=== Anaheim Angels Team Report - September 8 === (My Sportsbook) - The Anaheim Angels will try for their fifth straight victory when they play the middle test of a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays tonight at Angel Stadium. The Angels are 1 1/2 games behind the Oakland Athletics for first place in the American League West. They also trail Boston by four games for the AL wild card. The Angels hope Kelvim Escobar can win for the fifth time in seven starts, as he heads to the mound tonight. Escobar is 4-1 with a 3.20 ERA in his last six outings and picked up a victory last Friday in Cleveland. He surrendered four runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings against the Indians. The 28-year-old Escobar, who played in Toronto from 1997-2003, is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in one career start against his former team. In Tuesday's opener, Bartolo Colon struck out seven in seven strong innings for the win, and the Angels banged out 11 hits to beat Toronto, 5-2. Colon (14-11) yielded two runs on six hits and a walk, winning for the ninth time in his last 12 starts. He is 8-3 lifetime against the Blue Jays. Chone Figgins and Garret Anderson homered for the Angels, who were coming off a three-game weekend sweep of Cleveland. The Angels were hitless against Toronto starter David Bush until they scored two runs in the fourth inning for a 2-0 lead. The Angels have won four of seven meetings with Toronto this season after the Blue Jays won seven of nine matchups in 2003. |
