ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – The shouts and cheers rose from the dining room and rolled down the hallway in the Los Angeles Angels’ clubhouse when the Mariners squeezed the final out to beat Houston.
After a roller-coaster summer and a brilliant September, the Angels have finally caught up to the Astros in this crazy AL playoff race.
Albert Pujols had an RBI double among his three hits, Erick Aybar drove in three runs and the Angels took over the lead for the second wild-card spot with their seventh consecutive victory, 8-1 over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night.
A few minutes after matching their longest winning streak of the season, the Angels (83-74) moved a half-game ahead of the Astros (83-75) when Houston lost 6-4 at Seattle.
“It’s a good feeling. We’re in a good spot right now,” said Johnny Giavotella, who had two hits and drove in a run. “We’ve got five games to play, and we’re in control of our destiny. We’re going out and playing the best baseball we can, and then we’re on the top step with each other – every game, every pitch.”