Angels pitching

[riverdunesrat]

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Angels pitching corps takes another big hit
Byrd, the scheduled starter tonight, will miss the game because of back spasms.

By DAN WOOD
The Orange County Register

ANAHEIM – Just as the Angels gained reason to hope for the potential return of one starting pitcher, they lost another.

A few hours after right-hander Kelvim Escobar threw an impressive batting-practice stint at Angel Stadium, the club announced early in Monday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays that right-hander Paul Byrd will miss tonight's scheduled start because of lower-back spasms.

The Angels planned to recall highly regarded left-hander Joe Saunders from Triple-A Salt Lake to make his major-league debut against Toronto.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Saunders, 24, was a first-round draft pick by the Angels out of Virginia Tech in 2002.

He missed the 2003 season because of fraying of the labrum in his throwing shoulder but has risen rapidly through the minor leagues since.

After splitting last season between Class-A Rancho Cucamonga and Double-A Arkansas, Saunders began this season at Arkansas, where he went 7-4 with a 3.49 ERA. Since being promoted to Salt Lake, he is 3-3 with a 3.46 ERA in six games.

Escobar, recovering from June surgery to shave a bone spur in his pitching elbow, followed Friday's 17-minute bullpen session in Seattle by throwing eight minutes of batting practice. Facing teammates Steve Finley, Jeff DaVanon and Jeff Mathis, Escobar used his full assortment of pitches.

"There are some rough edges that any pitcher would go through at this stage, some command things, but his arm looks good," Manager Mike Scioscia said.

"He threw some pitches with good velocity."

The plan calls for Escobar to work a simulated game Thursday or Friday and then, if all goes well, begin a minor-league rehabilitation assignment next week. The Angels aren't counting on having Escobar until the first week of September at the earliest, and they want him to be able to start, as well as pitch in relief, so three minor-league starts might be necessary.

"I feel great," Escobar said. "I think it's right, what we're doing. I'm going to go down and get my stamina so that when I come back, I'm really ready."

Escobar is 2-2 with a 3.54 ERA in seven starts this season.

NOTES

Third baseman Dallas McPherson, who has been on the disabled list since July 8, will halt his rehab stint with Salt Lake because of an inflamed left hip. McPherson returned to Southern California to be examined by Dr. Robert Watkins, who ordered further diagnostic tests. ... Left fielder Garret Anderson, who also has been bothered by tendinitis in his left knee, missed his second consecutive game because of lower-back stiffness. Anderson was "much better" and might be back in the lineup tonight, Scioscia said.

TONIGHT

Saunders (0-0, 0.00) opposes Toronto's Scott Downs (1-2, 5.02) at 7:05. The game will be broadcast by KCAL/9, KSPN/710 and KTNQ/1020 (Spanish).

[realmofotalk]

Seems like I've been the only one who's ripped Stoneman and Rowland for selecting Saunders over Kazmir. If Moreno were running the team back then, Kazmir would've been in an Angel uniform.

[riverdunesrat]

Jones called up


Notes: Jones nabbed from Salt Lake
08/17/2005 10:42 PM ET
By Mark Thoma / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- Greg Jones had quite an eventful Tuesday night. He struck out three in the ninth inning to earn the save in Triple-A Salt Lake's victory over Portland, after which the right-hander found out he would be called up by the Angels on Wednesday.
Jones, who appeared in 18 games for the Angels in 2003, recorded nine saves with a 2.75 ERA in 18 outings for Salt Lake this year. Jones suffered a shoulder injury last season in the Minors and returned to game action early this summer with strong results.

"Out of all the guys down there, he's been throwing the ball most consistently," manager Mike Scioscia said. "His stuff plays in the big leagues."

Featuring a strong fastball, a slider and a changeup, Jones has averaged nearly one strikeout per inning during his professional career. The 28-year-old replaces Joe Saunders, who was only with the Angels for one day (Tuesday) to make a spot start.

With former long reliever Kevin Gregg working his way into a late-innings role -- Gregg has allowed only two earned runs in his last 15 2/3 innings -- Jones may be called upon for multi-inning assignments.

"We can get some length out of him," Scioscia said. "With an extra arm, with Kevin Gregg moving a little later in the game, [Jones] allows us to keep [Gregg] there."

Jones is happy to be back in the Major Leagues, where he owns a 4.88 lifetime ERA, and his goal is a clear one.

"The only objective that I have is to prove myself to my teammates and the coaching staff," Jones said, "and hopefully try to fit in and help these guys win."

