Results tagged ‘ Bobby Wilson ’

Catching up with Angels of yesteryear …

Torii HunterThe Angels, in case you missed it, had quite the turnover this offseason. I knew that. But it didn’t really hit me until today, when I decided to compile a list of all the guys who are on a new team this spring. Below are nine of them — with Jason Isringhausen still in limbo — to catch you up on how 2012 Angels look heading into 2013 …

RF Torii Hunter (DET)

Numbers: .207 BA (6-for-29), 1 HR, 2 RBI

Notes: No surprises for Hunter this spring. He’ll play right field and bat second (Jim Leyland likes him there). His son, Darius McClinton-Hunter, was not indicted in the sexual-assault case.

SP Zack Greinke (LAD)

Numbers: 3.60 ERA (2 ER, 5 IP), 3 K, 1 BB

Notes: Greinke missed Sunday’s bullpen session with minor forearm tightness and missed Wednesday’s start because of the flu, but he had an impressive bullpen session on Friday. Earlier in the spring, Greinke went into his social-anxiety disorder and his decision to sign with the Dodgers.

SP Dan Haren (WAS)

Numbers: 0-1, 3.60 ERA (2 ER, 5 IP), 5 K, 1 BB

Notes: Haren felt “a lot of good stuff” came out of his last outing. Last year, he said, “I didn’t trust myself.” Haren was involved in a prank-call this spring. Somebody made Peter Bourjos‘ cell phone ring in a pre-workout meeting — he suspected Mark Trumbo or Jered Weaver, or both — and the person on the other end was Haren, who was put on speaker phone so he could briefly talk with all of his ex-teammates.

SP Ervin Santana (KCR)

Numbers: 1.80 ERA (1 ER, 5 IP), 6 K, 1 BB

Notes: At $13 million, Santana is the highest-paid player on the Royals this year. They’re counting on a bounceback year.

DH Kendrys Morales (SEA)

Numbers: .320 BA (8-for-25), 2 HR, 4 RBI

Notes: Now that he has a full season under his belt after that devastating ankle injury, Morales can finally just have a normal spring. That’s big, given that this is his walk year.

INF Maicer Izturis (TOR)

Numbers: .160 BA (4-for-25), 1 RBI

Notes: Not a good start for Izturis, since he’s going to be fighting for playing time.

RP Jordan Walden (ATL)

Numbers: 1 IP, 4 R (1 ER), 3 H, 0 SO, 0 BB

Notes: Walden hasn’t appeared in a game since Feb. 23 due to a bulging disk in his back. He received an epidural injection in Atlanta on Wednesday, and if he continues to progress, he could throw off a mound again this weekend.

RP LaTroy Hawkins (NYM)

Numbers: 1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 SO, 0 BB

Notes: Hawkins is 40 years old and now, after signing a Minor League deal with the Mets this offseason, has a good chance to make an Opening Day roster with his 10th different team.

C Bobby Wilson (NYY)

Numbers: .167 BA (2-for-12)

Notes: Some of you may be surprised to see he’s even on the Yankees. Wilson was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays early in the offseason, but was released in late November and signed with the Yankees on a Minor League deal a couple weeks later. He’ll be in Triple-A, but with not much talent in front of him — Austin Romine, Francisco Cervelli, Chris Stewart — perhaps he can win playing time.

– Alden

Game 132: Angels-Mariners …

The Angels and their three-game winning streak start a three-game weekend series in Seattle tonight, where they’ll try to win six straight at Safeco Field for the first time since taking seven straight from 2004-05. The Angels are 6-4 overall against the Mariners this season, having dropped two of three against them at home in early August. The last time Dan Haren pitched here, on May 24, he threw a complete-game shutout, striking out 14 and walking none …

Angels (69-62)

Mike Trout, CF
Torii Hunter, RF
Albert Pujols, DH
Kendrys Morales, 1B
Mark Trumbo, LF
Erick Aybar, SS
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Maicer Izturis, 2B
Bobby Wilson, C

Pitching: RH Haren (8-10, 4.82 ERA)

Mariners (64-68)

Dustin Ackley, 2B
Franklin Gutierrez, CF
Kyle Seager, 3B
John Jaso, DH
Jesus Montero, C
Michael Saunders, RF
Justin Smoak, 1B
Trayvon Robinson, LF
Brendan Ryan, SS

Pitching: RH Kevin Millwood (4-11, 4.28 ERA)

