April 27, 2015 Page 1 of 28

Clips (April 27, 2015)

April 27, 2015 Page 2 of 28

Today’s Clips Contents

FROM THE (Page 3)  's slump ends but Angels lose to Texas  Angels let ninth-inning lead slip away, lose to Rangers, 5-4, in 11th

FROM THE OC REGISTER (Page 5)  How accountability can be thwarted by unions  Angels Notes: Hector Santiago walks a tightrope  Angels' Matt Joyce breathes a sigh of relief as he ends his 0-for-26 slump  doesn't field, Joe Smith doesn't make pitches and Angels lose to Rangers in 11 innings  Final: Angels lose rollercoaster game to Rangers  Is Joyce's past good enough to keep him in the Angels' lineup?

FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 12)  With Street taking day off, Smith can't get final out  Angels waiting on Hamilton-trade-to-Texas announcement  Scioscia recalls Rangers' Beltre as 15-year-old phenom

FROM THE ESPN (Page 15)  Hamilton trade offers statistical hope

FROM THE LA DAILY NEWS (Page 18)  can’t close out , lose 5-4 in 11th inning  Angels’ offense struggling, but Calhoun doing his part

FROM FOX SPORTS WEST (Page 20)  Week ahead for Angels: Six games in the Bay Area

FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (Page 20)  Rangers trade gives Hamilton chance at getting life, career back in order

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 24)  Angels waste Trout's 2-run HR in 11-inning loss to Rangers  In dealing Josh Hamilton, Angels will close an odd, expensive chapter

April 27, 2015 Page 3 of 28

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Matt Joyce's slump ends but Angels lose to Texas

By ZACH HELFAND

After he rounded first base safely for the first time in eight games, Matt Joyce put his hands on his helmet, then opened his palms to the sky and looked upward. His misery at the plate had finally ended. He'd a single.

On first base, Joyce took a big breath, then exhaled. Teammates celebrated.

"I got that ball for you," third base coach Gary DiSarcina teased him.

Angels want Josh Hamilton to be playing for someone

Until the Angels' 5-4 loss to the Texas Rangers in 11 innings Sunday, Joyce had endured the longest hitting slump of his career. It spanned eight games and 26 at-bats, both career highs. The eighth-inning hit bumped his up 15 points, to .140.

"I haven't exactly been tearing the cover off the ball," said Joyce, the Angels' right fielder.

With the trade of Josh Hamilton to the Rangers nearing completion, there is no replacement in waiting. Joyce is the Angels starter in right field. Manager has given him time to discover his swing. But, especially if Hamilton does not return, the Angels can use a spark.

Even before Hamilton reported a relapse in his battle with substance abuse, the Angels anticipated a need for outfield help. The team was interested enough in Joyce to trade away , who anchored the seventh inning last season and helped transform the Angels bullpen into one of the league's best, to the .

Before the swoon, he had hits in five of his last 16 at-bats. Then, on April 17, he began a spiral.

His timing was off, he said. He was late, so he overcompensated and rushed. He couldn't find the right tweaks.

Angels let ninth-inning lead slip away, lose to Rangers, 5-4, in 11th

"Sometimes it's a tough game," Joyce said. "It seems like you try everything, and you put in so much time and effort and work, it gets to be frustrating. It gets to be hard to swallow and accept it, and hard to keep showing up and grinding it out."

Joyce slid down the order, but kept his starting spot. Scioscia has avoided putting a timeframe for Joyce to find his wing.

"You have to certainly give Matt enough of a leash," Scioscia said.

"Matt's going to hit," he added. "He can hit. He'll figure it out."

Joyce called the support "awesome." Then, a few days ago, Joyce said, he started feeling more comfortable. He spoke with Albert Pujols and worked with the coaches to chip away at his mechanical problems. April 27, 2015 Page 4 of 28

The hit, he said, was "a relief. Like, oh God, finally I got a hit."

It also came at an important time in the game. The score was tied, 2-2, and the Angels had a runner on base. The hit helped load the bases for a Johnny Giavotella go-ahead single, which the Angels squandered in the ninth inning.

Joyce said he hopes he has turned a corner. Scioscia said the failure at the plate is conspicuous because it came at the beginning of the year, when one slump can torpedo a batting average.

"You're naked at the beginning of the season," Scioscia said. "Everything's out there. If you're struggling, there's no hiding it."

If Joyce is unable to stabilize, the Angels have some limited options. On the 25-man roster, there is Collin Cowgill and Grant Green. Cowgill, though, is batting .184 in 38 at-bats and Green has only five at-bats. They could also recall Efren Navarro from triple A.

For now, Joyce has the confidence of the team.

After the game, Joyce stood in the tunnel outside the Angels clubhouse. Scioscia walked out, smiled and gave him a pat on the back.

