OC Register: Angels place Dexter Fowler on IL with sprained knee, recall Jaime Barria

[AngelsWin.com]

Although Dexter Fowler said on Friday night that he might miss only a few days, that turned out to be optimistic.

Fowler underwent an MRI that showed a sprained left knee, landing him on the 10-day injured list. Fowler collided with Marcus Semien at second base Friday night.

“Nothing really awful, except that it’s sore,” Angels Manager Joe Maddon said Saturday from Dunedin, Fla. “I don’t know the length of time he is going to be out. But he was definitely much sorer than he showed when he left last night.”

Without Fowler out for at least 10 days, the Angels declined to bring up another position player. Instead, they recalled right-hander Jaime Barria for a couple reasons.

First, the bullpen has been taxed because the Angels have played so many close games. Second, the weather forecast for Saturday and Sunday called for plenty of rain, which meant the possibility of delays that could further impact the pitching staff.

Maddon said Barria is still stretched out to throw up to five innings and 90 pitches.

As for right field, Juan Lagares was in the lineup at that spot Saturday night. The Angels could also put Jared Walsh or José Rojas out there.

“You’ll see a little bit of all kinds of concoctions right now,” Maddon said.

It means the Angels will have only three position players on the bench each game.

“The need for a bench isn’t as great as if it were a National League game,” Maddon said. “We haven’t been platooning or pinch-hitting a whole lot.”

OHTANI UPDATE

Maddon said Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Monday in Kansas City, as they continue to test his blister.

Maddon wasn’t sure if that session would be with or without a bandage on the finger, but Ohtani will need to throw without it before he can be cleared to rejoin the rotation.

The best-case scenario would be for Ohtani to pitch Wednesday in Kansas City, but it’s more likely he would pitch next weekend at home against the Minnesota Twins.

GOOD VIEW

Anthony Rendon has enjoyed his spot behind Ohtani and Mike Trout so far. Each has hit three homers already, including several that soared well beyond 400 feet.

“I just like watching them drive balls and hit them a mile,” Rendon said. “It’s amazing being in the dugout or on the on-deck circle and watching these balls fly.

“Hitting is contagious and when you have those guys in front of you, you kind of want to feed off their energy and battle as much as they do.”

MEMORIES

Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette is the son of former big-leaguer Dante Bichette, who played in the Angels’ farm system when Maddon was an instructor and a minor-league manager.

Maddon recalled he once had to tie an extension cord to the older Bichette to keep him from lunging at the ball during batting practice.

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He also recalled one time when he managing Bichette in Double-A that he asked him to work on hitting balls alternately to left field and right field.

“He just kept hitting home runs,” Maddon said. “Pull side. Oppo. Pull side. Oppo.”

Bichette reached the big leagues with the Angels in 1988 and spent parts of three years in Anaheim before he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. He is best known for being a four-time All-Star with the Colorado Rockies.

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