The Angels are enjoying life as the hottest team in baseball (Image: Steven Bisig-US PRESSWIRE)

Previous Series

Angels @ Mariners (W 3-0, W 6-4, W 5-3, W 4-2)

The Angels went to Seattle to face off with the Mariners for the first time this season. Dan Haren took the hill for the series opener looking to bounce back from some rough outings where he suffered from lower back stiffness. He bounced back, all right, turning in one of the best performances in Angels history, pitching a complete game shutout, striking out a career high 14 and walking none, becoming the first Angels pitcher to strike out at least 14 batters without issuing a walk. He also recorded his 1,500th career strikeout when he got Michael Saunders in the eighth inning. The offense was paced by Albert Pujols, who hit his 450th home run in his career with a monster two-run shot in the first inning. He would also steal a base and score the third Angel run, giving the Halos and Haren all the offensive support they needed.

Game 2 saw Ervin Santana take the hill to try and keep the Halos winning streak going. He struggled early, giving up a home run and putting LA in a 4-0 hole. The offense rallied and bailed Santana out of taking the loss behind a three-run home run by Pujols, his second blast in as many games in the sixth. The rally was capped by Howie Kendrick‘s pinch-hit single in the ninth which drove in the go-ahead run off Seattle closer Brandon League. Jason Isringhausen was credited with the win and Scott Downs shut the door for the save. The rally extended the Halo winning streak to four games.

Jerome Williams got the call for game three, and looked pretty good over six innings of work, allowing three runs on five hits. Jordan Walden, Downs, and Ernesto Frieri combined for one-hit the rest of the way with Frieri earning his second save of the season. Pujols hit another home run, his third in three days, and Alberto Callaspo hit a pinch-hit grand slam off Felix Hernandez to seal the victory for the Angels, their fifth in a row.

In the series finale, C.J. Wilson got the opportunity to close out the sweep for the Angels. He allowed just one run on two hits before leaving in the sixth inning with a blister on his left hand. The offense was driven by Kendrys Morales, who had three hits, including a home run, drove in a pair of runs and scored a pair. Walden allowed his first run since being demoted from the closer role, but the bullpen was able to shut the door with Scott Downs earning his fifth save of the season, sealing the four game sweep. It was the first four-game road sweep of Seattle for the Angels since 1985, and extended their winning streak to a season high six games, the longest current streak in the majors.

Yankees @ Athletics (W 6-3, W 9-2, W 2-0)

New York started a long road trip with a stop in Oakland against the A’s. In the series opener, Ivan Nova got the start, going seven innings and surrendering three runs. He got plenty of support from his offense as Mark Texeira and Nick Swisher each hit two-run home runs and Robinson Cano added one of his own. Rafael Soriano pitched the ninth for his fourth save in as many chances.

In Game 2, the Yankees offense continued its resurgence in support of starter C.C. Sabathia. Texeira matched a career-high with four hits, including a pair of home runs, and Robinson Cano hit his second home run in as many games to bury the A’s. Sabathia, with about 200 friends and family in the stands, allowed just two runs on seven hits, striking out four and walking a pair over seven innings.

For the series finale, Hiroki Kuroda got the start, looking for his first road win of the season. He turned in one of his strongest showings of the year, pitching eight shutout innings against an overmatched Oakland offense. Andruw Jones hit a solo home run, giving New York all the offense it needed, and Derek Jeter passed George Brett for 14th place on the all-time hits list. New York ran its win streak to five games with the sweep. They have not lost in Oakland since 2010.

Pitching Matchups

May 28: Jered Weaver (6-1, 2.61 ERA) vs Phil Hughes (4-5, 4.94 ERA)

Jered Weaver has been a certified ace for the Angels this season. He’s allowed more than three runs in a start just twice this season, and has been roughed up just once during the team’s trip to Texas. At home, Weaver has been unbeatable, going 4-0 in four starts, including his no-hitter earlier this year against Minnesota. Weaver looked strong in his last start, going eight innings against Oakland, giving up just one run, striking out four and walking just two. Weaver has been good against the Yankees and will look to keep his strong home record intact.

