Random Angels Thoughts and Rumblings

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News from the 30th of July.

Angels recalled infielder Matt Brown from Triple-A Salt Lake.
Brown, who was up briefly back in May, was hitting .276/.358/.504 for Salt Lake. He should have been called up as soon as Howie Kendrick got hurt, considering that the Angels never had any intention of giving Brandon Wood semi-regular playing time. Brown will serve as a backup at third until Kendrick returns.

Angels optioned third baseman Brandon Wood to Triple-A Salt Lake.
Wood went 2-for-10 with a double in 15 days with the Angels.

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News from the 31st of July.

Kelvim Escobar took a complete-game loss after allowing two runs in eight innings Monday versus Seattle.
Escobar received unusually strong run support for him in the first half, but he's 1-2 with a 1.76 ERA since the break. He currently ranks second in the AL with a 2.87 ERA.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Juan Rivera "is not progressing as quickly as expected in his recovery from a broken leg."
The newspaper reports that Rivera "might not return until September," which could cause the Angels to seek another bat before Tuesday's trading deadline.

Howie Kendrick had the splint removed from his broken left index finger Monday.
Out since early this month, Kendrick is expected to begin strengthening exercises this week.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the A's would be willing to trade Mike Piazza to the Angels.
The newspaper suggests that Piazza would be a good fit behind Vladimir Guerrero in the Angels' lineup and opines that the A's being far out of the playoff picture makes them "more willing to make trades inside the AL West and improve a rival team's chances of reaching the postseason."

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News from the 1st of August.

John Lackey tossed a seven-hit shutout Tuesday to help the Angels increase their lead over the Mariners to four games.
All seven hits against him were singles as he recorded his first complete game and 13th win of the year. Lackey had tossed shutout ball in one other start this year, also against Seattle. He struck out five and walked three, helping the Halos win for the fifth time in six games.

Gary Matthews Jr., struggling recently, enjoyed a massive breakout night with two homers and two doubles as the Angels mauled the Mariners 8-0 on Tuesday.
Matthews hadn't homered in six weeks, but he smacked a two-run shot and solo blast tonight. He's batting .276 with 21 doubles and his first homer was the front end of a back-to-back with Maicer Izturis also going yard.

Erick Aybar (hand) is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment Wednesday at Triple-A.
Manager Mike Scioscia estimated Tuesday that Aybar will need 4-5 games at Triple-A before being ready to come off the disabled list.

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News from the 2nd of August.

Jered Weaver was burned for 12 hits and six runs in six innings in a no-decision Wednesday.
Has he been watching his brother's pitching videos again? That's 23 hits and 12 runs allowed for Jered in his last two starts covering 11 1/3 innings. His ERA has soared to 4.00.

Garret Anderson had two hits and three RBI in a losing effort on Wednesday.
He delivered an RBI groundout and a two-run homer, his sixth of the season. Anderson is batting .291 with 31 RBI this season.

Manager Mike Scioscia said Wednesday that Dallas McPherson (back) is not likely to play this season.
McPherson underwent lower back surgery in January.

Ervin Santana struggled for a second straight start Wednesday at Triple-A, allowing six runs on 13 hits in six innings.
Santana did strike out seven, but his ERA in three starts at Triple-A now stands at 6.05.

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News from the 3rd of August.

Vladimir Guerrero broke a 30-game homerless streak, the longest of his career, with two home runs against the Athletics on Thursday.
Guerrero hadn't homered in 125 at-bats before going back-to-back in the fourth and fifth innings. Both homers were off starter Chad Gaudin, with the first being a solo shot and the second registering as a three-run blast. Despite the homerless drought, Guerrero still has 16 long balls and 87 RBI on the season.

Joe Saunders improved to 5-0 on the season after limiting the Athletics to two runs in 6 2/3 innings of work on Thursday.
Saunders gave up six hits and two walks while striking out three. Despite a mediocre strikeout-to-walk ratio, Saunders hasn't given up more than four runs in any of his eight starts this season. He's not a good bet to continue pitching quite so well, but he's likely to remain an asset and can be left active even when he faces the Red Sox next time out.

