Posted 2:34 PM by Sean
Angels 5, Mariners 1. Cheryl Neuberg gets it right when she calls this one not a "must-win," but "certainly...a nice-to-win." The Angels did a good job of taking advantage of Pineiro while he was wild early, and hung on well, making no errors (for once). Appier looked all right - he pitched himself into and out of trouble all night. Maybe it's just his style, but he always looks to me like he's on the verge of total panic: sweaty, fidgety, and prone to falling behind hitters.

In other news, the injury parade grows ever longer, as Salmon left the game in the sixth inning complaining of tightness in his groin. Add him to the list, which now includes Adam Kennedy (who was officially placed on the DL) and Troy Glaus. The Angels' infield alignment last night included Shawn Wooten at first, Chone Figgins at second, Eckstein at short, and Spiezio at third. Tonight, we'll probably see the same thing, plus Eric Owens in right.

Tonight's game features Jarrod Washburn, who will be trying to come back from a poor outing against Oakland, versus Ryan Franklin, who has absolutely crushed the Angels (2-1, 1.78 ERA in seven appearances (four starts)). With both Figgins and Owens in the lineup, we can expect some aggressive base running from the Halos tonight.