Anderson still out: Garret Anderson wasn't available for action on Wednesday for the fourth consecutive day, leaving the Angels with a three-man bench. And while Anderson has undergone an array of tests, neither the Angels nor Anderson are certain when the All-Star will be ready to return to action.

Anderson says he feels better than he did on Sunday, and he knows precisely what the source of his problem is.

"It's not my back, it's my SI joint," he said. "It's something I've dealt with my whole career -- but I've never missed time with it."

The sacroiliac (SI) joint is located where the spine meets the pelvis and is a critical component in transferring the weight of the upper body onto the lower body.

Anderson said he has not undergone an MRI or any other scans, but that a battery of other tests has been done, the results of which may be available as soon as Thursday. For now, though, Anderson remains in a holding pattern.

"I've thrown and I've run," he said. "I haven't swung a bat yet, but that'll come with time."

Beginnings and endings: Angels starters have allowed three earned runs or fewer in 16 of their last 18 contests entering Wednesday, but during that time, the bullpen has blown nine saves.

Five of the Angels' last seven losses have come when leading after six innings. The visiting Blue Jays won on Tuesday for the first time in 49 chances this season when trailing after six.

Minor League mavens: Class A Cedar Rapids second baseman Alexi Casilla collected three hits on Tuesday and is batting .318 with 43 steals in 75 games. Casilla, who was named Topps Midwest League Player of the Month in July, is a 20-year-old switch-hitter who the Angels signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2003.

Double-A Arkansas second baseman Howie Kendrick continues to tear up the Texas League. He had two hits on Tuesday, extending his hitting streak to 16 games, and is batting a scorching .355 with 13 doubles in 29 games.

On deck: Bartolo Colon (15-6, 3.44 ERA) will face Boston's Tim Wakefield (12-9, 4.07 ERA) at 7:05 p.m. PT Thursday in the opener of a four-game series at Angel Stadium.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.



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Angels Homepage | MLB.com

[Providence A's]

Angels pitching corps takes another big hit

And they get hammered tonight again...can you say half game back?

[riverdunesrat]

half game back......

[Providence A's]

http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/NAS...=.jsp&c_id=ana

Manager Mike Scioscia said Saturday that right-handed starter Kelvim Escobar's return to the Angels will begin in the bullpen.
"His elbow is not where we need it to be," Scioscia said prior to the middle game of a three-game series with the Mariners. "The way these guys [the starters] have been throwing, he'll be able to get it stretched out."

The Angels said they will activate Escobar on Tuesday after his third spell on the disabled list in 2005 with an elbow injury. He spent 18 games on the DL in April, 14 more in May, and will have sat out a total of 77 when his current layoff comes to an end. Escobar underwent surgery on June 29 to shave down a bone spur and remove a bone chip from the right elbow.

"He's certainly going to take some time," Scioscia said of his plan to ease Escobar back into playing shape. "We're going to monitor it very closely."

There's only 28 games or so left...not much time.

[Providence A's]

Now the bullpen is showing signs of slowing down.

http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/NAS...=.jsp&c_id=ana

Once a strength, the Angels bullpen has taken some blows in the second half of the season.
Since coming out of the All-Star break with a string of 29 2/3 scoreless innings, the bullpen has posted a 4.86 ERA. On Saturday, Brendan Donnelly and Scot Shields were unable to protect a 2-1 lead as the Mariners busted out with five runs in the final two innings, including four in the ninth.

Francisco Rodriguez was unavailable Saturday after making four straight appearances and converting three straight saves. Shields had made two appearances in the last week while Donnelly hadn't been in a game since Aug. 27, but the two lead the club in appearances this season. Shields has been in 65 games entering Sunday while Donnelly has appeared in 53.

The Angels have relied on the bullpen too much and looks like they may pay the price very soon...possibly miss the playoffs or lose if they get in because of it.

[riverdunesrat]

Notice where this story comes from.....Anaheim....not LA.....

Monday, September 5, 2005

Colon's bad back comes to forefront

ANAHEIM – Uh-oh.

You could hear the groaning and murmuring around the ballpark Sunday as Angels manager Mike Scioscia and head trainer Ned Bergert made their way to the mound in the sixth inning to visit ace pitcher Bartolo Colon.

It is never a good sign when the trainer pops out of the dugout, but it's especially alarming when the starting pitcher has a 5-1 lead in the sixth and there is no one warming up in the Angels bullpen.

There was a runner on third (Seattle's Jeremy Reed had led off the sixth with a triple down the right-field line) and a 1-0 count on Raul Ibanez when the emergency meeting took place in the middle of the field, with all eyes trained on them.

