Post-Game Report: Angels v. Yankees (7/31/08)

It is one thing to dominate perennial cellar dwellers such as Kansas City or Baltimore on the road, but it quite another thing to sweep the Boston Red Sox in Fenway and beat the Yankees by six runs in their own park. With their 12-6 victory over the Yankees, it’s clear that the Angels are hitting just as well as anybody in baseball.

Coming into tonight’s game, they were averaging 6.2 runs per game in July, after just 3.8 in June. They tallied 19 runs in taking two of three at Baltimore last weekend and scored 22 runs during a three-game sweep in Boston earlier this week.

While the offense was outstanding with a trio of three-run home runs, the pitching continues to anchor this ball club. Jon Garland earned his 10th win of the season while allowing just three runs over six innings.

So, tonight’s finest are…

Top 3 Angel Performers

1.) Chone Figginshad one of his best games in recent weeks after struggling for much of the past few games. Figgins proved to be an excellent leadoff man by going 4-for-5 with an RBI and 3 Runs.

2.) It’s finally nice to see Vladimir Guerrero get some protection with the addition of Mark Teixeira. With Tex batting third, Vladdy went 1-for-4 with a three run home run in the top of the sixth.

3.) Juan Riverais clearly the best replacement for Gary Matthews Jr. J-Riv, as Rex Hudler calls him, went 1-for-4 with a three run home run in the top of the third.

Angels Jeff Weaver of the Day (Note: JTD denotes the Angel that played the poorest): Darren O’Daywent into the bottom of the ninth with the Angels holding a 12-3 lead. However, O’Day left the game after allowing three runs while failing to record even one out.

Play of the Game: Well, it’s a tie. Vladdy, Rivera, and Torii Hunter, all hit three run homers so you can pick anyone of those.

What to look for next game: Ervin Santana takes the mound it tomorrow’s showdown. Last time he was in Yankee Stadium, he was pitching for the A.L. in the All-Star game.

Game is Friday @ 4:05 PM (FSN).