Angels 12, Tigers 2: A game to forget for Buck Farmer, bullpen

ANAHEIM -- Albert Pujols hit a line drive, two-run homer off Detroit Tigers starting pitcher, Buck Farmer in the first inning. Former Tigers outfielder Matt Joyce added his second home run in as many nights in the second inning, and the Angels' bats kept booming all night, scoring a total of 12 runs on 13 hits, defeating the Tigers 12-2 in Anaheim.

Farmer, who had allowed just one home run in over 51 innings this season at Triple-A Toledo, was charged with seven runs on nine hits and one walk in five innings of work. Angel Nesbitt relieved Farmer with the bases loaded, allowing two of those runs to score, plus another charged to himself. Tom Gorzelanny surrendered a pair of walks and two hits, the final blow being a grand slam to the Angels' Chris Iannetta, doubling his ERA to 5.06 for the season.

Angels starter C.J. Wilson gave up just one run, when he hit Miguel Cabrera on the leg with the bases loaded in the third inning. Wilson surrendered just two hits but walked five Tigers and struck out seven in six innings. Former Tigers lefthander Jose Alvarez gave up a ninth inning run to finish off the scoring, and the Tigers.

Detroit began the night one game behind the Kansas City Royals and the Minnesota Twins. Since those two teams had the night off, the Tigers apparently figured they would take the night off as well.

ROARS:

James McCann gets a meow for a pair of base hits, but the Tigers didn't roar at all in this game.

Jersey Mike's sub shop, which may or may not be named for a certain Angels' MVP player who hails from the garden state, gets a roar for giving a free sub sandwich to anyone bringing in a ticket from this game because the Angels scored ten runs.

HISSES:

Tigers pitching was as bad as it has been all season. 12 runs, 13 hits, four walks and three home runs.

Tigers bats managed just two hits through the first eight innings, and stranded eight runners for the game, failing to take advantage of five walks from Angels' starting pitcher, CJ Wilson.

Yoenis Cespedes took a nonchalante approach to a double down the third base line in the fifth inning, while the Angels' hitter, Johnny Giavotella, cruised around the bases into third with what was scored as a triple. The run scored on a safety squeeze.

STREAKS AND STATS:

Matt Joyce: the former Tigers left handed hitting platoon outfielder, had been mired in a deep slump at the plate this season, batting just 176/.253/.282 in 145 plate appearances entering Thursday's game. He went 2 for 3 with a home run and a pair of RBI.

Miguel Cabrera had his 13 game hitting streak snapped in the series finale in Oakland, going 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. He now is hitless in his last two games.

Andrew Romine entered the game as a pinch hitter for Ian Kinsler in the ninth inning to face Jose Alvarez, pitting two players who had been traded for each other prior to the 2014 season against each other. Romine struck out, dropping his average to .351 for the season.

Al Alburquerque pitched another scoreless inning, running his string of scoreless appearances to eleven. He has not allowed an earned run in the past 30 days.

WIN PROBABILITY GRAPH:

Source: FanGraphs