Angels let ninth-inning lead slip away, lose to Rangers, 5-4, in 11th

By ZACH HELFAND

KEY MOMENT: In the 11th inning, Leonys Martin lifted a Jose Alvarez fastball just over the right-field wall to put the Rangers, who had trailed by a run entering the ninth inning, ahead 4-3.

AT THE PLATE: The Angels had 15 hits but left 14 runners on base. Down, 2-0, in the seventh inning, hit a two-run to tie the score, and Johnny Giavotella followed with a run-scoring single in the eighth to put the Angels head, 3-2. Kole Calhoun, who was three for six, stayed hot. At one point, he had five consecutive hits, dating to his last game. C.J. Cron had hits in all four at-bats, a career high, and Matt Joyce ended a hitless streak at 26 at-bats with a hit in the eighth inning.

ON THE MOUND: With Huston Street resting after three consecutive appearances, Joe Smith came in for the ninth inning. He had no trouble with the first two batters, but gave up three singles in a row. The last, from Mitch Moreland, was enough to drive in pinch-runner Delino DeShields to tie the score. Starter Hector Santiago battled command issues for all of his 5 1/3 innings. His six walks were a career high, and he hit a batter with the bases loaded in the second inning, but limited the damage to two runs, one earned.

IN THE FIELD: With two outs in the second inning, Santiago induced what appeared to be an inning- ending pop fly. But Erick Aybar dropped the ball, which extended the inning. The led to a run. In the 11th inning, another Aybar error with two outs led to the Rangers' fifth run. Angels Manager Mike Scioscia called Aybar's performance "uncharacteristic." ON THE BASES: After advancing to third base after right fielder Shin-Soo Choo bobbled a drive off the wall, Cron got caught napping. He was picked off third base by catcher Carlos Corporan. Cron was initially ruled safe, but the call was overturned after a review.

April 27, 2015 Page 5 of 28

BYE, BYE: Rangers Manager Jeff Banister was ejected in the eighth inning after disputing an unusual ruling. While chasing down a fly ball in foul territory, Calhoun was prevented from catching the ball by the outstretched arms of a spectator. A review, though, overturned the call and the ruling was fan interference, meaning the batter, Elvis Andrus, was called out. Banister argued and was tossed, as was the spectator.

UP NEXT: Right-hander Jered Weaver (0-2, 5.24 ERA) will face Oakland and right-hander Sonny Gray (2- 0, 2.12) Tuesday at 7 p.m. at O.co Coliseum. TV: FS West; Radio: 830, 1220.

FROM THE

How accountability can be thwarted by unions

BY JOHN PHILLIPS

Everyone knows California is a deep-blue state where Democrats call the shots, and labor unions reign supreme; but every once in a while, a particularly gross example of the unions’ unmitigated dominance can shock even me.

On a recent broadcast of my KABC/AM 790 radio show, former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan stopped by to chat about his new book, “The Mayor: How I Turned Around Los Angeles After Riots, An Earthquake and the OJ Simpson Trial.” During that appearance, the former mayor dropped a bomb: “When somebody is hired by the city, it’s impossible to fire them, no matter how incompetent they are.”

I followed up by asking about cases in which he was actually successful at getting rid of a bad apple and how hard it was.

Riordan responded, “It was expensive and hard. I essentially told my staff, ‘I want to get rid of that person, you find a way, and you have one month to make it happen.’ And they would. But sometimes you’d have to end up giving [the employee] a couple of hundred thousand dollars. But when you have heads of important departments, people like that are dangerous.”

Why is it so hard to fire these badly behaving or poorly performing employees? The answer is simple. In certain lines of work, like civil service and sports, for example, unions wield incredible influence.

Consider this:

In Orange County, union dominance may force the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to eat much, if not all, of the $90 million remaining on Josh Hamilton’s contract despite the fact that Hamilton, who has a history of drug and alcohol addiction, reportedly admitted drugs and alcohol relapses to officials. April 27, 2015 Page 6 of 28

Halos owner Arte Moreno told Fox Sports, “We have a contract with Hamilton. In that contract, there’s specific language that he signed and his agent approved that said he cannot drink and use drugs. ... Before we started talking to him we went through his past history. We felt it was important for us to have language in our agreement.”

In response, the Major League Baseball Players Association told Moreno to pound dirt and pay up. In a written statement, the MLBPA said, “The collectively bargained provisions of the Joint Drug Agreement and the Basic Agreement supersede all other player contract provisions and explicitly prevent clubs from exactly the type of action Mr. Moreno alluded to in his press comments today.”

Hamilton has not played a single inning for the Angels this season and may never play for them again.

Despite this, most experts believe that Hamilton and the players union will ultimately prevail.

