Of course it had to be the very day that he won the “DHL Presents the Major League Baseball Delivery Man of the Month Award” for June. Francisco Rodriguez handed the game over to the Rangers Wednesday night for only the third blown save this season, but it really couldn’t have been worse timing. Not even a week after being named an All-Star, Frankie took a two-run lead into the ninth inning and stuffed it into the Rangers pocket, giving up a walkoff homerun to Josh Hamilton with Michael Young on base from an earlier walk. He had decided not to pitch to the rookie, David Murphy, and that cost him.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia was also against walking Hamilton to get to Murphy. “It’s kind of like picking your poison,” Scioscia said. Frankie definitely did not have his usual stuff tonight, as many of his pitches were missing their mark. When you’re not locationg your pitches and walk the lead off man, that does usually tend to lead into trouble.

Jared Weaver pitched a good game though, as well as relievers Jose Arredondo and Scot Shields. Weaver gave up only one earned run, the other scored on two errors by Angels outfielders Rivera and Guerrero, and Arredondo and Shields combined for two shutout innings. When Rodriguez was sent into the ninth, with a semi-comfortable lead, it seemed as if the game was over. But not in this ballpark against this team, with one of the best team batting averages in the AL. As long as there’s another atbat, there is a way to win. Which is exactly what they did.

Gary Matthews Jr. sat this one out as his replacement Juan Rivera sent one deep into the left center bleachers as he hit his third homerun in four games. Sciocsia said that he was going to give Rivera some playing time so it’s likely that Rivera will be penciled in on tomorrow’s lineup as well, and possibly even into the series with Oakland this weekend. Matthews, who has recently been struggling offensively, having hit into the most double plays on the team, might need the time off to get back in the game. 

The Angels lose the game 5-4 and their current record is 54-37. Their rivals, the Athletics, losttheir game today with the Mariners, remaining 5 games back from the Halos, and letting Seattle reach18 and a half games out still a solid last place in the AL West.