It was a battle between the top AL West rivals A’s and Angels tonight. In the end, it was pitching that won the game. The Angels jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 4th, but Dan Haren allowed no more and went the distance. The A’s came back with a run in the 6th to tie it. They added 2 in the 7th to seal the deal. Oakland won 3-1.

Dan Haren was magnificent in tonight’s game. He pitched all nine innings and only made one mistake. He allowed that lone run over 8 hits. He didn’t allow a walk and struck out 5. It was playoff caliber pitching. He’s 8-9 now.

On the other side was Ervin Santana. He pitched a respectable game, but Haren outmatched him. Santana suffers his fifth loss of the season (11-5). Santana almost pitched the distance as well. He went 8 innings and allowed those 3 runs over 8 hits and a walk. He had almost the same stats as Haren. The difference was how the hits came and Oakland’s ability to push the runs across.

Oakland is in sole possession of the AL West lead. These two go at it again tomorrow in game 2 of 3. The AL West, even though it’s somewhat watered down, will be quite the battle for the remainder of the season.