Much more seriously, a social worker fired by Los Angeles County following the beating death of 8- year-old Gabriel Fernandez is close to getting his job back, thanks to the advocacy of his union.

County officials determined that Department of Children and County Services Supervisor Gregory Merritt “egregiously” missed multiple opportunities to save the Palmdale boy’s life, and the county moved to terminate Merritt’s employment. Some of the signs included a suicide note and a BB gun pellet embedded in the boy’s chest.

Gabriel’s mother and her boyfriend are awaiting trial on murder and torture charges. The couple is accused of dousing the boy with pepper spray, forcing him to eat his own vomit and locking him in a cabinet with a sock stuffed in his mouth to muffle his screams.

Yet, on appeal, L.A. County’s Civil Service Commission voted unanimously to reinstate Merritt.

The common denominator in both of these cases is that, when unions are the ultimate power brokers, people suffer, whether they’re kids trapped in abusive homes or fans in the stands.

Staff opinion columnist John Phillips can be heard weekdays at 3 p.m. on “The Drive Home with Jillian Barberie and John Phillips” on KABC/AM 790 in Los Angeles.

Angels Notes: Hector Santiago walks a tightrope

BY JEFF FLETCHER

ANAHEIM – Hector Santiago did only one thing extremely well on Sunday afternoon. Fortunately, it was the most important thing.

Santiago gave up just two runs, even though the left-hander was all over the place with many of his 109 pitches in 5 1/3 innings. He walked a career-high six, one intentionally, and he gave up four hits. April 27, 2015 Page 7 of 28

Santiago, who had allowed just two runs in 13 innings in two impressive outings prior to this one, didn’t think much was different this time.

“I felt like I was doing everything the same but missing early in the count and that put pressure on me,” Santiago said. “I was trying to get back into counts without giving in. It was kind of tough. But I made my pitches when I needed to and kept us in the game and gave us a chance to win.”

ALSO

The Angels won a replay challenge in the eighth inning. Right fielder Kole Calhoun came up just short trying to catch Elvis Andrus foul ball, which a fan caught. First base umpire Jim Reynolds initially ruled that the ball was on the fans’ side of the railing, so there was no interference, but the call was overturned after a review and Andrus was called out…

Calhoun had three more hits, improving to 12 for 25 in his last six games…

The Angels have not listed a started for Wednesday’s game in Oakland. It will presumably be Matt Shoemaker, who is on bereavement leave.

Angels' Matt Joyce breathes a sigh of relief as he ends his 0-for-26 slump

BY JEFF FLETCHER

ANAHEIM – When Matt Joyce got back to the dugout after his eighth-inning single on Sunday, third base coach Gary DiSarcina had a message for him.

“I got that ball for you,” DiSarcina told him.

It was actually the 554th hit of Joyce’s career, but it certainly felt like a significant milestone because the 553rd had come 11 days and 27 at-bats earlier.

“You try to have fun with it,” Joyce said after snapping his 0-for-26 skid. “It’s definitely frustrating. It can drive you insane sometimes, but hopefully it’s the start of something good.”

Joyce, in his first season with the Angels, was acquired to be the against right-handed and probably bat at the top or bottom of the order.

However, the absence of Josh Hamilton pushed Joyce into the cleanup spot, and he responded by starting the season in an ugly slump. His hit on Sunday lifted his average to .140. Manager Mike Scioscia had dropped him to seventh in the order, and all that was keeping him in the lineup was the back of his baseball card.

“This guy is a really good offensive player,” Scioscia said. “Hopefully today will be the start to get him going.”

Joyce has a career adjusted OPS of 115, meaning he’s been 15 percent better than the average major leaguer offensively over his eight-year career. That’s why Scioscia stuck with him as his slump continued. April 27, 2015 Page 8 of 28

“The support I’ve gotten from not only the coaching staff and (Scioscia) and the players … everyone says ‘It’s fine. You’re going to hit. You’ll be right there in a month,’” Joyce said. “It’s a great feeling. You just keep working and get through it.”

Josh Hamilton deal still hangs in limbo BY JEFF FLETCHER

ANAHEIM – The Josh Hamilton saga is not ending quickly for the Angels.

On Sunday afternoon, 48 hours after news first broke that the Angels were working on a deal to send their embattled outfielder to the Texas Rangers, the two clubs were still not ready to make it official.

By all indications, the deal will still happen.

Manager Mike Scioscia, though, insisted that his team is not affected by this issue lingering.

“We’re playing baseball right now without Josh,” Scioscia said. “That’s what were preparing for because we knew he wasn’t going to be ready for the start of the season. Every time we move forward to getting a plan of action, stuff moves slower.”

In the clubhouse, players continue to be peppered with questions about Hamilton. They continue to answer with words of support.

“We just hope for the best for him,” Mike Trout said. “Hope to get him better and see where it goes.”

