GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: AL: LA ANGELS (92-66) at TEXAS (74-84)

AL: LA ANGELS at TEXAS

<div class="pre">AL AT TEXAS - PITCHING CHANGE
LAA: JUSTIN SPEIER (2-3, 3.04) STARTING THE 8TH
CURRENT SCORE: LA ANGELS 2, TEXAS 16

DUE UP FOR TEXAS: B WILKERSON (.237, 2-FOR-3)</div>

 

AL: LA ANGELS at TEXAS

<div class="pre">AL AT TEXAS - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: J Speier relieved M Gwyn.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: LA ANGELS 2
TEXAS 16 BOTTOM, 8TH

DUE UP FOR TEXAS: B Wilkerson (.237, 2-FOR-3)</div>

 

AL: LA ANGELS at TEXAS

<div class="pre">AL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
LA ANGELS 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 6 0
TEXAS 3 0 2 1 0 5 5 0 16 17 0 (TOP 9)

CURRENT PITCHERS: LAA - JUSTIN SPEIER
TEX - BILL WHITE

DUE UP FOR LA ANGELS: M NAPOLI (.244, 0-FOR-2, HBP)
E AYBAR (.238, 1-FOR-2, SF, RBI)
T MURPHY (.200, 0 HR, 2 RBI)</div>

 

AL: LA ANGELS at TEXAS

<div class="pre">LA ANGELS (2) VS TEXAS (16) - END 8TH - IN PROGRESS

LA ANGELS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Figgins 3b 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 .336
T Murphy lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200
M Izturis 2b 3 0 2 1 0 0 2 .291
B Wood pr-ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .160
V Guerrero dh 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .322
c-J Rivera ph-dh 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .250
G Anderson lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 5 .300
T Evans rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .125
K Morales rf-1b 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 .295
C Kotchman 1b 1 1 1 0 2 0 0 .298
R Quinlan 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .241
G Matthews Jr cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .252
a-N Haynes ph-cf 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 .275
b-R Willits ph-cf 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .296
M Napoli c 2 0 0 0 0 2 4 .244
E Aybar ss-2b 2 0 1 1 0 0 4 .238

Totals 25 2 6 2 4 4 19

a-reached on infield single to shortstop for G Matthews Jr in the 2nd;
b-grounded to pitcher for N Haynes in the 6th; c-popped out to shortstop for V
Guerrero in the 7th.

BATTING: 2B - M Izturis (17, S Feldman). SF - M Izturis , E Aybar. RBI - E
Aybar (18), M Izturis (51). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - G
Anderson 3, E Aybar 2. GIDP - R Quinlan. Team LOB - 8.

BASERUNNING: CS - C Kotchman (4, 3rd base by L Mendoza/G Laird). Picked Off -
E Aybar (1st base, L Mendoza).

FIELDING: DP: 1 (C Figgins-M Izturis-C Kotchman).


TEXAS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
I Kinsler 2b 5 2 1 0 1 0 1 .267
G Laird c 3 2 2 2 1 1 3 .226
G Quiroz c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .429
M Young ss 5 3 3 2 0 1 2 .314
S Sosa dh 3 2 1 2 1 2 2 .252
a-H Blalock ph-dh 1 1 1 3 0 0 0 .299
M Byrd cf 4 1 1 2 0 2 1 .310
b-F Guzman ph-cf 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .500
J Botts lf 4 0 3 1 1 1 1 .244
N Cruz rf 5 1 1 2 0 2 4 .237
B Wilkerson 1b 4 2 2 0 1 0 0 .236
T Metcalf 3b 4 2 2 2 1 1 1 .242

Totals 39 16 17 16 6 11 15

a-homered to center for S Sosa in the 7th; b-struck out swinging for M Byrd in
the 7th.

BATTING: 2B - G Laird (18, J Saunders). 3B - M Byrd (8, R Thompson). HR - S
Sosa (21, 1st inning off J Saunders 1 on, 1 Out), N Cruz (9, 3rd inning off J
Saunders 1 on, 2 Out), G Laird (9, 4th inning off J Saunders 0 on, 2 Out), T
Metcalf (4, 6th inning off R Thompson 1 on, 0 Out), H Blalock (10, 7th inning
off M Gwyn 2 on, 1 Out). SF - G Laird. RBI - M Young 2 (92), S Sosa 2 (92), N
Cruz 2 (33), G Laird 2 (47), T Metcalf 2 (19), M Byrd 2 (70), J Botts (14), H
Blalock 3 (33). 2-out RBI - N Cruz 2, G Laird, M Byrd 2, J Botts. Runners left
in scoring position, 2 out - M Young 1. GIDP - I Kinsler. Team LOB - 6.

FIELDING: DP: 2 (G Laird-T Metcalf, T Metcalf-I Kinsler-B Wilkerson).


----------------------------------------------------
LA ANGELS - 000 020 00 -- 2
TEXAS - 302 105 50 -- 16
----------------------------------------------------

LA ANGELS ip h r er bb so hr era
J Saunders 5 9 7 7 3 6 3 4.44
R Thompson 2/3 4 4 4 1 2 1 10.80
M Gwyn 1 1/3 4 5 5 2 2 1 11.81
J Speier 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.98

TEXAS ip h r er bb so hr era
L Mendoza 4 2/3 4 2 2 3 2 0 2.57
J Rheinecker 2/3 1 0 0 1 1 0 5.44
F Francisco 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.58
S Feldman 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 5.92
B White 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.40

J Saunders pitched to 1 batter in the 6th.

