Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
As I nervously flipped back and forth between the Los Angeles Angels and an unforgettable Game 7 of the NBA finals, I must confess I lingered on the basketball action for a while once I saw that the Halos had fallen behind 7-0 to the Seattle Mariners in the third inning.
Upon the spectacular conclusion of Miami‘s victory, I was shocked to see that the Angels had managed to tie Seattle 7-7 in the fifth inning en route to a 10-9 victory, thanks to a scorching three-run home run from Mark Trumbo and RBIs from Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, Peter Bourjos and a pair from Erick Aybar.
Mike Trout also went 4-for-4 on the evening to raise his average to .317 on the year, eliminating all talk of a sophomore slump for the outfielder who dazzled fans last year with his unbelievable Rookie of the Year campaign.
Wow.
The comeback was the largest of the season for the Halos, who racked up 17 hits just three nights after exploding for 21 against Seattle.
Both performances proved what everyone has known all along; the Los Angeles offense has the potential to be the most explosive in all of baseball. Though Thursday night’s outburst cannot be expected every evening, the Halos are finally hitting the their potential. The next step is consistency, which has been nearly impossible to come by for this squad.
Also, Hamilton was the only Angel to go hitless, dropping his average to a laughable .207 for the season. So there’s that.
Nevertheless, C.J. Wilson’s performance on Wednesday and the offense’s performance Thursday night after a terrible outing from Tommy Hanson (two innings, seven earned runs) demonstrates this team’s ability to win in the face of adversity.
The Halos now settle in for the final three games of their homestand starting tonight against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Tony Baker is a Los Angeles Angels blogger for Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter at @tonloc_baker.
