The Angels went 4-2 last week despite getting outscored 33-30. The Angels combined timely hitting and solid pitching in winning those 4 games last week. The Angels entered this week with a 31-20 record which had them in first place in the American League West, 4.5 games ahead of the Mariners.

Baseball America has ranked Brandon Wood as their #1 prospect but he hasn’t looked like it this season yet. In 22 games in AAA ball, Wood is 34 for 149 (.228 avg, .715 OPS) with 18 runs, 5 homers, 21 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Wood has also looked overmatched quite a bit this season as he’s whiffed 44 times already this season in the minors. Wood also played in 3 games for the Angels this season and he was only 1 for 11 (.091 avg, .182 OPS) with 1 run scored and 5 whiffs. Look for Wood to rebound somewhat this season as he’s way too talented to play like he is right now.

Dustin Moseley just takes the ball and get opposing batters out. He can start of relieve, but the Angels have been using him out of the bullpen lately. In 13 games (2 starts), Moseley is 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP so far this season. In 26.2 innings, he has allowed 19 hits and he’s only walked 4 batters. Look for Moseley to continue pitching well as he’s a bulldog on the mound.

Manager Mike Scioscia is getting upset enough at Ervin Santana that he might wind up sending him to the minors if he doesn’t straighten out soon. In 10 starts, Santana is 3-6 with a 6.00 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP so far this year. In 57 innings, he has allowed 68 hits, 13 homers and has walked 25 batters. Santana has whiffed 44 batters so the stuff is there. He just needs to get his head straight as he’s been throwing too many fat pitches.

The Angels went 6-1 last week as they outscored their opponents 41-20! The bats came alive while the pitching continued it’s excellence last week. The Angels entered this week with a 27-18 record which had them in 1st place in the American League West, 4 games ahead of the A’s.

Figgins started the season on the disabled list with two broken fingers on his throwing hand. Since activated from the DL, Figgins has played in 18 games and he’s only 7 for 65 (.108 avg, .313 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 3 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Figgins will need to pick up his play soon or he’ll start to lose playing time. The Angels have also been linked to the Colorado Rockies in trade rumors involving 3B Garrett Atkins and that’s not good news as far as Figgins is concerned.

You have to wonder if moving down to 4th in the batting order is the real reason for his sudden skill at the plate or if he got a new order of HGH in the mail. Regardless, Matthews has been great in his last 7 games as he’s 9 for 27 (.333 avg, 1.170 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 4 homers and 11 RBIs. The Angels hope Matthews can keep the power stroke going as he is giving Vladimir Guerrero solid protection in the lineup.

The Angels were 4-2 last week as they outscored their opponents 30-20. The Angels finally scored some runs to make their solid pitching stand up last week. The Angels are now 21-17 which has them in first place in the A.L. West, 1 game ahead of the A’s.

Is it just me, or does anyone else moan when you see the game being televised with Mota and Gubicza instead of Hudler and Physioc? Hud and Phys are the best, and there’s no reason for them not to do every single game. Mota is a nightmare to listen to - he makes inane comments with poor timing and is just a much lower quality broadcaster than the other two. Gubicza helps a little bit, but not much.

The Angels went 3-4 last week as they were outscored 25-24. The Angels would have done much better if they hit the ball. The Angels entered this week in 1st place in the AL West with a 17-15 record, 1 game ahead of the Mariners and A’s.