Halos wrap up NL honeymoon by stealing sweep of D-Backs

June 28, 7:21 PMLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim ExaminerWilliam Martinez

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AP/Ross D. Franklin

If the Angels could play in the National League for the rest of the season, they would be an unbelievable force.

Catapulted by a Gary Mathews, Jr. steal of home, the Halos wrapped up interleague play with a 12-8 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday at Chase Field.

With the win, the Angels finished 14-4 against the NL West this season, securing the majors' best record during the annual 18-game interleague clash. The win also kept the team in first place heading into a bellwether series against the Rangers beginning on Monday in Arlington.

If you were to privately ask the Angels though, they would probably like to trade places with the Dodgers and play in the NL West this season. Against the division, Los Angeles scored 118 runs and hit 29 home runs, good enough for second in the majors in both categories.

They also found themselves truly having to worry about ball games about half the time, as the lack of quality outside the Dodgers was stunning.

The final stretch before the All-Star break is perhaps going to be the toughest for the remainder of the year for the Angels. In those 13 games, the Angels have six against the Rangers and three against the resurging Yankees.

The best scenario of course would be a clean sweep of Texas to get some breathing room, but barring that, winning eight of the 13 (including four of six from the Rangers) would likely keep them in first heading into the second half of the season.