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Now that the Los Angeles Angels have snapped a three-game losing streak at the hands of the Seattle Mariners last night, they’ll look to capture their first series win since mid-August tonight at Safeco Field.

Tonight’s pitching matchup: Angels, Dan Haren (2-4, 4.02 ERA) vs. Mariners Felix Hernandez (10-10, 2.47 ERA)

What to expect: Haren will be looking for his second straight victory as a member of the Angels. During last Wednesday’s victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, Haren gave up one run on three hits, striking out eight in six innings. This will be Haren’s first start against Seattle since 2007 while a member of the Oakland Athletics.

Hernandez, second in the American League with 192 strikeouts, has been a victim of poor run support throughout the season. King Felix has won three of his last four starts, but is 0-2 with 5.12 ERA in three starts vs. Los Angeles thus far this season.

Hitting matchups: Angels LF Bobby Abreu has had great success versus Hernandez in his career, hitting .367 with one homer. RF Torii Hunter has also had moderate success, hitting .314 off Hernandez in his career.

For the Mariners, very few hitters have seen much of Haren. RF Ichiro Suzuki is only hitting .268 versus Haren in his career, a full .063 below his career batting average. 2B/3B Chone Figgins has had little success against the Angels overall since leaving the team after eight seasons, hitting just .163 versus his former team.

Angels Notes: Angels’ catcher Mike Napoli was pulled back from waivers by the Angels yesterday afternoon. The Angels were unable to finalize a deal with the Boston Red Sox, who had claimed Napoli off the waiver wire, by the time Monday’s deadline for an agreement had passed. Napoli will now remain a Halo until the end of the season.

New Angels closer Fernando Rodney, elevated to the role after the trade of Brian Fuentes to the Minnesota Twins, picked up his first save since the promotion last night. It was far from a clean outing, as he walked the leadoff hitter, Casey Kotchman, and later allowed him to score on a wild pitch.

Angels DH/LF Hideki Matsui continued his torrid pace in the month of August, ripping a two-run homer off Mariners starter David Pauley in the sixth inning of last night’s victory. Matsui is now hitting .313 for the month of August, after a dismal July in which he hit just. .228.

Although minor league callups for September 1 have not been announced yet by the Angels, one would expect that Triple-A 1B Mark Trubmo would certainly get the call. The twenty-four year old Trumbo has been on a tear for the Salt Lake Bees since the All-Star break, hitting .362 with 13 HR’s and 43 RBI’s. Trumbo has shown much more plate discipline as well, with a respectable 27/45 walk-to-strikeout ratio, a dramatic improvement over his 28/73 pre All-Star numbers.

You can follow Doug on Twitter, @desertdesperado.

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For Angels fans, the 2010 season has been horrible. Outside of a brief winning streak in June that must have been the result of catching a good tailwind, the team has, in a word, stunk.

Manager Mike Scioscia kept up appearances for as long as he could, until even he started saying the team was under performing on a consistent basis. For the understated Scioscia this is the equivalent of screaming “this team sucks!”

The loss of Chone Figgins and Vladimir Guerrero has been well documented, and in truth, much worse than anyone imagined, myself included. I was tired of Guerrero and his wild swings, and thought that Brandon Wood was ready to take over at third

Whoops, and whoops.

But the real fault lies with general manager Tony Reagins (we’ll leave loveable Mickey Hatcher out of it for the moment, even though he is the hitting coach on a team that can’t hit.)

In my opinion, this team was done the day Reagins made the ridiculous trade for Dan Haren.

Go ahead, scream and object all you want. Haren is great, you say, he’ll be good for years to come, blah blah blah.

Maybe so, but it was a white flag on this season.

It has been obvious for quite some time (try opening day’s line-up) that this team was in dire need of a hitter. Trading Joe Saunders and a bunch of prospects for Haren is a sideways move.

Haren is good, but how much better is he than our own Joe? Not much, if any. 