Hughes has had some struggles so far this season but has looked better recently. He has allowed at least one home run in each start but owns an impressive 46:13 K:BB ratio. In his last start, a six inning start against Kansas City where he gave up two runs on five hits. While he has maintained an impressive strikeout total, he has had difficulty keeping opponents in the yard and owns a terrible 31.1% ground ball rate on the season.

May 29: Dan Haren (2-5, 3.76 ERA) vs Andy Pettitte (2-1, 2.53 ERA)

Haren has overcome some lower back stiffness to put on a dominant effort against the Mariners. He pitched a complete game shutout, striking out a career-high 14 while walking zero, setting an Angels record for strikeouts without a walk. Haren’s season has been a frustrating disappointment, as he has not quite lived up to the expectation level set by being named co-ace of the Angels staff. The gem against Seattle could be the turning point for Haren to getting back to the form that earned him the co-ace role to begin with.

Andy Pettitte came out of retirement to re-join the Yankees staff and has been a stabilizing force for a tumultuous rotation. With injuries and disappointments, the Yankees starters have been stretched thin over the first month and a half of the season. Pettitte fast-tracked his comeback and has rounded into form faster than anyone expected. In his last start, Pettitte went seven innings, striking out eight while walking one and giving up just two runs on seven hits. Pettitte has been striking batters out at a career rate of 8.02 K/9IP, but has given up four home runs over his three starts. Things will look to get more difficult for Pettitte as the Yankees start playing more teams with playoff aspirations and talent.

May 30: Ervin Santana (2-6, 4.45 ERA) vs Ivan Nova (5-2, 5.46 ERA)

Santana has been another pitcher that suffered through a rough start but has looked better lately. After starting the season 0-6 and getting just three runs of support over those six starts, Santana has won his last two decisions. He struggled in his last outing where he gave up four runs and a home run to the Mariners. The offense came back to rally and bail Santana out from taking the loss. Getting back to the friendly confines of Anaheim will help Santana keep hits in the yard and could be the key for Santana limiting the damage done by the Yankees lineup.

Nova is one of the good young arms in the Yankees rotation that has been suffering from inconsistency this season. He has gotten the benefit of run support, though, which has helped him to a sparkly 5-2 record. He’s been pitching better lately, coming off a pair of starts where he has struck out 16 batters combined. Against Oakland in his last start, he allowed three runs on six hits, striking out four and walking one through seven innings. He did get dinged by a pair of home runs, something he’s struggled with all season, and his ERA still sits above 5, but a pair of strong starts will act as a solid momentum boost for the young hurler.

Storylines to Watch

The Angels have put together a six game winning streak to become the hottest team in baseball. The offense is coming alive, the bullpen is coming together, and the starting pitching is living up to the expectations heaped on them during spring training. Can they keep the strong play rolling with now that the easy part of their schedule is now in their rear view. With the equally streaking Yankees and division leading Rangers on the docket, many questions will get answered about how legitimate this Angels turnaround really is.

The Yankees have out together their own winning streak after a sluggish start to the season. Can their starting pitching gel into a cohesive unit? Is the slow start of their sluggers Texeira and Alex Rodriguez in the rear view for good? A long road trip will be good for this team’s cohesiveness and with matchups with preseason AL favorites Angels and Tigers coming up, the Bombers will know how close they are to returning to the top of the AL East.

Season Implications

The Angels have ridden this hot streak to a game under .500 and into sole possession of second place in the AL West. They still have 6.5 games to make up on Texas, but will want to ride this positive momentum as long as possible to cut into the Rangers lead and really start to make their move in the division.

The Yankees have unexpectedly been looking up on the AL East all season, but they are making their move to rectify that. They sit 3.5 games back of Tampa and Baltimore, and will look to stake their claim as one of the best in the AL with a strong road trip against a couple of AL contenders.

The Hangout View

The last time these two teams met, the Yankees took two of three in the Bronx in their home opener. The Angels were a mess at that point, and things still hadn’t hit rock bottom for the Yanks. Both teams have gotten better since the last time they met and should be a great matchup of AL playoff teams. Having the home advantage and a red-hot offense give the Angels two of three against New York.

We discuss the resurgence of both clubs, the rediscovery of Albert Pujols and his swing, Mike Trout‘s immediate impact, the coming together of the bullpen, and a breakdown of each game’s pitching matchup. Click on over to Yanks Go Yard and give a listen!