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News from the 4th of August.

Vladimir Guerrero homered twice and doubled Friday in the loss to the A's.
No help for Vladi, who also homered twice Thursday after going 30 games without one. With three RBI tonight, he's up to 90 on the season. Unfortunately, the Angels could muster only one other run tonight, that coming on an Orlando Cabrera sac fly.

Kelvim Escobar battled control problems, but only gave up two hits in seven innings as he suffered his sixth loss on Saturday.
He gave up just two runs -- one earned -- but walked seven against just two strikeouts. Escobar, whose ERA is down to 2.79, has pitched very well since the break, but he dodged a lot of bullets today given his command issues.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia said that Dustin Moseley will maintain his rotation spot for the time being.
"Dustin took a step forward (Friday night)," Scioscia said. "He maintained his stuff. We'll keep evaluating it but we're all happy with where he is." Moseley gave up four runs in 4 2/3 innings Friday, but the Angels are pretty limited with their options right now. Expect Moseley to show an improvement in his next start.

Howie Kendrick (finger) will be re-evaluated next week, according to manager Mike Scioscia.
"One thing you can't rush is time to heal," Scioscia said. "He's moving in the right direction." Kendrick can run and throw, but still can't take grounders. It looks like he won't be back until around the middle of the month.

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News from the 5th of August.

Garret Anderson drove in three runs, including a game-tying sacrifice fly in the seventh, in a 4-3 win over the Athletics on Sunday.
Anderson also had an RBI triple in the first and an RBI single in the fifth. The left fielder is batting .291 with six homers and 35 RBI in 61 games this season.

John Lackey picked up his 14th win of the season by holding the Athletics to three runs in 6 2/3 innings on Sunday, tying him for the major league lead in that category.
C.C. Sabathia and Carlos Zambrano were already at 14 victories. In addition to his impressive wins total, Lackey is 10th in the American League in strikeouts and sixth in ERA. The right-hander has twice reached 14 wins prior to this season, but has yet to eclipse that mark.

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News from the 6th of August.

The Angels activated Erick Aybar from the 15-day DL on Monday.
Aybar's been out since the beginning of July with a hand contusion. He's batting .236 with no homers and 15 RBI in 61 games and will go back to supplying backup for the infield. Righty Marc Gwyn was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake to make room for Aybar.

The Angels optioned RHP Marc Gwyn to Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday.
With Erick Abyar coming off the DL, the Halos needed to farm someone out. Gwyn had made just one appearance since his recall on July 24, tossing one shutout inning on July 29, so clearly he wasn't in great demand by the Angels.

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News from the 7th of August.

Jered Weaver tossed six solid innings Monday, but didn't factor into the decision.
He gave up six hits and two runs, striking out four and walking two, while lowering his ERA to 3.94. This was a much better outing than Weaver had had in a little while.

Maicer Izturis hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh to give the Angels the lead, and they went on to beat Boston 4-2 on Monday.
It was Izturis' only hit of the night. He's batting .261 with 25 RBI and has struck out 21 times. Casey Kotchman hit a two-run single to help the Halos erase an early 2-0 deficit.

Mike Napoli, sidelined for the last 11 games with a strained right hamstring after injuring himself stealing second base, is on pace to be activated when he is eligible to come off the 15-day DL on Monday.
He is running, doing treadmill work and hitting in the cage. Ryan Budde is likely to be sent down when Napoli returns.

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News from the 8th of August.

Gary Matthews Jr. homered and drove in four runs in a 10-4 win over the Red Sox on Tuesday.
Matthews hit a two-run single in the fifth, an RBI double in the sixth, and capped his night with a solo homer in the eighth. The center fielder also made a nice play on defense, robbing Coco Crisp of a homer in the fourth inning. Matthews entered the day with just two hits in his last 19 at-bats.

