After Monday nights game against Tampa Bay the Angels had lost all four of their games against the surprising AL East leading club. After the Angels rather alarming 13-4 loss to Tampa in the first game of the series the Angels streak of seven consecutive series wins was in serious jeopardy. Faced with their first real challenge in the past month the Angels responded exactly how a championship (potential) team should. In Tuesday nights game the Angels got to it immediately, Garret Anderson hit a two run homer to get the ball rolling. Jered Weaver didn’t look back pitching eight terrific innings. Weaver threw 110 pitches, 70 of them for strikes and gave up just a solo homer in the eighth inning. After the game Weaver described his effort, “I felt real good tonight.” I guess so, it didn’t hurt that the Angels quickly built a lead with six runs in the games first five innings.

This afternoon John Lackey picked up right where Weaver left off. After surrendering an first inning run to Tampa, Lackey retired 14 straight batters. But the Angels despite Lackey’s tremendous effort could not solve the Rays lefty Scott Kazmir. Through four innings the Angels couldn’t even manage a hit, ironically Kazmir retired the first 14 Angels batters he faced. With two outs in the fifth Gary Matthews finally got the Angels on the scoreboard with a solo shot to make it 2-1 Tampa. In the top of the seventh the Rays added a run to their lead and it appeared the Angels were going to waste a great game from Lackey. But a two out rally in the bottom of the seventh got the Angels back in the game. After a Casey Kotchman and Robb Quinlan single, followed by a walk Maicer Izturis laced an bases loaded single to bring in two runs and give the Halos their first lead of the game. Mike Scioscia described the progressive nature in which his club got to Kazmir, “We kept getting better at-bats as the game went on, worked deeper counts and for not having much action in the first four innings, we had his pitch count up and got to him later in the game.”

In the eighth inning Vladimir Guerrero lead off with his tenth home run of the season to add a key insurance run. And of course this column wouldn’t be complete with Fransisco Rodriguez coming in to seal the deal. K-Rod set down the three Rays he faced to pick up his 24th consecutive save bringing his league leading total to 27. Today the Angels will enjoy a day off before welcoming the Atlanta Braves to L.A.

Friday:

Angels (41-26)- Jon Garland (6-3, 3.87) vs. Braves (32-34)- Jo-Jo Reyes (2-4, 4.80)

7:05 PM PT

Notes:

Chone Figgins is expected to be back in the lineup Friday after recovering from an strained right hamstring suffered May 3 against Baltimore.

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