Going in to their series with the Detroit Tigers, the Los Angeles Angels had managed only four wins so far this season — pretty much neck-and-neck for last place with the lowly Houston Astros, who only just joined their division in 2013.
Two of their four wins have come against those Astros, so there really hasn’t been too much to brag about. With Manager Mike Scioscia already feeling some discomfort of the hot seat, it was important that the Angels at least play good baseball against the Central division-leading Tigers.
Not only did they play good ball, they came to win — an attitude that seems to have been missing in the early part of the year. Maybe it was their former teammate and Angel favorite Torii Hunter’s return to Anaheim that fueled the eight run output by the halos. Whatever it was, it sure felt good to Angel fans.
The Angels and big-spending owner Arte Moreno have been knocked repeatedly for not giving the star hitters in the lineup any chance to win because of them not adding any solid pitching. But with the lineup of sticks Scioscia has, who needs pitching?
That philosophy, we know, will not last an entire MLB season. But until the Angels can start winning games regularly with consistent performances on defense and on the bases, Moreno may be reluctant to increase his payroll any more this year. If he has any left to spend.
The first two games of their series with Detroit may signal the turnaround they’ve been looking for. If the offense starts mashing like they are supposed to and keep the Angels close in the division, there will be free agent arms to add before the trade deadline.
Moreno knows what he’s doing. For now, its just fun to see the halos put up 18 runs in two games against a top AL team like Detroit.
Kenny Bristow is a Los Angeles Dodgers writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @kennybristow, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
