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Angels Beat Royals 4-2, Jepsen Credited with Hold |
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Take away a near-collapse by the bullpen and this was exactly what the Los Angeles Angels wanted to see in their season opener.
Torii Hunter and Jeff Mathis homered, Jered Weaver pitched two-hit ball into the seventh inning and the Angels beat the Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Thursday.
“I just tried to keep people off the basepaths as much as possible,” Weaver said. “It’s obviously nerve-racking the first time out.”
Weaver allowed only two harmless singles by Melky Cabrera before he was replaced by Hisanori Takahashi with one out in the seventh. The 2010 major league strikeout leader, who improved to 3-0 in his last four starts against Kansas City, fanned six and walked two as the Angels won their opener for the seventh time in the last eight years.
Hunter and Mathis, on his 28th birthday, hit solo shots off Luke Hochevar , who pitched 5 2-3 innings and gave up four runs in his first opening-day start.
Once Weaver was out of the game, the Royals made it interesting on solo shots by Mike Aviles and Jeff Francoeur , but Los Angeles’ bullpen escaped threats in the eighth and ninth.
“Weaver is as good a pitcher I’ve seen at being able to disrupt hitters’ timing,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “That’s what pitching is all about, trying to keep the opposition off balance and he does it as well as anybody. He has a changeup, got different speeds on his slider and throws his fastball at different speeds and he bangs strikes.”
Aviles’ leadoff drive off Kevin Jepsen trimmed Los Angeles’ lead to 4-2 in the eighth. The Royals went on to load the bases on three walks, but Michael Kohn , the Angels’ fifth pitcher, struck out Francoeur and retired Alcides Escobar on a fly ball to end the inning.
With runners at the corners and two out in the ninth, Alex Gordon barely missed a home run before Fernando Rodney struck him out for the save. Gordon was 0 for 5 with three strikeouts and left five runners.
“We were fortunate at the end. Too many base on balls,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “When we needed to make a pitch, our guys did. But you can’t just keep cracking open the door. They’re an aggressive team and they’ve got guys who can drive the ball out of the park.”
Weaver (1-0) had faced the minimum until Cabrera flared a single into left with one out in the fourth. The right-hander, the Angels’ pitcher of the year the past two seasons, then retired six of the next seven, allowing only one walk, before Cabrera singled up the middle with two out in the sixth.
Hunter, on a 3-2 pitch, cranked a 446-foot shot over the center-field fence leading off the fourth. It was his 27th homer against the Royals, the most he’s hit off any club. Vernon Wells and Erick Aybar followed with back-to-back doubles.
Hunter also singled in the fifth but a piece of his bat went into the stands on the third-base side and hit a woman. She appeared to be bleeding and Hunter sent somebody to give her a souvenir bat.
“I hope and pray that she’s all right,” Hunter said. She is. Stadium security said the woman was treated at the scene and insisted on remaining at the game. She did, however, asked to be seated somewhere out of the way of flying bats.
The Royals committed three errors. After Mathis connected in the sixth, Peter Bourjos bunted and wound up at third on throwing errors by Hochevar and second baseman Chris Getz . Maicer Izturis ended up driving him in with a single.
“I think this is like my 13th opening day,” Hunter said. “Thirteen of them and I’m still kind of nervous and anxious to see what happens. But it’s cool to come with a win.”
Takahashi allowed Francoeur’s two-out drive in the seventh. Third baseman Aviles was booed when he ran toward the left-field dugout chasing a high pop off the bat of Bobby Abreu but let it fall in. It was called a no-play, but boos echoed again when Abreu then singled with two out in the fifth. But Aviles made a nice play on Wells’ grounder to end the inning.
