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Angels gear up for showdown in Arlington
Los Angeles (87-59) at Texas (80-65). 5:05 p.m. PT
By Lyle Spencer / MLB.com
09/18/09 1:26 AM ET
BOSTON -- When it comes to defense, Torii Hunter speaks with a certain authority. Eight consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Awards provide that, as does an errorless streak spanning 264 regular-season games, dating back to Aug. 31, 2007. When Hunter -- the club's unofficial captain -- exhorts his Angels teammates to tighten the screws, straighten up and fly right, you assume they'll respond. "As a team, us, we need to play a lot better," Hunter said as the Angels were preparing for a three-game American League West showdown against Texas at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. "We need to play the game we know how to play. "Don't try to do too much. Don't get caught up in the hype. Just play the game. We've been making mistakes that aren't like us. We'll clean it up. We're going to be better." The Angels were as good, overall, as any club in the game defensively until very recently. Mishaps, of a physical and mental kind, hurt them on the East Coast portion of this trip, in New York and Boston. Hunter, who lives in Prosper, outside Dallas, hopes that the wide-open spaces of Texas will enable the Angels to breathe freely again -- even if they're facing a club that has manhandled them this season, taking nine of 12 and five of six in Arlington. Designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero, who sustained a bruised left rib cage after being hit by a pitch on Wednesday night, missed Thursday night's series finale against the Red Sox, which the Angels won, 4-3, and is day to day. "We have to start playing better against these guys," Hunter said. "They've owned us." The Rangers, with four consecutive losses and five in the past six games, have been in a freefall, unable to gain ground while the Angels were stumbling in the Big Apple and Beantown. "We've got to win two out of three, that's for sure," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. Asked if that would be enough to catch the Angels, Washington said, "Probably not. But if we can win the series, I'll be happy with that. If we get lucky and win all three, great. But I would sure like to win two out of three." That may not be a modest goal, as the Rangers were unable to at least take two of three in the first two series of their homestand. Tommy Hunter pitches the first game for the Rangers, facing Scott Kazmir, the Houston native returning to his home state. "Obviously, it's a big series," said Rangers third baseman Michael Young. "We have to find a way to win games. They are playing well, and they have a sizable lead. But we've got to find a way to chip away." The Rangers cling to the notion that their postseason hopes are alive, despite their struggles on the current homestand. "Absolutely, yes," catcher Ivan Rodriguez said. "We've just got to keep playing. Right now we have been going through a tough time, but we have to stay strong. We're still strong, and we've got some games left. "This is going to be a big series. The games are going to be big. But we have to take it a game at a time, an inning at a time, a pitch at a time, an at-bat at a time and play our game. It's going to be big." Pitching matchupLAA: LHP Scott Kazmir (8-8, 5.32 ERA)
Kazmir struggled a bit early against the White Sox on Sunday but found his rhythm to pitch six solid innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. He allowed a bases-loaded single in the first but settled down after that to make his third consecutive effective start since joining the Angels. Even so, he was saddled with the no-decision and is winless with his new club. He is 5-1 with a 2.88 ERA against the Rangers in five career starts. TEX: RHP Tommy Hunter (8-3, 3.23 ERA)
Hunter tossed the first complete game of his career on Sunday in a 7-2 victory over Seattle. He needed only 102 pitches and had four innings in which he reached only single digits in pitches. He allowed six hits, five of them singles. He has seven wins since being called up from Triple-A Oklahoma on June 28. He used his changeup and curveball to keep Seattle's hitters off balance in Sunday's win. Tidbits
Guerrero is batting .298 with 10 homers and 24 RBIs in 40 games since coming off the disabled list. He has a history of bashing the ball in Texas, hitting .392 with a .707 slugging percentage in 47 career games, with 13 homers and 32 RBIs at Rangers Ballpark. ... Former Ranger Gary Matthews Jr. is a .278 career hitter in his old home, with 28 homers and 101 RBIs in 195 games. ... The Rangers scored 700 runs in their first 144 games. They need 100 in their final 18 games to reach 800 on the season. The Rangers have scored 800 runs in 13 consecutive seasons. Tickets
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• KLAA 830, KFWB, KWKW 1330 (Español) Up next
• Saturday: Angels (Jered Weaver, 15-6, 3.85) at Rangers (Scott Feldman, 16-5, 3.65), 4:05 p.m. PT
• Sunday: Angels (John Lackey, 10-8, 3.47) at Rangers (Derek Holland, 7-11, 6.01), 10:05 a.m. PT
• Monday: Angels (Joe Saunders, 13-7, 4.75) vs. Yankees (TBD), 7:05 p.m. PT
Lyle Spencer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
