Joe Saunders was tagged for six runs and didn’t finish the second inning as the Angels lost 6-5 to take the series loss.
The Angels found themselves down 6-0 by the second inning, and their comeback rally attempt didn’t kickstart until the fourth. They put up four runs that inning, triggered by Garret Anderson’s triple. Mike Napoli walked and Robb Quinlain was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Erick Aybar, who singled home two runs. Howie Kendrick and Mark Teixeira each followed suit with an RBI-single apiece. This was just before Kendrick left the game with a tightened hamstring. Aybar also left the game with the same ailment, which left Juan Rivera the secondbaseman for the rest of the game. Aybar added another RBI in the fifth, for a total of 3 for a career high, before leaving, but the boys left 13 on base and went just 3 for 16 with RISP.
Saunders suffered his worst outing of the season, unable to escape the second inning, retiring only four of the 12 batters he faced. Saunders got out of the first inning with giving up just one run on an RBI single, but the second inning was a different story. A leadoff single, stolen base, and RBI single led to the first run of the inning before a double followed by a two-run homerun to Emil Brown. Saunders was lifted after that, taking his seventh loss. Shane Loux then pitched a scoreless three frames before Oliver, Arrendondo, and Speier all combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings.
The Angels now host their second-place team in the division, the Rangers….though that second place position is 15 games behind the Angels in first. Jon Garland will take the mound and face Brandon McCarthy. Garland is in search of his 12th win and is 4-8 lifetime against the Rangers, while McCarthy is making just his second big league start, picking up the no decision in his first one.