Erick Aybar doesn't field, Joe Smith doesn't make pitches and Angels lose to Rangers in 11 innings BY JEFF FLETCHER

ANAHEIM – Erick Aybar, an outstanding , made two errors that both cost the Angels runs.

Joe Smith, a reliever who hadn’t given up a run since last August, blew a save.

And C.J. Cron, who should have been anchored to third base after he got there in the fourth inning, got picked off.

It was one of those days for the Angels in their 5-4, 11-inning loss to the Texas Rangers on Sunday afternoon, a game in which just enough unpredictably went wrong to overcome all the things that went right.

Ultimately, Jose Alvarez took the loss when he allowed a Leonys Martin homer and an unearned run in the 11th. But enough other things had gone wrong before Alvarez was in the game.

“There are some things we didn’t do on the field,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “It’s only a winnable game if you’re winning and you execute.” April 27, 2015 Page 9 of 28

While the Angels are waiting for the other shoe to drop with Josh Hamilton, who is expected to be traded to the Texas Rangers any day, the manager and players all insist that they are simply going about their business.

Business wasn’t good enough on Sunday.

The Angels were one strike away from completing their first sweep of the season, running their winning streak to four and getting over .500 for the first time since they won the opening series of the season.

Mike Trout’s two-run homer in the seventh and Johnny Giavotella’s bases-loaded single in the eighth had created a one-run lead, which was entrusted to Smith because Huston Street had pitched the previous three days.

Smith and Street entered the game with matching ERA’s of 0.00, a nice luxury that allowed Scioscia to give Street the day off. Smith had converted all 15 of his save opportunities last year in between Ernesto Frieri and Street.

“We’re really confident with Joe out there,” Scioscia said. “He’s throwing the ball well. He had an incredible year closing for us… Joe was throwing the ball well. Just couldn’t get that last out.”

With two outs in the ninth, Smith allowed three straight singles, including Mitch Moreland’s tying hit with two strikes.

“I tried to come in on Moreland and threw it right down the middle,” Smith said.

Aybar and Cron also fit the theme of the day: not quite good enough.

Cron, who started the season in a two-week slump, has come alive at the plate, capped by a career- best four-hit day on Sunday. Cron, however, had to answer for getting picked off third by catcher Carlos Corporan with one out in the fourth. Cron’s secondary lead was too big and he reacted too slowly to get back, without sliding, when Corporan threw behind him. He was initially ruled safe, but called out after a replay review. Scioscia called it “an inexperience mistake” and Cron agreed.

“It was definitely too close for me,” Cron said. “I should have been back. The infield was back. I shouldn’t have been off that far.”

Aybar, a Gold Glove shortstop who had an outstanding year defensively, also chipped in with two hits, lifting his average from .190 to .203. The problem was he dropped a popup in the second inning, setting up a run. He also booted a ground ball in the 11th, allowing the Rangers to score an insurance run that proved to be the difference in the game.

“Erick had an uncharacteristic day at shortstop,” Scioscia said. “This guy’s a great shortstop.”

April 27, 2015 Page 10 of 28

Final: Angels lose rollercoaster game to Rangers BY JEFF FLETCHER

ANAHEIM – The Angels came back on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t have the last comeback of the day.

After overcoming a seventh-inning two-run deficit to take a one-run lead into the ninth, the Angels lost 5-4 to the Texas Rangers in 11 innings.

Joe Smith, working the ninth because Huston Street had pitched three days in a row, gave up his first run of the season to take the blown save in the ninth. In the 11th, Jose Alvarez gave up a homer to Leonys Martin.

The Rangers took a 5-3 lead after Erick Aybar's second error of the day, and they needed the extra run because Aybar drove in a run in the bottom of the inning.

Of some consolation to the Angels, whose offense has been struggling, they collected 15 hits, equaling their season high.

The loss snapped the Angels’ three-game winning streak and denied them their first sweep of the young season.

The Angels trailed 2-0 in the seventh, but tied it on Mike Trout’s two-run homer. They took the lead in the eighth on Johnny Giavotella’s bases-loaded bloop single.

In the ninth, though, Smith gave up three straight two-out singles, including a two-strike hit by Mitch Moreland to drive in the tying run.

The late Angels’ rally spared Hector Santiago a loss on a day that he persevered through a tough afternoon.

Santiago walked six and gave up four hits in 5 1/3 innings, but he gave up just two runs, one earned.

Meanwhile, Rangers’ right-hander Nick Martinez had blanked the Angels through six innings before they turned the game over to the bullpen.

Giavotella greeted Andrew Bass with a double into right field. An out later, Trout blasted a homer to center, tying the game.

