Sunday, June 28, 2009 |
Angels Nearly Blow A Gift Win On D'Backs' Comedy Of Errors: Angels 12, Diamondbacks 8
- Jeff Mathis led off the inning, reaching first on a Mark Reynolds error on what should have been a routine 5-3 groundout. Update: I had forgotten it at the time I wrote this initially — unfortunately, I've fallen out of the habit of taking in-game notes — but the ball actually hit Reynolds on the chest. This wasn't a mere bobble, as Jim McLennan of AZ Snakepit wrote, but a full-scale failure to keep his eye on the ball. This was a ball thrown directly to him, even if it isn't straight at his glove hand; there was plenty of room for this play to be made, and it wasn't.
- With Matt Palmer on second (following his first major league hit!), Maicer Izturis wailed a line drive to right — which bounced off the top of Justin Upton's glove. Izzy not only reached but ended up at third, scoring Palmer.
- Bobby Abreu reached on Felipe Lopez's outstanding Bill Buckner imitation, letting a routine grounder go right between the wickets.
The Angels, sporting types, let the Snakes storm back in the sixth with a series of pitches left up or in the zone or both, mostly on the arm of Kevin Jepsen; why the hell Mike Scioscia let him stay in long enough to embarrass himself in that way remains a mystery, but the Angels still managed to get it done, somehow.
Part of that was Jeff Mathis' solo shot in the eighth, and Izturis' two-run jack in the ninth; that put the game far enough away that even the Snakes really had no hope, and Brian Fuentes didn't let them score in the ninth. Scioscia has to be a little circumspect these days.
And the Angels finish interleague play 14-4, and (temporarily?) in first place in the AL West (the Rangers/Padres game is currently 1-0 San Diego).
Update 6/29: I should mention that the Snakes made a fourth error in the fourth that allowed Gary Matthews, Jr. to reach third, and then steal home in the next (Erick Aybar's) at-bat; they could have been charged with two more in the fifth had the Angels decided to advance. Gah.
Labels: angels, diamondbacks, recaps
And who would have bet on the Padres one-hitting the Rangers in Arlington? One more reason for an Angels fan to love the NL West.
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