AngelsWin.com

Where: Rogers CentreTV: Fox Sports West, 4 p.m.Did you know: The Angels have not played more than six consecutive games without an off day this season, but this game starts a stretch of 13 in a row.Blue Jays update: Last year, the Blue Jays were... View the full article

TORONTO – Anyone who reaches the major leagues feels at home on a baseball field, but few do so in quite the same way as C.J. Cron.Cron, the Angels prospect who this week made his much-anticipated big league debut, has been hanging around... View the full article

So many of them throw hard, but so few ultimately translate it into success as a Major League starting pitcher. Angels righty Garrett Richards can tell you all about it. Richards has come into his own now, at 25 and in the early stages of his sixth professional season. View the full article

The Angels claimed left-hander Brooks Raley off waivers from the Twins on Thursday, assigning him to Triple-A Salt Lake and designating lefty Buddy Boshers for assignment in order to make room on the 40-man roster. View the full article

ANAHEIM – What started out as a friendly march toward a new stadium lease for the Angels has turned into a big-dollar game with both the city and the ballclub flexing their muscles a bit – revealing possible outcomes.Mayor Tom Tait added a... View the full article

Yankees 9 - Angels 2 Angels starter Hector Santiago was knocked out of the game early, allowing six runs (two earned) on five hits, including a solo home run by Derek Jeter in his final regular season game at Angel Stadium. The Halos were kept off balance by Yankees starter Vidal Nuno, scratching out just one run on four hits over six and a third while twice leaving the bases loaded. Click here to download the scorecard. If your new to scoring baseball or just need help interpreting some of the markup, download the key here. View the full article

The relatively simple act of boarding a bus with his track and field teammates has become a test of courage for Middle College Prep distance runner Dae'Breon Kendrick. Last week, he found himself sitting two rows from the back of a bus heading for a Crosstown League dual meet, and it made him... View the full article

From the lows of his year away from baseball to the highs of his amazing 2011 postseason performance, David Freese's mom has always been there for him. View the full article

ANAHEIM – Hector Santiago’s momentary lapse of judgment in Wednesday’s third inning was the subject of our game story following the Angels’ 9-2 loss to the New York Yankees at Angel Stadium.But the bigger long-term issue is Santiago’s... View the full article

Russell Westbrook has a triple-double and MVP Kevin Durant just misses one in Oklahoma City's 112-101 victory in Game 2.<br/><br/>Russell Westbrook has a triple-double and MVP Kevin Durant just misses one in Oklahoma City's 112-101 victory in Game 2.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/latimes/sports/baseball/mlb/angels/~4/ZUt95lJMSYs" height="1" width="1"/> View the full article

ANAHEIM – For a while, Josh Hamilton was hoping to defy medical history and return from the torn ligament in his thumb in a month, not the 6-8 weeks his surgeon stressed.Now, Hamilton says he’s come to grips with reality after some convincing by... View the full article

ANAHEIM – Hector Santiago pitched poorly and disrespected his manager Wednesday, and he recognized both mistakes. The struggling Angels left-hander showed up Mike Scioscia by walking off the mound when the manager headed there to remove him in the... View the full article

ANAHEIM – Mike Scioscia said Wednesday his team’s starting rotation has been “terrific” this season.“I don’t think you can ask much more from those five guys, pitching as deep as they have and giving us chances to win,” the Angels... View the full article

WASHINGTON — It seemed only fitting that the Dodgers had to wait out one final rain delay Wednesday before they could close the books on one of the most difficult road trips in recent memory. In the span of 10 days and nine games the Dodgers endured a rainout followed by a 21-inning...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/latimes/sports/baseball/mlb/angels/~4/atGJx7zM3eM" height="1" width="1"/> View the full article

Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun should be ready to return from a strain on his right side in time for next week's series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The outfielder hasn't played since April 26. Braun was hitting .318 with six home runs and 18 runs batted in when he was put on the 15-...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/latimes/sports/baseball/mlb/angels/~4/Xzy1QdWue7c" height="1" width="1"/> View the full article

NEW YORK — The mystery and magic of Johnny Manziel was, you never quite knew where the elusive Texas A&M quarterback was going to wind up. Sort of like now. Will the Houston Texans make him the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft? Is he a fit for Jacksonville at No. 3, Cleveland at 4, Oakland at 5,...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/latimes/sports/baseball/mlb/angels/~4/ZDbhbJxaGeM" height="1" width="1"/> View the full article