  • Scott Downs, who left the team on Sunday night to attend to a family issue, is en route to Seattle and will be activated from the bereavement list tomorrow.
  • Andrew Romine was here today, just in case Howie Kendrick (sore right knee) couldn’t go. But he went through pregame activities and is expected to be fine. So, Romine will be activated tomorrow — the first day of September callups.
  • Thinking ahead never hurt anybody, right? Mike Scioscia essentially has his rotation for the rest of the month mapped out, and he has it so that he can use Jered Weaver for the last day of the regular season or — if the Angels already clinch by then — the first day of the Wild Card. Of course, they have to get there first.
  • Scioscia doesn’t believe he’ll go to a four-man rotation at any point this month. The starters are pitching better and some of the guys, he said, “have been nicked up,” so they can use that normal/extended rest. “The way it’s working out, I don’t know if there’s going to be a need for that,” Scioscia said. “That would entail bringing some guys back on early rest. Our preference would be to not do that. That would be a last resort. Right now it doesn’t look like we’re going to have to do that.”
  • Pujols still hasn’t played first base since returning from a calf injury on Tuesday, though he did take ground balls there yesterday. Asked about when Pujols can return to his normal position, Scioscia said: “Tough to put a timeframe on it. He came out of it fine taking ground balls. If it takes a week, it takes a week. If it takes two weeks, it takes two weeks. We need his bat in the lineup. And also, Albert’s a presence at first base, is a terrific defensive first baseman, and you’d like to get that defensive presence.”

– Alden

Question of the Day, 8/17 …

Any news on Jered Weaver? It seemed like there were some issues between him and Chris Iannetta. — @Halofan25

Weaver admitted postgame that they just weren’t in sync, saying: “It was just one of those weird nights. Obviously me and Chris have been rolling here for a while. I just couldn’t get on the same page. It was just a bad feeling, going into it, and it was a bad feeling coming out of it. It’s going to happen.”

Iannetta shouldered the blame postgame for the first pitch to Jeff Keppinger — a curveball that resulted in a wild pitch and put runners on second and third with none out — but he said that was the only time they were crossed up. “I made a mistake,” he added. “I put down the wrong sign. It’s on me; it’s my fault on that one pitch. I thought we were using a certain sequence and we weren’t, so that one’s on me.”

Heading into this game, Weaver had been matched up with Iannetta (who missed significant time due to wrist surgery and a forearm strain) nine other times, posting a 1.50 ERA in that span. In 12 starts with Bobby Wilson, his ERA is 2.88.

– Alden

Game 116: Indians-Angels …

The Angels just dropped two of three to the Mariners, have lost eight of their  last 11 and enter the week with an eight-game deficit in the AL West — their largest since May 22. They need to get back on track, and they need to do it now, against an Indians team that just suffered a 14-1 loss and is 9-21 in the second half. C.J. Wilson, however, hasn’t won since June 26 — a span of eight starts …

Indians (53-62)

Jason Donald, 2B
Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
Shin-Soo Choo, RF
Carlos Santana, DH
Michael Brantley, CF
Shelley Duncan, LF
Brent Lillibridge, 3B
Casey Kotchman, 1B
Lou Marson, C

Pitching: RH Justin Masterson (8-10, 4.68 ERA)

Angels (60-55)

Mike Trout, CF
Torii Hunter, RF
Albert Pujols, 1B
Kendrys Morales, DH
Mark Trumbo, LF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Erick Aybar, SS
Chris Iannetta, C

Pitching: LH Wilson (9-8, 3.34 ERA)

  • On July 7, Mike Scioscia made Trumbo his primary cleanup hitter. But he’s posted a .213/.278/.360 slash line since, and Morales has started to surge lately. So, on Monday, he flip-flopped them again. Asked if Trumbo may have been putting too much pressure on himself as the guy protecting Pujols, Scioscia said: “I think Mark’s always very focused, I think he’s always very – he has a sense of urgency when it comes to production. Maybe he was taking too much on. I don’t know if that’s the whole story. I think at times you’re going to go through the ebs and flows of a season, you’re going to maybe have your ups and downs, and right now it’s a little bit of a down turn.”
  • Scott Downs (strained left shoulder) is slated for another bullpen session tomorrow, and Scioscia said it “might roll into a simulated game.” That would make him awfully close for a return.
  • Jordan Walden (neck and right bicep) will make his second rehab appearance for Triple-A Salt Lake. Will this be his last? “We’re going to see,” Scioscia said. “The last one was good, but showed he needed more work. This one, we’re going to evaluate the same way and see where he is.”
  • Iannetta is catching Wilson for the first time since he underwent wrist surgery in mid-May. The Angels’ skipper said it wasn’t to change anything up because C.J. has been struggling with Bobby Wilson behind the plate lately; simply becuase Iannetta is his everyday guy and he’ll be catching more regularly now.
  • Aybar, since coming off the DL: .458/.480/.625. Same Aybar as the one from ’09? “Yes. Swing is much more along the lines of what he was doing in ’09 than he was the last couple of years.”

