Can the Angels really pull off a sweep of an AL West rival? Could it possible be true? Dare we dream the impossible dream?
Bust out the brooms!!! The Mariners get swept tonight!!!
Only once this season have the Angels swept a series versus an AL West opponent and that lone sweep was in a two-game series in Oakland way back in early May but the Angels have a chance to get themselves a real sweep tonight if they can take care of business against the Seattle Mariners.
With ace John Lackey taking the mound for LAA tonight, the Angels have no excuse for failing to sweep the M’s. With the way Big John has been throwing lately, even the recently inept Angel offense won’t have to score very many runs to pick up the W, but stranger things have happened this year, especially for the Angels.
Seattle Mariners (72-68) @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (83-55)
Starters: SEA – Ryan Rowland-Smith (3-2, 3.88 ERA) LAA – John Lackey (9-7, 3.74 ERA)
Game Info: 7:05 PM PT TV-Fox Sports West, Radio-KLAA 830 AM, KFWB, KWKW 1330 AM
THREE Questions:
- Can the Angels build on the modicum of success they had hitting with runners in scoring position last night?
- Is Juan Rivera’s swing back or was last night’s homer an aberration?
- Will Mike Scioscia be foolish enough to employ the Quinlan platoon tonight? K-Mo is heating up and proven he can hit lefties, but Sosh is as stubborn as they come. I can’t wait to see the line-ups.
TWO Predictions:
- Howie Kendrick lights up Rowland-Smith, proving that he should play more in place of the slumping Maicer Izturis and that guys with hyphenated last names generally suck at everything.
- I’m not exactly sure how it will happen, but I have a hunch that there will be a Brandon Wood sighting tonight. And by that I mean him actually playing and producing, not just a camera shot of him dejectedly sitting on the bench spitting out sunflower seeds.
ONE Wish:
- I wish for the Angels to win big, not just because I always want them to win big but because Kevin Jepsen and Brian Fuentes have pitched two games in a row and the Angel bullpen can’t afford to overtax them by having either of them go again tonight.
ZERO Tolerance for… losing this game. Not only would the Angels miss out on a chance to pick up half a game on Texas, but losing the game would mean Seattle wins the season series against the Halos and that is not a confidence boost you want to hand a divisional rival that seems poised to improve drastically this off-season.
Leave your own questions, answers, predictions or wishes as a comment or just hang out with us during the game or even chat with us on twitter (@MonkeyWithAHalo).