The Angels are back at Fenway Park for yet another pivotal series against the Red Sox.
The Halos, who were an inning away from winning their sixth straight on Sunday, blew the lead and lost 3-2 to the Rangers, leaving them tied with the Athletics at the top of the American League West.
Now, with a four-game series against a confusing Red Sox team, the Angels have a chance to pull ahead of the A’s in the tight AL West race. Meanwhile, the Red Sox still haven’t got a ton to play for.
Angels southpaw C.J. Wilson, who had been struggling prior to last week, believes he has figured out what was going wrong on the mound.
"“I just think that if I stay with my eyes on the target the whole way, then the ball’s going to go where I want it to go,” Wilson said per mlb.com. “And if the ball goes where I want it to go, then it’s going to be good. Because I know exactly what my stuff does. It’s just a matter of trying to keep it where I want.”"
Wilson (9-8, 4.71) will have a chance to prove he’s found his groove tonight against Brandon Workman (1-6, 4.45), pitching on a bit of extra rest after skipping his last start.
Jered Weaver (13-7, 3.66) faces rookie righty Allen Webster (3-1, 4.79) in the second game of the set on Tuesday night. Garrett Richards (13-4, 2.53) looks to continue his stellar season Wednesday night against the woeful Clay Buchholz (5-7, 5.79), and Matt Shoemaker (11-4, 3.84) takes the hill for the Angels in Thursday’s series finale. The Red Sox have yet to announce a starter for Thursday.
This four game set with the Red Sox is huge for Los Angeles. Oakland, who has lost each of their last five games, will have a day off on Monday before heading home for a two-game series with the Mets. If Oakland’s lackluster play continues through the next few games, it will give the Angels a golden opportunity to slip ahead Oakland for the division lead.
However, if the Red Sox can deny the Halos a successful series, that’ll make things all the more interesting in the AL West.
Stay tuned.