Question of the Day, 5/9 …
Do you see any big changes to fix up the bullpen? Or ride the ship with what they have? — @rud6y
I don’t anticipate any big changes to fix the ‘pen, at least not until we get closer to the non-waiver Trade Deadline, for a few reasons: 1. It’s hard to swing big deals at this point in the year (especially for relief help nobody seems to have) because so many teams still don’t know if they’re competitors or not; 2. You only trade away valuable assets to beef up a bullpen if you know you’re going to compete — and the Angels (14-18) don’t know that themselves yet.
The fact they were able to acquire Ernesto Frieri was a big accomplishment. They’ve also added low-profile guys like David Pauley (recently called up to take LaTroy Hawkins‘ place), Sean White (signed Monday) and Juan Rincon (2.12 ERA in 17 AAA innings) to Minor League deals in hopes some of them work out. My presumption is that’s all you’ll continue to see for the time being. Besides, it’s not the bullpen that’s the biggest area of concern right now. It’s the offense. And that needs to fix itself.
– Alden
Game 32: Angels-Twins …
The Angels will look to finally get a run for poor Ervin Santana. They’ve been shutout in each of his last five starts, making him the first pitcher since at least 1974 to suffer such fate, according to STATS LLC …
Angels (13-18)
Mike Trout, CF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Albert Pujols, 1B
Kendrys Morales, DH
Torii Hunter, RF
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Vernon Wells, LF
Erick Aybar, SS
Bobby Wilson, C
Pitching: RH Santana (0-6, 5.59 ERA)
Twins (8-21)
Denard Span, CF
Brian Dozier, SS
Joe Mauer, 1B
Josh Willingham, LF
Ryan Doumit, DH
Danny Valencia, 3B
Erik Komatsu, RF
Drew Butera, C
Jamey Carroll, 2B
Pitching: RH Carl Pavano (2-2, 4.62 ERA)
Some pregame notes …
- Scott Downs (left knee) is available today as closer, manager Mike Scioscia said.
- Dan Haren said his lower back was feeling a little better today, after he struggled with it during last night’s start. He doesn’t expect to miss a start, as he said Tuesday night, but will take it easy today. The off day surely helps.
- Scioscia on David Pauley, who had four shutout innings out of the bullpen on Tuesday: “It was very impressive. And I think what was more impressive was that he got into his game and you saw him pitch a little more, as his outing went on, he really pitched well. He threw some pretty good breaking balls, he’s got a good changeup and sinker, and I think the last couple innings, it was really reminiscent of what we saw him do in Seattle.”
- The seven shutout through 31 games not only leads the Majors. It’s the most the Angels have ever had that early in a season. “I don’t know if there’s going to be a reason for everything, but it’s just that seven times this year we haven’t gotten it done like we need to,” Scioscia simply said.
- Peter Bourjos has now started just twice in his last 11 games. More on that later.
Some Angels links from Tuesday …
- Haren off his game as Halos get blanked
- Downs feels “very lucky” to dodge DL again
- Jered Weaver delivers Top 10 for David Letterman; here’s the video
- Despite day off, Angels rotation stays on schedule
- Morales out again vs. LH SP
- Halos look to finally support Ervin
Some AL West links …
- In case you hadn’t heard, Josh Hamilton went NUTS yesterday
- Mariners lose to Tigers after slow start
- Brandon Inge hit a walk-off grand slam for the A’s
And the Heat look to finish off the Knicks tonight.
– Alden
Game 31: Angels-Twins …
It didn’t look very promising earlier, but the skies have opened up, the rain is gone and the field is dry. Looks like we’ll get this game in no problem (fingers crossed) …
Angels (13-17)
Mike Trout, CF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Albert Pujols, 1B
Torii Hunter, RF
Mark Trumbo, DH
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Vernon Wells, LF
Erick Aybar, SS
Chris Iannetta, C
Pitching: RH Dan Haren (1-2, 3.43 ERA)
Twins (7-21)
Erik Komatsu, CF
Brian Dozier, SS
Joe Mauer, 1B
Josh Willingham, LF
Ryan Doumit, DH
Danny Valencia, 3B
Trevor Plouffe, RF
Drew Butera, C
Jamey Carroll, 2B
Pitching: LH Scott Diamond
Some pregame notes …
- Scott Downs says he feels “very lucky,” after finding out that he only has a bruise in the back of his left knee and won’t have to go on the disabled list. Mike Scioscia said he could be available — as his closer — today or tomorrow. Huge sigh of relief for a bullpen that came in with the second-highest ERA in baseball.
