Post-Game Recap: Angels v. Indians (8/15/08)

There is a reason as to why the Indians’ Cliff Lee is a CY Young candidate, as he became the AL’s first 17-game winner by pitching his third complete game of the season. Lee’s lights out performance was the driving factor in Cleveland’s 3-2 victory over the visiting Angels.

The Angels, who are one of baseball’s hottest team, currently hold the best record in the majors and have been on a tear offensively with 48 runs scored in their last six games. However, they looked like the pre-Teixeira Angels on Friday night, as they mustered just eight hits and two runs while grounding into four double plays.

While the hitting struggled more than usual with Lee on the mound, the pitching proved to be equally frustrating, especially the in the middle innings. Jose Arredondo, who was previously 4-0 with a 0.92 ERA, earned his first loss of the season after entering the game for Jered Weaver. Manager Mike Scioscia noted that Arredondo was missing his spots quite a bit, but felt that he would certainly bounce.

Despite the loss, the Halos did manage to get some solid performances so here are tonight’s best…

Top 3 Angels Performers

1.) No reasonable person could actually believe that Gary Matthews Jr. deserves a starting spot, especially when you consider the performance of Juan Rivera. Rivera, who has proven to be a solid replacement for Matthews, had another impressive day at the dish by going 2-3 with a home run.

2.) Mark Teixeiracontinues to make Tony Reagins look like a genius for pulling the trigger on the trade that brought him to Anaheim. Big Tex had another solid day at the ballpark, as he went 3-4 with an RBI.

3.) Chone Figginsdid a nice job in the leadoff spot by going 2-4 with a run scored. The Halos desperately need similar performances from Figgins if they’re going to be celebrating in October.

Angels Jeff Weaver of the Day (Note: JTD denotes the Angel that played the poorest):Jose Arredondo allowed 2 runs, only 1 earned, while failing to record one out in the bottom of the sixth. He was way off on his command as evident by a wild pitch.

Play of the Game: Juan Rivera’s solo home run in the top of the fifth tied the game and saved Jered Weaver from earning the

What to look for next game: The Angels will face off against Fausto Carmona, who was one of the best pitchers last year, but he has struggled so far due to nagging injuries. It’ll be interesting to watch and see if the Angels offense can improve from tonight’s loss.

Game is Saturday @ 12:45 PM (FOX)

Photocredit: Yahoo! Sports