Angels-Yankees Preview

Previous Series:

Angels @ Twins (W 5-1, L 6-5, L 10-9)

The Angels had an encore of their home stand, starting the series with a solid showing from C.J. Wilson, who kept the Twins off balance through seven strong innings in a 5-1 win. The follow up games were less impressive, however, as built, and then lost leads in the next two games. Jered Weaver got tacked for five runs in six innings of work, striking out seven and walking just one. He left the game with no decision and the bullpen took over to earn the loss, with Hisanori Takahashi giving up the game winning run and earning the loss. The Halos would come back the next day with Dan Haren on the mound and built up a 6-0 lead before giving it back. Haren finished with three earned runs, seven strike outs, and one walk in five innings of work. The loss eventually fell to Rich Thompson, who gave up four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to surrender the game to Minnesota. The Angels found a bit of offense from some unexpected sources, with Peter Bourjos getting five RBI in the series, including a three-run inside-the-park home run on Wednesday. The usual power group finally hit a home run on Thursday as Mark Trumbo hit a towering solo home run. Albert Pujols and Kendrys Morales continue to struggle without a home run and Vernon Wells has been put on notice to hit or share left field with Bobby Abreu.

Yankees @ Orioles (W 6-2, W 5-4 (12), W 6-4 (10))

The Yankees meanwhile went to Baltimore to try and bounce back from a season opening series sweep against the Rays. New York found some answers the questions that plagued them in Tampa, coming up with solid pitching and timely hitting. Ivan Nova controlled the Orioles in the series opener, giving up just two runs on 10 hits, striking out seven and walking none. In the second game, the Yanks were able to rally from a 4-1 deficit, scoring three runs in the sixth to tie it before winning it off a Raul Ibanez ground rule double in the top of the twelfth. They followed it up the next day by rallying again and sending the game into extra innings where Nick Swisher knocked a two-run home run in the top of the tenth to send the Yankees to the series sweep. New York showed the resilience that they had lacked against the Rays and were able to win tough games on the road to work back to .500.

Pitching Matchup

April 13: Ervin Santana (0-1, 7.94 ERA) vs. Hiroki Kuroda (0-1, 6.35 ERA)

Can Santana bounce back in his second start? (Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE)

Santana makes his second start of the year in the home opener for Yankee Stadium, coming off a pretty rocky start to open the season. The Angels number three went 5.2 innings against the Royals, giving up six runs, five earned, giving up two home runs while striking out two and walking a pair. He showed shaky consistency, lacking the ability to replicate any of his pitches, making each throw its very own adventure. His ball-to-strike ratio was “terrible” according to manager Mike Scioscia, and he got himself into trouble constantly, allowing a runner to reach scoring position in all but one inning. He will need to find some consistency in his pitching motion to regain some control, but he may be in for a long day even if he can. Santana’s tendency as a fly ball pitcher (career 0.65 ground ball to fly ball ratio) could lead to trouble with the short porch in right looming with a dangerous Yankees lineup. Santana has also had issues with the Yankees historically, going just 5-5 against them with a 5.55 ERA. Coming into the Bronx while struggling may not be the cure for what’s ailing Santana.

Hiroki Kuroda, meanwhile, is coming off a pretty rough start himself. Kuroda lasted just 5.2 innings in Tampa Bay, giving up six runs, four earned, giving up a home run while striking out two and walking four. He blamed the rough outing on a lack of control, saying he did not have his splitter working and his pitches were “all over the place,” which led to the four walks. Kuroda has the benefit of some experience against the Angels, playing them in inter-league play during his time with the Dodgers, and against Pujols during his time in the NL. Whether that helps or not will depend on if he can get his control back under him. If he can’t, this could probably turn out to be a fairly high scoring affair.

April 14: C.J. Wilson (1-0, 1.29 ERA) vs. Phil Hughes (0-1, 3.86 ERA)

Wilson had one of the more impressive opening starts the first time through the rotation. He pitched a strong seven innings against Minnesota, striking out five while walking four, giving up one run leading the Angels to their lone win at Target Field. He showed some minor control issues, hence the four walks, but was always in control of the game, making just the one mistake that ended up a home run to Josh Willingham. His ability to get ground ball outs (all but one out recorded by Wilson was on the ground) will serve him well against New York, and he’s shown an ability to pitch in hitter friendly parks during his time with Texas, and especially against the Yankees during the regular season. Wilson has a good chance to follow up his strong performance in Minnesota with another in New York and solidify himself as the top pitcher of the Angels rotation early this season.