– Alden

Game 113: Mariners-Angels …

After a long, rough, 4-6 road trip, the Angels return home for a 10-game homestand against the Mariners, Indians and Rays. We use the term “critical” too much in this game, but you can call this stint just that for the Angels, considering they just came off a stretch in which they played 42 of 45 games against above-.500 teams and now play  Seattle and Cleveland — two teams with combined 103-122 records — over their next six. Problem: The first contest will pin them against Felix Hernandez, who’s 6-0 with a 1.41 ERA over his last 10 starts. A better-lately Ervin Santana, at least, will be navigating an offense that’s statistically the worst in the American League.

Mariners (51-62)

Dustin Ackley, 2B
Michael Saunders, CF
Jesus Montero, DH
John Jaso, C
Kyle Seager, 3B
Mike Carp, 1B
Casper Wells, LF
Eric Thames, RF
Brendan Ryan, SS

Pitching: RH Hernandez (10-5, 2.63 ERA)

Angels (59-53)

Mike Trout, CF
Torii Hunter, RF
Albert Pujols, 1B
Mark Trumbo, LF
Kendrys Morales, DH
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Erick Aybar, SS
Chris Iannetta, C

Pitching: RH Santana (5-10, 5.83)E

  • Scott Downs (strained left shoulder) continues to long toss without any next-day soreness, but there’s still no telling when he’ll get off a mound again. He hopes it’s within a week, but doesn’t know for sure. As for whether he’s concerned about being the same pitcher upon returning from a shoulder injury: “There’s nothing structurally wrong with the MRI. Now it’s just a matter of getting back out there and doing it — getting off the mound that first time, getting in a game that first time and getting those butterflies out of the way again. I don’t see any reoccurring issues that are going to pop up. As long as I don’t rush it, and try to do anything I’m not supposed to be doing, to get back any faster.”
  • Jordan Walden (neck soreness and right biceps strain) is slated to pitch in a rehab assignment for Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday and Monday, and could rejoin the Angels’ needy bullpen shortly thereafter.
  • Bobby Wilson is off Twitter. He’s simply sick and tired of all the vitriol pointed in his direction through the social-networking device. The Angels’ backup catcher tweeted Thursday: I’m done with twitter. Try to be fan friendly and all I get is criticism. I wasn’t blessed with 5 tools. I worked hard to get here. So, @BW46 has been removed.
  • The Angels will celebrate the 10th anniversary of their 2002 World Series championship team next week, with several giveaways and events taking place, and most of the team scheduled to be on hand.
  • I know it’s been a long time since they played at Angel Stadium, but the Angels have been shutout in each of their last two home games and haven’t scored a run at home over their last 23 innings. That’s tied for the Major League lead, along with the Dodgers (June 28-30) and themselves (May2-5).

Opposing Twitter follow: Greg Johns.

– Alden

Game 106: Rangers-Angels (Dempster vs. CJ) …

The Angels meet the Rangers’ counter punch tonight, in a sense. Ryan Dempster, acquired at the final minute before Tuesday’s non-waiver Trade Deadline, takes the bump after spending his first 15 seasons in the National League (and last eight with the Cubs). Albert Pujols, coming off back-to-back multi-homer games for the first time in his career, surely is familiar — and successful. In 67 career plate appearances against Dempster, Pujols has a .327/.433/.782 slash line.

“Dempster is a veteran, he knows what he wants to do, he’s very creative with how he pitches,” his Thursday opponent, C.J. Wilson, said. “He’s a control guy, throws any pitch at any count, that kind of thing. Some of the guys in here have faced him. Albert has faced him a ton of times. Albert’s got good numbers off him, so hopefully he can do something cool against him.”

Does it make Texas’ rotation better than that of the Angels?

Rangers’ rotation now: Matt Harrison, Yu Darvish, Derek Holland, Dempster and Scott Feldman, with Alexi Ogando as insurance. 

Angels’ rotation: Jered Weaver, Zack Greinke, Dan Haren, Wilson and Ervin Santana, with Garrett Richards as insurance.

