The Angels took two (thanks Mike) of three against Texas, narrowing the AL West race (Image: Kelvin Kuo-US PRESSWIRE)

Previous Series

Angels vs Rangers (W 4-2, W 3-2, L 3-7)

The Angels welcomed the division leading Rangers to Anaheim in a matchup of the top two teams in the AL West, looking to gain ground on Texas. In the series opener, Jerome Williams got the start and pitched strong through 7.0 innings, allowing a pair of runs on seven hits while striking out four and walking two. The Angels rallied from a 2-0 deficit behind the offense of Mike Trout, who tripled home a run and scored on an Albert Pujols sac-fly in the sixth and then drove in the go-ahead runs in the seventh with a single. Ernesto Frieri came on in the ninth and extended his hitless streak since joining the Angels, earning his third save of the season in the process.

For Game 2, C.J. Wilson got another shot at facing his Texas replacement Yu Darvish after their first meeting was interrupted by a two-hour rain delay in Arlington. Both pitchers would stay in the game and pitch well, but neither would factor in the decision. Wilson would go 6.0 innings of shutout ball, allowing five hits while striking out five and walking three. He left the game with the lead, which Jordan Walden promptly surrendered in the seventh to allow the Rangers to tie the game 1-1. The Angels would rally in the bottom half of the inning, adding two runs off an Alberto Callaspo single and a Kendrys Morales sac-fly, while also getting the benefit of a controversial call at the plate. Frieri once again pitched a clean ninth inning and captured his fourth save.

The Angels gave Dan Haren the start for the chance at the sweep. Haren went five innings, allowing two runs on seven hits, striking out two and walking a pair. The bullpen wasn’t able to keep things close as Bobby Cassevah surrendered three runs on three hits and a pair of walks when he was put back out on the hill after laboring through one inning. John Hester provided a bit of offense when he hit a solo home run in the sixth inning, accounting for the first run produced by an Angels catcher since Chris Iannetta went on the DL after wrist surgery on May 8. The Angels failed to complete the sweep, but ended up taking the series with two wins against the Rangers.

Mariners @ White Sox (L 4-7, W 10-8 (12), L 2-4)

The Mariners were coming off a series win against the Texas Rangers where they scored 31 combined runs in two wins. They traveled to Chicago to take on the White Sox, hoping to keep their hot offense rolling. Felix Hernandez took the hill for the series opener and experienced one of his few rough outings of the season, getting touched for four runs on five hits and four walks over 5.0 innings, striking out six. The Mariners rallied to tie the game back up at 4-4 with a two-run Kyle Seager home run in the seventh and RBI singles by Seager and Justin Smoak in the eighth. However, Shawn Kelley pitched the bottom of the eighth and was hit with three unearned runs as the M’s dropped the series opener to Chicago.

Hector Noesi got the start for the second game of the season, and struggled to take advantage of some strong offensive support. The Mariners led off the first three innings of the game with a home-run, a pair by Ichiro Suzuki and one by Justin Smoak. Michael Saunders added another long ball, a two-run shot, in the fourth. Noesi labored through 4.1 innings, surrendering six runs on seven hits, striking out five with no walks. The Mariners would rally to tie the game 7-7 off a Brendan Ryan double in the eight, scoring a pair of M’s. The game would stretch into extra innings where John Jaso finally pushed across the go-ahead run in the 12th-inning. Hisashi Iwakuma closed out the Sox in the bottom of the 12th to record the save.

Kevin Millwood took the hill for the series finale and was hindered by control problems the whole day. He labored through four innings, giving up four runs on seven hits, striking out four but walking five. The M’s offense was unable to rally behind him, as they struggled to figure out White Sox starter Chris Sale, who pitched a complete-game five hitter. The only damage done by Seattle came off a two-run home run by Miguel Olivo. The M’s would lose the game, and the series, ending their trip to Chicago on a sour note.

