Angels Vs. Rangers Game Recap: Beltre HR Pushes Texas Past Halos

Adrian Beltre's two-run home run was the difference in what was otherwise a classic pitcher's duel, with the Texas Rangers picking up a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels. Zack Greinke and Yu Darvish were masterful, each throwing eight innings and giving up one run. Greinke surrendered five hits and struck out eight, and Darvish matched him with four hits and a walk while striking out nine. Darvish earned the win, while Ernesto Frieri got saddled with the loss. Joe Nathan earned the save.

Geovany Soto hit a sacrifice fly to score Nelson Cruz in the 5th inning to put the Rangers on top, but the Angels answered in the 6th when Peter Bourjos scored on a fielder's choice by Torii Hunter. Beltre has been suffering from a gastrointestinal problem, but it didn't appear to affect him when he smashed a Frieri pitch into the left field seats.

The loss is a huge blow to the Angels' playoff hopes. The Angels now sit 4.5 games behind the Orioles and Athletics for the Wildcard, and begin a three game series against the Chicago White Sox on Friday.

For more on Angels baseball, be sure to read Halos Heaven. You can also check out everything we have to offer at Baseball Nation.

C.J. Wilson Meets With Mike Scioscia After Quick Hook

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim starting pitcher C.J. Wilson met with manager Mike Scioscia and pitching coach Mike Butcher behind closed doors Thursday, the day after a disastrous start in which Wilson only lasted 2⅔ innings in a loss to the Texas Rangers.

It was the second such "strategy meeting" of the season between Wilson and his coaches, Scioscia said, according to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez. The first was on Aug. 3, also after a start against the Rangers, his former team.

Scioscia didn't elaborate much on the meeting, offering only this to MLB.com:

"It's just a strategy meeting of just trying to get him to get his best stuff out on the field," said Scioscia, who didn't want to go into much greater detail than that. "We have a lot of confidence in what he can do. We just want to maybe refine some simple things."

Wilson has had five starts this season against his former club, and he has been lackluster. In 20 innings, he's given up 17 earned runs on 27 hits, and he's struck out 19 batters against 13 walks. If you take away those 20 innings against the Rangers, his ERA would drop from 3.82 to 3.37.

After the meeting, MLB.com's Gonzalez reported that Wilson's role would not change. He will stay in the starting rotation.

For more on Angels baseball, be sure to read Halos Heaven. You can also check out everything we have to offer at Baseball Nation.

Angels Vs. Rangers: C.J. Wilson Unhappy With Early Hook

C.J. Wilson had his shortest outing of the 2012 season in Wednesday night's game against the Texas Rangers, when he was pulled in the top of the third inning by Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia. The left-hander wasn't happy about his early exit, according to MLB.com's Angels beat writer Alden Gonzales.

Wilson, on his early exit:

Well, I mean, we're trying to win the game, so I understand. You have to do what you have to do, I guess. But as a starter, you never want to get pulled early like that. I mean, how are you going to be happy about that?

Wilson (12-10, 3.82) struggled early, throwing 17 of his first 28 pitches for balls and loading the bases in the top of the first inning. He managed to emerge unscathed when he got Mike Napoli to ground out to end the first inning, things only got worse from there. He threw 66 pitches through 2⅔ innings of work and surrendered three runs on four hits and three walks. In his last two performances against the Rangers, he has given up 11 runs on 14 hits and six walks in eight innings. His ERA in five starts against the former team is 7.65

The Angels currently trail the Oakland Athletics by 3.5 games for the second AL Wild Card spot.

Thursday night's series finale with the Texas Rangers starts at 7:05 p.m. PT and will be televised on Fox Sports West.

For more on Angels baseball, be sure to read Halos Heaven. You can also check out everything we have to offer at Baseball Nation.

Angels Vs. Rangers Game Preview: Halos Look To Keep Slim Playoff Hopes Alive In Series Finale

With their slim playoff hopes fading, the Los Angeles Angels will look to snag a series win against the AL West leading Texas Rangers in the final game of a three-game set at the Big A on Thursday night.

The Halos will pin their hopes on the arm of Zack Greinke, who gets the start in the finale. The right-hander is 5-2, with a 3.78 ERA since coming to Anaheim in a trade with the Brewers, and has been stellar in his last three outings, posting a 2-0 record with a miniscule 1.61 ERA. The club will also look to bounce back from a meager offensive performance on Wednesday in which they only managed to scrape together two runs against Derek Holland and the Rangers bullpen.