The rally in the eighth was started by the fourth hit of the game for C.J. Cron. Matt Joyce then snapped an 0-for-26 with a single, and Chris Iannetta walked to load the bases, setting up Giavotella to drive in the run.

Kole Calhoun also had three hits, improving to 12-for-25 in his last six games.

April 27, 2015 Page 11 of 28

Is Joyce's past good enough to keep him in the Angels' lineup?

BY JEFF FLETCHER

ANAHEIM – Matt Joyce is providing Mike Scioscia with a dilemma that all managers face.

At what point do you toss out the past because of the present?

Joyce is a 30-year-old one-time All-Star with a .774 OPS in 2,590 plate appearances over eight major league seasons. His adjusted OPS, which factors league and ballpark, is 115, which means Joyce has been 15 percent better than the average major league hitter over his career.

On the other hand, heading into Sunday's game he is hitting .132, with an adjusted OPS of … five.

Recognizing Joyce’s slump, the Angels manager has benched him against left-handed pitchers and dropped him to seventh against right-handed pitchers.

But benching him entirely? Not now.

“You have to give Matt enough of a leash,” Scioscia said Sunday morning. “You have to give Chris Iannetta (hitting .106) enough of a leash. These guys have proven what they can do with their track record. They will get there.”

Joyce, who started the season as the Angels cleanup hitter, still has just 57 plate appearances this season, a sample size that Scioscia feels is too small to warrant abandoning him.

“Matt is going to hit,” Scioscia said. “He can hit. He’ll figure it out. You have to keep going. You are still looking at the long term here.”

If the Angels did decide to bench Joyce for an extended time, their options are Collin Cowgill and Grant Green. Or they could bring back Efren Navarro from Triple-A. Cowgill and Green are both right-handed hitters, while Navarro is a left-handed hitter, like Joyce.

STILL IN LIMBO

The Josh Hamilton saga is not ending quickly for the Angels.

On Sunday afternoon, 48 hours after news first broke that the Angels were working on a deal to send their embattled outfielder to the Texas Rangers, the two clubs were still not ready to make it official.

By all indications, the deal will still happen.

Scioscia, though, insisted that his team is not affected by this issue lingering. April 27, 2015 Page 12 of 28

“We’re playing baseball right now without Josh,” Scioscia said. “That’s what were preparing for because we knew he wasn’t going to be ready for the start of the season. Every time we move forward to getting a plan of action, stuff moves slower.”

In the clubhouse, players continue to be peppered with questions about Hamilton. They continue to answer with words of support.

“We just hope for the best for him,” Mike Trout said. “Hope to get him better and see where it goes.”

SANTIAGO UP TO TASK

Hector Santiago did only one thing extremely well on Sunday afternoon. Fortunately, it was the most important thing.

Santiago gave up just two runs, even though the left-hander was all over the place with many of his 109 pitches in 51/3 innings. He walked a career-high six, one intentionally, and he gave up four hits.

Santiago, who had allowed just two runs in 13 innings in two impressive outings before this one, didn’t think much was different this time.

“I felt like I was doing everything the same but missing early in the count and that put pressure on me,” Santiago said. “I was trying to get back into counts without giving in. It was kind of tough. But I made my pitches when I needed to and kept us in the game and gave us a chance to win.”

NOTES

The Angels won a replay challenge in the eighth. Right fielder Kole Calhoun came up just short trying to catch Elvis Andrus foul ball, which a fan caught. First base umpire Jim Reynolds initially ruled that the ball was on the fans’ side of the railing, so there was no interference, but the call was overturned after a review and Andrus was called out … Calhoun had three more hits, improving to 12 for 25 in his past six games. … The Angels have not listed a started for Wednesday’s game in Oakland. It will presumably be Matt Shoemaker, who is on bereavement leave.

FROM ANGELS.COM

With Street taking day off, Smith can't get final out

By Earl Bloom

ANAHEIM -- The Angels are 7-0 when closer Huston Street pitches this season.

But Sunday was his day off, after Street saved three games on three consecutive nights, and needed 66 April 27, 2015 Page 13 of 28 pitches to do it.

The Angels turned to eighth-inning specialist Joe Smith in the ninth inning with a one-run lead on the Rangers. Twice, Smith came a strike from ending the game and extending the Angels' winning streak to four games.

But the second time, Mitch Moreland delivered a game-tying RBI single, and the Rangers went on to win, 5-4 in 11 innings to avert a sweep at Angel Stadium.

"Joe was throwing the ball well, but just couldn't get the last out," manager Mike Scioscia said. "We were very confident with Joe out there. He had an incredible run closing games for us last year. It just didn't happen today."

Early last season, Smith moved from pitching the eighth to taking over the closer role and had 15 saves before the Angels obtained Street from the Padres. Smith's back pitching the eighth most nights, but when Street's not available, he's the leading candidate to close.

