Many doubted if the Angels could contend for a playoff spot this season, but here they sit just two games out of the division lead.  Of course, the Halos are also one game under .500 as well, so many doubters remain.  Over the course of the next 13 games, all at home, those doubters will either be silenced or grow exponentially in numbers.

Call it hyperbole if you want, but this homestand is going to decide the course of the Angels' season.  Contender or pretenders?  Buyers or sellers?  A second half of hope or torture?  One way or another, we should have all of those answers, or at least be very close to them, by the time this thirteen-game set wraps up.

For most teams, having thirteen straight games at home would be an undeniable blessing from the Baseball Gods, but the Angels just can't do anything normally, can they?  With a 15-20 home record, the Angels will no doubt be entering this stretch with trepidation rather than temerity.  For whatever reason, the Halos just don't seem to take well to playing in the Big A.  The last time the Angels had the "pleasure" of playing at home, they dropped seven of nine games in the homestand and saw their record drop under .500, a hole from which they have yet to fully extricate themselves from.  The problem, as it has been all season long, was an inability to genertate offense (just 21 runs in 9 games, only once scoring more thant three runs in a game).  The question of why they struggled is a classic "chicken or egg" scenario.

It is a mystery that confuses even the most ardent of Angel fans: why can't the Halos win at home?

At 15-20 at home, the Angels have some real soul-searching to do to solve their home-related issues and they best do it soon since their next 13 games are all in the friendly confines of Angel Stadium.  Of course, you can't solve a problem lest you know what is causing it.  So, what do you think is the root of the Angels' inability to play well at home?

Time to vote!

The June 27th, 2011 edition of daily news for the LA Angels including Torii Hunter not sure when he will be back from his rib injury, not all Halos are anxious to return home, Abreu's status as a Venezuelan great is growing and much more...

The Story: Torii Hunter isn't sure when he will return to action.

The Monkey Says: Since Torii was struggling anyway, it would be stupid for the Angels to bring him back before he is 100% healthy.  Frankly, Hunter could use some rest as he has started every game this season up until he got hurt, which really is more an indictment on the Angels' lack of depth than a credit to Hunter's ability.

The Story: Some Angels should be wary of their upcoming extended homestand.

The Monkey Says: The home struggles of the Halos are well documented, but to assume specific players just can't hit there is a little outlandish.  We're dealing with very small sample sizes here, not to mention that some of the listed players in the article aren't exactly hitting well on the road either.

I'd like to congratulate the Angels on sweeping the Dodgers, even if the sweep was only in spirit since the umpires felt it necessary to job the Halos out of a win today.

Dodgers 3, Angels 2

I hate blaming a loss on poor umpiring, it just isn't my style, so I hope you appreciate just how bad the umpiring must be when I say that bad umpiring DEFINITELY cost the Angels today's game.

Sure, Vernon Wells could've caught Tony Gwynn's "triple" in the 8th inning and Jordan Walden could've not walked the first two batters in the ninth, but those were more contributing factors than direct causes.  None of that would've mattered if the umpires in today's game were aware that you are allowed to call a runner out on a close play at a base when the base is blocked.

First, Dee Gordon should've been out on his steal attempt at second.  He beat the throw, but Erick Aybar's foot impeded his path and forced him to come off the base for a brief moment while the tag was still, more or less, being applied.  I can give the umpire a bit of a pass on this one since it was probably hard to see from his angle and Gordon's loss of contact with the base was rather brief.  You could say that Gordon was on the base "in spirit" in the same way guys turn doubleplays without actually stepping on second base sometimes.  The fact remains that he was technically out, even if most umpires probably would have called him safe in the same situation.

That same line of thinking doesn't apply to the much more controversional and obviously wrong play at the plate to tie the game where Gordon, once again, should've been called out.

If you didn't see the play, take a look at the highlight now, I'll wait.

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Done?  Great.  Total BS, right?  Yeah, I know!

If Gordon gets credit for staying on second base "in spirit" then that same logic should apply here.  Without a doubt, the throw to the plate beats Gordon and Mathis has the dish blocked off so well that it had to make Mike Scioscia proud.  The one thing that Mathis didn't quite do is apply a "real" tag.  Gordon slid into him and made no initial contact with the plate whatsoever until he reached around Mathis with his hand on a second effort.  But Mathis had the ball safely in possession before that and had made plenty of body contact with Gordon.  It is hard to tell in the replay, but Mathis' actual glove may have never touched Gordon, but Mathis' forearm definitely did and in my book that should've been good enough and I do think that would've been good enough for 90% of umpires.  Unfortunately, Tom Hallion is one of the 10% and called Gordon safe instead of calling him out to end the game.

At least I think that is what Hallion's justification was because having watched the play over and over again, that is the only way I can see him justifying that call.

Like I said, total BS.

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Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (39-39) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (34-44)

Pitching Probables: LAA – Jered Weaver (9-4, 2.01 ERA)  LAD – Clayton Kershaw (7-3, 3.01 ERA)

Game Info: 1:10 PM PT; TV - KCOP; Radio - KLAA 830 AM

The long U2-induced road trip is finally drawing to a close, and what a trip it has been.  With one game left to play on this 12-game roadie, the Angels have done just about as well as one could hope, standing 8-3, winning every single series and getting themselves back up to .500.  But they have one last box to tick off on their check list before everything is said and done... sweeping the damn Dodgers in their own stadium.

It is one thing to sweep a club, it is another thing to do it in their own stadium but it is a whole different thing altogether for that club to be hated crosstown rival.  This wouldn't just give the Halos momentum, it could be just the thing they need to finally cleanse them of all the frustrations they've been battling the last few weeks.  Sure, the offense still won't be very good, but the confidence high the clubhouse would be riding after closing out this road trip with a sweep of the Dodgers could well be enough to at least convince them that the offense is good enough to still win the division.  And that ego boost couldn't be coming at a better time with the Halos having pulled within two games of the Rangers and about to head home for a 13-game homestand to finish out the first half.

Of course, they actually need to win the game first.

I am really starting to like Tyler Chatwood. Most people thought he would get a cup of coffee with the big team before we would be subjected to the horror that was Scott Kazmir. With Kazmir getting released, conventional wisdom had the Angels hitting the market for an arm. All along Chatwood has gone out there and battled. Sure he has had some bad games but his last two outings make me a believer that his time is now. Of course, it helps he pitched against the punchless Dodgers, but still...

Angels 6 Dodgers 1 
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                                               Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim  (38-39) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (34-43)

                               Pitching Probables: LAA – Tyler Chatwood (4-4, 3.84 ERA)  LAD -- Hiroki Kuroda (5-8, 3.07 ERA)

                                                                    Game Info: 1:10 PM PT; TV - FOX; Radio - KLAA 830 AM

I have come to believe that the Freeway Series brings out the wacky in both teams. This is the series that, during it's inaugural pairing, saw Chan Ho Park ninja kick Tim Belcher. You match that with the Weaver No Hitter Loss and all the weirdness of last night's baserunning blunderrama and you get something completely unique to baseball. So what do we expect to see today...who the heck knows, but it won't be boring.