(July 19, 2016)

[Pages:22]July 18, 2016

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Clips

(July 19, 2016)

July 18, 2016

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Today's Clips Contents

FROM THE LA TIMES (Page 3)

Angels keep rolling in 9-5 win over Rangers Angels' Geovany Soto back on disabled list because of knee discomfort

FROM THE OC REGISTER (Page 5)

Angels continue strong start to second half of season, rallying to beat Rangers

Nick Tropeano's elbow injury could end debate about who Tyler Skaggs will replace in Angels rotation

Whicker: Angels relief pitcher Deolis Guerra looks like a keeper Angels' Ji-Man Choi was prepared for silent treatment after his first

major-league home run Final: Angels come from behind to win fourth straight, beating Rangers

FROM (Page 12)

Angels rally from early deficit, upend Rangers Tropeano to have MRI on sore elbow Angels' offense clicking since calendar hit July Angels must decide whether to deal starters

Soto back on DL, this time due to left knee Smith's focus on regaining form, not trade talk

Crucial start for Lincecum against West leaders Shoemaker's 13-K win earns AL Player of Week honors

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 20)

Trout hits 3-run HR to help Angels beat Rangers 9-5

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FROM THE LA TIMES

Angels keep rolling in 9-5 win over Rangers

Pedro Moura

e Angels were soon going to need to clear a spot in their starting rotation when Tyler Skaggs returned after almost two years of toiling to recover from Tommy John surgery.

They could have chosen to trade Hector Santiago or Matt Shoemaker. They could have demoted Tim Lincecum to the bullpen.

But that decision may have been made for them Monday night, when Nick Tropeano exited his start against Texas after two rough innings with what the Angels said was right elbow soreness. He felt unusual throughout warmups, tried to pitch through it, then told the Angels what he was feeling. He'll undergo an MRI exam Tuesday morning.

In emergency relief, Jhoulys Chacin pitched four improbably spotless innings that enabled the Angels to come back from a 4-0 deficit and beat the Rangers, 9-5, at Angel Stadium.

"Any time a pitcher has some discomfort in his elbow, you're naturally going to be concerned," Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. "We're going to hope and pray that it's nothing significant. We hope this isn't going to be another big blow for us."

The Angels' top two starters, Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney, have missed most of this season because of elbow issues. Heaney will miss most, if not all, of next season, too, and Richards could experience the same fate.

Tropeano spent 20 days on the disabled list last month because of shoulder issues he alternately described as "irregularities," "a little discomfort" and "more stiffness than anything." He also acknowledged that the team didn't know the exact nature of the problem, only that there was one. An MRI exam showed no structural damage within the joint.

Tropeano has found surprising success so far in the majors. In 1252/3 innings before Monday, the 25-year-old right-hander owned a 3.58 career earned-run average. Monday's two-inning, four-run start was the worst and shortest of his career.

He yielded 860 feet in home runs to Rougned Odor and Adrian Beltre in the first inning, and another homer to Mitch Moreland in the second.

Rangers starter A.J. Griffin set the Angels down in order the first time through. The second time, he began with consecutive walks to Yunel Escobar and then Kole Calhoun.

Mike Trout was next, and he delivered a shot to third base, too hot for Beltre to handle, for the Angels' first hit of the night. That loaded the bases with no outs for Albert Pujols, who walked to force in a run. Daniel Nava's sacrifice fly scored another, before Johnny Giavotella grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Ji-Man Choi launched his first major league home run in the fifth to make it 4-3. In the sixth, Nava came up with two runners in scoring position and one out. He grounded one right to Odor

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at second base, but Odor fumbled it and the tying run scored, followed shortly by the go-ahead run on Giavotella's RBI single.

Scioscia opted for Fernando Salas to pitch the seventh inning. It was Salas' first opportunity in a high-leverage situation since July 4, and he again failed to come through, giving up the tying run.

But the Angels again rallied in their half of the seventh. Jett Bandy began the inning by taking a fastball to the foot. Andrelton Simmons whacked the next pitch down the right-field line for a double, and Calhoun followed with a grounder to Odor, who made a nice stop but couldn't deliver the ball to home platein time to record an out.

Then Trout hit the next pitch 415 feet for a three-run, outcome-securing home run.

At 41-52, the Angels are in their best shape in awhile, winners of eight of their last 10 games. Trout described their recent play as "fun" and "relaxed," and they lead the majors in runs this month.

But, as it so often has been this season, the good news was obscured by the bad, by the possibility that another key piece may miss an extended period, and by the reality that there is not enough time or healthy players to do what they set out to do this season.

