SB Nation Los Angeles - Angels Score Too Little, Too Late, Drop Another Game To Royals, 4-2https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48949/la-fave.png2010-07-03T22:20:55-07:00http://losangeles.sbnation.com/rss/stream/13150172010-07-03T22:20:55-07:002010-07-03T22:20:55-07:00Royals Capture Second Straight Over Angels
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<p>Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) – Bruce Chen carried a perfect game into the seventh and Jose Guillen laced a two-run single an inning later to break a scoreless tie, and Kansas City went on to beat the Angels, 4-2.</p>
<p>Chen (5-2) dominated early on and worked a two-hit outing through 7 1/3 innings, walking one. His lone blemish was a Jeff Mathis solo home run in the eighth, after which he was pulled. Erick Aybar led off the seventh with a base hit into left field to spoil any notion of perfection.</p>
<p>“I kept the ball down and had command of all my pitches. The defense made some great plays. Everyone wants to throw a no-hitter but I know it’s hard. I really feel good and I’m putting everything together,” Chen said.</p>
<p>The surging Royals have won seven of their last nine, including the first two games to this three-game series. Joakim Soria recorded his 22nd save after surviving a rocky ninth, getting Hideki Matsui to swing through a fastball for the final out with two in scoring position.</p>
<p>Ervin Santana (8-6) went 8 1/3 innings and allowed four runs on seven hits with a pair of walks and four strikeouts for Los Angeles, which has dropped three of four overall.</p>
<p>Santana was able to work out of trouble by stranding runners in scoring position in the first and sixth innings to match Chen on the scoreboard through six innings.</p>
<p>Chen set down the first 18 batters and was buoyed by a pair of terrific diving catches by David DeJesus in center field. Aybar, though, sent a base hit into shallow left to start the seventh, shattering any hopes of history. Aybar was sacrificed to second, but Chen fanned Bobby Abreu and got Mike Napoli to pop out after issuing an intentional walk to Torii Hunter.</p>
<p>“It’s a game of inches. DeJesus made some great plays on me and Bobby (Abreu). A lot of things went their way. Bruce pitched well and threw strikes, he was good today,” said Hunter.</p>
<p>The Royals rallied for their starter in the next inning to breach the scoreboard. Jason Kendall kept things alive with a two-out hit, DeJesus followed suit and Billy Butler was drilled with a rising fastball by Santana to load the bases.</p>
<p>Guillen ripped a base hit up the middle to score two, but Chen gave one back when Mathis homered to end his outing in the bottom half. Kyle Farnsworth came on for the next two outs and KC bolstered its lead in the ninth.</p>
<p>A run-scoring fielder’s choice from Kendall with the bases loaded and a wild pitch by Francisco Rodriguez made it 4-1 for the visitors.</p>
<p>Soria loaded the bases with one out on two hits and a walk in the ninth, but yielded only a Napoli sacrifice fly, as Matsui struck out to end the game.</p>
<p>It was the fourth win in the last six outings and second in a row for Chen…Santana had won seven of his last nine starts, including two in a row. He’s 4-4 in nine career outings against the Royals…Kansas City evened the season series at three games apiece.</p>
https://losangeles.sbnation.com/2010/7/3/1551694/royals-defeat-angels-4-2Eric Stephen2010-07-03T15:42:29-07:002010-07-03T15:42:29-07:00Tonight's Angels/Royals Lineups
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<p>Here are tonight’s lineups:</p>
<p><strong>Royals</strong><br>
Podsednik LF<br>
Kendall C<br>
DeJesus CF<br>
Butler 1B<br>
Guillen RF<br>
Betemit 3B<br>
Aviles DH<br>
Getz 2B<br>
Yuni SS<br>
Chen P</p>
<p><strong>Angels</strong><br>
Aybar SS<br>
Kendrick 2B<br>
Abreu RF<br>
Hunter CF<br>
Napoli 1B<br>
Matsui DH<br>
Mathis C<br>
Wood 3B<br>
Willits LF<br>
Santana P</p>
https://losangeles.sbnation.com/2010/7/3/1551322/tonights-angels-royals-lineupsEric Stephen2010-07-03T10:20:26-07:002010-07-03T10:20:26-07:00Angels Look To Rebound Against Royals
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<p>(Sports Network) - The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/teams/ANA">Los Angeles Angels</a> of Anaheim will try to bounce back this evening when they take on the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/teams/KAN">Kansas City Royals</a> in the second contest of a three-game series at Angel Stadium.</p>
<p>Los Angeles has won three of five versus Kansas City this year and has captured 15 of the last 19 meetings between the clubs. That includes a three-game sweep the last time these teams met in California on May 8-10, 2009.</p>