HBP - M Napoli (by L Mendoza); V Guerrero (by L Mendoza); K Morales (by B
White). Pitches-strikes: J Saunders 103-62; R Thompson 34-18; M Gwyn 34-19; J
Speier 11-8; L Mendoza 70-40; J Rheinecker 11-6; F Francisco 10-5; S Feldman
14-10; B White 17-10. Ground balls-fly balls: J Saunders 4-5; R Thompson 0-0; M
Gwyn 0-2; J Speier 1-1; L Mendoza 3-7; J Rheinecker 1-0; F Francisco 0-1; S
Feldman 0-3; B White 3-0. Batters faced: J Saunders 26; R Thompson 7; M Gwyn
10; J Speier 3; L Mendoza 21; J Rheinecker 4; F Francisco 2; S Feldman 4; B
White 3.

UMPIRES: HP--Jim Wolf. 1B--Tim Tschida. 2B--Jim Joyce. 3B--Jeff Nelson.

(Plus rain delay totaling 30 minutes in the 1st). Weather: 89 degrees, partly
cloudy. Wind: 8 mph, out to left.</div>

 

AL: LA ANGELS at TEXAS

<div class="pre">AL AT TEXAS - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: R Vazquez at shortstop.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: LA ANGELS 2
TEXAS 16 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR LA ANGELS: M Napoli (.244, 0-FOR-2)</div>

 

AL: LA ANGELS at TEXAS

<div class="pre">AL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
LA ANGELS 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 7 0
TEXAS 3 0 2 1 0 5 5 0 x 16 17 0 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: LAA - JOE SAUNDERS, RICH THOMPSON (6TH), MARCUS GWYN (6TH), JUSTIN
SPEIER (8TH) AND MIKE NAPOLI

TEX - LUIS MENDOZA, JOHN RHEINECKER (5TH), FRANK
FRANCISCO (6TH), SCOTT FELDMAN (7TH), BILL WHITE (8TH) AND
GERALD LAIRD, GUILLERMO QUIROZ (8TH)

HOME RUNS: LAA - NONE

TEX - SAMMY SOSA (21) OFF JOE SAUNDERS IN THE 1ST, 1 ON
NELSON CRUZ (9) OFF JOE SAUNDERS IN THE 3RD, 1 ON
GERALD LAIRD (9) OFF JOE SAUNDERS IN THE 4TH, 0 ON
TRAVIS METCALF (4) OFF RICH THOMPSON IN THE 6TH, 1 ON
HANK BLALOCK (10) OFF MARCUS GWYN IN THE 7TH, 2 ON</div>

 

AL: LA ANGELS at TEXAS

<div class="pre">AL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
LA ANGELS 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 7 0
TEXAS 3 0 2 1 0 5 5 0 x 16 17 0 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: LAA - JOE SAUNDERS, RICH THOMPSON (6TH), MARCUS GWYN (6TH), JUSTIN
SPEIER (8TH) AND MIKE NAPOLI

TEX - LUIS MENDOZA, JOHN RHEINECKER (5TH), FRANK
FRANCISCO (6TH), SCOTT FELDMAN (7TH), BILL WHITE (8TH) AND
GERALD LAIRD, GUILLERMO QUIROZ (8TH)


WP - JOHN RHEINECKER (4-3)
LP - JOE SAUNDERS (8-5)
SAVE - NONE

HOME RUNS: LAA - NONE

TEX - SAMMY SOSA (21) OFF JOE SAUNDERS IN THE 1ST, 1 ON
NELSON CRUZ (9) OFF JOE SAUNDERS IN THE 3RD, 1 ON
GERALD LAIRD (9) OFF JOE SAUNDERS IN THE 4TH, 0 ON
TRAVIS METCALF (4) OFF RICH THOMPSON IN THE 6TH, 1 ON
HANK BLALOCK (10) OFF MARCUS GWYN IN THE 7TH, 2 ON


TIME: 3:15 ATT: 24,223

PROBABLES: TEX - EDINSON VOLQUEZ (2-1, 4.40)
SEA - JEFF WEAVER (7-13, 6.30)

PROBABLES: LAA - JOHN LACKEY (18-9, 3.11)
OAK - DAN HAREN (15-8, 3.12)</div>

 

AL: LA ANGELS at TEXAS

<div class="pre">LA ANGELS (2) VS TEXAS (16) - FINAL

LA ANGELS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Figgins 3b 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 .336
T Murphy lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .194
M Izturis 2b 3 0 2 1 0 0 2 .291
B Wood pr-ss 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .154
V Guerrero dh 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .322
c-J Rivera ph-dh 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .250
G Anderson lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 5 .300
T Evans rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .125
K Morales rf-1b 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 .295
C Kotchman 1b 1 1 1 0 2 0 0 .298
R Quinlan 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .241
G Matthews Jr cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .252
a-N Haynes ph-cf 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 .275
b-R Willits ph-cf 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .296
M Napoli c 3 0 0 0 0 3 4 .243
E Aybar ss-2b 3 0 2 1 0 0 4 .242

Totals 29 2 7 2 4 5 21

a-reached on infield single to shortstop for G Matthews Jr in the 2nd;
b-grounded to pitcher for N Haynes in the 6th; c-popped out to shortstop for V
Guerrero in the 7th.