Angels' Geovany Soto back on disabled list because of knee discomfort

Pedro Moura

Geovany Soto lasted seven major league plate appearances before landing back on the disabled list. Left knee discomfort forced the Angels catcher back onto the 15-day DL on Monday.

Soto had been sidelined for seven weeks because of a torn meniscus in his right knee. The team indicated this injury was related, with the 33-year-old perhaps compensating within his catching crouch.

After the first injury, suffered on an elliptical machine, Soto was expected to be sidelined four to six weeks. Two weeks in, he expected to beat that timeline but complications that the Angels said were not setbacks held him out beyond it.

Instead of recalling Carlos Perez, who was sent down this month, the Angels called up Juan Graterol, a 27-year-old Venezuelan who had played 11 seasons in the minors without spending a day in the majors.

"He's starting to get comfortable in the batter's box," Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said of Perez. "We want him to keep doing that."

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Signed as a minor league free agent in January, Graterol hit .292 with limited power for triple-A Salt Lake. He arrived shortly before Monday's game against the Texas Rangers and figures to back up rookie Jett Bandy while Soto sits out and Perez remains in the minors.

The injury hurts Soto's trade value but does not nix it. Players on the disabled list can be traded, and Soto is eligible to be activated July 31 -- one day ahead of the Aug. 1 non-waiver deadline.

Short hops

The Angels claimed second baseman Sean Coyle off waivers from the Boston Red Sox. A former top prospect, the 24-year-old has never played in the majors. Reliever A.J. Achter was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. ...Infielder Cliff Pennington said that he will begin a minor league rehab assignment Wednesday. Because he was moved to the 60-day disabled list Monday, he cannot be activated until July 31. ...Right-hander Matt Shoemaker was named the American League's pitcher of the week Monday, two days after striking out 13 while shutting out the Chicago White Sox. ...Left-hander Tyler Skaggs was named the Pacific Coast League's pitcher of the week after striking out 14 while shutting out the Omaha Storm Chasers for eight innings last Thursday. Skaggs (Tommy John surgery) is expected to start again Tuesday against the Iowa Cubs. He could then return to the major leagues.

FROM OC REGISTER

Angels continue strong start to second half of season, rallying to beat Rangers

By JEFF FLETCHER / STAFF WRITER

ANAHEIM ? Miles out of playoff contention, the Angels seem intent on at least making the second half interesting.

They equaled their biggest comeback of the season, overcoming an early four-run deficit to beat the Texas Rangers, 9-5, on Monday night.

The Angels equaled their longest winning streak of the season by winning their fourth straight. They have won eight of their last 10, although they are still 13? games back.

"It was a rough first half obviously," Mike Trout said. "But we can't hang our heads. We have to keep fighting till the end."

That's just what they did in this game. They trailed 4-0 before sending their fourth batter to the plate, in the second inning. Nick Tropeano, who had given up three homers to put the Angels in a hole, then left with a sore elbow.

While the Angels will wait for an MRI on Tuesday to see if Tropeano adds to what has been a season riddled with injuries, the hitters persevered.

"We put some good at-bats together," Trout said. "Got some men on base and drove them in."

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Trout's three-run homer, his 19th of the season, broke open a one-run game in the seventh inning.

The Angels had just taken the lead on Kole Calhoun's tie-breaking ground ball, pushing Jett Bandy home to make it 6-5.

Of all the issues the Angels have had this year, offense has been far down on the list.

Since May 1, the Angels have hit .276 and averaged just over five runs per game, both well above average. Over the last 13 games, they have averaged seven runs a game.

"I think we're just looking relaxed up there," Trout said. "We're not trying to do too much. It's fun right now."

They wouldn't have had a chance to have a fun comeback if not for Jhoulys Chacin, a recently deposed starter who was fresh enough to give the Angels four innings after Tropeano left.

And they were four of the better innings Chacin has pitched with the Angels, blanking the Rangers on just two hits.

Meanwhile, the Angels started chipping away at A.J. Griffin in the fourth, after he had set them down in the order in the first three innings.

Griffin walked three of the first four hitters, with Trout's infield single in between, to push home a run. Daniel Nava then hit a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 4-2.

Ji-Man Choi's first career homer, a solo shot in the fifth, and a two-run rally in the sixth, gave the Angels a lead. Nava drove in the tying run with a groundout and Johnny Giavotella then singled to push home the go-ahead run.

Even though that lead disappeared quickly ? struggling reliever Fernando Salas gave up a run in the top of the seventh ? the Angels bounced right back to blow the game open.

"We're putting everything together," Trout said. "Good pitching and good defense and we're getting big hits in big situations."

