Jered Weaver didn’t bring his best stuff to the mound today. He got his pitch count up early, and his fastball was very hittable. He battled through five innings, allowing five hits and three walks while striking out four. He was undone by three solo homers, the first coming from Derek Jeter on the third pitch of the game. To Weaver’s credit, he worked out of some serious jams. In the second and fourth innings, he found himself with two runners on and no one out, and was able to work out of it both times. He left after a fifth inning in which he allowed the third solo homer of his day, a fastball that was hit over the short wall in right field by Johnny Damon.

In the bottom of the fifth, Howie Kendrick started the comeback with a solo shot of his own off of Yankees starter Andy Pettite. Kendrick crushed an inside fastball into bullpen in left field. An inning later, Bobby Abreu worked a one out walk. With two outs, Vladimir Guerrero hit a towering shot over the wall in left field to tie the score at three.

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Angels Stay Alive, Beat Yankees 5-4 - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

The Yankees got the scoring started in the second inning. Nick Swisher worked a two out walk, and Robinson Cano tripled him home. Derek Jeter’s third inning homer gave the Yankees a 2-0 lead. The Angels got both runs back in the fifth inning. Maicer Izturis led the inning off with a ground rule double, and Erick Aybar singled him home. After Chone Figgins was hit by a pitch, and Torii Hunter walked, Yankees starter A.J. Burnett threw a wild pitch that scored Aybar to tie the game.

The bullpens battled it out into extra innings, with Joe Girardi burning through his best pitchers early, while the Angels went to the 10th with some of their best arms unused. In the 11th inning, Gary Matthews walked to lead off the inning. After Aybar bunted him to second, Chone Figgins singled him home to give the Angels a 3-2 lead. Mike Scioscia called upon closer Brian Fuentes to end the game, but he surrendered a lead off home run to Alex Rodriguez that tied the game. It came on an 0-2 pitch, but in Fuentes’ defense, the ball barely cleared the wall in right field, and would have been a routine fly ball in every single professional ball park in the country. Only in the joke of a ball park they built in the Bronx would that be a home run. Yankee Stadium is really an embarrassment to baseball.

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Angels Throw Away Game 2: Yankees 4, Angels 3 - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

Jered Weaver backed up John Lackey’s gem from last night with one of his own, limiting the Red Sox to two hits and two walks over 7.1 innings, while striking out seven.  Darren Oliver, Kevin Jepsen, and Brian Fuentes took the reins and finished off the victory, ensuring a comfortable Saturday for nervous Angels fans everywhere.

The Sox got the scoring started in the fourth inning when Jacoby Ellsbury led the inning off with a triple.  Two batters later, Victor Martinez singled him home, and the Sox had a 1-0 lead.

The Angels didn’t wait long to respond.  Bobby Abreu led off the bottom of the fourth with a base hit.  After Mike Lowell made a great play on a Torii Hunter line drive, Vladimir Guerrero singled Abreu to third.  Kendry Morales cashed him in with a sacrifice fly to right field, and the Angels tied the game at 1.

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ALDS Game 2: Angels 4, Red Sox 1 - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

I posted this in a Baseball Think Factory thread, but I think it’s worthy of its own post here. And

If you told me the day Teixeria signed with New York that:

• Vlad, Hunter, Lackey, and Santana would miss significant time (as in months);
• Saunders would suck hardcore for a while, then go on the DL before finally returning to form;
• Shields would miss almost the whole season;
• Speier would get worse;
• Adenhart would die;
• Escobar would not recover;
• Arredondo (remember how many people wanted him as the closer?) would suck donkeys;
• Kendrick would suck bad enough to get sent down at one point;
• That 31 starts would come from Shane Loux, Matt Palmer, Trevor Bell, and Sean O’Sullivan;
• That Brandon Wood and/or Sean Rodriguez would still not arrive;

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Five Times in Six Years - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

But as the Angels gear up for the post season, there may be a solution to the ninth inning issues the team has recently faced. It’s becoming increasingly clear that Brian Fuentes is not the answer. Since the all-star break, his ERA is a pathetic 6.38, and he’s allowing opponents to post an OPS of .952. It’s far too late to add a pitcher through an acquisition, and there are no Frankie Rodriguezes in the minor leagues, so no one is going to be snuck onto the post-season roster. Kevin Jepsen and Jason Bulger are intriguing options. Jepsen has been fantastic since the break, posting an ERA of 2.08 in 35 innings, while allowing a measly .513 opponents OPS. Bulger has been just as good, allowing an ERA of 1.99 while opponents are posting an OPS of just .634 against.

So the Angels can go into the post-season with either a closer who brings lights out stuff (Jepsen or Bulger), or a closer who brings playoff experience (Fuentes). But they might be able to do both. My suggestion for the role of post-season closer is Ervin Santana. I’m not the only person who thinks so. SenorChuckles over at Halos Heaven has offered the same advice.

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A Simple Solution to the Angels Bullpen Woes - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

Somewhat surprising, especially after the first three hitters, was the performance of newly minted Angel Scott Kazmir.  His Angels career started with runners reaching via an error, a single, and a hit batter, leaving the bases loaded with no one out.  Kazmir found his good stuff, however, and struck out the next three batters he faced to escape the first unscathed.  He didn’t stop there.  He retired the next 15 hitters in a row and carried a shutout into the seventh inning. He left the game after allowing only three hits and one walk while striking out 8.

The Mariners got to Kazmir in the seventh.  A leadoff walk to Mike Sweeney and a one out double from Bill Hall provided all the offense the Ms would need.  Hall eventually scored on a steal of third and Mike Napoli’s errant throw.  Brian Fuentes allowed the Mariners’ final run on a bases loaded walk.

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Angels Offense Flat Again: Angels 0, Mariners 3 - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

The Angels’ offense, prolific in Monday’s series opener, failed to create many opportunities, and squandered the opportunities it did create.  Mariners rookie Doug Fister allowed just five hits and two walks over 7.1 innings, and the bullpen closed the deal for the home team.  The Angels put the lead-off hitter on base in six of their nine at bats.  Three times the runner was erased via the double play (including a strike-him-out throw-him-out double play in the first inning), and three times the runner advanced no further than the base at which he started.

The night’s largest failure came in the eighth inning.  With the Angels trailing 2-1, Maicer Izturis led the inning off with a double to right field.  But Erick Aybay fouled out, failing to move Izturis to third.  Consecutive fly-outs from Mike Napoli and Chone Figgins stranded Izturis at second.

Ervin Santana became a victim of low run support for the second straight game.  He lasted six innings and allowed only one run.  But he was also a victim of his own high pitch count, leaving after 100 pitches even.  Darren Oliver relieved him in the seventh inning, and allowed a two out double to Jose Lopez which scored Franklin Gutierrez from first base for the eventual winning run.

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Angels Fall to Ms: Angels 1, Mariners 2 - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

Saunders Sharp: Angels 10, Mariners 0 - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

Three of Four in Baltimore: Angels 8, Orioles 5 - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site

Back on the Horse: Angels down Orioles 5-1 - The 110 Report - The 110 Report - A Los Angeles Sports Site