Pitching Matchups

June 4: Ervin Santana (2-6, 4.78 ERA) vs Jason Vargas (6-4, 3.45 ERA)

Santana has been the weak link of the Angels rotation this season, leading the majors in home runs allowed (15). He has struggled to find himself this season, unable to repeat pitches, creating inconsistent delivery and consistent lift-off for batters. He allowed a pair of home runs in his last start against the Yankees, en route to giving up five runs on six hits in 5.0 innings of work during a winning-streak ending loss. In his last outing against the Mariners, Santana allowed four runs on four hits, including a home run, while striking out three and walking seven. The offense rallied to bail him out of taking the loss in both those starts. Santana will need to rely on another bail-out if he doesn’t fix whatever is ailing him quickly.

Vargas has been a strong second pitcher for the Mariners this season behind Felix Hernandez. He currently ranks fifth in the AL in WHIP (1.03) and has given up three runs or fewer in four of his last five starts. His last outing came against the Rangers, where he came away with the win allowing three runs in five hits over 6.2 innings. He tempted fate a bit in Arlington, walking three and striking out only two while recording 10 fly ball outs, but was able to keep Texas in the yard and off the scoreboard. His last start against the Angels was a loss in which he gave up three runs on seven hits, including a home run, while striking out six and walking zero. The Seattle offense got blanked behind him, though, losing 3-0.

June 5: Garrett Richards (0-0) vs Blake Beavan (3-4, 4.72 ERA)

Garrett Richards will make his first start of the season, and just the fourth of his career, after getting called up to replace Angels ace Jered Weaver, currently on the 15-day DL with back spasms. Richards was in contention for the fifth starter job during spring training, but ultimately lost the job to Jerome Williams. Richards was sent down to Triple-A Salt Lake, where he continued his strong spring with some impressive early starts. He has run into troubles lately, however, as he walked more than 20 batters with an ERA over 7 in his last six starts. The Angels will count on him as a stop-gap until Weaver returns, so he will need to be impressive out of the gate as his time to shine will be limited during this call-up.

Blake Beavan has been having an up-and-down season so far this year. He hasn’t been consistently dominant, and his low strikeout numbers (4.55 K/9IP) don’t point to that trend turning around. He’s made his mark, however, with his control, issuing just 1.46 BB/9IP this season. He’s a pitcher that relies on his defense to pick up the balls put in play, and sometimes that works, but other times, not so much. In his last start, Beavan allowed five runs on eight hits, striking out just two, but walking none, during 6.0 innings at Texas. Fortunately for him, his offense had spotted him a 17-run lead to work with, so he still walked away with a win. The last time he faced the Angels, Beavan allowed three runs on five hits, including a home run, while striking out one and walking a pair over 7.0 innings of work. Beavan walked away with a no-decision, but the Angels got the win.

June 6: Jerome Williams (6-2, 3.68 ERA) vs Felix Hernandez (4-4, 3.42 ERA)

Williams has found a career resurgence this season with the Angels. The former first-round pick turned journeyman 30-year old has been very good as the fifth starter, allowing more than 3 runs once in nine starts, and none since his opening day loss to the Yankees (his rough outing against Texas in Arlington was technically a relief appearance). He hasn’t been overpowering, posting a respectable 42:20 K:BB ratio, but he’s consistently worked out of trouble and become a solid contributor to the rotation. His last start came against Texas, where he allowed just two runs on seven hits, striking out four and walking a pair over 7.0 innings. This will be his second start against the Mariners after giving up three runs on five hits, walking two and striking out five in 6.0 innings the last time.

Hernandez is unquestionably the ace of the Mariners staff and one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, but the King has suffered some rough outings recently. Two starts ago, Hernandez took on the Angels and gave up five runs on ten hits, including a pair of home runs, while striking out seven and walking one in a 5-3 loss. In his last start against the White Sox, Felix allowed four runs on five hits, including three home runs, while striking out six and walking four. Overall, Hernandez has allowed 10 runs off six home runs in his last three starts, far from the sharp performance we’ve come to expect from the former Cy Young winner. After the loss against Chicago, Hernandez complained of back stiffness, which the team has been monitoring. If the back isn’t better by Monday, the team has said it will consider skipping their ace in the rotation this time around to allow him some extra time to heal.