As Scioscia reached the mound, the sellout crowd of 43,757 went silent.

A few words and a few seconds later, Colon handed the baseball to his manager and left to a thunderous ovation. Scioscia apparently was so worried, he walked to the dugout, too, with the game ball still in his hand.

Uh-oh, indeed.

Ninety minutes later, after four Angels relievers had perspired and persevered to preserve an eventual 5-3 victory, Angels fans had to be nervous as they left the stadium and tuned in the postgame radio show to find out what was wrong with Colon, the winningest pitcher in the American League.

Turns out, Colon was experiencing back spasms during the game - "tightness in the lower left side of his back" is the way the team announced it - and had been for several days, since he had worked a season-high 91/3 innings Tuesday in his previous start against Oakland.

"I felt it the next morning (after the Oakland game)," Colon said, speaking through interpreter Jose Mota after Sunday's game. "It's been four days of pain in my back."

That he was able to take the ball Sunday, after his normal four days of rest, was a testament to his determination, his high pain threshold and an experienced medical staff.

Colon credited the electro-stimulation administered by athletic trainer Rick Smith before the game for getting him loose enough to take his turn.

Until the fifth inning, no one could have guessed he was pitching with back stiffness because Colon limited the Mariners to an infield single through the first four innings while being staked to a 5-0 lead on the strength of a three-run homer by Casey Kotchman and a two-run homer by Vladimir Guerrero.

After every inning, Scioscia kept asking Colon if he was all right, and every inning the stoic Colon nodded yes.

"Mike wanted to take me out after five innings," Colon said, forcing a smile. "Maybe I should have (come out then)."

Instead, he went out for the sixth, but not for long. After the portly right-hander hopped on his follow-through and stood straight up after his first pitch to Ibanez, Scioscia had seen enough.

"That's why we took a precaution today, to get him out of there," Scioscia said.

Colon is the Angels' most valuable pitching commodity, as attested by his 18-6 record, his seven-game winning streak and his record of 10-1 in games started directly after an Angels loss.

That's why Scioscia and pitching coach Bud Black had been talking about starting him on three days rest the last two weeks of the regular season, to maximize his starts down the stretch. But that is unlikely now.

Now it's possible Colon will be given an extra day or two before his next start, just to make certain he's fully recovered.

Even if Colon has to miss a turn, the Angels are scheduled to activate right-hander Kelvim Escobar from the disabled list Tuesday in Boston, so there are other options.

Colon said it's too early to tell when he'll be ready to pitch again, because "it feels very tight right now," he said.

He also said he would get a massage in Boston and that probably would help a lot.

The Angels - and all of their fans - are keeping their fingers crossed.

Stratospheric: You know what else is painful?

If you look at your stats, and your ERA is listed as "INF," which is short for infinity, which is what left-handed reliever Jason Christiansen is sporting after giving up two hits and a run without retiring a batter in his Angels debut on Saturday night.

What is infinity? Think of a number, any number - and it's higher than that.

Ba-da-bing! Former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda waved the green flag at the start of Sunday's Sony HD 500 NASCAR race at California Speedway. The way the Dodgers have been playing, he should have waved a white flag.

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Copyright 2005 The Orange County Register

[riverdunesrat]

Angels activate RHP Escobar from 60-day DL

September 6, 2005

BOSTON (Ticker) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim hope Kelvim Escobar's latest stint of the disabled list did the trick.

The righthanded Escobar was activated from the 60-day disabled list on Tuesday before the Angels open up a critical nine-game road trip at Boston.

Escobar has been on the disabled list three times this season, including his most recent stint which involved elbow surgery on June 29.

Escobar, who is 2-2 with a 3.54 ERA in seven starts this season, returns to Anaheim's staff at a crucial time.

Despite posting a 5-3 win over Seattle on Sunday to move a game ahead of Oakland in the American League West Division, ace Bartolo Colon was forced to leave the game in the sixth inning due to tightness in his lower back. Colon's status for his next start against the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox on Saturday is uncertain.

In other moves, the Angels recalled lefthander Joe Saunders and catcher Jeff Mathis from Class AAA Salt Lake of the Pacific Coast League.

Saunders was 12-7 with a 3.87 ERA in 27 starts split between Salt Lake and Class AA Arkansas of the Texas League. Mathis, a supplemental first-round pick of Anaheim in 2001, hit .276 with 21 homers and 73 RBI in 112 games with the Stingers.

Updated on Tuesday, Sep 6, 2005 1:04 pm EDT

[Providence A's]

Ahem, post #6 in this thread

Here's a linky

[riverdunesrat]

Ahem.....this is an update and not the same article.......

