Halos Heaven

Final Score in Oakland: Angels 5, Athletics 3

The Angels finished a successful, if frustrating, 8-day road trip in style with a 5-2 record after a mini-sweep of division rival Oakland behind the pitching of Journeyman-turned-Jedi Shane Loux. The righthander allowed 1 run on 5 hits in 7 innings pitched.

The bats at the top and bottom of the Angels' order came alive in the damp chill of the Death Star Coliseum, with lowly eight and nine hitters Juan Rivera and Erick Aybar scoring two runs apiece while Chone Figgins and Gary Matthews Jr. in the leadoff and #2 spots accounted for all 5 of the L.A. of Anaheim Ribbys.

While the reliable bats of Bobby Abreu and Mike Napoli left a combined eight men on base, they helped to make Oakland starter Dallas Braden throw 103 pitches in six innings.

Angels reliever Scot Shields was squeezed by a home plate umpire clearly betting on Oakland with bookies or perhaps stormtroopers back at a seedy Bay Area Cantina, but red leader #40, Brian Fuentes dropped the payload of the final two outs for his seventh save, giving Loux his 2nd win of the season and sending the Angels back to Southern California with the Halo lit at the Big A.

After the game, infielder Brandon Wood was sent to Triple A Salt Lake and outfielder Reggie Willits was called up to rejoin the club as it starts an eight game homestand Wednesday night.