“They’ve been looking for help like most teams are,” Haren said. “He’s a solid pitcher. I’m sure it’ll help their club. But I think we still like where we stand. We like our chances, that’s for sure.”

On to the lineups …

Angels (57-48)

Mike Trout, CF
Torii Hunter, RF
Albert Pujols, 1B
Mark Trumbo, LF
Kendrys Morales, DH
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Andrew Romine, SS
Bobby Wilson, C

Pitching: LH C.J. Wilson (9-7, 2.88 ERA)

Rangers (60-43)

Ian Kinsler, DH
Elvis Andrus, SS
Josh Hamilton, LF
Adrian Beltre, 3B
Nelson Cruz, RF
Michael Young, 2B
Geovany Soto, C
Mike Olt, 1B
Craig Gentry, CF

Pitching: RH Ryan Dempster (0-0, -.– ERA)

Some pregame notes …

  • Richards was optioned, with David Carpenter coming up
  • Trout was named AL Player of the Month and, for the third straight time, Rookie of the Month. (Weaver, however, got beat out by Jason Vargas for Rookie of the Month.)
  • Back to the pinch-running situation. Mike Scioscia revealed pregame Thursday that Kendrick was bothered by a calf injury yesterday, which is why he didn’t start. Asked if that was the reason he didn’t pinch-run him for Morales, Scioscia said, “It was part of the equation, yes. But I think when push came to shove, if we were down a run, we would’ve looked at some other things.” Vernon Wells, of course, would’ve been an option regardless. Kendrick told reporters (I wasn’t there) that his calf was actually fine.
  • Still no clarity on Scott Downs (strained left shoulder). Scioscia says it’ll take a week for them to get clearer indication. They’re waiting for the swelling to go down. This could take a while.

Some Angels.com links from Wednesday …

  • Angels stunned, drop heartbreaker to Rangers
  • Notebook, on August plans, the Greinke extension, Trout’s ties to Rickey Henderson, injury updates, etc.
  • Preview, on the CJ-Dempster matchup

Some AL West links …

And Ryan Tannehill joined the first team.

– Alden

Game 97: Royals-Angels …

Royals (40-54)

Alex Gordon, LF
Alcides Escobar, SS
Lorenzo Cain, CF
Billy Butler, DH
Mike Moustakas, 3B
Yuniesky Betancourt, 2B
Jeff Francoeur, RF
Eric Hosmer, 1B
Brayan Pena, C

Pitching: LH Bruce Chen (7-8, 5.57 ERA)

Angels (52-44)

Mike Trout, LF
Torii Hunter, RF
Albert Pujols, 1B
Mark Trumbo, DH
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Maicer Izturis, SS
Peter Bourjos, CF
Bobby Wilson, C

Pitching: LH C.J. Wilson (9-6, 2.82 ERA)

Some pregame notes …

  • Erick Aybar (right toe) was in a walking boot today. An MRI revealed a small hairline fracture, but he’s still day-to-day and will be re-evaluated tomorrow. The Angels had a long closed-door meeting earlier this afternoon, perhaps partly to talk about who to bring up in case Aybar needs to go on the DL.
  • Jerome Williams will basically be working as a long man out of the bullpen in the meantime, but manager Mike Scioscia continues to say that he has a chance to “earn a spot and get a spot back in the rotation.”
  • Pujols is batting .338 with 15 homers and 42 RBIs over his last 53 games, and has five homers in his last 10.
  • From our stats department: Trout is averaging .95 runs per game. Only two qualifying players in their age-20 season or younger have ever finished a season with a run-scoring rate that high — Alex Rodriguez (1996) and John McGraw (1893).
  • Ron Washington on Trout last night: “He’s not Willie Mays. He’s a pretty good player, but I think the comparisons have to stop. Let the kid play. When he’s been here five years, six years, then you can start doing that.” … Scioscia, essentially, agrees. Here’s what he said pregame … Wash is saying the same thing we’re saying. We’re saying, for a guy to reach some of the things that those guys in baseball immortals have done, it has to stand the test of time. When you talk about what is the kind of player Mike reminds you of, or the tool set, I think that’s where he’s getting compared to guys, not anything that’s being ordained as to where he’s going to end up. You’re getting a range of players, all Hall of Famers, that Mike’s getting compared to as far as his SKILL SET, not as far as what his production is. Where he’s going to be 10 years from now, 15 years, 20 year from now, that’s the test of time. And you’re only going to be in the same sentence with those guys when you finish your career and you put up the type of career that’s worthy to be with those guys.

