Despite missing Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero, the Angels have been smokin' hot at the plate. Look for another Halos triumph tonight in KC against the Royals.
The Angels send Joe Saunders to the hill as they look to lengthen their lead in the AL West. Last season Saunders was an All-Star but this year he’s struggled, posting an 8-6 record with a 4.85 ERA. Saunders has faced the Royals once this season and shut them out 1-0 back on May 9. He will be opposed by KC righthander Brian Bannister who enters with a 6-7 record but a solid ERA of 3.66.
The key for the Angels hostile takeover in the AL West Division has been their offense. The Angels are the second-highest scoring team in the league at 5.4 runs per game and lead the league in hits with just under 10 knocks per game. La is 7-3 in their last 10 games, and during this stretch they’re averaging over six runs per game. Toss out Sunday’s 1-0 win over Oakland and you’re looking at a per-game average of seven runs per contest.
The Angels have put together this streak, for the most part, without Torii Hunter and Vlad Guerrero who are both on the disabled list. The Halos have also had to make due without Juan Rivera the past several games because of a hamstring injury.
On the flip side the Royals are the lowest-scoring team in the league at 3.9 rpg and that could explain in part their eight-game losing streak and 3-13 record in their last 16 home games.
Even without the big guns like Hunter, Guerrero and Rivera, Mike Scioscia continues to plug the holes. Eric Aybar is coming off a 7-9 performance in Tuesday’s doubleheader raising his batting average to .490 in the month of July. Maicer Iztirus has stepped up as well while the Angels bullpen continues to improve.
I look for another strong effort from the Halos in support of Saunders today at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.
Free Pick: Angels -122