Hochevar (0-1) also allowed nine hits, struck out five and walked none. One of the runs on his line was unearned. Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Thanks for reading! . Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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MLB: Los Angeles Angels 4, Kansas City 2 |
Published: March. 31, 2011 at 9:01 PM KANSAS CITY, Mo., March 31 (UPI) — Jered Weaver began the season with 6 1/3 shutout innings Thursday in lifting the Los Angeles Angels to a 4-2 victory over Kansas City. Torii Hunter and Jeff Mathis contributed solo homers for the Angels, who are trying to bounce back from their first losing season in seven years. Weaver gave up two hits, walked two and took a no-hitter into the fourth. He struck out six while throwing 107 pitches. Los Angeles produced a dozen hits, but managed only a pair of two-run innings. Hunter homered in the fourth and Erick Aybar delivered an RBI double later in the frame. Mathis hit his home run in the sixth and Maicer Izturis singled home another run in that inning. All four runs were charged to Luke Hochevar, who went 5 2/3 innings in taking the loss. Fernando Rodney worked through a 26-pitch ninth inning to get the save. Kansas City’s runs came on homers by Jeff Francoeur in the seventh and Mike Aviles in the eighth. That’s all the news for today. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Hunter, Mathis homer as Weaver, Angels beat KC 4-2 |
Published: Thursday, March 31, 2011 6:50 p.m. MDT By Doug Tucker, Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Take away a near-collapse by the bullpen and this was exactly what the Los Angeles Angels wanted to see in their season opener. Torii Hunter and Jeff Mathis homered, Jered Weaver pitched two-hit ball into the seventh inning and the Angels beat the Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Thursday. “I just tried to keep people off the basepaths as much as possible,” Weaver said. “It’s obviously nerve-racking the first time out.” Weaver allowed only two harmless singles by Melky Cabrera before he was replaced by Hisanori Takahashi with one out in the seventh. The 2010 major league strikeout leader, who improved to 3-0 in his last four starts against Kansas City, fanned six and walked two as the Angels won their opener for the seventh time in the last eight years. Hunter and Mathis, on his 28th birthday, hit solo shots off Luke Hochevar, who pitched 5 2-3 innings and gave up four runs in his first opening-day start. Once Weaver was out of the game, the Royals made it interesting on solo shots by Mike Aviles and Jeff Francoeur, but Los Angeles’ bullpen escaped threats in the eighth and ninth. “Weaver is as good a pitcher I’ve seen at being able to disrupt hitters’ timing,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “That’s what pitching is all about, trying to keep the opposition off balance and he does it as well as anybody. He has a changeup, got different speeds on his slider and throws his fastball at different speeds and he bangs strikes.” Aviles’ leadoff drive off Kevin Jepsen trimmed Los Angeles’ lead to 4-2 in the eighth. The Royals went on to load the bases on three walks, but Michael Kohn, the Angels’ fifth pitcher, struck out Francoeur and retired Alcides Escobar on a fly ball to end the inning. With runners at the corners and two out in the ninth, Alex Gordon barely missed a home run before Fernando Rodney struck him out for the save. Gordon was 0 for 5 with three strikeouts and left five runners. “We were fortunate at the end. Too many base on balls,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “When we needed to make a pitch, our guys did. But you can’t just keep cracking open the door. They’re an aggressive team and they’ve got guys who can drive the ball out of the park.” Weaver (1-0) had faced the minimum until Cabrera flared a single into left with one out in the fourth. The right-hander, the Angels’ pitcher of the year the past two seasons, then retired six of the next seven, allowing only one walk, before Cabrera singled up the middle with two out in the sixth. Hunter, on a 3-2 pitch, cranked a 446-foot shot over the center-field fence leading off the fourth. It was his 27th homer against the Royals, the most he’s hit off any club. Vernon Wells and Erick Aybar followed with back-to-back doubles. Leave any suggestions in the comment box. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Hunter, Mathis Homer As Weaver, Angles Beat KC 4-2 |
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)—Torii Hunter and Jeff Mathis homered, helping Jered Weaver and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Kansas City Royals 4-2 Thursday in a chilly season opener. Weaver allowed two harmless singles to Melky Cabrera over 6 1-3 innings, improving to 3-0 in his last four starts against Kansas City. The 2010 major league strikeout leader fanned six and walked two as the Angels won their opener for the seventh time in the last eight years. Hunter and Mathis, on his 28th birthday, hit solo shots off Luke Hochevar, who pitched 5 2-3 innings and gave up four runs in his first opening-day start. Kansas City had a chance to go in front in the eighth and ninth, but the Angels got out of it both times. Mike Aviles’ leadoff drive off Kevin Jepsen trimmed Los Angeles’ lead to 4-2 in the eighth. The Royals went on to load the bases on three walks, but Michael Kohn, the Angels’ fifth pitcher, struck out Jeff Francoeur and retired Alcides Escobar on a fly ball to end the inning. With runners at the corners and two out in the ninth, Alex Gordon barely missed a home run before Fernando Rodney struck him out for the save. Gordon was 0 for 5 with three