Angels 5; Rangers 1

Paul Freaking Byrd. What a performance. Complete game with 91 pitches against probably the best offensive team in the league. Wow. That was a very impressive performance, marred only by the home run by David Delluci, who appears to be about three times the size I remember him being from seasons past. Byrd had the Rangers beffudled all night, in true Jamie Moyer/Doug Jones fashion, with a fastball approaching 90 mixed in. Games like this are why they signed him, and now they're guaranteed to go into the Dodgers series with a lead in the division.

Vlad, well, there's not really much you can say about him anymore. He absolutely demolished the first pitch he saw from Chris Young in the first, and that turned out to be all Byrd needed. A sac fly and an RBI double completed a 4 RBI night for the reigning MVP. Up and down the lineup, the Angels hit tonight. Well, except for Finley, but I consider him to be somewhere other than up or down the lineup, and I wish Scioscia would, too. Anyway we can Sebestyen* him? Kennedy with three hits, Figgins with three hits, Erstad stays hot with two hits... If those three get on base like that, this team can score some runs.

It appears that the Angels will also pick up a game on the Mariners. I know, I know, why do I care about the Mariners. Well, they're as close to Angels as anyone is to the White Sox, and I think we've learned the hard way that you never count them out. Any steps the Angels can put between them are good things.

Chan Ho vs. Big Bart tomorrow. Park has apparently been picking up secrets from Bartolo, which is the only way to explain a 7-1 record with an ERA over 5.00. Not that this series is make or break, but it sure would be nice to wrap up a series win tomorrow, and set up the sweep for Wednesday (unlikely with the Gambler on the mound).

*Mike Sebestyen is a friend of a friend here in Chicago (or more accurately, a friend whom I met through another friend). High school football coach, and former high school athlete. Great guy. Teased often because he was, from what I understand, he's one of the few (if not only) position players in Fenwick High School history to be DH'd so that the pitcher could hit. Perhaps this isn't a rare occurence at other schools, but among the crew of Fenwick grads that I hang out with in Chicago, the practice of DH'ing for a position player has come to be known as being "Sebestyened".