6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog: The Angels' Rotation Slump Continues... But Howie Makes The Owie Go Away: Angels 9, Orioles 7

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Friday, June 29, 2007

The Angels' Rotation Slump Continues... But Howie Makes The Owie Go Away: Angels 9, Orioles 7

Kelvim Escobar didn't last five innings in Baltimore, giving up seven runs, including a knockout one-out, three-run homer to Aubrey Huff. Escobar was in trouble almost every inning but the first, giving up a one out triple to Aubrey Huff in the second (later cashed in on Melvin Mora's infield single to short), a leadoff double to Corey Patterson in the third, a two-run homer in the fourth to Mora, and a near-total implosion in the fourth, with a three-run jack Huff. Escobar hasn't been troubled too much by the longball this season (four all year before this game), so he gets some slack for this performance, but it certainly came at a time when the Angels could have used a good start to break the embarrassing sweep at home.

Update: Aubrey Huff hit for the cycle with a seventh-inning single, the first Oriole in franchise history to do so at home. But once that happened, interim manager Dave Trembley inexplicably yanked Huff for pinch-runner Brandon Fahey. With only a two-run lead against an Angels club that's been slamming runs up until the Royals series, facing a shutdown bullpen, and minus their biggest power threat, shortstop Miguel Tejada, it was a curious decision to say the least.

Bootcheck, Moseley, and Shields made good on the scoreless threat by cleaning up neatly after Escobar's really embarrassing game, putting zeros on the board through the eighth. The Angels kept chipping away at the O's lead, with Orlando Cabrera slamming a solo homer in the seventh off Scott Williamson to bring the Angels within one, 7-6.

Chad Bradford, the former Met and before that, Athletic, entered the game in the eighth and quickly got a pair of easy outs against Howie Kendrick and Kendry Morales. But Bradford suddenly lost his command, and walked Mike Napoli on five pitches, and then plunked pinch-hitter Erick Aybar on a 1-2 pitch after throwing behind him with the 0-1 pitch. Chone Figgins then cashed in Napoli from second, hustling all the way, with a two-out single that tied the game 7-7.

In the bottom half of the frame, Kendrick started a huge double play got got the Angels out of a jam started by Dustin Moseley, who intentionally walked Brian Roberts to get to Chris Gomez. Scot Shields got him to bounce out to end the frame and the last Baltimore threat of the game.

Chris Ray took the mound in the ninth, and with Vlad Guerrero coming to the plate, you could have been excused for thinking Ray was looking for redemption, or retribution for his June 3 implosion, in which he gave up the game winner against Vlad, a blast into the batter's eye in centerfield.

Instead, Ray kissed Vlad's uniform on a 1-1 fastball, and so he ended up at first with no outs. But after Matthews, Jr. hit into fielder's choice, and Casey Kotchman's weak pop to center, it looked like another annoying inning from the Halos. Well, not so fast: Howie belted one into the bullpen, and that was pretty much that. Frankie slammed the door to end things, and send the 36,689 home in a cranky mood.

Update 2: Incidentally: the Angels are the first team in the majors to 50 wins. Seattle is currently leading Toronto 5-1, so it doesn't look like the Angels can expect to gain any ground in the division, though the A's already lost 2-1 to the Yankees.

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