The Angels clinched a series win with a 4-3 victory over the Rangers on Saturday after a 3-1 win on Friday night.
The Angels were held to six hits on Friday, but managed to squeeze out three runs to get the win. The Rangers had a 1-0 lead heading into the sixth, but Garret Anderson put the Angels ahead with a two-run shot. Chone Figgins got on with a single and Anderson, batting in the two slot for the first time in nine years, blasted his homerun to right. Juan Rivera then added an insurance run with a sacfly with the bases loaded.
The player of the game, though, was Ervin Santana, who held the Rangers to one run on five hits with seven K’s through eight innings. He picks up his 14th win and leaves August with a 2.49 ERA in the month. K-Rod then pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, complete with two strikeouts, for his 52nd win.
The Angels followed up on Saturday with a win to make it three straight and clinching the series.
The Angels were down a run heading into the fifth, but Mike Napoli drove an RBI-single to tie it before Napoli took home on Brandon Wood’s suicide squeeze. The Rangers then regained the lead but Torii Hunter tied it in the sixth with an RBI-groundout before Rivera got a sacfly for the go-ahead run.
Jered Weaver held the Rangers to three runs through five, but didn’t factor into the decision. Jose Arrendondo came in to relieve Weaver in the sixth and allowed the runners to score for the blown save but ended up taking the win, along with the help of Hunter who nabbed a potential go-ahead homerun by climbing the fence in the seventh. Scott Sheilds threw an inning before K-Rod pitched another 1-2-3 ninth with two K’s for his 53rd save.
The Angels can complete the sweep today, with John Lackey taking the mound to go for his 12th win. He will face Kevin Millwood, who is 8-7 with a 4.95 ERA and is 2-3 against the Angels in nine career starts.
