All good things must come to an end, and as such, we saw Dan Haren's scoreless inning streak snapped at 18 2/3 today via an RBI single by A.J. Pierzynski (who else would it be?).  But what didn't end was the Angels winning streak which now sits at five after the Halos compeleted a three-game road sweep of the ChiSox.

Angels 4, White Sox 2

What is there to say about Dan Haren that hasn't already been said?  He didn't quite cruise through this game like he did his last, but he once again proved his dominance by shutting down the White Sox for six innings before running out of gas in the seventh.  There just is no slowing down Haren.  He's dominated at home and now he dominating on the road and it doesn't seem to matter how potent the opposing lineup is.  And, yes I am going to rain on the parade, he continues to dominate and win games without much run support.

Beyond Haren though is that the Angels now have to be feeling awfully good about themselves right in time to head on down to Texas to face the Ranger, tied for first place in the AL West.  Sure, it is early in the season, but that's going to be a big series nonetheless.

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  Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim  (9-5) @ Chicago White Sox  (7-7)

Pitching Probables: LAA – Dan Haren (3-0, 0.73 ERA)  CWS – Mark Buehrle (1-0, 4.26 ERA)

Game Info: 11:10 AM PT; TV - Fox Sports West; Radio - KLAA 830 AM

Dan Haren enters this game with a 0.73 ERA and a 13 2/3 inning scoreless streak.  His hot run has to come to an end at some point, but will today be that day?

Nothing has been able to slow down Dan Haren so far.  Not poor run support.  Not having to pitch in relief in between starts.  Not a red-hot Cleveland offense.  Rain and freezing cold weather?  Perhaps.  Perhaps not.

What is truly great about Haren's big run is that, coupled Weaver's similarly stellar stretch, the Angel rotation is finally getting the national attention that it deserves.  Before the season, back when Pineiro was still healthy and we weren't 100% sure Kazmir was going to be a disaster, I was one of many Angel fans screaming from the rooftops that the Angels really did have one of the best, if not the best, rotation in baseball.  But those exclamations fell upon deaf ears... until now.

Strangely enough, while the back end of the Angel rotation has started to unravel, the sheer dominance of Haren and Weaver has thrust the starting pitchers into the spotlight where it figures to remain until one of the new dynamic duo finally takes a misstep.

I'm really starting to like the 2011 incarnation of the Los Angeles Angels. If you remember the 2002 Angels, most of that team was made up of home grown talent that made it's way through the farm system together. That team was built on solid starting pitching, good team speed and timely hitting. Now it's early to make such a lofty comparison, I know, but it is nice to see players that weren't overpaid for (although they still exist), who are hungry for playing time, and seem to be part of a geniunely cohesive team. Today's game fit that blueprint with Tyler Chatwood getting his first major league win, Hank Conger cementing himself as the #1 catcher, and the Angels continuing a four game win streak.

Angels 7 White Sox 2

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Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (8-5) @ Chicago White Sox (7-6)

Pitching Probables:  LAA – Tyler Chatwood (0-1, 7.20 ERA)  CHI -- Gavin Floyd (1-0, 2.40 ERA)

Game Info: 1:10 PM PT; TV - Fox Channel 11; Radio - KLAA 830 AM


Chatwood gets a second chance to make a first impression and hopefully keep the Angels' win streak alive and well.

The Angels fought through the wind and the rain to get Weaver his fourth win of the year. The bullpen came through, although Fraudney continued his high wire act before giving way to the steady hand of new closer Jordan Walden, allowing the Angels a nice win to start the road trip. Did I mention that the game was played in what might be best descrbed as the Arctic Circle? I caught the first three innings on the radio where they could not stop talking about how cold it was. Then the TV guys spent a good portion of the telecast complaining about the bitter chill in the air. So apparently, it was less than ideal to play baseball. I can't imagine playing in 34 degree weather in the pouring rain, but at least I was comfortable on my couch.

Angels 4 White Sox 3

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Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (7-5) @ Chicago White Sox (7-5)

Pitching Probables:  LAA – Jered Weaver (3-0, 0.87 ERA)  CHI -- Phillip Humber (1-0, 3.38 ERA)

Game Info: 5:10 PM PT; TV - Fox Sports West; Radio - KLAA 830 AM

The Halos head back out on the road to face the Chicago White Sox, and hopefully do it without going into extra innings for a change.

Another week, another set of changes strikes Monkey With a Halo.  But as always, the changes are for nothing but good.

The biggest piece of news is that we have brought on board another writer to help out.  And that new writer is (drumroll)... Jonathan Lyons!  For now, Jonathan will be handling game previews and recaps on Friday.  He'll be introducing himself later on today, so be sure to give him a warm welcome.

Also, as you might have already noticed, we have introduced a fantastic new commenting system that should make life a whole lot better around here.  There are a few hoops you have to jump through to get started, but nothing too bad.  Details are after the jump...

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