 3 Rangers 0

Garrett Richards showed that he is by far the best pitcher who is not currently scheduled to go to the All Star Game as he shut out the Texas Rangers over seven innings, striking out eight and allowing only five hits.

Richards is statistically better than a few of those All Star arms but there is still a chance a pitcher pulls out of the midsummer classic and GR hops a plane ride with Erick Aybar and Mike Trout to Minnesota.

Trout hit his 22nd home run of the season in the top of the fourth inning, a solo shot that was the first hit of the game off of Rangers starter Nick Tepesch. Despite being on the team with the worst record in baseball with the fairweatherst fleeing fans in all of sports, Tepesch pitched an inspired game despite the farm-stink waft of the hicksville season seat crowd in Arlington. He had only allowed one run going into the seventh inning when four singles delivered two more runs.

Kevin Jepsen pitched a scary eighth as he gave up a single and then a deep deep deeeeeeep flyball by the hottest hitter in baseball, Adrian Beltre. It went all the way to the wall - 404 feet away - and into Trout's glove. Whew. Joe Smith pitched an uneventful ninth for the Save.