Look at their records the last few years. Saunders has been one of the Angels’ most reliable starters. Yes, this year hasn’t been great for Saunders, but nor has it been for Haren. On top of it, the Angels threw in some good prospects.

Hey, how does that make our hitting better?

It doesn’t.

The deal reminds me of the stinker that sent standout second baseman Rodriguez, among others, to the Tampa Bay Rays for an over-the-hill stiff named Scott Kazmir. Anyone check out his era lately? It was bad enough that he blew up in last year’s postseason, but he’s carried over his stinkerness into this season as well.

Tampa Bay manager Joe Madden is no dummy. He knew how good Rodriguez could be, and he would NEVER have traded Kazmir if he thought the guy was still a big-time winner. Teams DO NOT trade front line starters in their 20’s unless there’s something wrong with them.

Reagins should have emptied the minor league house for a proven hitter. And not another slash and run type player that he and Scioscia love. The Angels have enough of the same type of player to look like a cloning factory.

The Angels need a slugger. The Angels needed a slugger the entire off season. Yes, losing Kendry Morales was a killer, but even with him they’d be struggling. If you don’t think so, look at their collective averages.

We know 2010 is finished. The team can’t even beat the Baltimore Orioles. They’re not going to beat Texas. The Angels will finish at least 15 games out this year.

The question is, are they finished already for 2011 as well? I ask this because the make-up of this present team is seriously lacking in punch. If they sign someone like Carl Crawford, and get Morales back healthy, they’ll change their look. But they need help in all areas. And would someone finally say what a mistake it was to get rid of the Molina brothers for Mike “whiff whiff” Napoli and Jeff “livin’ under the Mendoza line” Mathis?

Scioscia and Reagins have to re-look the make-up of this team, and decide how they’re going to compete in the coming seasons, not only against the AL West, but against the powerhouses of the East.

And the present team just doesn’t match up.

I will say this, though – as bad as this year has been, there is one silver lining to the whole thing.

The LA Dodgers stink as well.

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The Los Angeles Angels can’t get the Baltimore Orioles out of town fast enough. The Orioles are wishing they could stay for an extended period of time.

Orioles starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie allowed just four hits over eight and 1/3 innings, and Matt Wieters supplied the only offense needed with a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning, giving the Orioles a 1-0 victory and a sweep of the season series over the Angels for the first time in history.

The Angels’ offense was anemic all weekend long, scoring just one run and making Orioles’ starters all look like Cy Young candidates.

Angels starter Jered Weaver (11-10) certainly did his part, pitching eight innings, allowing only five hits and one run. Victimized once again by lack of run support, Weaver could only watch as Guthrie mowed down his teammates one by one.

Each Baltimore starter lasted at least eight innings, and Angel hitters managed only 16 hits throughout the three-game series.

Guthrie (8-13) was spectacular from the start, keeping Angel hitters off balance with an array of pitches. He escaped a jam in the bottom of the sixth. After allowing a walk to Jeff Mathis, Peter Bourjos sacrificed Mathis to second, and Reggie Willits reached on a bunt single, moving Mathis to third.

Guthrie worked out of it, getting Howie Kendrick to ground into a double play, ending the inning and the threat.

Guthrie started the ninth by retiring Peter Bourjos on a fly ball to left. Willits, who had the only success against Guthrie all afternoon, blooped a double into short right-center. Howie Kendrick followed with a single, moving Willits to third.

Guthrie’s afternoon was done, as Mike Gonzalez was called in to face Bobby Abreu. Abreu struck out, and manager Buck Showalter then called on new closer Koji Uehara to face Torii Hunter. Uehara got Hunter to fly out to right, and the sweep was on.

Uehara closed out his second game of the series, and the Orioles are now 16-11 for the month of August, giving them their only winning month since June, 2008, and their first winning August since 1997.

For the Angels, manager Mike Scioscia must now ponder what he’ll be doing in October, as the Angels appear destined to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

You can follow Doug on Twitter, @desertdesperado.