Some Angels.com links from Sunday …

Some AL West links …

And the Heat and Thunder are likely to meet on Christmas Day.

– Alden

Game 91: Angels-Tigers …

Angels (49-41)

Mike Trout, CF
Torii Hunter, RF
Albert Pujols, 1B
Mark Trumbo, LF
Kendrys Morales, DH
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Erick Aybar, SS
Bobby Wilson, C

Pitching: RH Garrett Richards (2-1, 4.21 ERA)

Tigers (47-43)

Austin Jackson, CF
Quintin Berry, LF
Miguel Cabrera, 3B
Prince Fielder, 1B
Delmon Young, DH
Brennan Boesch, RF
Jhonny Peralta, SS
Alex Avila, C
Ramon Santiago, 2B

Pitching: RH Justin Turner (0-1, 1.80 ERA)

Some pregame notes …

  • Mike Scioscia finally relented, putting Trumbo in as the cleanup hitter behind Pujols, instead of Morales. “We all feel that Kendrys is pressing a little bit. He understands the importance of just being able to hit behind a guy like Albert. I don’t think he’s changed his game much, but right now he’s not very comfortable in the box. It doesn’t look like he’s attacking the ball like he can.”
  • Haren (stiff lower back) is expected to be with the team today and will throw a bullpen session in the next couple days. Scioscia, on his rehab outing: “First couple innings was a little bit off of his command, but physically he felt great, so it was a good workout for him. He feels good.”
  • Vernon Wells (right thumb surgery) expects to start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.

Some Angels.com links from Monday …

Some AL West links …

Mike Miller decides against retirement.

– Alden

Question of the Day, 7/16 …

With John Hester and Bobby Wilson out of options, who goes away when Chris Iannetta comes back? — @slbs

Actually, only Wilson is out of options. Hester was signed to a Minor League contract, so he can be sent down. Wilson’s the one who would have to be placed on waivers if the Angels want to option him. What they’ll do when Iannetta returns remains to be seen, but my thinking is Wilson stays as the backup catcher, just like it was at the start of the season. Hester may be the better hitter, but not by much, and he has a really hard time throwing out would-be base-stealers. Wilson has the better arm. One thing that may work in Hester’s favor, though: He has established a good rapport with C.J. Wilson.

– Alden

Game 80: Angels-Indians …

Angels (44-35)

Erick Aybar, SS
Torii Hunter, RF
Albert Pujols, 1B
Kendrys Morales, DH
Mark Trumbo, LF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Peter Bourjos, CF
Bobby Wilson, C

Pitching: RH Jered Weaver (8-1, 2.31 ERA)

Indians (40-38)

Shin-Soo Choo, RF
Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
Jason Kipnis, 2B
Michael Brantley, CF
Carlos Santana, C
Johnny Damon, DH
Casey Kotchman, 1B
Shelley Duncan, LF
Jack Hannahan, 3B

Pitching: Ubaldo Jimenez (7-6, 4.69 ERA)

Some pregame notes …

  • Mike Trout was a late scratch from the top of the Angels’ lineup. The 20-year-old outfielder jammed his right thumb while sliding into second base with a leadoff double in Sunday’s game against the Blue Jays and still felt some soreness while taking BP earlier today. No X-rays scheduled as of now. He’s listed day-to-day.
  • Jerome Williams had a rough outing in Triple-A on Sunday night, giving up six runs (five earned) on eight hits in two-plus innings. He exited after suffering what Mike Scioscia called a soft-tissue contusion in his right forearm. It felt better after icing it, and he’s slated to pitch again Friday.
  • Scioscia on Jordan Walden, who gave up a three-run homer in mop-up duty in Sunday’s ninth inning, and has given up a run in back-to-back outings: “The night where he gave up the one run [on Friday], he was throwing the ball very well … His stuff’s there, and the big picture, if you look at his last 10 outings, his stuff was really good. He’s thrown some better breaking balls. The breaking ball he threw to [Jose] Bautista was fantastic, at the end [on Sunday]. Commanding the ball was something that he had some trouble with yesterday, but overall, I think, he’s made a lot of strides, and yesterday was just a little setback.”
  • Chris Iannetta (right forearm strain) threw from 75-80 feet and felt good; he continues to progress towards a rehab outing.

Some Angels.com links from Sunday …

Some AL West links …

And Ronny Turiaf opted out of his contract with the Heat. I’ll miss his towel-waiving.

– Alden

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