Offensive Onslaught Sees Angels Top Tigers
Josh Hamilton had the hot bat on Tuesday as the Angels piled 14 runs on the Tigers.
The Los Angeles Angels provided a rare glimpse of the offensive explosion many expected from the club at the start of the year, crushing the Detroit Tigers 14-8 in the Motor City on Tuesday.
A combination of solid hitting and poor defensive play by the home side saw the Angels light-up the scoreboard, washing away any lingering regrets from this past weekend’s sweep at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The win saw Mike Scioscia’s side continue to dominate the AL Central-leading Tigers.
Tuesday Recap
Tuesday’s 14-8 victory saw the Angels collect a fourth win of the season – and seventh straight – over the Detroit Tigers, thanks in part to an eight-run fifth inning.
Josh Hamilton returned to the Angels’ lineup after missing three games with a sore wrist. A 3-for-5 performance with one run scored, one RBI, and a walk made this one of his best outings as an Angel.
J.B. Shuck also had a 3-for-5 night, tallying a career-high four RBIs in the process.
Somewhat surprisingly, the Angels’ 14-run onslaught came without a homerun. While Miguel Cabrera added his 21st of the season for Detroit, the Angels barraged the scoreboard without the ball leaving the park.
Shuck and Albert Pujols had doubles in the game while a pair of throwing errors led to two of the eight runs the Angels scored in the fifth innings. The Tigers served up a total of six errors in the game.
Tigers’ starter Rick Porcello (4-5, 5.27 ERA) gave up seven earned runs on 10 hits, walking a pair and striking out just two. It was the second straight rough start for the right-hander, who gave up six runs on nine hits against the Baltimore Orioles on June 19.
Despite only making it through five innings, C.J. Wilson (7-5, 3.88 ERA) picked up the win for the Angels, his third straight win. The left-hander gave up five runs on seven hits but got more than enough help from his offense and the Tigers’ defense.
The 4:03 duration was the second longest nine-inning game of the season.
After lasting just two innings in his last start, Tommy Hanson will hope to lead the Angels to another victory over Detroit on Wednesday.
Wednesday Preview
Los Angeles (34-43, 14-20 road) will look to continue its recent dominance over Detroit (42-33, 26-14 home) as the two clubs meet for the second of three at Comerica Park on Wednesday (7:08 p.m. ET).
Detroit will be looking for better pitching and a reduction in mistakes after Tuesday’s six-error affair. The Angels will look to keep those warm bats alive, something that hasn’t been a problem against the Tigers this season; the Angels have outscored the Tigers 36-12 in four games.
The Angels hope to welcome back centerfielder Peter Bourjos (.331 BA, 3HR, 10RBI) who missed Tuesday’s game with a bruised thumb. Bourjos is batting 16-for-44 (.417) with eight runs scored in 13 games during the month of June.
Detroit will continue to be without catcher Alex Avila, currently rehabbing an injured shoulder at Triple-A Toledo.
Tommy Hanson (4-2, 5.10 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Angels on Wednesday afternoon. The right-hander was chased out of his last start in the third inning as the Seattle Mariners roughed him up to the tune of six hits and seven runs. That marked the second shortest start of his career. Despite the thumping, the Angels rallied to win the game 10-9.
Prior to that drubbing, Hanson had recorded two straight wins. He also picked up the ‘W’ against the Tigers back on April 19, pitching a shutout through six innings.
Detroit will send rookie Jose Alvarez (1-0, 2.45 ERA) to the mound. The Tigers have picked up the win in both games the left-hander has started in place of the injured Anibal Sanchez (shoulder). The Venezuelan yielded two runs on five hits against the Boston Red Sox last time out (June 20) to follow a one-run, three-hit outing in his debut.
Game Day Betting Lines
Los Angeles Angels vs. Detroit Tigers odds for 6/26/13 are available now.
Detroit (-150) opened as the favorite over Los Angeles (+140), despite the Angels’ impressive record against the Tigers of late.
The over/under opened at 9 1/2.
Both Detroit (41-33-1) and Los Angeles (44-32-1) have favored the over this season, a point verified by the fact that three of the four meetings between the clubs this season have seen the total go over.
The Angels (-155) are expected to cover the 1.5 spread.
Yu Darvish and the Texas Rangers lost a close one in The Bronx on Tuesday.
AL West Roundup
Having regained the AL West lead with a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals over the weekend, celebrations were short-lived for the Texas Rangers (44-33, 22-18 road) as the club fell 4-3 to the New York Yankees (42-34, 23-16 home) on Tuesday night.
In a game that saw the clubs combine for six homeruns, two of which came from Texas’ Leonys Martin, Ron Washington’s side ultimately succumbing to Ichiro Suzuki’s walk-off homer in the ninth inning. The Rangers will now look to turn things around in the second game of the series while the Yankees (42-34, 23-16 home) will hope to again ride out the media storm caused by the Alex Rodriguez-Brian Cashman bust-up.
Texas Rangers vs. New York Yankees odds for 6/26/13 are available now.
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The Oakland Athletics (45-34, 23-12 home) gained a share of the division lead Tuesday after handing the Cincinnati Reds (45-33, 19-19 road) a 7-3 loss. The A’s put all seven runs on the board before the end of the fifth inning, making it a harrowing night for Reds starter Bronson Arroyo (6-6, 3.61 ERA).
The two sides will meet again on Wednesday afternoon (3:35 p.m. ET) before the A’s turn their attention to a weekend series with the Cardinals.
Cincinnati Reds vs. Oakland Athletics odds for 6/26/13 are available now.
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The Seattle Mariners (34-44, 20-19 home) came out on the wrong end of a five-homerun barrage by the Pittsburgh Pirates (47-30, 22-17 road) Tuesday. Having scored six runs in the opening two innings, the Pirates – the second best team in baseball – finished the Mariners off 9-4 to take the first of a two-game series.
The Mariners and Pirates take to the field again on Wednesday (3:40 p.m. ET) for their last meeting of the season. The Mariners will welcome the Chicago Cubs for a weekend series beginning Friday.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Seattle Mariners odds for 6/26/13 are available now.
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The Houston Astros (29-49, 15-26 home) joined the Rangers and Mariners at the losers table Tuesday, losing 13-5 to the St. Louis Cardinals at Minute Maid Park. After a stint of five wins in six games between June 12 and 18, the Astros have now lost four from six. They’ll face the Cardinals again on Wednesday (8:10 p.m. ET) before preparing for a home series against the Angels this weekend.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Houston Astros odds for 6/26/13 are available now.