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There was a serious fantasy fallout with Brian Fuentes being traded to the Minnesota Twins on Friday. One player’s stock soared for the final month of the season and one player’s stock went down.

Let’s take a look at the Fuentes trade from a fantasy perspective.

Brian Fuentes—Stock Down. Despite recording the save in yesterday’s 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners, Fuentes should be seeing the eighth inning more than the ninth inning.

Unless current closer Matt Capps goes down or starts to really struggle, then Fuentes has very little fantasy value moving forward.

Matt Capps—Stock Even. Despite NOT recording the save in yesterday’s 1-0 over the Mariners, Capps should get the majority of the save opportunities moving forward. The only reason Fuentes got the save yesterday was because left-handed batter Russell Branyan came to the plate, and Fuentes was a better match up against the lefty.

I could see Capps losing saves like this every now and then, but his stock should remain unaffected moving forward.

Fernando Rodney—Stock Up. With Fuentes being shipped out of town, someone needs to close games in Anaheim. That guy will be Rodney.

Rodney is having a typical Rodney season with an ERA of 3.83, a WHIP of around 1.40, and a very mediocre BB/K ratio. He will be a decent fill-in choice if you need a No. 2 closer for the day or week.

Rodney could benefit from the Angels’ easy schedule in September. The Angels play the Mariners and Cleveland Indians a total of 10 times in September. Easy games means wins, and wins potentially could equal saves for Rodney.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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Baltimore Orioles pitcher Kevin Millwood has suffered through a nightmarish season, yet he still takes the ball every fifth day and gives his best effort. On Saturday night, against the Los Angeles Angels, Millwood’s best effort turned into into his best start of the season.

Millwood scattered six hits over eight innings, and No. 9 hitter Josh Bell slammed a two-run homer, giving the Orioles a 5-0 victory over the suddenly punchless Angels.

Millwood (3-14), who earned his first victory in over two months, could have easily finished the game, having only thrown 110 pitches. Instead, at the request of O’s manager Buck Showalter, he gave way to Jimmy Johnson, who pitched a scoreless ninth. Johnson, who last pitched on April 30, was activated from the 60-day disabled list on Friday night after being sidelined due to inflammation in his right elbow.

“I know Kevin probably as well as anybody here, and I feel so good for him because I know how much he cares,” Showalter said.

“I think he could have finished that game. I mean, 110 pitches doesn’t come into play on a cool night. But it was a perfect spot for J.J. to get broken in a little bit, and I appreciate the professionalism of Kevin after I explained to him what we were trying to do.”

Millwood worked out of jams in both the fifth and seventh innings, when the Angels put runners on the corners. In the fifth, Milwood induced a double-play grounder to end it, and in the seventh, after Mike Napoli doubled and moved to third on an Erick Aybar single, Millwood retired both Bobby Wilson and Peter Bourjos on pop-ups to escape the threat.

Angels’ starter Scott Kazmir (8-12) was able to match Millwood through the first four innings, however in the fifth, after giving up an infield single to Cesar Izturis, Josh Bell smacked his third major league homer to break the scoreless tie.

The victory was the O’s fifth straight against the Angels this season, and they’ll have a chance to sweep the season series on Sunday afternoon, something neither team has done against each other in 50 years.

For the Angels, they can only scratch their heads and wonder.

You can follow Doug on Twitter, @desertdesperado.

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According to MLB sources and first reported by Jon Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, an “unknown American League team” has claimed Halos first baseman/catcher Mike Napoli on waivers. The White Sox, Rays, or Tigers could be suitors.

The Angels have until Monday afternoon to either work out a deal and trade Napoli or they could pull him back and keep him for the remainder of the season. With virtually every Major Leaguer on waivers, it’s likely that Angels GM Tony Reagins is gauging interest for a potential move in the offseason. It’s also possible the claim was made to block Napoli from going to a playoff bound club.

As I have discussed here, Napoli is likely to be moved at some point for a few reasons.