Storylines to Watch

The Angels have made up some serious ground in the AL West race and are looking poised to make some serious noise. Have they really figured things out, though, or are they just riding a hot streak? How will the team strike a balance between its young talent in the outfield with their high-priced veterans as they make their return to the team?

For the Mariners, it’s the same song, different verse: can they get some consistency from their offense? And if they can, will their pitching hold up? After scoring 31 runs in a pair of wins against Texas, the M’s scored four runs or more twice against the White Sox and went 1-1. This club needs to click on all facets (pitching, hitting, defense) in order to string together some wins, but haven’t been able to get all three on the same page much this season.

Season Implications

The Angels have finally starter their move up the AL West, and need this series to keep that momentum going. They were able to take two of three from the Rangers, picking up another game and closing the Rangers’ division lead to 4.5 games. They need to replicate their trip to Seattle to keep pressure on Texas and continue their surge.

For Seattle, now is the time to decide whether or not they will be contending by the trade deadline or unloading their roster for prospects. Texas obviously had themselves figured out since Opening Day (hit ball far), and the Angels seem to be turning that corner as well. The M’s need to start stringing some wins together (more than two) or get left behind in the West and have nothing but a race for fourth place with Oakland to play for.

The Hangout View

The Angels offense finally looks like it has remembered what hitting is, which will go a long way in putting runs on the board (hitting as it turns out is pretty critical to run scoring). There are some question marks in the starting rotation for this series, namely Santana and Richards, which make it unlikely that the Halos will be able to replicate their four game sweep of the M’s the last time these clubs met. Angels win two of three from Seattle.

Can the Angels keep their momentum from Oakland going? (Image: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE)

Previous Series

Angels @ Athletics (L 1-2, W 5-0, W 3-1)

The Angels entered this series three games behind Oakland and were hoping to make up some ground in the division. In the opener, Jerome Williams got the call and looked strong, pitching into the seventh inning, surrendering just two runs on five hits, striking out two. However, the struggling Angels offense couldn’t find an answer for A’s starter Tommy Milone, getting just one run on five hits over his 7.0 innings of work. The loss was the third straight for the Angels, and the first for Williams since his first start of the season against New York.

For Game 2, C.J. Wilson took the hill looking to bounce back from a couple of rough outings over his last few starts. He put together a gem, pitching 8.0 shutout innings, allowing just a single hit, striking out seven and walking two. Ernesto Frieri came on to pitch a perfect ninth to combine for a one-hit shutout. It was the sixth shutout pitched by the Angels this season, the best mark in the majors. The offense found itself early in this game, scoring three runs in the first inning. Albert Pujols knocked in a pair of runs, including a solo blast in the third to lead the Halos offense.

For the rubber match, Jered Weaver got the start for the Angels looking to take a series against Oakland for the first time this season. He was dominant again, pitching eight innings, allowing just one run, a solo home run, on three hits, striking out four and walking a pair. He would leave with a no-decision, however, as the offense could not push across more than a single run without going to extra innings. In the 11th, Alberto Callaspo drove in a pair of runs with a double to put the Angels ahead. Jordan Walden pitched a clean 10th inning for the win, and Frieri came in to close it out for his first save of the season.

Mariners vs Rangers (W 6-1, L 1-3, W 5-3)

The Mariners opened up a three game series against the division leading Texas Rangers hoping to make up some ground at home. For the series opener, M’s ace Felix Hernandez took the hill and shut down baseball’s top offense. He went 8.0 innings, surrendering just one run on six hits, and striking out seven. The Mariners offense jumped all over Rangers starter Yu Darvish, chasing him after just four innings (his shortest outing of the season) after scoring four runs. The offense was led by Ichiro Suzuki, who knocked in two runs on two hits, including a triple, and scored a run.

