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vs.


ANAHEIM -- Moral victories aren't worth the paper they're printed on, but the Angels gained value during a recent swing through Oakland that was uplifting if nothing else.

Two victories there helped quicken the pulse of the A's, but likely accomplished little else for a ballclub that remains in control of its own destiny despite losing in Seattle on Monday night.

Barring an utter collapse by the A's, the Angels will relinquish their American League West crown, but the club has made its statement by pulling the plug on Oakland's celebratory weekend and making it clear its not offering any help.

The Angels ran roughshod over the Rangers on Monday night to post an 8-3 victory and keep their postseason lamp a flicker for one more day as they opened their final homestand of the regular season and pulled within five games of the division lead with six games to play.

Vladimir Guerrero homered twice, Chone Figgins added a solo shot and Juan Rivera went 4-for-4 with a pair of RBIs as Joe Saunders tossed seven strong innings and Scot Shields earned his second save.

It was another solid outing for the Saunders, as the rookie left-hander won his second straight game. The Angels won for the fifth time in their last six games, and they've won 14 of their last 20 and improved their record to a season-high 14 games over .500.

Full Article: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim : News : Los Angeles Angels News

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la_faker_81



GO ANGELS

Well he's kind of had it in me ever since i accidentally ran over his dog. Actually, replace "accidentally" with "repeatedly" and replace "dog" with "son".

la_faker_81

ANAHEIM -- The reality of their impending vacation crystallized as quickly as Mark Teixeira's ball left the yard.

A mere 10 pitches into the ballgame on Tuesday night, the improbable ending that had turned possible this past weekend proved unattainable with two swings of the bat.

About the same time that Teixeira drilled a two-run homer at Angel Stadium, up the coast in Seattle, Frank Thomas singled home Jason Kendall for an early A's lead and the conversations about controlling one's destiny turned to offseason destinations.

Because those two games determined the American League West champion, and it will not be the Angels.

The early runs held as the Angels dropped a 5-2 decision to the Rangers while the A's upended the Mariners, 12-3, rendering this weekend's series meaningful only in the fact the A's might be chasing the No. 2 seed in the AL playoffs and also that Tim Salmon will be spending his last moments in an Angels uniform.

"We've got a bunch of guys that weren't looking at how far we were off. It was just keep winning, keep winning," said Adam Kennedy, who was 1-for-3. "But it is here and it is over. We dug ourselves a hole."

It was an abrupt halt for the Angels, a team that seemingly had no chance as they faced a deficit that grew to eight games when they opened a three-game series last Friday in Oakland with an extra-inning loss.

But the Angels turned strong pitching into a pair of wins over the A's in that series and a few more boxes were checked off the "what-if" list as a victory Monday was coupled with a late Mariners rally against Oakland. The deficit was down to five with six to play.

Full Article: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim : News : Los Angeles Angels News

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la_faker_81



GO ANGELS

Well he's kind of had it in me ever since i accidentally ran over his dog. Actually, replace "accidentally" with "repeatedly" and replace "dog" with "son".

la_faker_81

ANAHEIM -- An Angel of the past met an Angel of the future and not many could argue with the result.

Tim Salmon, who many consider to be the greatest star in franchise history, set the Angels up for victory, and Howie Kendrick, who many believe will do nothing but hit in years to come for the franchise, put them over the hump.

Kendrick's RBI double gave the Angels a 6-5 victory over the Rangers in the season-series finale between the clubs on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium.

But headlines and standing ovations will be there in the future for Kendrick. For Salmon, he's only got four games left.

And he didn't waste any time in taking advantage of the waning moments of his career.

Salmon walked to the plate with a pair of runners aboard in the first inning. Just two home runs shy of 300 for his career, he had been chided by teammates to forget about walks, forget about singles and just swing for the fences.

So, he did, and he looked awful when he missed Adam Eaton's first pitch. But he stepped back and figured he should tackle the at-bat the way he always has done during a 15-year Major League career. To Salmon's own bewilderment, the very next pitch sailed just over the high wall in right-center to put the Angels ahead, 3-0.

"It's a lot of fun, and that's the understatement of the year," said Salmon, who was 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored. "My head is spinning right now; it's kind of a 'did that really just happen?' kind of thing."

Full Article: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim : News : Los Angeles Angels News

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la_faker_81



GO ANGELS

Well he's kind of had it in me ever since i accidentally ran over his dog. Actually, replace "accidentally" with "repeatedly" and replace "dog" with "son".