A Race To The Finish

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With the divisions clenched, the final races to the playoffs are the NL and AL Wild Card spots. In the AL race,  Boston is one game ahead of Tampa Bay who is only two games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels. In what appears to be a race to the finish, all three teams will continue to play strong during their remaining series. Today, Boston will play at Baltimore, while Tampa Bay will host the Yankees. Take a look at how these teams have played against each other during the season. Who do you think will get the AL Wild Card spot?

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Angels Praying For A Sweep

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The Los Angeles Angels, who are three games out of first place, will begin a three games series against Baltimore tomorrow. The Angels are 5-1 versus Baltimore this season and averaging seven runs per games against the team. In order to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Angels will need to maintain their winning record in Baltimore. Take a look at how the Angels are playing on the road.

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Game Preview: Yankees Versus Angels

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Tonight continues the three-game series between the Los Angeles Angels and the New York Yankees. The Angels are trying to catch up to the Rangers in the Al West, while the Yankees are trying to maintain their two and a half game lead in the AL East. The Yankees, who have lost three games straight, will have CC Sabathia on the mound trying to stop the surging Angels. Tonight, Sabathia will try to become the first Yankee pitcher to win 20 games in two straight seasons. This may prove difficult against the Angels who have won five of their last six. To get a better perspective on the matchup, take a look at how the Yankees have played this season in Anaheim.

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Keys to the Game: Angels Vs. Mariners, August 31, 2011

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Tonight’s game in Seattle will feature two of the more talent pitchers in the American League.  The defending AL Cy Young winner, Felix Hernandez, (12-11, 3.37 ERA) will get the call for the Mariners.  The Angels will counter with the League leader in Strikeouts to Walk ratio (5.89), Dan Haren (13-7, 3.19).  Compare the hurlers’ numbers.

ERs Allowed (Blue), Strikeouts (Orange) & Walks (Green)

Angels Rookie Mark Trumbo has strengthened his Rookie of the Year candidacy with an excellent August.  Trumbo is batting .271 with five Home Runs, 18 RBIs and 16 Runs Scored this month and hopes to cap it with yet another Home Run against the Mariners, he already has 3 in August.  Check out Trumbo numbers in August.

RBIs (Blue), Runs Scored (Orange) & Home Runs (Green)

The Mariner’s have the lowest team batting average (.235) in the Majors and have scored the fewest runs in the American League (468).  So expect Haren to need little run support to collect his 14th victory this evening.

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AL West Power Display

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The Los Angeles Angels will try to cut their AL West deficit to one during tonight’s three game series finale versus the Texas Rangers. The Angels have won seven of their last eight games and have outscored their opponents 54-32 since the middle of August. Colby Lewis, who has struggled at home all season, will pitch for the Rangers. The stats may be on the Angels’ side this game: In Lewis’ last four starts against the Angels he’s 0-2 with a 3.0 ERA. Do you think the Angels will cut their deficit in the AL West?

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Battle In The AL West

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Today begins a three game series between the AL West first placed ranked Texas Rangers and the second place Los Angeles Angels. Against Texas, the Angels are 6-7 with a 3-3 record at Ameriquest Field. The Angles have performed well on the road; however, the Rangers have 40-25 home record, which suggests the team will put up a tough battle to maintain their first place position in the AL West. Take a look at how the Angles are playing on the road. Do you think the Angels have what it takes to knock the Rangers out of first?

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Keys to the Game: Rangers Vs Angels, August 15, 2011

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Tonight the AL West leading Texas Rangers travel to Anaheim to open a pivotal four game series against the second place Los Angeles Angels.  The Rangers hope to extend their four game lead with Alexi Ogando (11-5, 3.22 ERA) on the mound tonight. Ogando will look to return to form tonight as his previous four starts have not been stellar.  Compare Ogando’s last four starts with his amazing success in his 10 career appearance against the Angels.  The Angels counter with Rookie, Garrett Richards (0-1, 10.80 ERA), who is seeking his first Major League win.

The bat of each teams’ Right Fielder could determine the outcome of tonight’s game.  The Angels’ Torii Hunter is currently red-hot, batting .455 during a 12-game hitting streak.  If the Angels hope to gain ground in the division, Hunter must improved his dismal .118 batting average in nine games against the Rangers this season. Nelson Cruz has been a huge asset for the powerful Ranger’s offense, knocking in 75 runs and hitting 25 balls out of the park so far in 2011.  Check out the production of Hunter and Cruz.

Hits (Blue), RBIs (Orange) & HRs (Green)

With only 41 games remaining in the season and 10 games left against the Rangers, the Angels must win or at least tie this series if they hope to stay in the hunt for October.

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Keys to the Game: Angels Vs Blue Jays, August 13, 2011

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After their 5-1 victory last evening, the Los Angeles Angels will send their Ace, Jared Weaver, to the mound at the Rogers Centre this afternoon.  Fresh off of a six game suspension, Weaver looks to bolster his Cy Young candidacy with another dominate outing.  The Blue Jays will counter with their opening day starter, Ricky Romero.  Romero has been Weaveresque in his last three starts, posting a 1.11 ERA. See how to today’s starters compare over their last three starts:

ERs (Blue), HRs (Orange) & Outs Recorded Per ER (Green)

Weaver will face the high powered Toronto offense (6th in the Majors in runs scored) that performs much better inside the Rogers Centre.  Check out the production of the Blue Jays’ starting lineup today at home and on the road:

RBIs (Blue), HRs (Orange) & SOs (Green)

Fortunately for Weaver and the Angels, the Major League leader in Home Runs, Jose Bautista, is out of Toronto’s lineup today, as he committed two errors in last night’s loss.  Will Weaver get his 15th win this afternoon or will Romero continue his streak of dominant starts?

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Rookie of the Year

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The Angels’ first base man, Mark Trumbo, has proven to be a power hitter during his rookie season. Many are predicting that Trumbo may earn the title of Rookie of the Year, which would be the first time since 1993 that the Angels have had a player earn the title. Trumbo is currently on pace to be the first rookie ever to lead the Angels in both home runs and RBIs. Take a look at some of his stats.

Do you think Trumbo will get Rookie of the Year?

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Clash of the AL (Second Place) Titans

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The three-game series between the Yankees and the Angels should prove to be a defining series for these two teams who are both competing for first place in their divisions. The Yankees fell out of a first place tie in the AL East following Sunday’s loss to Boston. The Angels, who are currently in second place in the AL West, are not only fighting to take the lead in their division, but also fighting against their offense who have scored the second fewest runs in the league. The Yankees, on the other hand, have scored the second most runs the majors. Take a look at how the teams compare.

The Yankees definitely have the stronger offense in this match-up. Will the Angels’ defense stand a chance against the Yankees’ hitting?

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