Nick Tropeano's elbow injury could end debate about who Tyler Skaggs will replace in Angels rotation

By JEFF FLETCHER/STAFF WRITER

ANAHEIM ? Baseball people are loath to discuss hypothetical roster moves because so often something else happens to make any planning moot.

That might just have happened with the debate over when the Angels would get Tyler Skaggs back into the rotation, and who they would squeeze out.

A day before Skaggs was to pitch at Triple-A, with struggling Tim Lincecum in the spotlight as he started in the majors, a spot might have opened for Skaggs.

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Nick Tropeano left Monday's game after two innings with right elbow soreness. For Tropeano, who had just been out for more than a month with a shoulder problem, it's ominous news. Tropeano is set to have more tests Tuesday.

Tropeano said he felt discomfort throughout his entire pregame warmup, and after his second inning, he told the coaches and trainers.

"It was more like 'day-after soreness' while I was throwing," Tropeano said. "At that point, I wasn't helping the team so I kind of said something."

Manager Mike Scioscia, who has already seen five of his starters get hurt -- including Tropeano -- is keeping his fingers crossed.

"Anytime a pitcher has some discomfort in the area of his elbow you are concerned," Scioscia said. "We hope and pray it's nothing significant. Especially with what's been going on this year with some of our pitchers. We hope this is not going to be another big blow for us."

If he needs to go on the disabled list, the Angels at least seem to have some options.

Jhoulys Chacin, who came out of the rotation to make room for Tropeano earlier this month, tossed four scoreless innings in relief on Monday.

And the most intriguing choice is Skaggs.

Nearly two years after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Skaggs seems ready to return to the majors. In his last start at Triple-A, on Thursday, he pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit. He struck out 14 and did not walk a batter.

Manager Mike Scioscia said the Angels wanted to see him repeat that workout, getting through seven innings again on Tuesday at Iowa.

"He's still refining some things," Scioscia said. "Hopefully his last start is something you point to as a breakout where he got over the hump and he was really impressive with how he maintained his stuff and his command was good and he used all his pitches. You'd like to see him repeat that to make sure that he comes out of the start well."

If Skaggs pitches well again, the Angels will no doubt have to strongly consider adding him to the major league rotation. The soonest he could pitch in the majors would be Sunday, which just happens to be Tropeano's turn. The Angels have an off day Thursday, allowing them the extra day.

It also wouldn't hurt Lincecum to show something Tuesday. His first and fifth starts were good, but the middle three weren't, accounting for the 6.85 ERA he brings into his start against the Texas Rangers.

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Whicker: Angels relief pitcher Deolis Guerra looks like a keeper

By MARK WHICKER / STAFF COLUMNIST ANAHEIM ? There has to be a pony in this Angels season somewhere.

Actually you don't really need a flashlight to find it.

Mike Trout might finish in the Top 2 in MVP voting for the fifth straight year. Matt Shoemaker has been revelatory. Kole Calhoun is now good enough to be taken for granted.

Yunel Escobar gets hits. Andrelton Simmons takes them away. Jett Bandy drops hints of No. 1 catcher potential.

And if you believe the Angels' future will be determined by the wisdom of those who acquire and develop players, the performance of Deolis Guerra is a point of light.

Guerra is a bulky, 6-foot-5 right-hander who was once a Top 50 prospect. When the Twins were trying to trade Johan Santana, they asked the Mets for Guerra in the deal. But he was left unprotected by the Pirates at the Winter Meetings, a 27-year-old starter-turned-reliever who hadn't quite gotten it.

In one of his first moves as a big league GM, Billy Eppler took Guerra in the Rule V draft.

That draft is held at the end of the Winter Meetings, when the agents and the writers are scrambling for the airport. But it's part of due diligence. George Bell, the Blue Jays' slugger, was a Rule V. So was Roberto Clemente. So is Odubel Herrera, the Phillies' young center fielder, who was left hanging by Texas.

Guerra had been released outright before, so the Angels could send him to Triple-A Salt Lake without offering him back to Pittsburgh. Then Guerra had an appendectomy in the spring, and the Angels didn't bring him up from Salt Lake until May 15.

He was designated for assignment on May 30, cleared waivers, returned on June 5 and has looked like a keeper since.

"Rule V has a lot of tricky rules," Guerra said. "I was happy to come here because I just had signed a minor league deal with Pittsburgh. I've moved around a lot. It would be nice to stay here."

Guerra has a WHIP of 0.805 in 271/3 innings, but his control has been unique. In Baltimore on July 8, Guerra faced his 98th batter of the season, Chris Davis, and walked him. Mark Trumbo followed with a home run.

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