Joe Saunders improved his record to 6-0 despite yielding four runs in 5 1/3 innings against the Red Sox on Tuesday.
Saunders did receive the victory in this one, but he wasn't all that impressive while yielding eight hits. He also had the benefit of one runner being thrown out at home as well as his bullpen stranding an inherited runner. Still, Saunders will take the victory as he improves to 6-0 in nine starts. The left-hander seems unlikely to continue pitching so well, and he has a tough matchup against the right-handed heavy Blue Jays' lineup next timeout.

Howie Kendrick (finger) will undergo X-rays Friday to determine if he'll be able to begin a minor league rehab assignment next week.
If he's cleared for the rehab assignment, Kendrick will be on track to rejoin the Angels on August 20. "It's been a few weeks now, and I'm driving myself crazy," Kendrick said. "I had never broken a bone in my body before this year, and I've broken two this season. You wonder what else could happen."

Juan Rivera (leg) has been unable to begin a minor league rehab assignment because he's having trouble running the bases and breaking for balls defensively.
Rivera has been fine running on a straight line, but is having problems turning. "He's making progress, but the medical department doesn't feel he's where he needs to be to play in games," manager Mike Scioscia said. "Every day that goes by works against us. He needs to play, and he's not healthy enough to start a rehab assignment."

Ervin Santana allowed two runs while racking up 10 strikeouts in Monday's start at Triple-A, but the Angels are not ready to recall him yet.
"His command was good, he changed speeds well and pitched a good game," manager Mike Scioscia said. "Right now, we want his progress to continue. When we feel he's ready to come here and meet the challenge, we'll look at it."

Bartolo Colon, who has been on the disabled list since July 24 due to a sore right elbow, will throw off a mound on Friday for the first time since suffering the injury.
"It'll be more of a touch-and-feel thing, just to see how the ball comes out of his hand," manager Mike Scioscia said. "He still needs to step up with two or three bullpen sessions and test his arm aggressively with all of his pitches. If he turns the next one loose, full-gorilla, there's a possibility that he's ready for a (rehab) game, but we'll take it one step at a time." A timetable still hasn't been set for Colon's return, but it figures to be in late August or early September.

Despite a negative report on Juan Rivera's health yesterday, it appears that the outfielder is now making solid progress in recovering from his broken leg.
Yesterday Rivera was having problems turning while running. Today he could be ready to begin rehab games as early as next week. "He's definitely passed a hurdle -- everything from the agility drills and baseball-related drills he's been in to his stamina," manager Mike Scioscia said. "His improvement has fueled our optimism. When you're rehabilitating, the last maybe 5-10 percent is usually the toughest to finish off. He's still got a ways to go." Rivera should be back at some point during September.

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News from the 9th of August.

Chone Figgins singled and doubled to drive in three runs against the Red Sox on Wednesday.
Figgins hit a sacrifice fly in the second inning, then added a two-run double in the fourth. The switch-hitter is batting an outstanding .410 since the start of June to go with 34 RBI and 26 RBI in 58 games played.

Mike Napoli (hamstring) began jogging Wednesday and is expected to increase his running Friday.
Napoli is on track to come off the disabled list Tuesday.

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News from the 11th of August.

Kelvim Escobar was wild again Friday, but it didn't hurt him against the Twins, as he allowed just one run over six innings.
Escobar walked five batters, bringing his total to 12 in his last two starts. He's been effective anyway, but the lack of command could be an indication that his arm is bothering him again.

Maicer Izturis hit his first career grand slam Friday in a 10-1 win over the Twins.
It was a 2-1 game when Izturis took Scott Baker deep in the sixth. Izturis has hit three of his four homers in his last 10 games. He'll keep playing regularly at second base until Howie Kendrick returns.

