The week ahead
Hello, September. The Angels finally have an off day, but it will be short lived. The Angels get Labor Day off after finishing August with 17 games in 17 days. Tuesday begins a stretch of 23 games in 23 days, with their next off day not coming until Sept. 25. The Angels begin Tuesday with two in Houston before going to Minnesota for four.
The week behind
The Angels concluded August with a bang, finishing the month 19-10. Last week might have been the most impressive week the Angels have had all season. Consider the team is still trying to cope with the loss of Garrett Richards. Wade LeBlanc took his spot in the rotation and was designated for assignment the following day. Saturday, they used eight relievers to shut out the A's 2-0, including Cory Rasmus who was making his first career start. He went three innings and struck out six. In the biggest series of the year, to this point, the Angels completed a four-game sweep of Oakland to widen their gap atop the AL West.
Record and standings
Following the sweep of the A's, the Angels enter the week 83-53 -- the only team in the majors to reach the 80-win mark -- and a five-game lead over Oakland in the American League West.
Thumbs up
How the Angels won (08/31): Angels sweep the A’s and extend their AL West lead to 5 games
Not only has the Angels' bullpen done a great job of holding leads during the Angels' current six-game winning streak, but they were called upon to handle a tough task Saturday night and passed with flying colors. The Angels used eight pitchers in the shutout win, all relievers, and combined to give up just three hits. As a group, they walked two and struck out 11.
Thumbs down
Despite all the success the Angels had during the week, David Freese had his struggles. Freese doesn't have a hit in his last 17 at bats and hasn't had a hit in his last five games. During that span, he's struck out five times. Nine of those at bats resulted in groundball outs, and he has not drawn a walk.
Player to watch
Erick Aybar has been smoking hot of late. He rides a 16-game hitting streak into the week. He's hitting .458 during that time with a .984 OPS. He's scored 11 runs during his current streak and has knocked in three game-winning RBI. Most importantly for the Angels, they are 12-4 during that span.
Stat to watch
Notebook: Scioscia pushing back rotation due to roster expansion
Quotable
"You see the beard and you think he's 35 and he's a vet but he's really held his own. His composure is just beyond his years." -- Angels catcher Hank Conger on 27-year-old starter Matt Shoemaker.