"Today, I did not do the job," said Smith, who got two quick outs in the ninth before Prince Fielder went the opposite way for a single. Adrian Beltrefollowed with an infield single on a 1-2 pitch. And Moreland got the Rangers even, also on a 1-2 pitch.

"On Prince [Fielder], I went up and away, and he kind of slapped it in the gap to get things started," Smith said. "I was trying to come in on Moreland, and I left it over the middle."

Smith said he looks forward to closing when Street needs a day off.

"Yeah, it's fun," Smith said, "but obviously it's more fun when the whole bullpen is out there. Everybody needs a day off, I had mine yesterday."

The Angels (9-10) had to use a lot of their bullpen in the four-hour, 13-minute game, that because starter Hector Santiago walked a career-high six (one intentional), and had to come out after 109 pitches with two outs in the sixth inning -- the same juncture C.J. Wilson came out Saturday night.

"Hector got himself into trouble, and he got himself out of trouble," Scioscia said. "Command was an issue today. His stuff looked good, but at times he had trouble with his release point, and his pitch count went up quickly."

The first of two errors by shortstop Erick Aybar -- a popup lost in the sun in the second inning with two outs -- didn't help Santiago's cause. The Rangers scored their first run (unearned) when Santiago hit Rougned Odor with a pitch with the bases loaded. A Moreland sacrifice fly cashed off a leadoff walk in the third inning.

"I was good early, and good late," Santiago said. "Sometimes, I was trying to be too aggressive. I had a lot of movement today."

Santiago added that "everyone wants to pitch into the seventh or eighth," especially after the bullpen was worked as hard as it was in the winning streak, but "after the error, I made 12 more pitches that inning. I was trying to do it myself too much. That happens sometimes when you're trying to pick up your teammate [Aybar]."

April 27, 2015 Page 14 of 28

Aybar's second error, in the 11th, allowed the Rangers to score a second run in that inning, after left- hander Jose Alvarez gave up a go-ahead homer byLeonys Martin.

That second run in the 11th proved to be the difference after Aybar drove in a run in the botttom of the inning, but Neftali Feliz was able to halt that Angels rally.

"Erick had an uncharacteristic day at shortstop," Scioscia said of Aybar, a first-time All-Star in 2014.

Angels waiting on Hamilton-trade-to-Texas announcement

By Alden Gonzalez and T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- No announcements were expected as of late Sunday afternoon, more than 48 hours after news first broke that the Angels and Rangers had a deal in place to send Josh Hamilton back to Texas. But neither side expects any hiccups. The trade could be finalized by Monday, an off-day for the Angels.

Five parties are involved in this trade -- the Angels, the Rangers, Hamilton, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players' Association -- so a lot of logistics had to be worked out before completion. Hamilton is expected to be the only player switching teams, but money is changing hands, which requires final approval from the Commissioner's Office.

Soon enough, the Angels are expected to officially say goodbye to Hamilton, who underperformed in his first two seasons in Southern California and hasn't been around the team all year. "It's not just about baseball," Angels center fielder Mike Trout said after the Angels' 5-4 loss to the Rangers on Sunday. "He's a good teammate off the field, a good person to have in the clubhouse. It's tough, for sure."

A source said the Rangers will pick up approximately $2 million to $3 million in each of the three years remaining on Hamilton's contract, which is slated to pay him $90.2 million through the 2017 season, if you include a signing bonus that was spread out over the life of the deal. According to reports, Hamilton will sacrifice $6 million of his own, made up for by the fact Texas has no state income tax.

Hamilton started five straight All-Star Games with the Rangers from 2008-12, sporting a .305/.363/.549 slash line while averaging 28 homers and 101 RBIs and winning the 's Most Valuable Player Award in that span. But since signing a five-year, $125 million contract with the Angels in December 2012, the 33-year-old outfielder has batted.255/.316/.426 with an average of 16 homers and 62 RBIs over the last two years.

Hamilton's relationship with the Angels became contentious when he had a drug relapse late in the offseason.

An arbitrator ruled on April 3 that Hamilton did not violate the terms of his treatment program, mainly because he self-reported the relapse to MLB before a failed test. The team did not issue Hamilton a locker at its facility or at Angel Stadium, and has pulled all of his merchandise and likeness from the ballpark. April 27, 2015 Page 15 of 28

Hamilton has been staying at a friend's house in Houston since undergoing surgery to his right A.C. joint on Feb. 4.

The Angels have grown accustomed to playing without him.

"That's what we prepared for because we knew he wasn't going to be ready at the start of the season," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia, whose team begins a six-game road trip through Oakland and San Francisco on Tuesday.

"Whatever branch this thing takes, this thing takes. But the guys in this clubhouse are focused on one thing, and that's going out and winning games. It has not been a distraction."