BATTING: 2B - M Izturis (17, S Feldman). SF - M Izturis , E Aybar. RBI - E
Aybar (18), M Izturis (51). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - G
Anderson 3, E Aybar 2. GIDP - R Quinlan. Team LOB - 9.

BASERUNNING: CS - C Kotchman (4, 3rd base by L Mendoza/G Laird). Picked Off -
E Aybar (1st base, L Mendoza).

FIELDING: DP: 1 (C Figgins-M Izturis-C Kotchman).


TEXAS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
I Kinsler 2b 5 2 1 0 1 0 1 .267
G Laird c 3 2 2 2 1 1 3 .226
G Quiroz c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .429
M Young ss 5 3 3 2 0 1 2 .314
R Vazquez ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .233
S Sosa dh 3 2 1 2 1 2 2 .252
a-H Blalock ph-dh 1 1 1 3 0 0 0 .299
M Byrd cf 4 1 1 2 0 2 1 .310
b-F Guzman ph-cf 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .500
J Botts lf 4 0 3 1 1 1 1 .244
N Cruz rf 5 1 1 2 0 2 4 .237
B Wilkerson 1b 4 2 2 0 1 0 0 .236
T Metcalf 3b 4 2 2 2 1 1 1 .242

Totals 39 16 17 16 6 11 15

a-homered to center for S Sosa in the 7th; b-struck out swinging for M Byrd in
the 7th.

BATTING: 2B - G Laird (18, J Saunders). 3B - M Byrd (8, R Thompson). HR - S
Sosa (21, 1st inning off J Saunders 1 on, 1 Out), N Cruz (9, 3rd inning off J
Saunders 1 on, 2 Out), G Laird (9, 4th inning off J Saunders 0 on, 2 Out), T
Metcalf (4, 6th inning off R Thompson 1 on, 0 Out), H Blalock (10, 7th inning
off M Gwyn 2 on, 1 Out). SF - G Laird. RBI - M Young 2 (92), S Sosa 2 (92), N
Cruz 2 (33), G Laird 2 (47), T Metcalf 2 (19), M Byrd 2 (70), J Botts (14), H
Blalock 3 (33). 2-out RBI - N Cruz 2, G Laird, M Byrd 2, J Botts. Runners left
in scoring position, 2 out - M Young 1. GIDP - I Kinsler. Team LOB - 6.

FIELDING: DP: 2 (G Laird-T Metcalf, T Metcalf-I Kinsler-B Wilkerson).


----------------------------------------------------
LA ANGELS - 000 020 000 -- 2
TEXAS - 302 105 50x -- 16
----------------------------------------------------

LA ANGELS ip h r er bb so hr era
J Saunders (L, 8-5) 5 9 7 7 3 6 3 4.44
R Thompson 2/3 4 4 4 1 2 1 10.80
M Gwyn 1 1/3 4 5 5 2 2 1 11.81
J Speier 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.98

TEXAS ip h r er bb so hr era
L Mendoza 4 2/3 4 2 2 3 2 0 2.57
J Rheinecker (W, 4-3) 2/3 1 0 0 1 1 0 5.44
F Francisco (H, 20) 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.58
S Feldman 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 5.92
B White 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.82

J Saunders pitched to 1 batter in the 6th.

HBP - M Napoli (by L Mendoza); V Guerrero (by L Mendoza); K Morales (by B
White). Pitches-strikes: J Saunders 103-62; R Thompson 34-18; M Gwyn 34-19; J
Speier 11-8; L Mendoza 70-40; J Rheinecker 11-6; F Francisco 10-5; S Feldman
14-10; B White 32-21. Ground balls-fly balls: J Saunders 4-5; R Thompson 0-0; M
Gwyn 0-2; J Speier 1-1; L Mendoza 3-7; J Rheinecker 1-0; F Francisco 0-1; S
Feldman 0-3; B White 4-1. Batters faced: J Saunders 26; R Thompson 7; M Gwyn
10; J Speier 3; L Mendoza 21; J Rheinecker 4; F Francisco 2; S Feldman 4; B
White 7.

UMPIRES: HP--Jim Wolf. 1B--Tim Tschida. 2B--Jim Joyce. 3B--Jeff Nelson.

T--3:15. (Plus rain delay totaling 30 minutes in the 1st). Att--24,223.

Weather: 89 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 8 mph, out to left.</div>

 

AL: LA ANGELS at TEXAS

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
AL
LA ANGELS 2
TEXAS 16 FINAL</div>

 

AL: LA ANGELS at TEXAS

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LA ANGELS (2) AT TEXAS (16) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TEXAS 1ST: I Kinsler flied out to right. G Laird doubled to deep left.
M Young singled to center, G Laird scored. S Sosa homered to right center,
M Young scored. M Byrd struck out swinging. J Botts singled to center.
N Cruz flied out to center. (3 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 0, TEXAS 3.

TEXAS 3RD: S Sosa walked. M Byrd struck out swinging. J Botts struck out
swinging. N Cruz homered to center, S Sosa scored. B Wilkerson grounded out
to shortstop. (2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 0, TEXAS 5.

