So, after looking like the season was over in the second inning last night, down 5-0 to the division leading Rangers, who would have taken a 10 game lead with a win last night, The Angels stormed back with power hitting and aggressive baserunning.
While Ervin Santana had a shaky start (3 unearned runs in the first, 4 more runs scattered through the next 3 innings), he had a dominant 5th and 6th innings, then the Bullpen came in and actually shut the door on one of the best offenses in baseball.
It wasn't a pretty win, in fact, it was downright sloppy, but a win is a win. The Division lead is down to 8, with another "must-win" game tonight.
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Since trading for Dan Haren a week ago, the Angels have been all but silent on the Trade front. With the non-waiver deadline having come and gone, it looks like the Angels are just going to be making do with what they have, unless they can get a waiver deal done.
For those unfamiliar with Waiver trades, they can be much trickier, because any other team can snatch a player from waivers. However, many big names have been able to clear waivers in the past in order to get traded after July 31st. Last year, for example, the Angels were able to trade for Scott Kazmir on August 28th.
What's more likely for this year's Angels, however, is if the club once again finds themselves 9 or more games out of first place, its likely that they will trade away some aging players or expiring contracts.
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Dan Haren gets his second start as an Angel tonight against his former Oakland teammate, Rich Harden. Harden is making his first start since June, coming off the DL with a less than spectacular 5.68 ERA. I'll be lucky enough to be there, and honestly, I cannot wait. Haren's chance to be a division winner comes to fruition tonight.
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