By Glen McKee, AngelsWin.com Columnist & Satirist There have been many important news stories lately –a U-2 spy plane halting flights at LAX, Mariah Carey is about to end her storybook marriage, high school senior pranks gone awry – but nothing is more important than Mike Trout is Slumping! Seriously, he is. He’s striking out more than all of the nerds at Comic-Con combined. Right now, Trout couldn’t score in a whorehouse with a fistful of fifties. It’s bad, it’s horrible. It’s worse than watching the Yankees bitch about a close call that for once doesn’t go their way (suck it, Girardi). With that in mind, we at AngelsWin.com would like to propose some ideas for getting Mike Trout back on track, to turn him back from nerd at Comic-Con to Taylor Lautner or whatever dumb hunk is popular nowadays. First, we have to state the obvious: Mike Trout slumping is similar to Warren Buffett’s stock portfolio taking a dip or Guy Fieri (it’s just a coincidence that his last name is one letter away from that of our once and future closer and constant source of exasperation, Ernesto Frieri) actually being watchable and entertaining for a moment. It’s an anomaly, something that will most likely correct itself without any outside help. However, in the spirit of angelswin.com and the internet in general I won’t let that stop me from voicing my opinion about how to fix this “problem” that will, given time, fix itself. What, are you new here? Okay, on with the solutions. This is so obvious that I almost feel embarrassed mentioning it. Shake him up a bit. Ask any couple that’s made it past a few years and they’ll tell you: variety is the key to longevity. Ya gotta spice things up a bit – if you’re gonna have ham for dinner every night, at least use some different spices and find different ways to prepare it. Mmmm, ham – bacon’s ugly cousin. Now where was I? Oh yeah, Trout. First, give him a game off. Don’t worry, the Angels will still be mediocre whether he is in the lineup or not. Let him have a game to sit in the dugout and make fun of the fans in the crowd (come on, you know they do it, especially at your expense, what with that dumb hat you always wear to the game). Let him soak up some knowledge from Scioscia while on the bench. Let him look at the rest of the players on the bench and wonder, as most of us do, who the hell they are and how they got the job. As Scioscia is wont to say, it’s a long season. Give him a rest. Next, move him up or down in the lineup. Give him a change of scenery, much like a ham steak instead of diced ham, or throwing some new lingerie on the old lady. Let him hit leadoff for a few games, or hell, even put him in the three-hole and move Pujols to the two-hole (yes, that was intentional). Sometimes, putting somebody in a new situation increases their performance. It’s worth a shot, and if the last 14 years have taught us anything it’s that Scioscia has horrible bullpen management…I mean, that Scioscia likes to fiddle with the lineup. We’ve had Raul Ibanez as our cleanup hitter almost all season long; moving Trout around in the lineup won’t blow up the chemistry of the batting order. Trout’s not nitroglycerine that needs to be handled with care; he’s more like a Hummer that you can stick in any situation and have a blast with. It’s a no-brainer – give the kid a day off and move him around, and the magic will return. I know, some of you out there – let’s call you “baseball fans with even the smallest amount of common sense” – are saying we should just leave Trout alone and he’ll find his way back to Trout Normal. I have a word for people like you: shut up! Trout just needs some stimulation and some motivation. Fixing his minor problems is easier than predicting what will happen when Jeppy is brought in with runners on base. Problems ignored rarely go away, they usually just get worse. Let’s not let Trout get worse/normal. View the full article

Dane De La Rosa, battling back from irritation in his right s/c joint, has thrown two scoreless outings for Triple-A Salt Lake in the last three days, and Angels manager Mike Scioscia said there's "a strong possibility" that the 31-year-old right-hander could rejoin the Angels for their six-game road trip through Toronto and Philadelphia, which starts Friday. View the full article

Daryl Spencer was the first one, on May 30, 1961, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, when he started at third base for the Dodgers against the St. Louis Cardinals. Who knew then? More than a half-century later, last Aug. 22, reliever Brian Wilson, in his first game with the Dodgers, became...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/latimes/sports/baseball/mlb/angels/~4/MTBPBK7gqa0" height="1" width="1"/> View the full article

Josh Hamilton hit on the field for the first time since tearing a ligament in his left thumb on Wednesday, swinging with one hand as he took side and front tosses from interim hitting coach Paul Sorrento. View the full article

This has been the year of the comeback in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Through Tuesday, there were 11 games in which the winning team had trailed by two goals or more, and there were three first-round series in which the eventual winner lost the first two games, including the Kings' rally from a...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/latimes/sports/baseball/mlb/angels/~4/1S4SAWPnf2c" height="1" width="1"/> View the full article

ANAHEIM -- There is only one 0-5 pitcher left in the majors, and it’s the Angels’ Hector Santiago, the team’s No. 3 starter and a key offseason acquisition.To say that Santiago has been a disappointment in his first year with the club would be... View the full article

Yankees 4 - Angels 3 Mike Trout hit a two-out triple then scored on an Albert Pujols clutch single in the bottom of the eighth to tie a close game. But Yankees second baseman Brian Roberts drilled the first pitch he saw from closer Ernesto Frieri in the ninth for what would become a game winning home run. Angels starter C.J. Wilson pitched a strong eight innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. Click here to download the scorecard. If your new to scoring baseball or just need help interpreting some of the markup, download the key here. View the full article

