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Y E S T E R D A Y…

Angels 6, Orioles 5: It was starting to feel like Groundhog Day last night at Angels Stadium (minus Bill Murray, of course). The Halos were seemingly following up an uncharacteristic, sloppy loss on Sunday (errors, poor relief pitching, etc.) with another uncharacteristic sloppy loss that had all the same symptoms. K-Rod blew his 4th save of the season with an assist from Mark Teixeira, who booted a game-ending groundout. This time, though, the Angels fought back against Baltimore’s All-Star closer, earning the victory thanks to a bases-loaded walk of Chone Figgins. The W gave K-Rod his 1st victory of the season while giving Teixeira a chance to focus on what overall was a great game from the powerful first baseman (2-4 and a sparkling defensive play in the 1st inning).

T O D A Y…

Orioles at Angels (7:05 p.m. PST, FSN): It’s always good to send a guy to the hill who hasn’t lost to a team in four years. That’s some profound insight right there, don’t you think? All chicanery aside, tonight’s starter, Jon Garland, hasn’t lost to the Orioles since 2004 and is currently receiving the highest run support (5.61 runs per start) of any pitcher on the starting staff. All signs point to another Halo victory.

Dodgers at Cardinals (5:15 p.m. PST, PRIME HD): The Dodgers look to keep the ManRam express going tonight in St. Louis against a finally healthy Chris Carpenter. Hopefully Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley joined Carpenter for some group therapy because he has to deal with the fearsome Albert Pujols. Serenity now, serenity now.

N E W S W O R T H Y…

• Safe to say Dodgers OF Juan Pierre isn’ t the happiest person in the world right now.
• USC football has sold every single ticket for the upcoming home season,
• UCLA football starts practice today.
• Angels fans, let me introduce you to Shane Loux.

C O L U M N S…

• This year’s incarnation of USC football doesn’t include names like Palmer, Bush, Leinart, Williams, Jarret, Booty, Tatupu. But Scott Wolf of the Daily News explains why the Pac-10 can’t breath a sigh of relief.
• Manny Ramirez may be getting all the attention, but Michael Bev of the OC Register gives four pretty good reasons why the Mark Teixeira acquisition is bigger and more important to the baseball landscape.
• SportsHubLA Column of the Day: According to Ben Bolch, the “buzz” is back at Dodger Stadium. Warning: If you’re sensitive to sarcasm please do not read the following. Turns out Dodgers fans enjoy it when their team acquires a dominant hitting, eccentric, outfielder named Manny Ramirez. Who would’ve thought a guy like Manny Ramirez would’ve done so well in a place like L.A? I mean, the last thing the Dodgers needed was another power bat to pair with the great Andruw Jones.

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