The Angels, sporting a five-game win streak, head to Oakland to play the A’s in a three-game series. The A’s have a four-game win streak of their own but the Angels still remain 3 1/2 up in the division.
The Angels will send John Lackey to the mound for his fifth start. He is just 1-1 in those starts, but his 1.80 reveals his consistent control to make him pitch like the team’s ace. The Angels’ pitching staff has a 3.48 ERA together, which is fifth best in both leagues. The A’s have Joe Blanton starting, who is 3-7 with a 4.27 ERA. Blanton has just one win since April 27, but did go 3-0 against the Angels last season.
The Angels and A’s have been vying for the top spot in the AL West for the past few years, and have a 50-50 record against each other since 2003. They split the two series they this year already also.
The Angels didn’t get a first-round draft pick, as they opted to sign free agents Gary Matthews, Jr. and Torii Hunter in the off-season. But in their first pick, 74th overall, they selected pitcher Tyler Chatwood of Redlands East Valley High School. In his 11 starts as a senior, he went 9-1 with a 1.05 ERA, topped out a 97 but ranges at about 94 MPH. He also played short and outfield, batting .521 in 94 at-bats.
