Around the AL: Angels reach 60 wins first

It wasn’t worth popping champagne corks and covering the lockers in plastic, but the Los Angeles Angels were the first team to reach 60 victories this season.

They also swept the Boston Red Sox last weekend.

OK, maybe THAT’S worth breaking out the bubbly.

The last four teams to hit the 60-win mark first have played in the World Series — the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004, the Chicago White Sox in 2005, the Detroit Tigers in 2006 and the Red Sox in 2007.

The Angels outscored Boston, 20-8, while completing their first three-game sweep of the Red Sox since 2001, and their first at home since 1998.

They’re also assured of winning the season series for the first time since 2001. And that’s a big deal, considering what the Red Sox have done to the Angels in the first round of the playoffs in 2004 and 2007. And we won’t even talk about 1986. Why go there?

"I don’t see it as a statement series, by any means,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “Whether we win the series or sweep or it were reversed and they were doing it, there’s still a lot of baseball left. We’ve got a long way to go to reach our goal. I don’t think looking head-to-head in July is going to mean anything as we move forward.”

Center fielder Torii Hunter was a bit more enthused.

“It’s good to sweep any major league baseball club,” he said. “But the Boston Red Sox? Red Sox Nation? Everybody knows them. They’re everywhere. So maybe there’s that inner feeling of, ‘Yeah.’

“You go out and have dinner tonight and that steak goes down pretty well. But then once you get up tomorrow, it’s over. We forget about sweeping the Red Sox and focus on the next game because we’re professionals.”

Pitcher Joe Saunders said he didn’t want to beat a dead horse — only the Red Sox.

“It’s still the regular season,” he said, repeating the mantra because, well, that’s what you do with a mantra. “We want to beat them when it counts. They’ve had our number in the playoffs for a long time. But it is reassuring to know we can play our game and beat them.

“They bring out everyone’s ‘A’ game because they’re such a good team. I like our ‘A’ game against their ‘A’ game.”

On the other hand…

The New York Yankees keep smacking around the Minnesota Twins as if they’re owed money.

The Twins are 3-19 at Yankee Stadium in the regular season under manager Ron Gardenhire after getting swept in a three-game series by a combined score of 25-7.

" We don't like to talk about it, but we played young in this ballpark, and that's a little disappointing," Gardenhire said.

To give and receive

Low-scoring games involving the Texas Rangers are about as rare as a quiet week from Manny Ramirez.

Entering the weekend, the Rangers had scored 10 runs or more in 16 games, most in the majors. Only four other teams had reached double figures in that category: the Chicago White Sox (11), Chicago Cubs (11), Colorado Rockies (11) and Detroit Tigers (10). The San Diego Padres had the fewest with three.

Now for the flipside: The Rangers’ pitching remains awful. They led the majors in most games allowing 10 runs or more at 19. The only other teams in double-figures were the Pittsburgh Pirates (16), Rockies (12), Houston Astros (11), Twins (11) and Kansas City Royals (10). The Toronto Blue Jays had the fewest at two.

The Rangers are headed for the rare distinction of leading the American League in runs and being outscored for the season.

Etc.

Yankees catcher Jorge Posada will undergo season-ending surgery on his right shoulder after being forced on the disabled list for the second time. Posada wanted to return as a first baseman or designated hitter, but the acquisition of Xavier Nady from the Pirates made it easier for the Yankees to shut him down.

Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi insists that pitcher A.J. Burnett won’t be traded before the non-waiver deadline. Burnett’s in the third year of a five-year, $55 million deal and can opt out after this season.

The Baltimore Orioles ended their Sunday losing streak at 15 games over the week end. Manager Dave Trembley lit up a victory cigar for his post-game session with the media, playfully blowing smoke in the microphone. That’s a lot better than where some managers blow it.

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