Seattle Grabs First Game of Series

The rookie Jason Vargas stifled the Angels lineup tonight, holding the first four in the lineup to a gaudy 0-14 while leading the Mariners over the Angels 5-2.  John Lackey started for the Angels, going seven and a third innings allowing ten hits and five earned-runs.  The one bright spot in the lineup was left-fielder Juan Rivera who went 3-4 at the plate with his fifth home-run on the year and a fabulous catch deep in left.  The Angels took a bigger hit in the standings with this loss, as the first place Texas Rangers won both games of a double header and pushed their lead to four-and-a-half games. 

Matt Palmer puts his flawless 5-0 record on the line tomorrow night against right-hander Felix Hernandez. Anaheim needs to go on a hot streak as soon as possible, or their defecit will grow larger with each passing day.