strikeouts and left five runners. Weaver (1-0) had faced the minimum until Cabrera flared a single into left with one out in the fourth. The right-hander, the Angels’ pitcher of the year the past two seasons, then retired six of the next seven, allowing only one walk, before Cabrera singled up the middle with two out in the sixth. Hunter, on a 3-2 pitch, cranked a 446-foot shot over the center-field fence leading off the fourth. It was his 27th homer against the Royals, the most he’s hit off any club. Vernon Wells and Erick Aybar followed with back-to-back doubles. The Royals committed three errors. After Mathis homered in the sixth, Peter Bourjos bunted and wound up at third on throwing errors by Hochevar and second baseman Chris Getz. Maicer Izturis ended up driving him in with a single. Hisanori Takahashi replaced Weaver and allowed Francoeur’s two-out drive in the seventh. Third baseman Aviles was booed when he ran toward the left-field dugout chasing a high pop off the bat of Bobby Abreu but let it fall in. It was called a no-play, but boos echoed again when Abreu then singled with two out in the fifth. But Aviles made a nice play on Wells’ grounder to end the inning. Hochevar (0-1) also allowed nine hits, struck out five and walked none. One of the runs on his line was unearned. NOTES: Royals relievers have switched sides. Since Kauffman Stadium opened in 1973, the home team bullpen had always been behind right field, the visitors’ behind left. But now they’ve switched, giving KC dugout a better view of what’s happening in their pen. … Mike Sweeney, who signed a one-day contract this month and retired as a Royal, threw out the first pitch. … The Royals called it a sellout but there were quite a few unoccupied seats scattered around Kauffman Stadium. … The Angels improved to 1-3 in March games. If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Los Angeles Angels: Why the Angels Will Come Up Short Again in 2011 |
 e.g. ‘Chicago Blackhawks’, ‘Chicago Cubs’Ronald Martinez/Getty Images Los Angeles Angels Have High Hopes For 2011, But Don’t Have What it Takes to Beat Rangers The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were one of the more disappointing teams in all of baseball in 2010. They went from potential World Series contenders at the start of the season to a middle-of-the pack club, thanks to a combination of injuries and poor play that put them in too big of a hole to overcome. Now, with an ace added to the rotation, can the Angels piece together a comeback bid, or will they still come up short? The rotation has greatly improved in Anaheim this season, thanks to the addition of ace Dan Haren from Arizona prior to the trade deadline last season. Haren should combine with Jered Weaver and Earvin Santana to form one of the most potent 1-2-3 combinations in the sport. The fourth and fifth starters are big question marks, as neither Scott Kazmir nor Joel Piniero looked sharp last season, but if they can find some sort of consistency, this team could be dangerous. The bullpen, however, is a different story entirely. Without a reliable closer, or a reliable bullpen arm of any sort, the Angels could blow more leads than you’re accustomed to seeing Mike Scioscia’s team give up. The offense has potential, thanks to the return of first baseman Kendry Morales by late April, but that’s not all this team has going for it. The outfield combo of Torii Hunter, Bobby Abreu, and Vernon Wells has serious power potential, while guys like Maicer Izturis, and Howard Kendrick are fully capable of getting on base to be driven in. But, the fact is, this team’s offense will have stops and starts throughout the season, and unless the pitching staff can sort itself out, this team just doesn’t have the weapons to keep up with the Rangers or A’s atop the division. Prediction: Look for the offense to jell a bit as the season goes on, but this bullpen will cost the Halos a shot at the postseason. A record just under .500, and a third place finish in Anaheim this season. For more baseball, check out 2011 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Veterans and Rookies You Might Have Forgotten. Most recent updates: This article is
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Los Angeles Angels more optimistic about Kendrys Morales timetable |
Updated: March 31, 2011, 8:05 PM ET
By Mark Saxon
ESPNLosAngeles.com Archive KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Los Angeles Angels are hopeful slugging first baseman Kendrys Morales can come off the 15-day disabled list within three weeks. Earlier indications were Morales would be out until mid-May, at the earliest. More On The Angels
For the latest news and notes on Los Angeles, check out the Angels blog from Mark Saxon. Blog Morales, who is traveling with the Angels in Kansas City, has resumed taking ground balls and will “definitely” be cleared to start running by next Wednesday, manager Mike Scioscia said. Morales broke his left ankle last May 29 and had his rehabilitation cut short by pain in the ball of his foot and big toe. The Angels are targeting April 7, when their Class A Inland Empire team begins games, for Morales to begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment. Scioscia said Morales will need roughly 10 days of seeing live pitching before he returns. “Obviously we’re not going to rush it,” Scioscia said. “This jump right now from starting baseball activities to starting to run again, to being 100 percent ready for games might come within four days. It might come within 10 days. You don’t know.” Mark Saxon covers the Angels for ESPNLosAngeles.com. Follow Mark Saxon on Twitter: @markasaxon
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