TEXAS 4TH: T Metcalf walked. I Kinsler grounded into double play, third to
second to first, T Metcalf out at second. G Laird homered to center. M Young
grounded out to shortstop. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 0, TEXAS 6.

LA ANGELS 5TH: C Kotchman singled to center. N Haynes walked, C Kotchman
to second. M Napoli hit by pitch, C Kotchman to third, N Haynes to second.
E Aybar hit sacrifice fly to center, C Kotchman scored. C Figgins walked,
N Haynes to third, M Napoli to second. M Izturis hit sacrifice fly to center,
N Haynes scored. V Guerrero hit by pitch, M Napoli to third, C Figgins to
second. J Rheinecker relieved L Mendoza. G Anderson struck out swinging.
(2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 2, TEXAS 6.

TEXAS 6TH: R Willits in center field. B Wilkerson singled to center.
R Thompson relieved J Saunders. T Metcalf homered to left, B Wilkerson scored.
I Kinsler walked. G Laird struck out swinging. M Young singled to right,
I Kinsler to second. S Sosa struck out looking. M Byrd tripled to deep right,
I Kinsler and M Young scored. J Botts singled to deep center, M Byrd scored.
M Gwyn relieved R Thompson. N Cruz struck out swinging. (5 Runs, 5 Hits,
0 Errors) LA ANGELS 2, TEXAS 11.

TEXAS 7TH: T Murphy in left field. B Wood at shortstop. T Evans in right
field. K Morales at first base. R Quinlan at third base. E Aybar at second
base. B Wilkerson walked. T Metcalf singled to right, B Wilkerson to second.
I Kinsler singled to center, B Wilkerson to third, T Metcalf to second.
G Laird hit sacrifice fly to left, B Wilkerson scored. M Young singled to
shallow center, T Metcalf scored, I Kinsler to third. H Blalock hit for
S Sosa. H Blalock homered to center, I Kinsler and M Young scored. F Guzman
hit for M Byrd. F Guzman struck out swinging. J Botts walked. N Cruz fouled
out to catcher. (5 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 2, TEXAS 16.</div>

 

AL: LA ANGELS at TEXAS

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LA ANGELS (2) AT TEXAS (16) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

La Angels Starting Lineups -- C Figgins 3B, M Izturis 2B, V Guerrero DH,
G Anderson LF, K Morales RF, C Kotchman 1B, G Matthews Jr CF, M Napoli C, E Aybar SS,
J Saunders LHP.

Texas Starting Lineups -- I Kinsler 2B, G Laird C, M Young SS, S Sosa DH,
M Byrd CF, J Botts LF, N Cruz RF, B Wilkerson 1B, T Metcalf 3B, L Mendoza RHP.

Umpires -- Jim Wolf (HP), Tim Tschida (1B), Jim Joyce (2B), Jeff Nelson (3B).


Gametime Weather: 89 degrees, Partly Cloudy, wind out to left at 8 mph.


LA ANGELS 1ST: C Figgins grounded out to third. M Izturis singled to
right. V Guerrero flied out to right. G Anderson lined out to left.
(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 0, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 1ST: I Kinsler flied out to right. G Laird doubled to deep left.
M Young singled to center, G Laird scored. S Sosa homered to right center,
M Young scored. M Byrd struck out swinging. J Botts singled to center.
N Cruz flied out to center. (3 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 0, TEXAS 3.

LA ANGELS 2ND: K Morales struck out swinging. C Kotchman walked. N Haynes
hit for G Matthews Jr. N Haynes reached on infield single to shortstop,
C Kotchman to second. M Napoli struck out swinging, C Kotchman caught stealing
third, catcher to third.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 0, TEXAS 3.

TEXAS 2ND: N Haynes in center field. B Wilkerson singled to center.
T Metcalf lined out to shortstop. I Kinsler flied out to center, B Wilkerson
to second. G Laird walked. M Young struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) LA ANGELS 0, TEXAS 3.

LA ANGELS 3RD: E Aybar singled to right. C Figgins lined out to right.
E Aybar picked off first. M Izturis fouled out to third. (0 Runs, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) LA ANGELS 0, TEXAS 3.

TEXAS 3RD: S Sosa walked. M Byrd struck out swinging. J Botts struck out
swinging. N Cruz homered to center, S Sosa scored. B Wilkerson grounded out
to shortstop. (2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 0, TEXAS 5.

LA ANGELS 4TH: V Guerrero grounded out to second. G Anderson flied out
to center. K Morales grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
LA ANGELS 0, TEXAS 5.

TEXAS 4TH: T Metcalf walked. I Kinsler grounded into double play, third to
second to first, T Metcalf out at second. G Laird homered to center. M Young
grounded out to shortstop. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 0, TEXAS 6.

LA ANGELS 5TH: C Kotchman singled to center. N Haynes walked, C Kotchman
to second. M Napoli hit by pitch, C Kotchman to third, N Haynes to second.
E Aybar hit sacrifice fly to center, C Kotchman scored. C Figgins walked,
N Haynes to third, M Napoli to second. M Izturis hit sacrifice fly to center,
N Haynes scored. V Guerrero hit by pitch, M Napoli to third, C Figgins to
second. J Rheinecker relieved L Mendoza. G Anderson struck out swinging.
(2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 2, TEXAS 6.

