M's begin set with Angels in best possible fashion with 12-5 win

Wow. That's about all I can say right now.

I actually caught very little of the game, but in perusing the boxscore, things hardly could have gone better tonight. There were the obvious things, such as the huge night by Adrian Beltre -- where has THAT been the past two-and-a-half years? -- but given the importance of sweeping this series, it's a subtler thing that could make the difference over the next two games.

The offensive explosion allowed Hargrove to rest his bullpen, even after yet another shaky outing by Miguel Batista. Although Batista could only get one out into the 6th inning, John Huber and Jason Davis did a fantastic job managing what was a marginal lead before it became a big lead. That means prime relievers Brandon Morrow, George Sherrill and J.J. Putz all will be rested and ready should the M's need some help in a tight game tomorrow -- a strong possibility given the rookie heading to the mound.

After all, with Felix going on Wednesday, tomorrow could prove to be the pivotal game, and the M's are now in prime position to capitalize, something not to be underestimated when in the middle of so many games with no days off.

One down, two to go. Thing could get real interesting in a hurry behind an offense that -- right now -- is one of the best in the majors.