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Indians-Angels Preview

Sep 6, 2010 - 3:19 AM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer

Cleveland (55-81) at Los Angeles (65-71), 9:05 p.m. EDT

The Los Angeles Angels have an opportunity to get back above .500 with nine consecutive games against a pair of last-place clubs.

If Dan Haren can continue his resurgence, the Angels could have a good shot to get that stretch off to a strong start Monday night against the Cleveland Indians.

The Angels (66-71) have gone 7-14 in their last 21 games, putting them in danger of finishing with their first losing record since going 77-85 in 2003. Los Angeles has won at least 89 games a season in the six years since.

The Angels host the Indians for three games before taking on Seattle for three contests and then facing Cleveland again at Progressive Field. Los Angeles is 14-5 against those clubs in 2010.

After batting .176 in the previous eight games, the Angels got 11 hits in a 7-4 victory over Oakland on Sunday. Hideki Matsui had three hits, Bobby Abreu homered and drove in three runs and Mike Napoli added a two-run shot.

"This is the offensive day we've been looking for in quite some time," manager Mike Scioscia said. "It was a good day to get it."

Los Angeles had scored one or no runs in its six losses over the previous eight games.

If Haren can duplicate the results of his past two starts, Scioscia's team might not need to score much Monday. The right-hander has gone 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA in his past two outings, though he was a victim of the Angels' lack of offense Tuesday, pitching seven scoreless innings in a 3-1 loss at Seattle.

Haren (2-4, 3.50 ERA) went 1-4 with a 4.39 ERA in his first six starts with Los Angeles, capping that stretch by allowing seven runs and a season-high 11 hits in a 7-2 loss at Minnesota on Aug. 20.

"I've worked hard, a lot of work on the side with (pitching coach Mike Butcher)," Haren told the team's website. "I feel like I used to feel. The ball's coming out a lot better. I can tell when I'm getting swings and misses when I need them that my stuff's good. It's nice to see the work pay off."

Haren will make his first start against the Indians (55-82) since a 9-3 win with Oakland on Sept. 22, 2007, and will face a team that's dropped 19 of 27. He is 2-2 with a 5.40 ERA in six career starts versus Cleveland.

The Indians lost 3-0 to Seattle on Sunday, managing four singles against Felix Hernandez. Cleveland had 12 hits in a 6-3 win over the Mariners on Thursday, but batted .167 over the final three games of the series.

"If I win 100 games, I don't care if the 62 losses are shutouts," manager Manny Acta told the team's website. "What I care about is winning and losing."

Acta's club has dropped eight of 11 on the road and 12 of 18 in Anaheim, losing two of three there from April 26-28.

Carlos Carrasco (0-0, 3.68) will try to get Cleveland back in the win column as he makes his seventh major league start and second this season.

The right-hander, who has never faced the Angels, allowed three runs over 7 1-3 innings of a 6-4 loss to Chicago on Wednesday. He's 0-4 with a 7.58 ERA in his career, going 0-2 with a 12.79 ERA in two road starts.