+2
Peter Bourjos is the first Angels player ever with at least 25 doubles, 10 triples, 10 home runs, and 20 stolen bases in one season.
Dan Haren and the Los Angeles Angels battle Dustin McGowan and the Toronto Blue Jays Wednesday night at Rogers Centre, in the third game of a four-game series. Here are Wednesday's starting lineups for the penultimate road game of the season for the Halos:
Izturis 2B
Aybar SS
Abreu DH
Hunter RF
Trumbo 1B
Callaspo 3B
Wells LF
Bourjos CF
Mathis C
McCoy SS
Thames LF
Bautista RF
Lind 1B
Encarnacion DH
Johnson 2B
Lawrie 3B
Rasmus CF
Arencibia C
In Oakland tonight, the Texas Rangers (89-65) will send C.J. Wilson to the mound in search of his 17th victory of the season. The Oakland Athletics will start Brandon McCarthy. Texas won the opener of the series 7-2 on Tuesday night, their third straight win. The Rangers have won seven of their last eight contests.
Wednesday's 4:07 p.m. PDT game will be televised by Fox Sports West. For a look at the Angels and how they have been affected by the poor September by the Boston Red Sox, be sure to read Halos Heaven.
The Los Angeles Angels send Dan Haren to the mound Wednesday night at Rogers Centre in the third game of a four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays. With eight games left in the regular season, the Angels are in need of two things: (a) wins; and (b) some help.
The bottom line is that the Angels need wins and they need them now. Luckily, their big three of Jered Weaver, Haren, and Ervin Santana will start six of those final eight regular season games. The Angels are 57-39 in games started by those three pitchers, who have combined for a 3.01 ERA and average seven innings per start. The Halos are 27-31 in games started by any other pitchers this season.
Haren has allowed seven runs in two of his last three road starts, including a loss in Baltimore on Friday. Haren on the season is 15-9 with a 3.24 ERA and has a streak of 22 straight starts without walking more than two batters. Haren has just 30 walks in 32 starts this season, to go with 180 strikeouts.
Dustin McGowan gets the start for Toronto, his third start of the year. In three appearances this season, all in September, McGowan has allowed 10 runs and 10 walks in 12 innings, with nine strikeouts.
Wednesday's 4:07 p.m. PDT game will be televised by Fox Sports West. For a look at the Angels and how they have been affected by the poor September by the Boston Red Sox, be sure to read Halos Heaven.
Angels Vs. Blue Jays: Peter Bourjos, Vernon Wells Back Dan Haren In 7-2 Win
Peter Bourjos and Vernon Wells powered the Los Angeles Angels to a 7-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Wednesday night, the second straight win for the Halos. Dan Haren allowed one run in eight innings to pick up his 16th victory of the season, matching his career high, set in 2008 while with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Since the beginning of the 2005 season, Haren leads all of baseball with 236 starts and is second only to CC Sabathia with 1573 innings pitched. He needs to pitch at least five innings in his final regular season start, next Monday against the Texas Rangers, to set a new career high in innings, beating last year's total of 235.
Bourjos tripled to lead off the third inning, and scored on a single by Maicer Izturis. It was the 10th triple of the year for Bourjos, making him the first Angels player ever with at least 25 doubles, 10 triples, 10 home runs, and 20 stolen bases. Bourjos then homered in the fifth, giving the Angels a 2-0 lead. He had three hits, falling a double short of the cycle, and a stolen base, and is hitting .272/.324/.444 on the season.
Wells hit a two run single against his former team in the sixth inning to widen the Halos' lead to 4-0, then added a two-run home run in the eighth inning. Izturis had three singles and two runs batted in, and Erick Aybar had a double and a single, reaching base for the 33rd straight game.
Ervin Santana starts for the Angels in the series finale on Thursday, facing Henderson Alvarez for Toronto.
For a look at the Angels, be sure to read Halos Heaven.
Sep 21 7:00p by Eric Stephen