KOD7 - Week 10 - Angels/Brewers

Lucky 7s - Angels take 3 of 4 from Brew Crew to take 1 game AL West lead

 

[Game 1 - September 21 - Angels 7, Brewers 0]

Spot starter Kelvim Escobar tossed a complete game, 3-hit shutout.  Juan Rivera went 3-4 with 2HRs and 4 RBIs, and Dallas McPherson also HRed, as the Angels scored 5 times in the bottom of the 3rd and never looked back.  The 3 HRs were made the more remarkable because the the Angels had only HRed 11 times as a team through the first 30 games. Lary Sorensen went the distance for the Brewers despite yielding 17 hits and 7 earned runs.

 

[Game 2 - September 22 - Angels 7, Brewers 3]

Angels rallied from a 3-1 deficit to take Game 2.  Vlad Guerrero put Anaheim up 1-0 with an RBI single in the bottom of the 1st.  Brewers tied it on a Cecil Cooper sac fly in the 3rd, and then took the lead on a Sal Bando 2-run HR.  But the Halos retook the lead in the bottom of the 3rd on an error, a walk, a single, and 3 straight fielder's choices, plating 3 runs. Three more runs on a walk and 4 singles in the 7th put the game away, as Jerrod Washburn settled down to prevent Milwaukee from scoring after the 3rd.  Scot Shields and Brendon Donnelly provided 3 innings of scoreless relief.  With the win, Washburn improved to 5-0.  Mike Caldwell (5-3) took the loss for the Brewers. 

 

[Game 3 - September 23 - Brewers 7, Angels 1]

Jim Slaton (5-2) needed only 80 pitches to achieve a 6 hit, 1 walk complete game.  His only mistake was a Vlad Guerrero solo HR in the top of the 1st inning.  Afterwards, only 2 other Angel base runners even reached scoring position. Meanwhile, the Brew Crew scored in 4 of the first 5 innings behind HRs by Ben Oglivie and Gorman Thomas, and were in control the whole game. Losing pitcher John Lackey (1-5) was touched for 6 earned runs and lasted only 5 innings.    

 

[Game 4 - September 24 - Angels 7, Brewers 3]

With both teams tied for the AL West division lead with identical 18-15 records, this game took on extra importance. Starters Paul Bird and Bill Travers did their jobs keeping the game close for 8 innings. Adam Kennedy's RBI single gave Anaheim a 1-0 lead in the top of the 4th.  But Milwaukee answered with 2 in the bottom of the 5th on a Robin Yount single and a Ben Oglivie double.  The score remained 2-1 Brewers going to the top of the 9th with the game handed over to the bullpens.  With one out, Orlando Cabrera tied the game with a single, as Steve Finley barely managed to slide under catcher Ray Fosse's glove.  But the next two Angels walked to load the bases for Vlad Guerrero.  Vladdy then broke the back and spirit of the home crowd faithful with a grand slam off Bob McClure to give Anaheim a 4-run cushion. It was only his 3rd of the season. But it couldn't have come at a better time for the Angels, who wnet on to a 7-3 victory. The win went to Scot Shield (5-0), while Jerry Augustine (0-1) took the loss.

 

With the series win, Anaheim took a 1-game division lead heading into the last series of the regular season.