TEXAS 5TH: S Sosa struck out looking. M Byrd flied out to center. J Botts
singled to center. N Cruz struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
LA ANGELS 2, TEXAS 6.

LA ANGELS 6TH: K Morales singled to left. C Kotchman walked, K Morales to
second. R Willits hit for N Haynes. R Willits grounded out to pitcher,
K Morales to third, C Kotchman to second. F Francisco relieved J Rheinecker.
M Napoli struck out swinging. E Aybar popped out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) LA ANGELS 2, TEXAS 6.

TEXAS 6TH: R Willits in center field. B Wilkerson singled to center.
R Thompson relieved J Saunders. T Metcalf homered to left, B Wilkerson scored.
I Kinsler walked. G Laird struck out swinging. M Young singled to right,
I Kinsler to second. S Sosa struck out looking. M Byrd tripled to deep right,
I Kinsler and M Young scored. J Botts singled to deep center, M Byrd scored.
M Gwyn relieved R Thompson. N Cruz struck out swinging. (5 Runs, 5 Hits,
0 Errors) LA ANGELS 2, TEXAS 11.

LA ANGELS 7TH: S Feldman relieved F Francisco. C Figgins flied out to
right. M Izturis doubled to deep center. B Wood ran for M Izturis. J Rivera
hit for V Guerrero. J Rivera popped out to shortstop. G Anderson popped out
to first. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 2, TEXAS 11.

TEXAS 7TH: T Murphy in left field. B Wood at shortstop. T Evans in right
field. K Morales at first base. R Quinlan at third base. E Aybar at second
base. B Wilkerson walked. T Metcalf singled to right, B Wilkerson to second.
I Kinsler singled to center, B Wilkerson to third, T Metcalf to second.
G Laird hit sacrifice fly to left, B Wilkerson scored. M Young singled to
shallow center, T Metcalf scored, I Kinsler to third. H Blalock hit for
S Sosa. H Blalock homered to center, I Kinsler and M Young scored. F Guzman
hit for M Byrd. F Guzman struck out swinging. J Botts walked. N Cruz fouled
out to catcher. (5 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 2, TEXAS 16.

LA ANGELS 8TH: G Quiroz catching. F Guzman in center field. B White
relieved S Feldman. K Morales hit by pitch. R Quinlan grounded into double
play, third to second to first, K Morales out at second. R Willits grounded
out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 2, TEXAS 16.

TEXAS 8TH: J Speier relieved M Gwyn. B Wilkerson flied out to center.
T Metcalf struck out swinging. I Kinsler grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs,
0 Hits, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 2, TEXAS 16.

LA ANGELS 9TH: R Vazquez at shortstop. M Napoli struck out swinging.
E Aybar reached on infield single to third. T Murphy lined out to third.
B Wood grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, E Aybar out at second.
(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) LA ANGELS 2, TEXAS 16.</div>

 

Sosa hits one of five homers, Rangers pulverize Angels

<h3>TEXAS 16, LA ANGELS 2</h3>ARLINGTON, Texas (Ticker) -- The Texas Rangers' bats left a badtaste in the mouth of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Sammy Sosa and Nelson Cruz each hit two-run home runs as theRangers posted a 16-2 pasting of the Angels on Wednesdayafternoon.


Gerald Laird, rookie Travis Metcalf and Hank Blalock alsohomered for Texas, which completed its first sweep of Anaheim insix years.


The Rangers, who have won four straight and five of six, sweptthe Angels for the first time since taking three in a row hereon September 21-23, 2001.


Anaheim (92-67), which has dropped five in a row to Texas, falls2 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Indians (93-63) for the bestrecord in the American League and possible home-field advantagein the AL playoffs next week.


Texas, which had every regular in the lineup get a hit, wentright to work on Angels starter Joe Saunders.


With one out in the bottom of the first, Laird doubled into theleft-center field gap before coming home on a single by MichaelYoung. Sosa then took a 1-0 pitch from Saunders deep over thewall in center to give Texas a 3-0 lead. It was the 21st homerof the season for Sosa and the 609th of his career.

Two innings later with Sosa on first and two outs, Cruz drilleda 3-1 offering from Saunders into the backdrop in center to givethe Rangers a five-run lead.


A frame later, Laird belted the first pitch he saw from Saundersfor the third blast that cleared the center field wall to makeit, 6-0.


Saunders (8-5) allowed five runs, nine hits and three walks tolose his second straight start. Since starting the season 6-0,the lefthander has gone 2-5 in his last nine decisions.

After the Angels scored two runs and then loaded the bases inthe fifth to chase Texas rookie starter Luis Mendoza, relieverJohn Rheinecker came on to strike out Garrett Anderson to endthe threat.


Rheinecker (4-3), who pitched to four batters, earned thevictory.


The Rangers, who wound up with 17 hits, ended the competitivephase of this contest with a five-run sixth.


With one on in the bottom of the sixth, Metcalf smashed a 3-1pitch from rookie reliever Rich Thompson into the seats in leftto give Texas a six-run lead. Later in the frame, Marlon Byrdhammered a two-run triple and later scored on a base hit byJason Botts to increase the margin to 11-2.


