Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Angels catcher Bobby Wilson was not a surprise starter on Saturday evening given his success in battery combination with starting pitcher Ervin Santana.

Wilson entered the game with only two major league home runs on Saturday and belted a three-run blast early on to boost the Angels chancing of taking game two against the Toronto Blue Jays. The score was 5-0 after the home runs by Bobby Wilson and Hideki Matsui, who smacked the ball out for the first time in a month.

The first Cy Young award winner in Angels history Dean Chance is the focus of this edition of LA Angels Insider Podcast.

Chance was the winner of the 1964 Cy Young Award back when the award was only given to one pitcher n a season. Dean led the American League in wins (20), innings pitched (278?), and earned run average (1.65, which is still a franchise record). He was also third in the American League in strikeouts, with 207. Chance pitched 11 shutouts that season, winning five of those by a 1-0 score.

It's rare that you read anyone advocating for a .167 hitter to return to the lineup, but in the case of Brandon Wood the Angels should give him another chance.

The season is long and right now it's coming down to the wire for the top owners in their respective leagues.  These few players that are poised for either a huge week or a week you will want to avoid.  Pay attention, this could mean winning or not winning your league.

Start 'Em:

Jeff Biggs speaks with author and Angels historian Rob Goldman. Goldman's ties to the Angels go back more then three decades, and include stints as team batboy in the mid-70s and visiting clubhouse attendant.

Intense. Driven. Competitor. Tough. Gritty. Clutch. Leader. Intelligent. World Champion.

These are all words that immediately come to mind when Angels fans think of Darin Erstad, but seem far removed from the vocabulary one would use to describe the current Angels club.

This young Angels team seems long on talent and short on competitive will.

Are the 2010 Angels less talented than the 2002 roster that won it all, or did Erstad and company simply want it more?

Like a kid finding socks beneath the brightly colored wrapping paper on Christmas morning, Angels fans once again felt short-changed on Saturday after baseball's trade deadline passed.

Since 2005, it seems Los Angeles has been in the market for another big bat to bolster their lineup.

With Texas Rangers’ pitcher Rich Harden impressing in his last rehab start on Monday (10 K’s over six innings) in Triple-A, it has been speculated that Harden will take the struggling Scott Feldman’s spot in the rotation. It’s quite possible that Harden could start as early as this weekend for the Rangers against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

I think the Rangers are making a mistake. I think the Rangers should use Harden out of the bullpen upon his return. Here are the reasons for my thinking.

July is an early month to give up on a team like the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, but Tuesday night's lackluster performance may have been the final nail in this season's coffin.

The Angels scored just two runs against John Lackey and the Boston Red Sox, the second consecutive game they failed to score less than three.

In fact, in July alone, the Angels have scored four runs or more only eight times in 23 contests, contributing to a miserable 8-15 record this month and an 8½ game deficit in the AL West.