[Providence A's]

what was the update? that they actually activated him while my post said they were going to activate him?

[riverdunesrat]

Award caps Colon's perfect month
09/06/2005 6:28 PM ET
By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com

The Angels' road to the playoffs didn't appear to have major obstacles earlier this season. Then, Oakland started to piece together another strong second-half push and even briefly overtook the Angels in August.
The slim division lead that the Angels have maintained into September is owed, in large part, to the outstanding string of starts that Bartolo Colon had last month.

"I can't recall in any one league that I've pitched as well as I have," Colon said in Baltimore on Aug. 24.

The hard-throwing right-hander was named the American League Pitcher of the Month for August after going 5-0 with a 1.72 ERA for the Angels, who went 14-13 last month. In 47 innings, Colon struck out 28 and walked just four.

Colon lasted at least seven innings in each of his six outings, including pitching into the 10th inning and allowing just one run on six hits against the A's on Aug. 30. That start was the only no-decision Colon picked up last month.

"It means a lot to have wins, but it also means the team has wins, too," Colon said after beating the Orioles earlier in the month. "Being able to keep the team in the game means a lot, but there are a lot of good pitchers in the league out there, so I try not to look too far ahead."

Angels manager Mike Scioscia couldn't help but look ahead after the two-time All-Star shut down the East-leading Red Sox on Aug. 18.

"When you talk about candidates for the Cy Young," Scioscia said, "Bartolo Colon has to be right there."

Colon (18-6) currently leads the AL in wins and has a 3.24 ERA and 135 strikeouts in 194 2/3 innings through 28 starts. He is in a good position to win 20 games for the first time in his 10-year career. He would also be the Angels' first 20-game winner since Nolan Ryan earned 22 victories in 1974.

"It is always a milestone, but I don't think it is in the front of anyone's thinking," Scioscia said last month. "If Bart wins 20, that means there are 20 wins for our team, but I don't think Bart is thinking about that."

In the outing against Boston, Colon used 104 pitches -- 78 for strikes -- to dismantle the Red Sox in seven innings. That was quite a contrast to Colon's performance in last year's AL Division Series against Boston, when he needed 114 pitches in six innings.

"I continue to have confidence in my two-seam fastball," Colon said through an interpreter last month. "That is the pitch I wanted to work. Sometimes guys hit the top of the ball and sometimes they hit the bottom. Given [that] it isn't the four-seam, and not a strikeout pitch, it was effective to both lefties and to righties."

Colon limited Seattle to just one run on four hits across eight innings in a win on Aug. 13 and his overpowering presence on the mound even impressed Mariners manager Mike Hargrove.

"When Colon's on his game, he makes everyone kind of look blah," Hargrove said. "He was throwing the ball very well. ... He was working both sides of the plate anywhere from 86 to 97 mph."

This is the third Pitcher of the Month Award for Colon, who was selected over Oakland's Joe Blanton and Huston Street, Cleveland's C.C. Sabathia, and Joe Nathan and Johan Santana of Minnesota.

"The story of the game today was Bartolo," Scioscia said after that win over Seattle.

In the end, the story of the season might be Colon, as well.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Angels Homepage | MLB.com

[Providence A's]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2155467

Bartolo Colon appears to be in jeopardy of missing Saturday's start against the Chicago White Sox with a lower-back injury, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

The injury has become a source of concern since it forced Colon out of his start Sunday against Seattle in the sixth inning and is apparently more severe than the pain that sidelined him for five days in spring training, according to the paper.

"There's no comparison," Colon told the paper through an interpreter Wednesday. "In spring training it was more tightness. This is more pain in the back."

The Angels' ace told the paper his back felt "a little better" after getting treatment on Wednesday, but he is still having trouble bending from the waist -- bad news for a club in a battle for the AL West title.

"I want to pitch," Colon told the Times. "We're in the middle of something good, and I want to keep contributing to it. That's why I want to wait as long as I can to make a decision. ...

"It's one of the hardest decisions I've faced in my career. Not only am I thinking about myself, I'm thinking about my teammates and how I don't want to let them down if I don't pitch well."

Colon would likely miss Saturday's start if it were early in the season; instead, the ace must decide whether it is worth pitching with discomfort and possibly risking further injury. Colon likely will not pitch in the bullpen Thursday or Friday, but will need to throw on flat ground to convince the club he is ready to start Saturday, according to the paper.

Looks like he's gonna miss a start, eh?

[riverdunesrat]

Looks that way....both him and Peavy.......

Congrats on the j-o-b btw, now I need one......