Scioscia recalls Rangers' Beltre as 15-year-old phenom

By Alden Gonzalez

ANAHEIM -- Angels manager Mike Scioscia on Sunday recalled seeing Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre when he was 15.

"I saw Adrian before he signed [with the Dodgers], in the ," said Scioscia, who had finished his playing career with the Dodgers, and was the club's minor-league catching coordinator. "You could see, even then, he was so far ahead of everybody with his abilities, his bat speed, the way he grew into and used his body.

"There was no doubt then that Adrian had the abilities he's developed into a Hall of Fame-caliber third baseman."

Beltre, 36, is in his 18th major-league season. He went into Sunday's game with 2,616 hits, including 530 doubles, and he's three home runs shy of 400. He's also three RBIs behind Ted Simmons (1,386) for No. 77 on that all-time list.

FROM ESPN

Hamilton trade offers statistical hope

The Los Angeles Angels have apparently decided they want no part in keeping troubled outfielder Josh Hamilton around any longer, as a trade to the Texas Rangers is rumored to be finalized on Monday. Hamilton delivered several strong seasons with the Rangers before signing with the Angels prior to the 2013 campaign, and there are those who believe once he’s healthy and back to his old comfort level geographically that all will be well, that the former American League MVP can return to prior heights. It sure would be a great outcome if that occurred, but it’s rather optimistic and fantasy owners shouldn’t expect a sudden infusion of difference-making offense. April 27, 2015 Page 16 of 28

Hamilton has been in steep statistical decline since the second half of the 2012 season, when his batting average and contact rates took nosedives, and the strikeouts went way up. The Angels signed him anyway, despite a rather sketchy track record off the field as well. For the Angels, Hamilton managed to hit a mere .255 with 31 home runs in 1,017 plate appearances in two years, but offered little else to help a fantasy or real team. Hamilton boasts an impressive career .519 slugging percentage; last year it was more than 100 points worse than that, and against right-handed pitching Hamilton was considerably less of a threat, slugging .377. outfielder Ben Revere nearly slugged that well in 2014, and he’s no power hitter. There are those who will point out Hamilton’s sole problem was being away from his support system in Arlington, Texas, and that the shoulder that eventually required surgery this offseason and will keep him out for at least another month won't be an issue. Sure, this is all possible. Statistical analysts can’t possibly measure the mental aspects of player performance, and the fact is most people don’t really know what was going on behind the scenes with Hamilton the past few years. We do know he is extremely talented, and once was a true difference-maker statistically. Therefore I don’t want to say it’s impossible Hamilton, available in 94 percent of ESPN standard leagues, becomes a fantasy-relevant option in 2015. It certainly could happen. Hamilton could hit for power and if he does this, the other stuff won’t matter. However, his statistical profile since midway through 2012 is not a positive one and he clearly brings risk, on and off the field.

I think the Rangers will welcome him back and hope he can give them half a season of power in left field. It’s not as though the team hasBarry Bonds playing that position these days, you know. Unproven and currently injured Ryan Rua won the job out of spring training, andJake Smolinski and Carlos Peguero haven’t done much since. Rangers left fielders are hitting .172 with a .580 OPS (eight teams are actually worse). Hamilton can and should, on raw skill alone, improve on this. If you’ve got an empty DL spot and love to dream, I’m not going to tell you that adding Hamilton is a waste of your time. Stranger things have happened. I don’t expect he's going to be a top-50 outfielder once he starts playing, but a half season with a .260 batting average and double-digit home runs, sure, I’ll go along with that, and that might be an improvement not only for the Rangers, but your fantasy roster.

Meanwhile back in Anaheim, the Angels are actually getting less production from left field than Texas, which is why sending Hamilton away along with most of the money seems a tad ill-sighted. Angels left fielders boast a .385 OPS (not OBP, not slugging, the sum of them).Matt Joyce looks abysmal, and it’s tough to make the case he’ll continue seeing playing time. Collin Cowgill is a platoon player. There’s nothing obvious lurking in the minors, unless third base prospect Kyle Kubitza gets the call and switches positions. The point is, watch the situation, there’s opportunity.

