I''m playing the Angels on Monday night. Don''t look now, but here come the Halos, looking to claim the top spot in the AL West. It took the new-look Angels quite some time to get used to the new lineup, but the bats are really doing damage, now. The Angels just swept the Mariners, crushing Seattle pitching for 27 runs in three games. One of the reasons for the surge can be attributed to the end of the Brandon Wood experiment. I mentioned in a write-up the other day, that Chone Figgins'' replacement had just 19 hits in 122 at-bats. Wood''s replacement since going on the DL, has been cooking at the plate. Kevin Frandsen is hitting .417 in 14 games. And Maicer Izturis has filled-in nicely in the hot-box when Frandsen takes a night off.

Tonight''s pitching matchup features Scott Kazmir against Ben Sheets. Kazmir is beginning to regain the form that allows him to come over the top with his arm. Due to shoulder soreness, he was unable to do so for most of the first six weeks of the season. Kazmir threw well in his last start, and seems to always save his best for the A''s, both overall, and at this venue. Sheets has looked strong for most of the season, but he has allowed 7 earned runs in his last two starts, spanning 13 innings, for a 4.85 ERA. He''ll face a hot Angel batting order that''s scored 39 runs and sports a .332 team batting average during their current five-game win streak. Round one in this series goes to the visitors. I''m playing the Angels on Monday night. Thanks! GL! Scott.