- The rotation for the Texas series is official, with C.J. Wilson getting the start in the opener on Friday, opposite Yu Darvish — the man the Rangers essentially chose to spend their money on instead. The staff had been throwing so well collectively (2.26 ERA in the last 17 games) that he didn’t want to change anything. Jerome Williams and Jered Weaver will follow.
- Jered Weaver got his wish. He got to do David Letterman‘s Top 10 today. He was up here near the press box for about 30 minutes taping it. The subject was: “Top 10 Signs You’ll Never Throw A No-Hitter.” No. 1 was supposed to be: Because you play for the New York Mets.” But they changed it. For a sneak peek, click here.
- Kendrys Morales is fine health-wise, by the way. Not in the lineup for a second straight day due to back-to-back opposing lefty starters. I’ll have more on that later.
Some Angels links from Monday …
- Not as easy as the first time, but Weaver still stymies the Twins
- LaTroy Hawkins placed on DL; Downs still recovering
- Jordan Walden, Ernesto Frieri to close until Downs returns
- Angels announce Honorary Bat Girl
- Haren ready to face the Twins
Some AL West links …
- Rangers thump O’s in meeting of AL’s best
- Mariners shock Tigers for third straight win
And the Heat are kicking themselves for not closing out the Knicks in four. They should.
-- Alden
Game 30: Twins-Angels …
This is not a re-run. The Angels really are playing the Twins again. Promise. …
Angels (12-17)
Maicer Izturis, SS
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Albert Pujols, 1B
Torii Hunter, RF
Mark Trumbo, DH
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Vernon Wells, LF
Chris Iannetta, C
Peter Bourjos, CF
Pitching: RH Jered Weaver (4-0, 1.61 ERA)
Twins (7-20)
Denard Span, CF
Brian Dozier, SS
Joe Mauer, C
Ryan Doumit, DH
Danny Valencia, 3B
Chris Parmelee, 1B
Trevor Plouffe, RF
Erik Komatsu, LF
Jamey Carroll, 2B
Pitching: LH Francisco Liriano (0-4, 9.97 ERA)
Some pregame notes …
- LaTroy Hawkins (broken pinkie finger suffered while fielding game-ending comebacker) was placed on the disabled list, with veteran right-hander David Pauley (signed to a Minor League deal in late March) getting called up from Triple-A Salt Lake to take his place. The usual recovery time from a broken pinkie is roughly 4-6 weeks, but the Angels will re-evaluate Hawkins in two weeks to see where he’s at.
- The Angels are hopeful Scott Downs will avoid a DL stint, after suffering a bruise on the back of his left knee while trying to get out of the way of a comebacker. Downs will rejoin the team today, but there’s still no telling when he’ll rejoin the pitcher’s mound.
- Until Downs returns, manager Mike Scioscia said the ninth inning will be done “a little bit by committee,” with Ernesto Frieri and Jordan Walden both getting looks back there.
- Weaver was named American League Player of the Week (surprisingly for the first time in his career) for his no-hitter on Wednesday night.
- Scioscia, on eventually giving Kendrys Morales more at-bats against opposing lefties (3-for-13 against them this year): “The schedule gives you some built-in looks to give him a little time off to make sure that he’s staying fresh. He’s played a stretch of games and he’s come out of it fine. We definitely want him to get some looks against lefties also; it’s just a matter of where our pieces can fit.”
- Pauley, a 28-year-old with a good sinker, posted a 2.15 ERA in 39 games for the Mariners last year, but a 5.95 ERA in 14 games for the Tigers. Pauley had another Minor League deal from the Blue Jays, but chose the Angels because “there was an opportunity to come and play, and that’s all I really wanted.”
Angels links from Sunday …
- Pujols’ first home run powers Angels to victory
- Prolonged ovation greets Pujols
- Halos lose two hurlers in scary ninth
- Frieri shows stuff to pitch in late innings
- Bourjos battling to break into crowded outfield
- Weaver looks to follow up no-no against same club
Some AL West links …
- Adrian Beltre returned to the Rangers lineup, but as DH
- Hector Noesi cruises past the Twins
- Refocused Manny Ramirez seeks career encore
And the Heat failed to close out the Knicks on Sunday.