For Game 2, Seattle sent Hector Noesi to the hill to try and keep the Mariners’ momentum rolling. He put together a strong start, pitching 8.0 innings, giving up just three runs on three hits, striking out seven and walking two, but came away with the loss as his offense couldn’t solve the Rangers pitching. The M’s would out-hit Texas seven to four, but failed to push across more than just the one run in the first off a Justin Smoak single.

For the series finale, the Mariners sent Kevin Millwood out for the start to try and take the series. He stifled the Rangers bats better than anyone could have hoped, pitching 6.0 innings of shutout ball, scattering three hits, striking out a pair and walking just one. The M’s built up a 5-0 lead off an Alex Liddi grand slam in the 5th inning off Rangers starter Scott Feldman and held on despite a late Rangers rally as Brandon League shut the door for his ninth save of the season, sealing the series for Seattle.

Pitching Matchups

May 24: Dan Haren (1-5, 4.37 ERA) vs Jason Vargas (5-3, 3.34 ERA)

Haren is mired in a bit of a rough patch. He’s lost his last four decisions, allowing three or more runs in each of them, and has been struggling with stiffness in his lower back. He’s getting little to no run support in his starts, only two runs for over his last four starts, which ramps up the pressure on Haren to be perfect, which he has not been. He didn’t look too bad though in his last start against San Diego, pitching 6.2 innings, allowing only three runs on six hits, striking out five and walking only one. He was foiled by his offense only being able to put together a pair of runs in support. Haren will try to get back on track in pitcher-friendly Safeco against another soft-hitting club in the Mariners.

Jason Vargas has been a strong starter for this Mariners rotation this season. In ten starts, Vargas has allowed more than three runs just three times. He’s posting an impressive 1.02 WHIP this season and limiting opposing lineups to just a .209 batting average against. Vargas has been particularly strong for Seattle at home this season. In three starts, the lefty has allowed three runs on 13 hits, striking out 18 and walking just five. He hasn’t surrendered a home run in Safeco this season yet and is a perfect 2-0 so far. He’ll be a tough matchup for an Angels offense that is still trying to figure out just who they are.

May 25: Ervin Santana (2-6, 4.22 ERA) vs Blake Beavan (2-4, 4.46 ERA)

Santana has turned his season around after a disastrous start. Since losing his first six decisions, Santana is 2-0 over his last three starts, surrendering just four runs on 16 hits combined, striking out 16 and walking eight over that span. In his last start against San Diego, he pitched six strong innings, allowing just two runs on six hits, striking out six and walking a pair. He couldn’t get any help from his offense, who managed just a pair of runs against the Padres, and he left with the no-decision. Santana has seemingly found the consistently productive pitcher he has been for the Angels over the last several years, and should put forth another quality start.

Blake Beavan is a strong young starter for Seattle who’s been working on a pretty decent sophomore season. His win-loss record isn’t great, but three of his losses have come with zero runs of support. He’s allowed more than three runs in a start just once this season. In his last start, Beavan pitched 5.0 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits against Colorado. He would strike out a season high seven and walk just one. Beavan’s biggest problem has been his inability to pitch deep into games. He hasn’t been able to pitch into the seventh inning over his last six starts. Also troubling, while showing signs of good strikeout stuff, Beavan has been inconsistent in getting hitters to swing and miss. He’s recorded two or fewer strikeouts in three of his eight starts.

May 26: Jerome Williams (4-2, 3.74 ERA) vs Felix Hernandez (4-3, 2.80 ERA)

Williams has really become one of the solid contributors of this rotation after many thought he would be the weak link coming out of spring training. After losing his opening start, he’s won four of his last five decisions, and probably should have won his last start against the A’s. His control was a bit of an issue in that start, walking five, but he surrendered just two runs and worked out of trouble to keep his team in the game. Unfortunately for him, his offense couldn’t pick him up. Williams should keep his strong start going in Seattle, and will hope that his offense comes alive behind him.