By Toby Hunt, AngelsWin.com Staff Writer - There's usually a lot of talk during the baseball season about the “unwritten rules” of the game. Rules that aren't enforced by umpires or league officials, but by butt-hurt man-babies who don't think you should be dropping a bunt when your team is up by 7 runs. If you happen to break one of these “rules”, you won't be suspended, nor will you be fined. But you WILL get a stern talking to by one of the opposing team's players or coaches. Oakland's Jed Lowrie received a particularly stern talking to by Astros' manager Bo Porter after Lowrie decided to slap Bo's wife in the face. At least that's what you'd think he had done after watching Porter's reaction. No, the issue was with Lowrie bunting in the first inning after the A's had already put up a 7 spot on Houston. “You apologize to my wife right now young man!” Now you might be thinking to yourself, “Why is that such a big deal? It's only the first inning” and you would be absolutely correct. But that's the thing, why is it such a big deal? Why are things like this such taboo in the baseball world? This is just one example of many that seem to happen every few weeks or so. Someone stares too long at a homerun ball, tempers flare, someone gets ejected, dogs and cats living together, mass-hysteria. So, why do these incidents happen with such regularity? Now I'm no sports psychologist. Lord knows I've had my share of mental breakdowns and poo-smearing episodes. But I think a big part of this has to do with their egos. Pitchers hate it when a batter admires his homerun ball like a giant Kate Upton hologram is being projected in the outfield bleachers, just as batters hate when a closer gets overly pumped up after a big save. This isn't because those guys are breaking some long standing tradition of respect and “gentlemanly conduct”. No, they just hate the fact that someone got the best of them. Understandably, players and coaches will overreact in the heat of the moment when emotions are high. But do the benches really need to clear when Slappy McBloophit decides he wants to bunt his way on in a blowout? “Man, I haven't had a bunt single in a while” - Erick Aybar before his at bat in the 9th inning of a 27-2 game. I mean what's the big deal? Don't players want to succeed? Should a hitter just concede an out because his team is winning by 8 or 9 runs? Should a pitcher go shake hands with a batter after striking him out and say “You'll get me next time!”? How often do we see a basketball player dunk in some poor guy's face, then stare at him and say rude things about his momma? Or a football player basically tea-bag a quarterback after a big sack (pun intended)? And don't even get me started on touchdown celebrations. See this is why people don't respect baseball players, because you can't so much as gently pump your fist after a big play without kicking sand in somebody's vagina. One of my favorite, and lesser-known unwritten rules, is the “Relievers take it easy on relievers” code, in which a National League reliever will pretty much throw nothing but fastballs to another reliever should they get the chance to have an at bat. Now, it's rare that you see a relief pitcher actually in the batter's box as most of them will be pinch hit for. However, should the opportunity arise, relievers apparently have a code that basically says “Ok, I know you probably haven't swung a bat in years, so here's a bunch of fastballs down the middle”. This is an attempt to not hurt his wittle feewings by blowing him away with your best stuff. Of course, this is unlikely to happen in a close game, but it's still absurd because a pitcher is basically giving a hitter the best chance to get a hit. All because it's “respectful”. These are grown men we are talking about here. “I think every batter is a reliever.” To many people, baseball is a game of tradition. It's a gentleman's sport and many of these “codes” exist simply to uphold those traditions. That's all well and good, but shouldn't “gentlemen” react as such when one of these rules is broken, instead of starting a fight and yelling words at each other that would make their mothers oh so proud? It's like going to a fancy dinner party with all the old rich white folk in town. You take a sip of your tea but neglect to lift your pinkie off the glass, and then all the old rich white folk start stabbing you. Can't players just get revenge the old fashioned way? By hitting a homerun in their next at bat? Or striking a batter out when you face him again? Or, if you happen to be a manager, how about having a talk with the opposing manager after the game, or even the offending player? I know managers are supposed to protect their players and all that, but storming out onto the field and scolding someone just looks stupid and sets a bad example. I guess the lesson to be learned here is never make Bo Porter mildly irritated. Ultimately, baseball is supposed to be fun. Sure, every sport has rules and ethics that all players and coaches need to abide by. It's the same in all walks of life. But having all these “rules” that are either completely outdated, or downright absurd just dulls the game and makes it more like a friendly get-together at the local library than an actual sport. I guess bench-clearing brawls and skirmishes have their own entertainment value, but most of the time they just end with a bunch of guys standing on the field looking at each other awkwardly before being herded back to their places of respite. It slows the game down and adds nothing of value to the experience. Just go out there, have fun, and stop getting your panties in a wad. 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Wednesday's series finale will not only settle the series, it will also mark Derek Jeter's final regular-season game at Angel Stadium, and the Angels plan to hold a pregame ceremony to honor the retiring Yankees captain, who has been cheered loudly throughout the first two games. View the full article