– Alden
Hawkins to DL; Pauley up …
Angels reliever LaTroy Hawkins was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday, a day after fracturing his right pinkie finger while making the catch on an Omar Vizquel comebacker that resulted in a game-ending double play.
To take his place on the roster, the Angels selected the contract of righty David Pauley, who was signed to a Minor League deal in late March. Pauley posted a 3.16 ERA in 53 games for Mariners and Tigers last year, and had posted a 2.29 ERA in 19 2/3 innings for Triple-A Salt Lake.
Hawkins, 39, has a 1.08 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP in 8 1/3 innings while pitching in somewhat of a setup role, making him one of few bright spots in a bullpen that came in with the 29th-ranked ERA in baseball.
Scott Downs, who hurt the back of his left knee while ducking out of the way of a J.P. Arencibia liner, is listed as day to day with a contusion (bruise).
Downs limped off the field after being checked on by Angels trainers, with Hawkins coming out of the bullpen to painfully get the last two outs of a 4-3 win over the Blue Jays, and was on crutches postgame.
– Alden
Question of the Day, 5/4 …
How bad does it have to get before we fix the problems? You wouldn’t drive your car with a broken steering wheel. — @alexk19
Well, the thing is, what do you really do? The Angels already took the drastic, clamored-for step by releasing Bobby Abreu and bringing up Mike Trout, and Mike Scioscia has trotted out lineups galore in hopes of finding personnel grouping that works. Play Mark Trumbo more? He has been. Go with the hot hand? That’s why Maicer Izturis has been in the lineup and Torii Hunter really hasn’t had days off. It’s hard to find a combination that works when almost nobody is hitting. At some point, guys simply have to do what they’re capable of — do what they’ve done throughout their careers — and step up. To reference a famous baseball line, “You can’t trade 25 guys.”
– Alden
Game 27: Blue Jays-Angels …
Blue Jays (15-11)
Kelly Johnson, 2B
Yunel Escobar, SS
Jose Bautista, RF
Adam Lind, 1B
Edwin Encarnacion, DH
Eric Thames, LF
Brett Lawrie, 3B
Colby Rasmus, CF
Jeff Mathis, C
Pitching: RH Henderson Alvarez (1-2, 3.62 ERA)
Angels (10-16)
Mike Trout, CF
Maicer Izturis, 3B
Albert Pujols, 1B
Kendrys Morales, DH
Torii Hunter, RF
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Mark Trumbo, LF
Erick Aybar, SS
Bobby Wilson, C
Pitching: RH Ervin Santana (0-5, 6.16 ERA)
Some pregame notes …
- The Dodgers finalized their deal with former Angels outfielder Bobby Abreu, who was released last week. “It was a tough decision, and there was no doubt that he was going to settle into a place to play,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “He can still do a lot of things on the baseball field.”
- Braves third baseman Chipper Jones weighed in on Pujols’ slump (as passed along by colleague Mark Bowman). Here’s what he said: “It happens to everybody. At some point in everybody’s career, they’re going to struggle. Albert made this game look easy for an awful long time. But no matter how good you are, at some point you’re going to go through one of these stretches. While I don’t share everybody’s concern with Albert’s slump, I know Albert is going to bounce back just fine. When he does get out of it, I’m glad we don’t play him. He’s experiencing what us mere mortals have experienced for years.”
- Kevin Jepsen was optioned to Triple-A in order to make room for new reliever Ernesto Frieri.
- Scioscia said he expects Frieri to pitch “later in the game as opposed to the middle,” saying: “All reports point to a guy who really will fit into our bullpen and be able to be a part of the component that’s going to hold leads for us.”
- Chris Iannetta is not in the lineup for a second straight game due to some swelling he’s nursing in his right hand/wrist, suffered on a hit by pitch on Wednesday. He’s expected to be back out there Saturday and Scioscia said he’d be available to pinch-hit tonight.
- The Angels have been involved in a shutout each of the last three games (2 wins, 1 loss) for the first time since 1989. They’ve never been involved in four in a row.
Angels links from Thursday …
- After joy of no-no, Angels are silenced by Brandon Morrow
- A day later, Jered Weaver still reveling in no-no
- Pujols confident hits — and homers — will come
- Angels bolster bullpen by trading for Frieri
- Scioscia showing confidence in Trumbo at third
- Mathis back in Anaheim with Blue Jays
- Santana looking to nail down first win
Some AL West links …
- The Rangers are still without Adrian Beltre
- Coco Crisp is headed to the DL
- Mariners fall short in finale of 10-game trip
And the Miami Heat took a commanding 3-0 series lead on the Knicks last night.