Most Angel fans have believed for years all the Angels had to do was play Napoli everyday and he’d become a 30 HR 100 RBI force in the lineup. Napoli has gotten his chance playing in 112 of 129 games in 2010. Unfortunately for the Angels, the more Napoli has played, the more his OPS has decreased.

Article continues at LA Angels Insider.com

Eric Denton is the head writer and content editor for LA Angels Insider.com

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The Minnesota Twins, not satisfied with having the best bullpen ERA in the American League, went out last night and got themselves another bullpen arm.

Fuentes is a solid addition for the Twins

The Twins acquired LHP Brian Fuentes from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for a player to be named later. Fuentes had a 3.52 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, struck out 9.2/9, and 23 saves in 39 games for the Angels this year.

Fuentes is having a much better year than last year when he was mediocre at best for the Angels. Despite leading the American League in saves with 48, Fuentes wasn’t that effective for the Angels. He had an ERA around 4.00 and a WHIP of 1.40. Not good at all.

As I mentioned earlier, Fuentes has been much better in his second season of the two-year deal he signed with the Angels in the winter of 2009. He has been especially tough on lefties this year. Lefties are only hitting .132 versus Fuentes in 2010.

The Twins will use Fuentes as an eighth inning setup man and that is why I really like this acquisition by the Twins. As I have said many times before about Fuentes, he is much better suited to be a setup man on a good team rather than a closer for a World Series team. Fuentes is moving into that role, which I think suits him best.

The Twins have done a very good job patching together the back end of their bullpen after All Star Joe Nathan went down in spring training. Jon Rauch was solid filling in for Nathan as the closer for the first half of the season. Matt Capps and his 2.08 ERA and six saves have been good (he is bending, but not breaking ) since coming over from the Washington Nationals, and now Fuentes should provide a nice bridge to Capps.

Fuentes will be available tonight for the Twins when they face the Seattle Mariners.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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The Baltimore Orioles don’t have much to play for during the remainder of the 2010 regular season, except for the role of spoiler. They may have just crushed the playoff dreams for the Los Angeles Angels.

Brad Bergesen threw eight stellar innings and Luke Scott provided the lead run with a run scoring single in the sixth, giving the Orioles their fourth straight win over the Angels, 3-1.

Bergesen got off to what looked like a rocky start in the first, allowing back-to-back singles to Howie Kendrick and Alberto Callaspo, putting men on first and third. Bergesen then committed a rare balk, allowing Kendrick to score. Seemingly unrattled, Bergesen promptly struck out Hideki Matsui to end the threat, and the Angels never got another real chance.

Bergesen (6-9) was spectacular, allowing just four hits and one run, striking out four and walking none in eight innings. He gave way to Koji Uehera, who picked up his third save in as many chances.

The Angels were swept by the O’s in early August at Camden Yards, and their dominance over the Angels continued in Anaheim.

Rookie right-hander Trevor Bell (1-4) pitched seven innings, his longest stint of the season, giving up two runs and six hits while striking out three. Bell, making just his ninth start of the season, certainly pitched well enough to win, but Bergesen was just a bit better on this night.

The Angels’ loss, combined with the Texas Rangers’ victory over the Oakland Athletics earlier tonight, puts them 10 1/2 games behind the Rangers in the American League West. With just 33 games left to the regular season, the Halos’ hopes of playoff glory are slimmer than Tiger Woods’ wallet after his divorce.

You can follow Doug on Twitter, @desertdesperado.

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While Rays outfielder Carl Crawford did tell “Angels On Air” host Jeff Biggs (interview can be heard here) that he would consider Anaheim his new hometown, it will ultimately be economics that will determine his 2011 team and beyond.

He said his first choice would be to remain with the Rays but with their budget limitations and top prospect Desmond Jennings ready to take over an outfield spot it is highly unlikely he will return. Unfortunately for the Halos, there are going to be many teams pursuing Crawford and the Angels may not be able to get into a bidding war.

