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Angels' bats awaken to clinch road series
Aybar, Abreu help Halos pad AL West lead over Rangers
By Rustin Dodd / MLB.com
09/06/09 6:37 PM ET
KANSAS CITY -- The Angels have just one game left at Kauffman Stadium this season.That was about the only bad news that came out of Sunday's 7-2 victory over the Royals.
Erick Aybar tied a club record with two triples, starter Joe Saunders allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings, and the Angels improved to 9-0 against the Royals in 2009.
The Angels are now 23-5 in their past 28 games in Kansas City, including a 5-0 record this season. Sunday's win also helped the Halos pull 5 1/2 games ahead of division-rival Texas, which lost to Baltimore, 7-0.
Yes, there were plenty of positives to scratch off on Sunday's check-list.
For one, manager Mike Scioscia can stop answering questions about the Angels' sleepwalking offense.
Aybar put that storyline to rest with his second consecutive three-hit day. Aybar, who became the first Angel to have two triples in a game since Reggie Williams in 1999, helped ignite an offense that had been held to just five runs in its previous four games.
"I think we did a good thing getting into some hitting counts and took advantage of it," Scioscia said.
The offensive awakening started in the top of the second.
Following a single from Gary Matthews Jr., Mike Napoli ripped an RBI double to deep left. Howard Kendrick made it 2-0 with a single to center, and Aybar kept the rally going with a two-out triple -- his second of the day. Finally, Bobby Abreu capped off the four-run inning by scoring Aybar with a single to right.
The Angels continued to rough up Royals starter Luke Hochevar in the fourth, sending seven men to the plate while adding three more runs on three hits and a walk.
Abreu ended Hochevar's day with a two-run double to deep right. And Torii Hunter added an RBI single against reliever Dusty Hughes.
Abreu finished 2-for-3 with two walks and three RBIs.
All the offense was a welcome sight after John Lackey went toe-to-toe with Zack Greinke on Saturday in a low-scoring affair.
"It was nice to get the lead and get some comfort," Saunders said.
Saunders, who was coming off seven shutout innings against Oakland in his last start, was solid enough, holding the Royals in check for most of the afternoon.
There were a few hiccups -- including a run allowed in the third and a homer by Miguel Olivo in the fourth. However, Saunders, who had to work around 10 hits, found ways to mitigate the damage before leaving with two on in the sixth.
"It was just one of those days, where there was never an easy inning," Saunders said.
There was a tense moment when Saunders left and reliever Jason Bulger committed a fielding error to load the bases with one out in the inning. However, the uneasiness quickly subsided when the Royals' recently promoted infielder Luis Hernandez bounced into an inning-ending double play -- one of four double plays turned by the Angels' infield.
The Angels offense went quiet after the fourth against Hughes, who made his Major League debut.
But seven runs would be plenty after a spotless day from the Angels' bullpen.
Reliever Matt Palmer came on in the seventh and worked two scoreless innings and Jose Arredondo finished things off in the ninth.
The Angels can make it a perfect 10-0 season against Kansas City in the series finale on Monday. That would be their first season sweep of the Royals since going 7-0 in 2004.
"[The Angels] are a good team, they don't have many holes," said the Royals' Mark Teahen. "They play good defense, have good team speed [and] drive the ball."
The Royals will certainly be glad to see the Angels leave. Especially now that their offense seems to be back in gear.
"Not everybody was killing the ball," Scioscia said. "But we had enough guys that were doing their job that we were able to pressure those guys and get seven runs. We need that to keep coming."
Rustin Dodd is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