The Rangers will counter with rookie Yu Darvish (15-9, 4.02). Darvish has been superb in his last five outings, going 3-1 with a 2.00 ERA. If it weren't for Angels outfielder Mike Trout lighting the baseball world on fire, Darvish would be a shoe-in for AL Rookie Of The Year.

The Angels trail the Oakland A's by 3.5 games for the second AL Wild Card spot.

First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. PT, and the game will be televised on Fox Sports West.

For more on Angels baseball, be sure to read Halos Heaven. You can also check out everything we have to offer at Baseball Nation.

Angels Vs. Rangers Final Score: Texas Evens Series With 6-2 Win

The Los Angeles Angels hosted the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night in the second game of their best-of-three series. Unfortunately, the vaunted Rangers offense reared its head as they handed the Halos a 6-2 loss to even up the series.

Texas struck first, plating three runs in the top of the third inning with an RBI triple from Elvis Andrus and RBI doubles from Michael Young and Mike Napoli. The Halos finally got on the board in the fifth inning, as Alberto Callaspo hit his 10th homer of the year. The two-run shot cut the Texas lead to 3-2.

Nelson Cruz doubled home another Texas run in the top of the eighth and later in the inning Geovany Soto hit a two-run shot of his own to push the Rangers' lead back out to 6-2.

C.J. Wilson lasted just 2.2 innings in the game, giving up three runs on four hits and three walks.

For all news and information regarding the Los Angeles Angels, please visit Halos Heaven. For updates and perspective on the Texas Rangers, head on over to Lone Star Ball or stop by SB Nation Dallas. You can also check out everything we have to offer at Baseball Nation.

Angels Vs. Rangers: Albert Pujols Returns After Daughter's Birth

As expected, Albert Pujols has returned to the team in California, and the first baseman will be in the lineup against the Texas Rangers after sitting out Tuesday's game to remain with his wife and newborn daughter in Kansas City.

Los Angeles was on the road playing the Royals on Sunday during the birth, and Pujols played in the Sunday game afterward. He had one hit in four at-bats.

The Angels' slugger stayed in Kansas City following his daughter's birth, and his wife, Deidre, was still in the hospital as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the Los Angeles Times. Pujols's teammates did fine without him on Tuesday, winning 11-3.

He was replaced in the lineup by Kendrys Morales, who batted fourth as Torii Hunter slid into Pujols's third slot in the batting order. Hunter will move back to fourth in the order as Pujols returns.

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

C.J. Wilson, P

Check out more Angels coverage at Halos Heaven or hit up SB Nation's MLB hub, Baseball Nation.

Angels Vs. Rangers, Game Preview: C.J. Wilson, Derek Holland Sqaure Off

The Los Angeles Angels took care of business on Tuesday against the Texas Rangers, and are hoping for a repeat performance on Wednesday with former Ranger C.J. Wilson taking the mound for L.A.

Wilson (12-9, 3.73 ERA) took a no decision in his last start against the Royals after allowing four runs in five innings of work on Friday. The Angels have won Wilson's last five starts despite him owning a 5.67 ERA over his last six outings.

Texas will counter with Derek Holland (10-6, 4.50) who is 3-0 with a 2.83 ERA over his last five starts. He has lost his last two outings against the Angels though, and is 1-3 with a 7.04 ERA in his last five starts at Angels Stadium.

L.A. is three games back in the AL Wild Card and 6.5 back on Texas in the AL West, but are 8-6 against the Rangers this season while outscoring them 44-18 in their last five meetings.

First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. PT with coverage on ESPN, Fox Sports West and KLAA 830 AM.

For more on the Angels, make sure to check out Halos Heaven.

2012 MLB Standings: Dodgers, Angels Both Pushing For Wild Card

The Angels and Dodgers both currently reside on the outside of the playoffs, but remain in contention for Wild Card spots.

The Dodgers enter play on Wednesday just 1½ games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the last playoff spot in the National League. Both teams have struggled down the stretch, as L.A. has went 3-7 over its last 10 games, but only lost one game in the standings to St. Louis in that span. The Dodgers have nine games left with division leaders, as they play three each against the Nationals, Reds and Giants. The Cardinals also face the Nationals and Giants, but have five more to play with the Houston Astros.