Here’s the problem…

Article continued at LA Angels Insider.com

Eric Denton is the head writer and content editor for LA Angels Insider.com

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This week, I went to my first Angels game in almost two months and for a number of reasons, the trip was surprisingly difficult.

First of all, despite the fact that Los Angeles is listed first in its formal name, the team still resides in Anaheim. It’s a fun little town in north Orange County, but it is hardly convenient to me in my suburban home in Temecula.

There is no direct path to the stadium from where I reside, leaving two opposing routes that either force me to make a giant loop north or a giant loop south. Both involve multiple freeways, on-ramps, and exits, and each offers its own unique set pros and cons to weigh.

Not mention, southern California’s legendary rush hour traffic, which arrives just in time for most 7 p.m. starts.

Normally, these are minor speed bumps for die-hard fans like myself who would brave any peril for the thrill of seeing their sporting heroes up close and personal.

But this season, dodging reckless drivers and fighting back road rage only adds to the torment that is watching Angel baseball.

As we approach September and the final stretch run toward the playoffs, the Angels sit a whopping 10 games back in the AL West, mired in third place behind the division-leading Texas Rangers and the surprisingly decent Oakland A’s.

Now, facing an uphill climb in the final weeks of the 2010 season is not exactly an unexpected position for the Halos. I, along with many other baseball, correctly predicted the Rangers would have a breakout season and become the No. 1 contenders to claim the division crown.

That said, this wild west brawl was supposed to be a shoot-out at the Big A corral. Instead, the Angels look too weak to even lift their six-shooter.

Their 10-game deficit in the division is the furthest back they’ve been since 2003 and for the first time since that season, they risk finishing the year with a losing record.

But it’s not the losses that make this squad so frustrating to watch.

It’s the sad fact that there is simply no positive aspect to the Angels’ game. Not one area could you point to and say, “well at least they’re doing that right.”

For the most part, the starting pitching has failed to live up to the standard set in recent years, the bullpen is shaky and unreliable, the defense has all but disappeared with the exception of Peter Bourjos in center field, and the bats are quieter than a nun on Sunday.

Plenty of teams around the league have struggled to compete in the standings but still manage to be exciting on the field. The Milwaukee Brewers are playing sub-.500 ball once again, and yet players like Corey Hart, Prince Fielder, and Ryan Braun continue to draw fans in.

The San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies are both fighting for their playoff lives in the NL West and NL Wild Card, and while there are certain aspects of each team that must infuriate their fans, they still have a captivating show to look forward to every night.

As Angel fans, what do we have to look forward to?

Perhaps we’ve become spoiled in the last decade. Six postseason appearances, five division titles—including the last three in a row—and a World Series title have washed away the years of mediocrity and worse that preceded them.

Throughout the 1990’s, Angel Stadium routinely housed meager crowds during the week, usually no more than 15,000 or so. On the weekends, attendance would shoot up when the extremely casual fan-base at the time saw taking in a game as an interesting social activity for a Friday night.

Following the ’02 championship season, however, the Angels pack in 3-4 million fans every year, often ranking second or third in the majors in attendance.And the team always made it worth our while.

This year, and particularly this point in the year, there is little if anything to be excited about anymore.

Heading into the game this week, the second of a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays, I hoped for the best, but I fully expected the worst. And I got it.

Awful starting pitching from Ervin Santana who allowed six runs, a miserable effort from a relief corps. that combined to give up four more runs, another non-existent offense that managed to produce just three runs while leaving 12 men on base, and a defensive breakdown on the infield like I’ve never seen.

True to my die-hard roots, I sat and suffered through all nine blowout innings. Not that it was easy.

On the way to the car, my family and I briefly discussed the embarrassment we had just witnessed, if only just to get it out of the way. The pitiful effort, and season, was the elephant in the room and it had to be acknowledged.

But the conversation quickly to turned to more appealing sports fare. Football season is almost here, and while I’ll always choose baseball first, I’m looking forward to a distraction from the heartbreaking season here in Anaheim.

Besides, there’s always next year.

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