The Angels’ 6-4 road victory over the Seattle Mariners tied the franchise record for most wins in a season at 99, set by the 2002 team that won the World Series over the San Francisco Giants in seven games.
Thursday night’s victory was due in large part to the strong performance of outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, who hit two crucial home runs. Down 2-1 entering the sixth inning, Guerrero led off with a home run off Randy Messenger to tie the game. With the game tied at four and a runner on first in the top of the ninth inning, Guerrero crushed a pitch from Seattle closer J.J. Putz into the bullpen in left field to give the Angels the lead.
The slugger’s ninth inning blast put an explanation point on a series, in which he went 7-for-15 with five RBIs. Over this career, Guerrero has dominated the Mariners, as he holds a .363 average with 26 homers and 77 RBIs.
- B/R Ticket Guide
With the victory over Seattle, the Angels closed in on the best record in the American League and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Tampa Bay, which lost to Detroit 7-5, is now three games back with three left to play, and it seems increasingly unlikely that they catch the Halos.
Now, the bests of the night…
Top 3 Angel performers
1) Vladimir Guerrero looks more than ready for October baseball, as the slugger belted two game changing home runs in the sixth and ninth innings and had 3 RBIs in leading the Halos to their 99th victory of the season.
2) Despite batting in the eight hole, catcher Mike Napoli was still able to register an RBI, while going 2-for-3 on the evening. Since returning from an injury just over a month ago, Napoli’s strong performance at the plate has forced manager Mike Scioscia to split the catching duties between Napoli and Jeff Mathis.
3) Scot Shields did an admiral job in filling in for Francisco Rodriguez as the closer. Shields surrendered no hits, while earning his fourth save of the season.
Angels Jeff Weaver of the Day (Note: JTD denotes the Angel that played the poorest): On a night in which the Angels’ offense recorded eleven hits and six runs, Garret Anderson looked hapless at the plate by going 0-for-5 while striking out once.
Play of the Game: Vladimir Guerrero’s two run homer in the top of the ninth inning gave the Angels the lead and positioned them for yet another victory.
What to look for next game: The Angels return home to face the Texas Rangers with John Lackey, who is coming off one of his best starts of the season, taking the mound on Friday night. Provided the Angels win one game during the weekend’s three game series against Texas, they will have 100 wins for the first-time in franchise history and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Game is Friday @ 7:05 PM (FSN).
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