– Alden
Jepsen optioned to make room for new RP
Needing to open up a spot for newly acquired relief pitcher Ernesto Frieri, the Angels chose Friday to option hard-throwing right-hander Kevin Jepsen, who has his electric stuff back but has yet to translate it into big league success this season.
Jepsen, recovered from arthroscopic knee surgery, was back throwing his fastball in the mid- to high-90s, but had given up eight runs in seven innings, notching a 10.29 ERA, a 1.57 WHIP and a 2.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio in the process. He’ll report to Triple-A Salt Lake.
Jordan Walden (out of the closer’s role and working on command of his slider) and rookie David Carpenter (really the only ground-ball pitcher in the ‘pen) were other out-of-option candidates.
Frieri was acquired from the Padres Thursday in exchange for Minor League infielder Alexi Amarista and Minor League right-hander Donn Roach. With a lively fastball and deceptive delivery, the 26-year-old has posted a 2.33 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP in parts of four seasons in San Diego.
– Alden
Reliving history: A look back at Jered’s no-no …
Yeah, it came against the Twins, who were shutout by Jerome Williams the night before, are missing Justin Morneau and are (record-wise) the worst team in baseball. But still. You have to be so dominant, and so much has to go right, in order to throw a no-hitter, and Jered Weaver had it all working on Wednesday night. It wasn’t just that he didn’t allow a hit. It was that nobody really came close and that he almost had a perfect game — if Chris Iannetta had held on to that second-inning strikeout, and if Josh Willingham’s bat had gone another inch forward on a strike-two half-swing in the seventh.
Before we jump to the series opener against the Blue Jays, here’s a look back at last night …
Weaver’s stuff
Weaver: ”I wasn’t throwing 97 or 98 up there. It was pretty much the same poo-poo I’ve been throwing there all year. A lot of things have to go your way, and it happened tonight.”
Mike Scioscia: “He was just relentless with just repeating pitches. He was focused on just making pitches all the way through. Changed speeds well, pitched inside well. It was a terrific game.”
Howie Kendrick: ”If you see his pitches, they’re either just off the plate or right there on the corner. That’s what makes him so special. He’s very deceptive with that delivery, kind of throws from across his body, and tonight, he was hitting those spots, getting guys looking on that front-door two-seamer, changeup was good, he was throwing his curveball for a strike, and I think those are things you need to do to win games and throw no-hitters.”
Denard Span: “He was doing everything. He kept us off-balance. He changed speeds. He’s definitely a different pitcher when he’s at home with the ball coming out of those rocks in center field. He had everything going tonight. So you have to tip your cap off to him.”
On the last out
Alexi Casilla: “I thought it was maybe off the wall or something like that.”
Torii Hunter: ”When you hit it to me, it’s caught. That’s just the way it goes. When he hit it, I had to go get it. I was going to give it my all — run myself through the wall, knock myself out, be out 5-10 days, it didn’t matter. But he was going to have a no-hitter.”
Weaver: “He put a charge in it. But Spiderman was running stuff down. I wasn’t worried at all. Torii, he is who he is. He’s a nine-time Gold Glover, and I didn’t have any doubt that he was going to run that ball down.”
On where he stood when the game ended
Scioscia: “He might’ve been able to go two more innings with the way he felt and with the way he set things up.”
Weaver’s response to that: “I don’t know about that. I was about dead in the seventh, but was able to will the ball over the plate.”
On the thrill of the no-no
Weaver: ”To have it happen at home, where I decided to stay, and to have these fans cheer me on, going out there in the ninth, it was pretty electric. Unbelievable night.”
C.J. Wilson: “This is the best pitching performance I’ve ever seen.”
Kendrick: “It’s phenomenal, man, I’m so happy to be a part of this. I’ve been playing with Weaver since he signed with the organization, and to be able to see him progress as a player and as a pitcher and become our ace guy, and be a bulldog on the mound, that’s what we need day in and day out. Hopefully that leads up to some more no-hitters.”
Dave Weaver, Jered’s father: “We just hugged the hell out of each other and said we loved each other. He was just so excited, so jubilant. It was a dream come true for him and for all of us.”
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