Halos Heaven

Final score Anaheim:  Angels 2, Oakland 1

What happens when the Angels face a leftie starter with 17 career innings pitched?  Add to that, the pitcher is making his third career start just a few miles from where he was born, raised and went to high school?  After bouncing around the minor, Mexican, and independent leagues since 2003 (and being out of baseball for 2 seasons), Bobby Cramer, who graduated from Loara high school in Anaheim, made his major league debut a couple weeks ago for the Oakland A's.  As with most rookie pitcher who face the Angels for the first time, Cramer shutdown the Halo offense by allowing just one run on 3 hits in 6.2 innings.  The Angels scored their one run on an RBI groundout by Howie Kendrick after Cramer had walked Trumbo and Conger to lead off the 3^rd inning.

Fortunately the Angel had Joel Pineiro on the hill, as he matched the Oakland rookie by allowing a run in 7 innings.  Pineiro has looked sharp since returning from an oblique injury earlier this month.  Although he remains winless upon his return, Pineiro has allowed just 4 earned runs in 21 innings (1.71 ERA) suffering from the same lack of support as his Angel rotation mates.  The lone run Pineiro surrendered came off a leadoff single to Cris Carter in the third that was misplayed by right-fielder Mark Trumbo allowing Carter to take second base.   After a sacrifice by Pennington, Rajai Davis doubled home Carter to tie the game.  Pineiro, who typically gets his outs via groundballs, recorded 10 outs from balls hit to the outfield compared to just 4 groundouts. 

However the offensive fail was rampant in Anaheim as the Angels left the bases loaded in the 9^th and 10^th innings, and for the sixth time this month the Angels went extra innings, going 2-3 in the previous five.   Finally, in the 11^th inning, Torii Hunter ripped a two-out single to score Jeff Mathis(!) for the game winner.  Bobby Cassevah earned his first career win after pitching 2 innings of one-hit baseball.

This was the final home game of the 2010 season.  It all goes by so fast.