Hughes pitched pretty well in his opening start against the Rays, but needed 99 pitches to get through just 4.2 innings. He gave up two runs while striking out five and walking two. Hughes didn’t do much to keep himself off the block to move back to the bullpen once Andy Pettitte gets back into the rotation. He has shown some excellent stuff at times that has really endeared himself to Yankees fans, but does have a tendency to give up the fly balls, which could lead to some trouble in his home park. He will have to be sharp in order to match the effort of Wilson, and this should be the lowest scoring game of this series.

April 15: Jerome Williams (0-0) vs. Ivan Nova (1-0, 2.57 ERA)

Williams was finally officially announced as the Angels fifth starter after a bullpen session on Thursday, which completed his rehab from a hamstring injury that kept him out all of spring training. Williams solidified his spot in the rotation at the end of last season when he went 4-0 with a 3.68 ERA in six starts for the Angels. Williams has seen his journeyman career ebb and flow before eventually ending up in Los Angeles and the Angels are turning to him to hold down the fifth roster spot this season while Garrett Richards earns a little extra seasoning at Triple-A Salt Lake. Williams relies on control and keeping hitters off balance, but his lack of work in the spring could lead to a bit of rust to start off with and Yankee Stadium probably isn’t the best place to break into the 2012 season. Expect Williams to show a bit of rust, and for the Yankees to figure him out pretty quickly.

Nova pitched the Yankees to their first win in Baltimore, pitching seven innings, striking out seven, walking zero while giving up ten hits and just two runs. Nova is making a strong push to stay in the rotation long-term if he can continue to work with the control and poise that he showed against the Orioles. If the Angel bats don’t wake up by this point in the series, look for Nova to have another impressive outing as he stifles the struggling bats of the Angels.

Storylines to watch:

The Angels need to find themselves, and in a hurry. Losing two straight series, falling two games under .500, and watching the pitching, both starting and bullpen, stumble and falter while the big bats in the lineup have been conspicuously quiet was not the way that the Angels had planned on starting 2012. The starters need to find some consistency, the bullpen needs to plug the dam, and Pujols and Morales need to start mashing the ball around, and out of, the park. Will they be able to do it against the Yankees in New York? That will be the question as the Angels, now suddenly a team exposed to be flawed, faces off against another AL contender.

For the Yankees, they looked like a team who had found answers to some of the questions plaguing them coming out of Tampa. The sweep of the Orioles puts them back on the road they want to be on, but they’ll want to keep the momentum going against an AL West favorite. Can the pitching get back on track and at least plug the rotation until Andy Pettitte is ready to return? Will the timely hitting they found in Baltimore keep going? Will the  Yankees keep their winning streak going and keep moving up the AL East standings?

Season implications:

This isn’t the start that Los Angeles was looking for. Losing two straight series puts them at the bottom of the AL West, which wasn’t where anyone that they would be, even for this early stretch of the season. The Yankees were favorites in the American League as well, but stumbled out of the gates with a season opening sweep. They are still digging themselves out of that hole, and will try and continue their climb back over .500 against the Halos. Both teams would like to get this series simply for the momentum of a good showing against an AL contender. It isn’t going to decide any playoff races quite yet, but it’s going to give the winning fan base some good vibes moving forward.

The Hangout View:

After failing to win the series against Minnesota by completely losing the ability to pitch a complete game, the Angels don’t seem like they’re ready for this series in New York. The Yankees are going to get their hits, and in that park, some of those hits are going to go out. If the Angels can’t contain that offensive attack, it’s going to make for a pretty poor trip to the Big Apple. Santana and Williams aren’t sure enough options yet to count on shutting down the Yanks, and Wilson may be the best option for the Angels to steal a win and avoid a sweep. This likely will not be the way they wanted their road trip to go, but the Angels are going to drop their third straight series to open the year, losing two of three.