The Rangers made it a laugher by also scoring five in theseventh, highlighted by a three-run homer by Blalock to make it16-2. Just before Blalock's blast, Young had a run-scoringsingle to give him 200 hits in 2007.


Young, a four-time All-Star who went 3-for-5 on the day, becamejust the third man (Wade Boggs and Ichiro Suzuki) since 1940 tohave five consecutive 200-hit seasons.


It was the second-highest scoring game of the season for Texas,only surpassed by the 30-3 drubbing the Rangers handed to theBaltimore Orioles on August 22.


Maicer Izturis had two hits and drove in a run for the Angels,who surrendered a season-high in homers and runs allowed.

 

AL: LA ANGELS at TEXAS

<div class="pre">LA ANGELS (2) VS TEXAS (16) - FINAL

LA ANGELS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Figgins 3b 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 .336
T Murphy lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .194
M Izturis 2b 3 0 2 1 0 0 2 .291
B Wood pr-ss 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .154
V Guerrero dh 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .322
c-J Rivera ph-dh 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .250
G Anderson lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 5 .300
T Evans rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .125
K Morales rf-1b 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 .295
C Kotchman 1b 1 1 1 0 2 0 0 .298
R Quinlan 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .241
G Matthews Jr cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .252
a-N Haynes ph-cf 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 .275
b-R Willits ph-cf 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .296
M Napoli c 3 0 0 0 0 3 4 .243
E Aybar ss-2b 3 0 2 1 0 0 4 .242

Totals 29 2 7 2 4 5 21

a-reached on infield single to shortstop for G Matthews Jr in the 2nd;
b-grounded to pitcher for N Haynes in the 6th; c-popped out to shortstop for V
Guerrero in the 7th.

BATTING: 2B - M Izturis (17, S Feldman). SF - M Izturis , E Aybar. RBI - E
Aybar (18), M Izturis (51). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - G
Anderson 3, E Aybar 2. GIDP - R Quinlan. Team LOB - 9.

BASERUNNING: CS - C Kotchman (4, 3rd base by L Mendoza/G Laird). Picked Off -
E Aybar (1st base, L Mendoza).

FIELDING: DP: 1 (C Figgins-M Izturis-C Kotchman).


TEXAS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
I Kinsler 2b 5 2 1 0 1 0 1 .267
G Laird c 3 2 2 2 1 1 3 .226
G Quiroz c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .429
M Young ss 5 3 3 2 0 1 2 .314
R Vazquez ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .233
S Sosa dh 3 2 1 2 1 2 2 .252
a-H Blalock ph-dh 1 1 1 3 0 0 0 .299
M Byrd cf 4 1 1 2 0 2 1 .310
b-F Guzman ph-cf 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .500
J Botts lf 4 0 3 1 1 1 1 .244
N Cruz rf 5 1 1 2 0 2 4 .237
B Wilkerson 1b 4 2 2 0 1 0 0 .236
T Metcalf 3b 4 2 2 2 1 1 1 .242

Totals 39 16 17 16 6 11 15

a-homered to center for S Sosa in the 7th; b-struck out swinging for M Byrd in
the 7th.

BATTING: 2B - G Laird (18, J Saunders). 3B - M Byrd (8, R Thompson). HR - S
Sosa (21, 1st inning off J Saunders 1 on, 1 Out), N Cruz (9, 3rd inning off J
Saunders 1 on, 2 Out), G Laird (9, 4th inning off J Saunders 0 on, 2 Out), T
Metcalf (4, 6th inning off R Thompson 1 on, 0 Out), H Blalock (10, 7th inning
off M Gwyn 2 on, 1 Out). SF - G Laird. RBI - M Young 2 (92), S Sosa 2 (92), N
Cruz 2 (33), G Laird 2 (47), T Metcalf 2 (19), M Byrd 2 (70), J Botts (14), H
Blalock 3 (33). 2-out RBI - N Cruz 2, G Laird, M Byrd 2, J Botts. Runners left
in scoring position, 2 out - M Young 1. GIDP - I Kinsler. Team LOB - 6.

FIELDING: DP: 2 (G Laird-T Metcalf, T Metcalf-I Kinsler-B Wilkerson).


----------------------------------------------------
LA ANGELS - 000 020 000 -- 2
TEXAS - 302 105 50x -- 16
----------------------------------------------------

LA ANGELS ip h r er bb so hr era
J Saunders (L, 8-5) 5 9 7 7 3 6 3 4.44
R Thompson 2/3 4 4 4 1 2 1 10.80
M Gwyn 1 1/3 4 5 5 2 2 1 11.81
J Speier 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.98

TEXAS ip h r er bb so hr era
L Mendoza 4 2/3 4 2 2 3 2 0 2.57
J Rheinecker (W, 4-3) 2/3 1 0 0 1 1 0 5.44
F Francisco (H, 20) 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.58
S Feldman 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 5.92
B White 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.82

J Saunders pitched to 1 batter in the 6th.

