The Great Escape From Orange County

They made it out of Anaheim with a still-respectable divisonal lead tucked away in their back pockets and a win in the series finale, but it was still a disappointing series, and even in their victorious series finale, the lead never felt safe until the ninth inning. It was that kind of game that was disproportionately nerve-wracking given that it was only an early-June intradivision clash; the kind of game where every run pushed across the plate by the Rangers felt like a tremendous labor and every Angels baserunner felt equivalent to a ticking time bomb. 

With any luck and enough motivation, this three-game scare will function as something of a wakeup call, and the Rangers will begin to apply some pressure to the clamps on the