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Angels fighting to keep hold of first place

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07/21/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have done everything they can to separate themselves from the rest of the American League West. The Angels finished up the first half of the season with a Major League-best 53 wins and have since gone 3-3 to start the second half of the season.

However, they have not been able to slow down the red-hot Seattle Mariners, who are now just two games behind LA in the AL West standings. The Angels have dominated at home thus far, posting a 31-14 record. They have also had success on the road with a solid 25-24 record away from Angel Stadium. The next two weeks will be crucial for Anaheim, as it will face off against some of the AL's best in Minnesota, Oakland and Detroit. Those three series will lead up to a very important three-game set versus Seattle.

The Angels began the second half of the season on fire taking two out of three games from the lowly Texas Rangers. However, Anaheim failed to take advantage of another bottom feeder in Tampa Bay, dropping two out of three to the Devil Rays.

Tuesday night's opener was the most disappointing loss of the series for the Angels, as they were dominated in an 8-3 setback. Starter Ervin Santana put together another disappointing performance, allowing seven runs on 14 hits through six innings. The Angels were active at the plate, collecting 10 hits on the night, but still managed to leave seven runners on base.

Wednesday proved to be more of the same for the Angels, as they were hammered 7-2. Right-hander Bartolo Colon was solid in the loss, surrendering three runs on five hits through five innings. Reliever Dustin Moseley let the game slip away in the sixth, allowing four runs on four hits to put the game out of reach. The Angels were stifled at the plate, managing just six hits in the loss.

Anaheim finally turned things around in Thursday's finale, capturing a 3-0 win. Starter Kelvim Escobar led his team to victory, limiting the Devil Rays to nine hits through 7 2/3 scoreless innings. Escobar set the tone for closer Francisco Rodriguez who came on in the ninth to nail down his 25th save of the season. Anaheim gave their pitching staff plenty of support, compiling 10 hits in the win. Left fielder Garrett Anderson led the way, going 2-for-4 with two RBI.

Following the game manager Mike Scioscia praised Escobar for his outstanding performance this season.

"He's been on the money this whole season," Scioscia said. "So I think it goes past the last couple of games he's pitched. Along with [12-game winner] John Lackey, I'd hate to see where we'd be without these guys.

"I think [Escobar's] confidence is high, he's getting a little bit of support to match what he can do on the mound, and it's leading to some wins for him and that's good to see."

SANTANA'S STRUGGLES LAND HIM IN MINORS

It seems as if Scioscia and the rest of the Angels brass have given Santana more than enough time to turn things around. Following Wednesday's loss, the 24-year old right-hander was sent to Triple-A Salt Lake where he will remain until he proves that he is ready to return to the majors. The decision must have been a difficult one for the Angels, as Santana proved to be one of the brightest young talents in baseball just a year ago. In 2006 Santana went 16-6 with a 4.28 ERA in 33 starts. Anaheim had high expectations for the young hurler this season, expecting him to develop into a strong number two starter.

However, that was not the case as Santana has compiled a disappointing 5-11 record with a 6.22 ERA in 19 starts. Anaheim had hoped that the All-Star break would give Santana sufficient time to refocus on his mechanics. Although that did not come to fruition, as the right-hander fell apart during Wednesday night's loss, surrendering 14 hits in what resulted in his fourth straight defeat. During the four-game slide Santana has compiled an 11.64 ERA and showed signs of frustration on the mound.

Scioscia now feels that Santana needs some minor league work before he can turn things around at the professional level.

"It was a move that became more and more apparent as Ervin was struggling from start to start and not moving forward," Scioscia said. "Looking at certainly the last six or seven starts, he's been having trouble bringing some things to the game that he needs to. He's been working extremely hard -- and nobody feels it any more than Ervin -- but for him to move forward, we're going to have to take this half-step backward."

Santana was optioned to make room for catcher Mike Napoli, who was activated from the disabled list on Wednesday. The Angels are confident that by sending Santana to the minors he will be able to work on some of the mechanics that have made him ineffective this season.

"It's tough to make adjustments at the Major League level," Scioscia said. "I don't think he's that far off, but that gap that's there is important, and he needs to bridge it.

"I think Ervin's going to make the adjustments and get into the groove that he was, and I expect him back here."

As for Napoli he rejoins the team after being sent to the DL on July 2nd with an ankle injury. Napoli could give the Angels a spark at the plate, as he was hitting .243 with 29 RBI at the time of his injury. Napoli was available for Thursday's game, but is not expected to play until this weekend's series with the Minnesota Twins.

INJURY NEWS

Howie Kendrick has been sent back to the disabled list for the second time this season. The second baseman has already missed more than a month of action with a broken middle finger on his left hand. This time around he is expected to miss at least 15 days with a broken index finger on the same hand.

Minor league standout Brandon Wood was called up to replace Kendrick and will serve as a utility infielder for the time being. Wood is making his second trip the majors this season after a short stint in late April. The rookie has tore through the minors, holding team records in doubles (53) and total bases (370).

WHO'S HOT

Starter John Lackey picked up where he left off before the All-Star break, winning his first start since play resumed. Lackey's win over the Texas Rangers on July 14th gave him 12 wins on the season. The right-hander has been lights out this year, compiling a 12-5 record with a 2.98 ERA over 19 starts.

WHO'S NOT

Bartolo Colon is having trouble finding his groove, going 0-3 over his last five starts. The right-hander is just 2-5 in his last 10 appearances and has walked 22 batters during that time. Colon has not shown the consistency that made him a Cy Young Award winner in 2005. He is 6-5 on the year with a disappointing 6.38 ERA

ON DECK

The Angels will travel to Minnesota this weekend for a three-game set against the Twins from the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Friday night's matchup will feature Lackey (12-5, 2.98) and Carlos Silva (7-10, 4.55). Saturday night's contest will be a showdown between Jered Weaver (6-5, 3.36) and Boof Bonser (5-6, 4.68) before Joe Saunders (3-0, 2.97) and Matt Garza (1-1, 0.00) square off in Sunday's finale.

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