MLB Standings: Angels Directly Behind Athletics, Orioles In AL Wild Card Race

After losing three consecutive games to the Oakland Athletics earlier in the week, the Los Angeles Angels bounced back nicely, winning three of last four to put them 2.5 games in the wild card race.

The Angels (80-67), stole the last game against the Athletics (84-62) before taking two of three from the Kansas City Royals in Kauffman this past weekend. The A's also did the Angels an unintentional favor by defeating the Orioles (82-64) on both Friday and Saturday, as Baltimore is the leader for the second wild card spot.

The Tampa Bay Rays (78-68) and Detroit Tigers (77-68) are the only other realistic contenders who are on the outside looking in in the postseason race. And the Angels will get a chance to assist the Tigers in their tight AL Central race when the Chicago White Sox (79-66) roll into town this weekend for a three-game set.

Before that can happen though, Los Angeles will have to survive three games against the AL West leading Texas Rangers (87-59), a team they haven't played since Aug. 2.

For additional information on Angels baseball, head on over to Halos Heaven.

Angels Vs. Royals Final Score: Halos Hang On For 4-3 Win

The Los Angeles Angels were able to bounce back on Sunday to win the rubber game of their three-game set against the Kansas City Royals at Kaufman Stadium. The Angels grabbed an early lead and held on for the 4-3 win to capture the series.

With two outs in the top of the first inning, Torii Hunter got the Angels on the board with an RBI single. Mark Trumbo finally snapped his slump and his homerless streak in the top of the second inning and delivered the big hit; a three-run homer that would prove to be the difference in the game. The blast was the 31st of the season for Trumbo and gave the Halos a 4-0 lead.

Jeff Francoeur drove in a run in the bottom of the second with a groundout. Tony Abreu led off the bottom of the third with his first home run of the year to cut the Angels lead to 4-2 and Francoeur drove in another run with an RBI single in the fourth, but the Angels clamped down after that. Dan Haren picked up his 11th win as he allowed five hits and a walk in 5.2 innings of work. The Angels bullpen allowed just two more baserunners the rest of the way.

For all news and information regarding the Los Angeles Angels, please visit Halos Heaven. For more on the Kansas City Royals, join the discussion over at Royals Review or stop by SB Nation Kansas City. You can also check out everything we have to offer at Baseball Nation.

Angels Vs. Royals Game Preview: Los Angeles Sends Dan Haren To The Mound Looking For Series Win

After squandering a strong start from starter Zack Greinke, who left Saturday's game with a 2-0 lead only to see the Angels blow the save opportunity and lose 3-2, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim send Dan Haren to the mound looking to win the rubber game of a three-game set with the Kansas City Royals.

After taking the first game in the series 9-7 on Friday, the Angels looked prime to set up a Sunday-afternoon meeting for a sweep, but the tough loss certainly threw the Angels for a loop, especially in the midst of a ever-tightening American League Wild Card race. The Angels now sit 2½ games back of one of the Wild Card spots.

The Royals counter with starter Will Smith, who will look to give Kansas City both the series victory and the overall season series victory, as the teams have previously split their eight meetings.

For more Angels coverage, check out Halos Heaven.

Angels Vs. Royals Final Score: Zack Greinke Gem Squandered In 3-2 Loss

The Los Angeles Angels were two outs away from shutting out the Kansas City Royals for a series win on Saturday. Instead, Royals fans were treated to a thrilling walk-off 3-2 win after the Angels bullpen served up back-to-back home runs and wasted an excellent outing from Zack Greinke.

Kendrys Morales led off the top of the fifth inning with his 20th home run of the year to break the scoreless tie. Torii Hunter provided a big insurance run in the eighth inning with an RBI single to drive in Vernon Wells. That appeared to be all the run support that Greinke would need. Unfortunately, the bullpen would falter once again -- but this time, the most reliable arm in the bullpen would give up the big hits.

Greinke held the Royals to just five hits -- all singles -- and two walks in 8.1 innings of work. He gave up a one-out single in the bottom of the ninth and was lifted for Ernesto Frieri, who served up a game-tying home run to Billy Butler on the very first pitch he threw.

Salvador Perez was the next batter up. This time, Frieri needed three pitches to serve up the game-winning walk-off home run. Frieri took the loss; his first of the season.

The Halos will try to bounce back in the rubber game on Sunday.

For all news and information regarding the Los Angeles Angels, please visit Halos Heaven. For more on the Kansas City Royals, join the discussion over at Royals Review or stop by SB Nation Kansas City. You can also check out everything we have to offer at Baseball Nation.

Angels Vs. Royals Preview: Angels Look To Zack Greinke To Make Up Ground In Playoff Race

The Los Angeles Angels face the Kansas City Royals in the second of three games at Kaufman Stadium, looking to make it two in a row after winning Friday night, 9-7. The Angels sit 2½ games back in the AL Wild Card race and need to make the most of every opportunity.