Howie Kendrick (finger) was given clearance to resume baseball activities on Friday.
"I'm good to go," the Angels second baseman said. "I was feeling good, so I had an idea it was starting to heal. This was just confirmation I'm OK, which is good, because I'm ready to play." Kendrick took batting practice for the first time on Friday and reportedly felt good.

Bartolo Colon (elbow) threw 15 pitches during a bullpen session on Friday.
"The ball came out of his hand good; he finished his pitches well," said Mike Butcher, the Angels' pitching coach. "He's looking to get comfortable, to get used to the slope, to build up his endurance. I feel like he's going to be back this year. It just depends on how he gets through all the hoops he has to jump through." He will need three or four bullpen sessions before beginning a minor league rehab assignment.

Gary Matthews Jr. was limited to DH duty for the second straight night Saturday because of inflammation in the patella tendon in his left knee.
Matthews was hurt in a collision Wednesday against the Red Sox. As long as he can continue to DH, the injury won't change the lineup much. Reggie Willits is playing center tonight.

Francisco Rodriguez gave up a run in the ninth on Saturday, but he held on to earn his 29th save as the Angels beat the Twins 4-3.
Rodriguez rolled his left ankle on his very first pitch of the outing, and it looks like he might have to come out. However, he proved to be fine to finish, retiring the last two hitters he faced after Mike Redmond drove in a run with an infield single. K-Rod is 29-for-32 in save chances.

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News from the 12th of August.

Howie Kendrick (finger) was cleared to resume full baseball activities Friday and will start a minor league rehab assignment with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga Sunday.
Kendrick will then join Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday, and if he regains his timing and his stroke quickly, manager Mike Scioscia said there is a chance Kendrick will be activated Friday for the Angels' day-night doubleheader in Boston.

Mike Napoli (hamstring) is eligible to come off the disabled list Sunday, but isn't expected to be activated until at least the middle of this week.
After Napoli ran full speed to test his strained right hamstring Friday and Saturday, the Angels determined he will need a few more days to recover.

Chone Figgins went 2-for-5 with a homer and two runs scored in a 6-2 win over the Twins on Sunday.
Figgins is still on fire. He's gone hitless just three times in the last month and has 15 multi-hit games during that stretch. Figgins is also batting .407 with 27 steals since the start of June.

Jered Weaver limited the Twins to two runs in 7 1/3 innings of work to record a victory on Sunday.
Weaver gave up five hits and struck out four while not issuing a walk. He had given up just one run through seven innings, but the runner he left on first base when departing was allowed to score by reliever Justin Speier. Weaver is 8-5 with a 3.85 ERA.

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News from the 13th of August.

Juan Rivera (leg) is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment Monday.
The Angels are expected to give Rivera at least 50 at-bats in the minors before welcoming him back from a broken leg. He's on track to return in early September. "Barring a setback, there's a strong possibility he'll become an option," manager Mike Scioscia said. "He's put together well enough to compete and to see if we can get his game to where he needs to be to play in the major leagues."

After taking Sunday off following back-to-back games at designated hitter, Gary Matthews Jr. (knee) is hoping to return to center field Tuesday.
"We could limp through this, but it's going to affect his ability to play center field," manager Mike Scioscia said. "We need him to play at a high level, so we're going to give him two days off and see how he feels Tuesday."

Bartolo Colon (elbow) threw 30 pitches during a bullpen session Sunday and reportedly "felt real good."
Colon is scheduled to throw 45 pitches in another bullpen session Wednesday and could begin a minor league rehab assignment as soon as this weekend.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Mike Napoli (hamstring) is unlikely to return from the disabled list until this weekend.
Napoli's hamstring was sore after attempting to run at full speed Friday, pushing back his return timetable a bit.

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News from the 14th of August.

Joe Saunders suffered his first loss of the season despite throwing another quality outing on Tuesday.
In seven innings, Saunders held the Jays to eight hits and four runs -- three earned -- while striking out four and walking one to fall to 6-1. His ERA inched up to 3.50, but he looked much better tonight than he did last week against the BoSox.