HBP - M Napoli (by L Mendoza); V Guerrero (by L Mendoza); K Morales (by B
White). Pitches-strikes: J Saunders 104-62; R Thompson 34-18; M Gwyn 34-19; J
Speier 11-8; L Mendoza 70-40; J Rheinecker 11-6; F Francisco 10-5; S Feldman
14-10; B White 32-21. Ground balls-fly balls: J Saunders 4-5; R Thompson 0-0; M
Gwyn 0-2; J Speier 1-1; L Mendoza 3-7; J Rheinecker 1-0; F Francisco 0-1; S
Feldman 0-3; B White 4-1. Batters faced: J Saunders 26; R Thompson 7; M Gwyn
10; J Speier 3; L Mendoza 21; J Rheinecker 4; F Francisco 2; S Feldman 4; B
White 7.

UMPIRES: HP--Jim Wolf. 1B--Tim Tschida. 2B--Jim Joyce. 3B--Jeff Nelson.

T--3:15. (Plus rain delay totaling 30 minutes in the 1st). Att--24,223.

Weather: 89 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 8 mph, out to left.</div>

 

AL: LA ANGELS at TEXAS

<div class="pre">LA ANGELS (2) VS TEXAS (16) - FINAL

LA ANGELS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Figgins 3b 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 .336
T Murphy lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .194
M Izturis 2b 3 0 2 1 0 0 2 .291
B Wood pr-ss 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .154
V Guerrero dh 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .322
c-J Rivera ph-dh 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .250
G Anderson lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 5 .300
T Evans rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .125
K Morales rf-1b 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 .295
C Kotchman 1b 1 1 1 0 2 0 0 .298
R Quinlan 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .241
G Matthews Jr cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .252
a-N Haynes ph-cf 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 .275
b-R Willits ph-cf 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .296
M Napoli c 3 0 0 0 0 3 4 .243
E Aybar ss-2b 3 0 2 1 0 0 4 .242

Totals 29 2 7 2 4 5 21

a-reached on infield single to shortstop for G Matthews Jr in the 2nd;
b-grounded to pitcher for N Haynes in the 6th; c-popped out to shortstop for V
Guerrero in the 7th.

BATTING: 2B - M Izturis (17, S Feldman). SF - M Izturis , E Aybar. RBI - E
Aybar (18), M Izturis (51). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - G
Anderson 3, E Aybar 2. GIDP - R Quinlan. Team LOB - 9.

BASERUNNING: CS - C Kotchman (4, 3rd base by L Mendoza/G Laird). Picked Off -
E Aybar (1st base, L Mendoza).

FIELDING: DP: 1 (C Figgins-M Izturis-C Kotchman).


TEXAS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
I Kinsler 2b 5 2 1 0 1 0 1 .267
G Laird c 3 2 2 2 1 1 3 .226
G Quiroz c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .429
M Young ss 5 3 3 2 0 1 2 .314
R Vazquez ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .233
S Sosa dh 3 2 1 2 1 2 2 .252
a-H Blalock ph-dh 1 1 1 3 0 0 0 .299
M Byrd cf 4 1 1 2 0 2 1 .310
b-F Guzman ph-cf 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .500
J Botts lf 4 0 3 1 1 1 1 .244
N Cruz rf 5 1 1 2 0 2 4 .237
B Wilkerson 1b 4 2 2 0 1 0 0 .236
T Metcalf 3b 4 2 2 2 1 1 1 .242

Totals 39 16 17 16 6 11 15

a-homered to center for S Sosa in the 7th; b-struck out swinging for M Byrd in
the 7th.

BATTING: 2B - G Laird (18, J Saunders). 3B - M Byrd (8, R Thompson). HR - S
Sosa (21, 1st inning off J Saunders 1 on, 1 Out), N Cruz (9, 3rd inning off J
Saunders 1 on, 2 Out), G Laird (9, 4th inning off J Saunders 0 on, 2 Out), T
Metcalf (4, 6th inning off R Thompson 1 on, 0 Out), H Blalock (10, 7th inning
off M Gwyn 2 on, 1 Out). SF - G Laird. RBI - M Young 2 (92), S Sosa 2 (92), N
Cruz 2 (33), G Laird 2 (47), T Metcalf 2 (19), M Byrd 2 (70), J Botts (14), H
Blalock 3 (33). 2-out RBI - N Cruz 2, G Laird, M Byrd 2, J Botts. Runners left
in scoring position, 2 out - M Young 1. GIDP - I Kinsler. Team LOB - 6.

FIELDING: DP: 2 (G Laird-T Metcalf, T Metcalf-I Kinsler-B Wilkerson).


----------------------------------------------------
LA ANGELS - 000 020 000 -- 2
TEXAS - 302 105 50x -- 16
----------------------------------------------------

LA ANGELS ip h r er bb so hr era
J Saunders (L, 8-5) 5 9 7 7 3 6 3 4.44
R Thompson 2/3 4 4 4 1 2 1 10.80
M Gwyn 1 1/3 4 5 5 2 2 1 11.81
J Speier 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.98

TEXAS ip h r er bb so hr era
L Mendoza 4 2/3 4 2 2 3 2 0 2.57
J Rheinecker (W, 4-3) 2/3 1 0 0 1 1 0 5.44
F Francisco (H, 20) 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.58
S Feldman 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 5.92
B White 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.82

J Saunders pitched to 1 batter in the 6th.