The Angels have a little more ground to make up. They are currently three games behind the Baltimore Orioles for the final Wild Card spot in the American League. The Angels have played well, winning four of their last five, but Baltimore has won three straight. The Angels do have six games left against the Mariners, who they have had success against.

For the full standings, check out S.I.'s MLB Standings page.

For more on the Angels, head to Angels blog Halos Heaven. For all things Dodgers, head to Dodgers blog True Blue LA.

Angels Vs. Rangers Final Score: Halos Open Series With Statement In 11-3 Win

The Los Angeles Angels opened a three-game series against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night. The Halos had the Big A rocking as they dominated the first-place visitors, cruising to an 11-3 win.

The Angels jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as Torii Hunter drove in Erick Aybar with a single. The Rangers answered back in the top of the third as Mike Napoli homered to tie the game and Ian Kinsler hit a two-run homer that sent Vernon Wells into the seats.

The Rangers lead only lasted until the bottom of the fourth inning, however, as the Angels scored eight runs in the frame and put the game out of reach. Chris Iannetta drove in two runs with a single to tie things up. Two runs then scored on a wild pitch to give Los Angeles the lead. Kendrys Morales and Howie Kendrick added RBI singles and Alberto Callaspo made it 9-3 with an RBI double.

Aybar tacked on another run with a single in the fifth and Maicer Izturis pushed the final Angels run across with an RBI groundout in the eighth.

Jered Weaver notched another quality start, allowing three runs on six hits and a walk in seven innings of work, while picking up his 18th win of the season. Ryan Dempster, meanwhile, gave up five runs in just 3.1 innings.

The Angels will try for the quick series win on Wednesday.

For all news and information regarding the Los Angeles Angels, please visit Halos Heaven. For updates and perspective on the Texas Rangers, head on over to Lone Star Ball or stop by SB Nation Dallas. You can also check out everything we have to offer at Baseball Nation.

Angels Vs. Rangers: Albert Pujols Out Of Halos' Line-Up

The Los Angeles Angels are running out of time to make a run on the AL West title. The Angels open a three-game series against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday, the first game of six over the rest of the month of September. They will also do so without the bat of first baseman Albert Pujols who is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game.

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

Jered Weaver takes the mound for the Angels as he goes for his 18th win. Weaver was stellar in his last start against the Oakland Athletics, cruising for the victory on seven innings pitched with only two hits, one walk and nine strikeouts. Weaver holds a 2-1 mark against the Rangers this year but they have battered him around a bit, scoring 11 runs in just 16 innings on Weaver.

1. Ian Kinsler 2B
2. Elvis Andrus SS
3. Josh Hamilton CF
4. Adrian Beltre DH
5. Nelson Cruz RF
6. Michael Young 3B
7. David Murphy LF
8. Mike Napoli C
9. Mitch Moreland 1B

Ryan Dempster looks to continue his strong performance with a Rangers jersey on. He is 6-1 with a 4.11 ERA since coming over from the Chicago Cubs. Dempster has only faced the Angels once in his career, and it didn't exactly go so well. He gave up eight earned runs in just 4.2 innings; although the Rangers would go on to win the game 15-9.

For more on Angels baseball, be sure to read Halos Heaven. You can also check out everything we have to offer at Baseball Nation.

Angels' C.J. Wilson Nominated For 2012 Roberto Clemente Award

Los Angeles Angels left-hander C.J. Wilson has been nominated for the 2012 Roberto Clemente Award, according to an announcement made by Major League Baseball and Chevrolet on Tuesday.

Wilson is one of the 30 finalists for the annual award, which recognizes a Major League Baseball player who represents the game of baseball through positive contributions on and off the field, including community involvement and sportsmanship. The 31-year-old Wilson not only has his own C.J. Wilson's Children's Charity, but he's also involved with the Boys & Girls Club of Huntington Valley, where he was a member as a child. He'll serve as the honorary chair of the club's annual gala this fall.

Wilson is scheduled to be honored on the field at Angel Stadium before Tuesday night's game against the Texas Rangers. Major League Baseball and Chevrolet will honor him with an award and present a $7,500 donation to the Boys & Girls Club of Huntington Valley courtesy of Chevrolet.

Fans can vote for the National Award Recipient on MLB.com.

For more on Angels baseball, be sure to read Halos Heaven. You can also check out everything we have to offer at Baseball Nation.

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

The Angels return home to host the first-place Rangers. This will be one of their last chances to gain significant ground in the AL West.