Just when it seemed as if everything was going according to plan the Yankees won the second game of this four game eries 14-9 to hand the Angels their second conseucitive loss.
Down 9-5 headed into the 8th inning, the newly acquired Mark Teixeira hit a go ahead grand slam for his first home run with the Mike Scioscia’s bunch. However, the Yankees took advantage of the Angels’ uncharacteristically poor defense to score six times in the bottom half and complete its largest comeback of the 2008 season.
Despite the frustrating defeat, it was just the Angels fourth loss in the past 18 games. The Halos also completed their East Coast trip with a 7-3 record and return to Anaheim sitting comfortably in first place in the A.L. West.
Here are today’s top performers.
Top 3 Angels Performers
1.) Chone Figgins had a nice day at the ballpark by going 4-for-5 with three runs scored. Over this East Coast trip, Figgy has certainly been hitting the ball much better.
2.) Mark Teixeira went just 1-for-5, but his one hit was absolutely huge, a grand slam in the top of the eighth.
3.) Little Vladdy, Erick Aybar, had an impressive performance while batting in the number two hole. Aybar went 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs and 2 runs.
Angels Jeff Weaver of the Day (Note: JTD denotes the Angel that played the poorest): The Angels had four errors on the afternoon so the Jeff Weaver goes to the defense.
Play of the Game: Texeira’s home run in the eight gave the Halos a 9-8 lead and it seemed quite likely that they would end up winning this game.
What to look for next game: The Halos return home to face the Baltimore Orioles, who they won two out of three games just one weekend ago.
Game is Monday @ 7:05 PM (KCOP).
Tags: Chone Figgins, Erick Aybar, Mark Teixeira
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The Jeff Weaver should go to Matthews… 0-5, 2 Ks and an error that led to 4 unearned runs. That is absolutely horrible and unacceptable.
I think it’s time for Arte to make the decision to let Matthews go.
While Matthews struggled at the dish, the defense/pitching cost them the game. Tex put them up 9-8 with the grand slam but then they blew the lead with four errors! Horrible! Matthews is certainly a part of that though. However, I wouldn’t get rid of him. He could be valuable come postseason because he might be a decent pinch hitter and certainly a good pinch runner.
No, he’d be valuable if he didn’t have two screwed up knees. As it is, one of his knees has a tear in it… at the least, they should force him to have surgery. The only thing he’s doing by not getting fixed is hurting the team. He’s not helping anyone, and the problem certainly is going to magically cure itself come October.
We have Reggie Willits to pinch run and play defense, if we need it late in the game.
and I meant to say, “…and the problem certainly ISN’T going to magically cure itself come October.”