Zack Greinke (5-2, 4.15 ERA) will look to continue his recent hot streak. He's 4-0 with a 1.88 ERA in his last four starts, showing some of the form that won him the 2009 Cy Young Award. Jeremy Guthrie (7-12, 5.06 ERA) will pitch for Kansas City. He's on a hot streak of his own, having won his last seven, and in nine career appearances versus the Angels he's held them to a .206 batting average.

Game Time: 4:10 p.m. PT
Television Coverage: FSW
Streaming Coverage: MLB.tv

Stick with this StoryStream for updates, lineups, scores and more from the Angels vs. Royals series. For more analysis and commentary, check out Angels blog Halos Heaven. For the perspective from Kansas City, check out Royals blog Royals Review.

Angels Vs. Royals Final Score: Halos Score In Late Innings For 9-7 Win

The Los Angeles Angels showed remarkable resilience on Friday as they opened up a three-game series at Kaufman Stadium against the Kansas City Royals. Although the Royals grabbed two leads and put out plenty of offense, the Angels were able to rally more than once and pick up a big 9-7 win.

The Royals jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning after a pair of solo home runs from Billy Butler and Mike Moustakas. Jason Bourgeois contributed an RBI single to the efforts of the home team in the third inning to make it 3-0 Kansas City.

The Angels answered back with a big four-run fourth inning to take a 4-3 lead. Howie Kendrick drove in a pair of runs with a double and Alberto Callaspo drove in another two runs with an RBI single.

Neither team was finished scoring at that point, however. In the bottom of the sixth, Moustakas hit a sacrifice fly to tie things up and Jeff Francoeur hit a two-run homer that gave the Royals the led once again, 6-4. Erick Aybar hit an RBI double in the seventh to get the Halos one run closer, but Alcides Escobar hit an RBI single in the bottom of the frame to make it 7-5.

The Angels managed to put together one more big inning in the top of the eighth. With two outs, Kendrys Morales hit a two-run homer to tie things up and Torii Hunter drew a bases-loaded walk to put the Halos back on top for good.

The Angels were able to pick up an insurance run in the top of the ninth as Kole Calhoun beat out what would have been a double-play grounder, allowing Vernon Wells to score.

For all news and information regarding the Los Angeles Angels, please visit Halos Heaven. For more on the Kansas City Royals, join the discussion over at Royals Review or stop by SB Nation Kansas City. You can also check out everything we have to offer at Baseball Nation.

Angels Vs. Royals Lineup: Albert Pujols Back At First Base For First Time Since Aug. 22

After having 16 consecutive starts out of the DH spot, Albert Pujols will return to his natural first base position Friday evening as the Los Angeles Angels take on the Kansas City Royals.

Manager Mike Scioscia hasn't used Pujols' glove in the field since Aug. 22 with the $240 million man nursing a calf injury. The struggling Mark Trumbo will take his place as the designated hitter with Vernon Wells sliding into left field.

The Angels are sending C.J. Wilson to the bump to take on the Royals' Bruce Chen. These two pitchers are trending in quite opposite directions with Wilson on three-game winning streak and Chen allowing seven homers in his last two starts.

Here's both of the complete lineups for tonight's game:

Angels

1. Mike Trout - CF
2. Erick Aybar - SS
3. Albert Pujols - 1B
4. Torii Hunter - RF
5. Howie Kendrick - 2B
6. Vernon Wells - LF
7. Mark Trumbo - DH
8. Alberto Callaspo - 3B
9. Chris Iannetta - C

Angels Vs. Royals: C.J. Wilson Eyes Fourth Consecutive Victory

As the Los Angeles Angels look to remain in playoff contention down the stretch, they will have to continue to get great starts from their pitching staff. Luckily C.J. Wilson is taking the bump on Friday against the Kansas City Royals, looking for his fourth consecutive victory.

Wilson (12-9, 3.69 ERA) has turned his season around in a hurry, owning a 2.41 ERA over his last three winning starts. That stopped an 11-game skid where he went 0-5 with a 6.09 ERA. Wilson allowed just one run on four hits in 7.2 innings of work against the Tigers in his last start, out-dueling Justin Verlander en route to a 6-1 win.

The Royals will counter with lefty Bruce Chen (10-12, 5.36), who has had struggles of his own lately. He allowed five runs and three home runs en route to a 5-4 loss to the White Sox on Saturday, his second consecutive loss. Chen is 1-1 with a 3.63 ERA in six starts versus the Halos in his career, owning a 2.38 ERA in two outings against them this season.

First pitch is set for 5:10 p.m. PT with coverage on Fox Sports West and KLAA 830 AM.

For more on the angels, head over to Halos Heaven. For the Royals side of the story, make sure to check out Royal Review. For more on the league in general, make sure to head over to Baseball Nation.

Angels Vs. Royals Series Preview: TV Schedule, Probable Pitchers & More

The Angels are headed to Kansas City for a three-game set. They'll hope to regain some ground in the Wild Card race.