HBP - M Napoli (by L Mendoza); V Guerrero (by L Mendoza); K Morales (by B
White). Pitches-strikes: J Saunders 104-62; R Thompson 34-18; M Gwyn 34-19; J
Speier 11-8; L Mendoza 70-40; J Rheinecker 11-6; F Francisco 10-5; S Feldman
14-10; B White 32-21. Ground balls-fly balls: J Saunders 4-5; R Thompson 0-0; M
Gwyn 0-2; J Speier 1-1; L Mendoza 3-7; J Rheinecker 1-0; F Francisco 0-1; S
Feldman 0-3; B White 4-1. Batters faced: J Saunders 26; R Thompson 7; M Gwyn
10; J Speier 3; L Mendoza 21; J Rheinecker 4; F Francisco 2; S Feldman 4; B
White 7.

UMPIRES: HP--Jim Wolf. 1B--Tim Tschida. 2B--Jim Joyce. 3B--Jeff Nelson.

T--3:15. (Plus rain delay totaling 31 minutes in the 1st). Att--24,223.

Weather: 89 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 8 mph, out to left.</div>

 

Sosa hits one of five homers, Rangers pulverize Angels

<h3>TEXAS 16, LA ANGELS 2</h3>ARLINGTON, Texas (Ticker) -- The Texas Rangers' bats left a badtaste in the mouth of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Sammy Sosa and Nelson Cruz each hit two-run home runs as theRangers posted a 16-2 pasting of the Angels on Wednesdayafternoon.


Gerald Laird, rookie Travis Metcalf and Hank Blalock alsohomered for Texas, which completed its first sweep of Anaheim insix years.


"To me this simply means that for three consecutive days, weoutplayed our opponents," Rangers manager Ron Washington said."We didn't look at it as Anaheim or a division opponent, we justwent out and tried to outplay the other team, and we did."

The Rangers, who have won four straight and five of six, sweptthe Angels for the first time since taking three in a row hereon September 21-23, 2001.


Anaheim (92-67), which has dropped five in a row to Texas, falls2 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Indians (93-63) for the bestrecord in the American League and possible home-field advantagein the AL playoffs next week.


"We're not conceding anything, we're trying to win games,"Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "We're going hard but tryingto balance it with getting guys time off. If we have to go onthe road, we'll go on the road. If we're at home, we're athome. There have been reasons why guys are getting days off."

Texas, which had every regular in the lineup get a hit, wentright to work on Angels starter Joe Saunders.


With one out in the bottom of the first, Laird doubled into theleft-center field gap before coming home on a single by MichaelYoung. Sosa then took a 1-0 pitch from Saunders deep over thewall in center to give Texas a 3-0 lead. It was the 21st homerof the season for Sosa and the 609th of his career.

"Every time (Washington) gave me the opportunity, I tried to domy job," Sosa said. "The ball kind of jumped for me today. Weplayed a great game today and I was happy to be a part of thiswin and hit the homer."


Two innings later with Sosa on first and two outs, Cruz drilleda 3-1 offering from Saunders into the backdrop in center to givethe Rangers a five-run lead.


A frame later, Laird belted the first pitch he saw from Saundersfor the third blast that cleared the center field wall to makeit, 6-0.


"(Saunders) just missed with some pitches over the plate today,"Laird said. "He left a changeup in the first and then afastball over in the fourth - and in each case, I was able toget all of it."


Saunders (8-5) allowed five runs, nine hits and three walks tolose his second straight start. Since starting the season 6-0,the lefthander has gone 2-5 in his last nine decisions.

"Joe hasn't been as crisp his last three or four starts,"Scioscia said. "Today was a game where he never got anythinggoing. He was getting behind in the count. He isn't trying todo that. It's about command, about quality strikes early incounts."


After the Angels scored two runs and then loaded the bases inthe fifth to chase Texas rookie starter Luis Mendoza, relieverJohn Rheinecker came on to strike out Garret Anderson to end thethreat.


Rheinecker (4-3), who pitched to four batters, earned thevictory.


The Rangers, who wound up with 17 hits, ended the competitivephase of this contest with a five-run sixth.


With one on in the bottom of the sixth, Metcalf smashed a 3-1pitch from rookie reliever Rich Thompson into the seats in leftto give Texas a six-run lead. Later in the frame, Marlon Byrdhammered a two-run triple and later scored on a base hit byJason Botts to increase the margin to 11-2.


The Rangers made it a laugher by also scoring five in theseventh, highlighted by a three-run homer by Blalock to make it16-2. Just before Blalock's blast, Young had a run-scoringsingle to give him 200 hits in 2007.


"I had a terrible start to the season, but I didn't focus on howI'd finish in September, I just tried to concentrate on my nextat-bat," Young said. "I could hear that the fans were excitedduring my last plate appearance. To reach the mark at homewould be great, but I just tried to stick to my plan andconcentrate on the pitcher."


Young, a four-time All-Star who went 3-for-5 on the day, becamejust the third man (Wade Boggs and Ichiro Suzuki) since 1940 tohave five consecutive 200-hit seasons.


"I'm humbled to be in the company of those guys but it's notsomething that I spend a lot of time looking at," Young added."I'm in the middle of my career now and that accomplishment issomething I'll look back on and appreciate after my playingdays."


It was the second-highest scoring game of the season for Texas,only surpassed by the 30-3 drubbing the Rangers handed to theBaltimore Orioles on August 22.


Maicer Izturis had two hits and drove in a run for the Angels,who surrendered a season-high in homers and runs allowed.