That may be a tall order, though, as they’ll have to go up against the ace of Seattle’s staff, Felix Hernandez. Hernandez has had a few bumps in the road, including consecutive rough outings at New York and at Cleveland, but he bounced back to his dominant self in his last start against Texas. He took a four-hit shutout into the eighth inning against baseball’s best-hitting team before he left a change up over the plate for a solo shot. He looked like vintage Felix as he attacked the zone and kept the hitters off balance. If he brings that same game against the Angels, Los Angeles could be in for a long day at the plate.

May 27: C.J. Wilson (5-4, 2.90 ERA) vs Hector Noesi (2-5, 5.26 ERA)

Wilson has hit also hit a slight rough patch on his season prior to his last start. He seems to have put that behind him, though, with his performance in the one-hitter against Oakland. Prior to that, he had lost two straight decisions and saw his ERA top out at 3.46. He has it back down under 3 now at 2.90 after his eight shutout innings, and is still holding opponents to just a .191 batting average against this season. His walks have been a bit more frequent than anyone would like, but he continues to work himself out of jams with strikeouts and ground balls, giving the Angels a great shot at a win every time he’s on the hill.

Noesi is another  young arm for the Mariners that is working on putting together a strong sophomore season. He’s struggled with consistency this season, giving up four or more runs in four of his nine starts, and he’s been chased twice before making past the third inning. In his last start against Texas, Noesi pitched well enough to win, allowing just three runs over 8.0 innings, but couldn’t get help from his offense. Noesi has been much better at home than on the road this season, posting a 3.86 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP at Safeco, compared with a 6.32 ERA and 1.30 WHIP everywhere else.

Storylines to Watch

The Angels finally won a series against Oakland, and are now 4-5 against the A’s on the year. As the last place team in the division, they need to start playing better against their division. Another thing they need to improve if they hope to turn things around is their record on the road, just 9-15 this season, the worst road mark in the American League. They’ll get a chance to improve on both of those things in this series.

The Mariners have been very up and down this season. Some nights, they put together hits and runs like they play for Texas, and the rest of the time they look like the Mariners we’ve come to expect. If they can get some consistent offense to go along with their strong pitching staff, they could start to make some noise in the division. Of course, that’s easier said than done, since this team has been trying to find that offense since they lost it after the 2002 season.

Season Implications

For the Angels, they need to make their move sooner rather than later. They trail the Mariners in the division by half a game, so taking this series will be a huge help in finally getting out of the cellar for good. Improving against their division rivals is going to be the key to turning around the season for Los Angeles and be pivotal in them cutting into the Rangers division lead.

For the Mariners, they would really like to not be in the running for last place in the West anymore. Taking advantage of the Angels spotty defense and taking this series to bury L.A. a little deeper into fourth would be huge for this team as they can then focus their efforts on catching Oakland.

The Hangout View

The Angels pitching has been lights out over the last week, allowing three runs or fewer in six straight games. Look for that trend to continue against a streaky Seattle offense, giving the Angels bats a chance to do something against the M’s pitching staff. Angels take three of four in Seattle.

(Photo Credit: MLB.COM)

After nights like last night you have to tell yourself its just one game in early May – don’t over react. The Angels looked liked the worst team in baseball on Tuesday, and took another rain delayed loss at the hand of the Oakland A’s.  Tyler Chatwood was shelled allowing 5 earned runs in just 2 and 1/3 innings. The final score was 14 – 0. Not only were the Angels shutout but they amassed only 2 hits against on the night as A’s lefty  Gio Gonzalez  shut down and already listless bunch. It was bad. The Halos have now dropped three straight and and are just 3-7 in their last 10 games. Perhaps the only silver lining is despite the recent poor play the Halos  are somehow only a half game out of first place.

• Up Next: Jered Weaver takes the hill as the Angels face Seattle for a quick 2 game set.