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By the time Angels rookie Garrett Richards had recorded the first out of his career Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, his ERA dropped from infinity to 81.00. It was that kind of night for the Angels as they allowed 9 runs to the Bronx Bombers. Down 7-2 late with the bases loaded, Peter Bourjos grounded into a double play on the first pitched tossed by Rafael Soriano, called in to relieve starter Ivan Nova. With no outs and the bases loaded in the 7th inning, Soriano threw a total of 4 pitches to retire the side with but a mere run scoring.
The final score, Yankees 9, Angels 3 is not an indicator of how lopsided the contest really was.
Pitcher Joel Piñeiro came out of the bullpen and gave rest to any notion that it would have been better for manager Mike Scioscia to leave him in the rotation. The veteran righty allowed 3 runs in 3 IP. Considering the options, Garrett Richards is the likely fifth starter in the rotation for at least another turn, matching up with the Rangers in Anaheim on Monday.
Up until Tuesday, Angles' manager Mike Scioscia felt he didn't want to put too much pressure on rookie first baseman Mark Trumbo to bat him any higher than his typical #7 spot in the Angels' batting order. However, Trumbo leads the team in home runs and RBI, and the Angels #7 spot in the order leads the American League in RBI out of that batting order slot. The time must be right to move Trumbo up as he's hitting 5th in tonight's order.
Last night's 6-4 comeback win was their 27th of the season, third in the A.L.
The Angels optioned relief pitcher Horatio Ramirez to make room for tonight's starting pitcher Garrett Richards. The club transfered Francisco Rodriguez to the 60-day DL to make room on the 40-man roster. Richards is also the 14th Angel to make their debut over the last two seasons, while 11 players on the team's 25-man roster have less than 2 years of MLB experience.
Making your major league debut for a team in the midst of a tight pennant race while playing in New York City may not be the easiest task to ask a 23-year-old Double-A pitcher, but that is exactly what the Angels are asking of Garrett Richards. After #5 starter Joel Pineiro's ERA ballooned to 5.31 and Angel ace Jered Weaver is serving a 6-game suspension, the Angels promoted Richards from their Double-A Arkansas club joining Tyler Chatwood as the second rookie in the Halo rotation.
The young right-hander had a stellar 12-2 record with a 3.06 ERA in 141 innings. Richards has struck out 100 while issuing 40 walks.
The Yankees will send their slightly more experienced rookie Ivan Nova (10-4, 3.81 ERA) to face the Angels. The Yankee right-hander has 6 wins over his last seven starts, while compiling a 2.091 ERA in that span.
The Angels continue to keep pace with the AL West division leading Texas Rangers. Both teams won Tuesday, keeping the Angels a game and a half behind. The Halos have been within 2 games of the lead since July 27th.
Who's Hot - Last 14 Days:
Torii Hunter - 19 for his last 49 (.388), 3 2B, 1 HR
Mark Trumbo - 13 for his last 44 (.295), 2 2B, 4 HR, 15 RBI
Mark Teixeira - 14 for his last 51 (.275),4 HR, 10 RBI
Eduardo Nunez - 10 for his last 32 (.313)
Curtis Granderson - 16 for his last 50 (.320), 5 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 10 RBI
Eric Chavez - 11 for his last 35 (.314), 1 HR, 8 RBI
Robinson Cano - 16 for his last 48 (.333), 4 2B, 2 HR, 13 RBI
Who's Cold - Last 14 Days:
Bobby Abreu - 6 for his last 37 (.162)
Erick Aybar - 8 for his last 50 (.160)
Vernon Wells - 7 for his last 44 (.159)
Brett Gardner - 13 for his last 53 (.245)
Game time is 4:05pm (PDT) and will be show on Fox Sports West. For more Angels' news, be sure to check out Halos Heaven.
Wednesday Tweet Of The Day: Garrett Richards, On Facing Derek Jeter In MLB Debut
by Eric Stephen
Garrett Richards had a rough major league debut Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, allowing six runs in five innings in the Angels' 9-3 loss to the Yankees. But it wasn't all bad for the 23-year old rookie, who got to face Derek Jeter. Richards takes home the quote of the day, as relayed by Tyler Kepner of the New York Times:
Angels' Garrett Richards: "Probably the best thing that came out of it for me was striking out Jeter. That was pretty cool."less than a minute ago via web
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Tyler Kepner
TylerKepner
The Angels finish their series in The Bronx on Thursday afternoon. If Richards remains in the rotation -- and given the lack of depth the Angels currently have at the position, he likely will -- his next start will be Monday against the Rangers in Anaheim.
For more news and information on the Angels, be sure to read Halos Heaven.
Aug 10 8:52p