Los Angeles Angels Return the Home Run Favor in Windy City Beatdown

24 hours ago, the Angels got the snot kicked out of them by the Cubs. 24 hours later, the Angels returned volley and proceeded to dismantle the Cubs in nearly the exact same fashion.

Just because it hasn’t been a big part of the Angels game to play the long ball this season, doesn’t mean that they aren’t capable of it. A five-run first inning featured home runs off the bats of Josh Hamilton and Mark Trumbo. A six-run fifth inning went a step further with three home runs. Albert Pujols got the party started, Hamilton followed that up with his second of the game, and Brendan Harris (who apparently has bat flips for days) parked one in the basket atop the Wrigley Field wall. All of these home runs the Angels hit made the Win Probability chart look like the greatest slide ever.

Thanks to Anthony Rizzo‘s RBI single in the fourth inning, it even has a cool jump. The Cubs would eventually add another run in the bottom of the ninth when Cody Ransom hit a solo home run off of relief pitcher Billy Buckner. But even Mike Scioscia knew this game was in the bag after the fifth inning. He pulled Pujols in the sixth, and then in the eighth, he pulled Mike Trout and Hamilton to complete the outfield overhaul.

Sidenote: Am I the only one who gets irrationally scared when Scioscia does the mass substitution thing? What if the Cubs had forged a serious comeback? Then he is relying on Colin Cowgill in the three spot to drive in Brad Hawpe who was hitting second. I’m probably just over-thinking this.

The Angels split the season series with Cubbies, and have on off day tomorrow before engaging in a three game series with Seattle Mariners to close out the first-half*. Jerome Williams gets the call in the first game (hopefully he can last more than seven outs) against Joe Saunders. Game time is at 7:10 PM PST. Light up the halo, the Angels are back to two games under .500.

* – The Angels will have more than 90 games played at the conclusion of the Mariners series. A touch more than half.