The Angels beat the Rangers 7-5 in the first of four in hopes of getting their first series win on this homestand.
The offense had to rally back from the Rangers’ four-run first inning. They started in the third, when Mark Teixeira drove a solo homerun. They added another in the sixth and went to bat in the eighth with a three-run deficit. They quickly loaded the bases and scored on Mike Napoli’s walk. Juan Rivera then put the Angels ahead with a pinch-hit, bases-clearing double. Reggie Willits also drove in an insurance run with an infield RBI-single in his first game since August 3rd after a stint on the DL.
A win looked nearly impossible as Jon Garland gave up four runs in the first, but he battled his way through eight innings and the run support allowed him to take the win. The Rangers’ four-run first was keyed by a three-run homerun. Garland then gave up a run in the fourth but held the Rangers scoreless after that. K-Rod then threw the ninth and got his 51st save.
The Angels will now have to deal with the absence of Howie Kendrick, who was placed on the DL for a strained left hamstring. Erick Aybar is not expected to go on the DL but will likely still miss a few more games for his hamstring issue, so the Angels recalled Brandon Wood from Triple A. The Angels will have Ervin Santana facing Dustin Nippert tonight. Santana is searching for his 14th win and is 6-4 lifetime against the Rangers, while Nippert is 1-3 with a 7.83 ERA.