<p>Taking the hill for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/KAN">Royals</a> this evening will be <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/147/Bruce_Chen">Bruce Chen</a>. who is looking for his second straight victory. Chen, who is 4-2 for the Royals, is coming off a solid performance in which he held the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/teams/STL">Cardinals</a> to just two runs in five innings. Chen surrendered only two hits, but walked five batters, to go along with five strike outs.</p>
<p>It was the third win in the last five outings for Chen, who is 2-1 with a 4.05 earned run average on the road this season.</p>
<p>In four career appearances against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/ANA">Angels</a> (two starts) Chen is 0-1 with a mediocre 3.65 earned run average.</p>
<p>As for the Angels, they will turn to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/716/Ervin_Santana">Ervin Santana</a>, who has won seven of his last nine starts, including two in a row. The last time the hard-throwing right-hander was on the bump he helped lead the Angels to a 10-3 win over Colorado.</p>
<p>In the victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/teams/COL">Rockies</a>, Santana tossed 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs -- one earned -- on eight hits, while striking out seven batters.</p>
<p>It was the fourth home win on the year for Santana, who has had trouble at Angel Stadium, posting a 4.82 ERA in eight home starts.</p>
<p>In eight career outings against the Royals, Santana is just 4-3 with a lackluster 4.50 earned run average. However, against Kansas City earlier this season the right-hander grabbed a victory, tossing seven innings, in which he allowed just one run, while striking out six batters.</p>
<p>Last night, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/1062/Willie_Bloomquist">Willie Bloomquist</a> singled home the winning run in the 10th inning to lift Kansas City to a 2-1 comeback win over the Angels.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/140/Robinson_Tejeda">Robinson Tejeda</a> (3-3) earned the win by getting <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/709/Howie_Kendrick">Howie Kendrick</a> to ground out on a sensational diving stop by third baseman <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/761/Alberto_Callaspo">Alberto Callaspo</a> with runners at second and third to end the ninth inning. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/270/Joakim_Soria">Joakim Soria</a> set down the side in order in the bottom of the 10th to earn his 21st save for the Royals, who have won six of their last eight.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/729/Scot_Shields">Scot Shields</a> (0-3) yielded the decisive run on two hits and a walk in his lone inning of work for the Halos, who have dropped two out of three.</p>
<p>The Royals played station-to-station baseball to produce the winning run, as <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/858/Yuniesky_Betancourt">Yuniesky Betancourt</a> opened the 10th with a single, moved to second base on a <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/802/Scott_Podsednik">Scott Podsednik</a> sacrifice bunt, advanced to third base on a ground out and came in to score on Bloomquist's base hit to left field.</p>
<p>Halos starter <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/330/Joe_Saunders">Joe Saunders</a> was removed after a leadoff walk to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/258/Billy_Butler">Billy Butler</a> in the ninth with a 1-0 lead and was replaced by <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/561/Brian_Fuentes">Brian Fuentes</a>, who set down the first two batters he faced.</p>
<p>Bloomquist, serving as a pinch-runner, then stole second base and scored to tie the game on a double to left-center field by <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/31709/Mike_Aviles">Mike Aviles</a>.</p>
<p>Saunders yielded that single run on six hits while walking two and fanning four. Fuentes was charged with his fourth blown save of the season.</p>
<p>Kansas City starter <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/997/Kyle_Davies">Kyle Davies</a> kept the Angels hitless until <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/650/Torii_Hunter">Torii Hunter</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/605/Hideki_Matsui">Hideki Matsui</a> singled with two outs in the fourth. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/642/Mike_Napoli">Mike Napoli</a> followed with a base hit to left field to plate Hunter with the game's first run.</p>
<p>Davies allowed a lone run on seven hits over 7 2/3 innings while walking three and striking out three.</p>
https://losangeles.sbnation.com/2010/7/3/2317422/angels-look-to-rebound-against-royalsEric Stephen