The success of the Anaheim Angels has been one of the feel good stories of this baseball season.

This week Mike Scoscia’s team faces three teams Minnesota, Oakland, and Seattle who will each test the all of a sudden injury riddled Halos.

Boston faces Jose Lima in Detroit and the Yankees go on the astroturf in Toronto. The Diamondbacks come to Pac Bell and the A’s go to the Juicedome in Tampa.

Let’s see what it all means.First, the Angels must face one of the better pitchers I have seen this year, lefty Johann Santana in Minnesota. The Angels are without their two Benji’s. Molina has a hamstring problem and Gil is banged up also.

The Angels have been beating lefthanders lately. They have beaten Ishii twice, Odalis Perez, Darrell May (one run), and Joe Kennedy.

The replacements for the Benji’s are Adam Kennedy and Jorge Fabregass, two players who will not add anything offensively against Santana.

Relievers Troy Percival and Alan Levine are hurt. Ben Weber and Scott Schoenweiss will handle the ninth inning. Not good news during their biggest week of the season.

Tomorrow night they face Eric Milton, then it’s on to Oakland for Tim Hudson and Barry Zito, then Seattle for Jamie Moyer, Joel Pineiro and company.

Two lefties in the next three nights. Tim Salmon will see many pitches to hit. Is his comeback for real? We’ll find out how far back he is this week. Lefthanded hitters Brad Fullmer, Darin Erstad, and Garrett Anderson better be ready.

I think this is going to be a losing week for Anaheim mainly because their pitching staff is suspect other than Jarrod Washburn who goes against Milton and then Seattle this weekend, instead of Oakland, a team he beats regularly. The A’s will see Appier and Sele, and I’m sure the A’s like that better.

Toronto just took three of four from Boston. Now the Yankees come in. Toronto’s Steve Parris has pitched well, winning his last start in Yankee Stadium, going seven innings without giving up a run. I never like to see a pitcher go against the same club so quickly unless it’s Koufax or Seaver. Parris’ stuff isn’t that good and the Yankees will be ready. One thought on the Yankees bull pen, they are throwing often and not shutting people down as well as earlier in the year.

El Duque is an enigma. George Steinbrenner removed El Duque’s interpreter last week claiming the Cuban should speak more English. How this will effect the moody pitcher will play out today in Toronto.

They keep saying they want to trade Hernandez, but he is one of the steadiest pitchers they have.

Either way, this game will be interesting because of Parris’ success last week.

Lefthander Ted Lilly makes his Oakland debut in the best place possible, the friendly confines of the Tropicana Dome. The Devil Rays don’t beat lefties. Carl Hubbell at 106 years old could hold this team to three runs. In their last two games against lefthanders Jamie Moyer and Kenny Rogers they scored two runs on five hits covering 14.3 innings.

Lilly has pitched well against some very tough teams, he hasn’t faced the patsies this year. I’m sure the A’s have factored that into his record. Lilly’s next start is against Texas, a team that faints at the sight of a lefty. Put your players in a position to succeed, one of Art Howe’s best qualities as a manager.

The A’s have some decisions to make with Cory Lidle. One, they better get him out of the game at the first sign of trouble after the fifth inning. For some reason, he can’t throw his stuff past good hitters with the game on the line. Two, should they put him in the pen and let Aaron Harang pitch against Texas this Friday. Texas has hit Lidle in the past and truthfully Harang seems to have better stuff than Lidle this season.

Boston will get well tonight against Jose Lima in Detroit. The only question will be how many runs will they score before they knock him out? With the Tiger bull pen being used heavily over the weekend, it may be a bunch. Rolando Arrojo comes back for Boston from an injury. Even the no name Boston bull pen should get the job done tonight.

Sidney Ponson has a blister on a finger on his pitching hand. Ryan Franklin isn’t 100 % either. The Orioles beat righthanders as long as he isn’t Tim Hudson. I think this is one game that the bull pens will decide and Tampa Bay put a hurt on the Seattle pen yesterday. O’s can win this game tonight.

Rick Helling carries the Arizona hopes in Pac Bell tonight. Dusty Baker rested his regulars yesterday which has been a good tactic in the past. The defense did in Kirk Reuter or else the Giants would have swept the Rockies. Ryan Jensen has been sensational for SF all season coming up in big situations. Teams have trouble scoring in Pac Bell, I think this one will be in the Giants favor when it is all said and done. I don’t trust Rick Helling at all.

Hall of Fame baseball writer Leonard Koppett told me yesterday, when I said that some important games were coming up this week,

“It’s only July 15th, these games won’t decide anything”.

He is right as usual, but if I’m the Angels I’d like to show the league that I can beat the good teams and if I’m the A’s I’d like to see a good game from Ted Lilly.

I’ll be watching.