AL report: The placed on the disabled list Saturday with a tear in his left knee, and surgery will be performed. Zobrist is not expected back until late May at the earliest. Zobrist’s best quality for fantasy owners is probably his versatility, as he’s merely average statistically. Feel free to move on, as even upon his return, Zobrist doesn’t figure to burn fantasy owners who give up on him. … outfielder Rajai Davis had quite the weekend, stealing three bases and scoring six runs, but he left Sunday’s outing with groin tightness. Be prepared to look elsewhere this week. … Boston Red Soxthird baseman Pablo Sandoval hit his first home run of the season Sunday, briefly quieting his many April 27, 2015 Page 17 of 28 critics. Sandoval doesn’t hit .300 anymore and isn’t a major power option, but you’re making a mistake cutting him just because he’s struggled so far in three weeks. There’s a proven track record. … Houston Astros outfielder Jake Marisnickhomered and stole two bases Sunday, and his excellent start to 2015 continues. Marisnick remains available in 80 percent of ESPN standard leagues, but as long as he controls the strike zone, there’s clear upside. … Chicago White Sox right-hander David Robertson delivered the rare win and save Sunday, the former in the completion of a suspended contest. Hey, it all counts. … Cleveland Indiansoutfielder Brandon Moss knocked in seven runs on his five hits during the weekend, reminding fantasy owners he’s not quite done yet. NL report: outfielder Yasiel Puig was placed on the disabled list Sunday with a hamstring injury, and while it would be surprising if fantasy owners cut Puig, a coveted second-round choice in ESPN average live drafts, it’s a perfect time to trade for this talented player. Puig isn’t seriously hurt. He doesn’t even need 15 days off, and he’s still going to deliver excellent numbers this season. … Dodgers manager Don Mattingly finally admitted after Sunday’s game that Alex Guerrero, who embarrassingly started only one of the weekend games and of course homered yet again, will start seeing playing time in left field. Perhaps he read my Friday blog entry on the subject.

Or not. The Dodgers have plenty of outfield depth, and depending on the it’s a good time to stream Andre Ethier and Scott Van Slyke as well. … While Puig probably didn’t need a DL stint, the Cincinnati Redscontinue to bungle the Devin Mesoraco situation. Mesoraco has needed a DL stint for a while for his hip injury. He last started a game more than 15 days ago! Fantasy owners don’t want to drop this potential top-three catcher, but he’s not playing. In one-catcher formats, I’d move on. … Philly’s Revere is a great buy-low option. He hit three triples during the past week, including one Sunday, stole two bases, and his batting average has much growth left. This is the same player from 2014, and a valuable one. As for first baseman Ryan Howard, who homered twice during the weekend and knocked in five runs, it’s certainly possible he can duplicate his 2014 campaign as well. Howard is not a good player, but 20 more home runs isn’t an outrageous request and as with Hamilton, depending on your team makeup, it might be enough to help.

Adrian Beltre sends Garrett Richards an invoice for broken bats

Adrian Beltre had a rough night at the plate Friday against Los Angeles Angels right-handerGarrett Richards, but the Texas Rangers third baseman got the last laugh.

Beltre went 0-for-3 against Richards in Texas' 3-2 loss, breaking his bat in all three at-bats, but Beltre got even by sending the pitcher an invoice for $300 for the splintered lumber.

The invoice looked legit, inscribed with "Cash only, no checks" and Beltre's signature, according to The Orange County Register. "I always love facing him," Richards said, according to the newspaper. "We have that good battle every time."

Richards responded to Beltre's ruse by sending him an autographed batting-practice bat. Richards wrote on it that he hoped it would repay his debt. April 27, 2015 Page 18 of 28

Beltre grounded out to second base in the top of the second inning, popped out to shortstop in the third and grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the sixth.

Richards pitched seven strong innings to earn the win, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks and striking out five.

FROM THE LA DAILY NEWS

Los Angeles Angels can’t close out Texas Rangers, lose 5-4 in 11th inning

By Clay Fowler

ANAHEIM >> Huston Street could only watch from the bullpen.

After recording saves the previous three days, the Angels’ closer was a spectator as the Texas Rangers erased a one-run deficit in the ninth inning and defeated the Angels 5-4 in 11 innings.

The Angels were one out away from a four-game winning streak, what would have been their longest of the season, when reliever Joe Smith allowed three consecutive two-out singles. Mitch Moreland’s line drive just over second baseman Johnny Giavotella’s glove provided the game-tying RBI in the ninth inning.

It was the first run allowed by Smith, typically Street’s set-up man, in eight innings this season. Street is yet to allow a run in seven appearances.

“We were definitely going to try and stay away from Huston and give him a day,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “And Joe’s closed. We’re really confident with Joe out there. He had an incredible run out there closing for us, just didn’t get it done this afternoon.”

Prior to the Angels trading for Street last season, Smith made 10 consecutive saves without blowing a lead last season.

He was informed before the game, he would be in the closer’s role if necessary on Sunday.

“That’s how a bullpen goes. Throughout the year, guys need days off,” Smith said. “When a guy needs a break, you’ve got another guy who can step up and do the job, but I did not do the job.

“I tried to come in on Moreland and threw it right down the middle.”

Leonys Martin hit a solo home run in the 11th inning to give the Rangers a 4-3 lead. The Rangers added to their lead courtesy of Erick Aybar’s second error of the game, a bobbled ground ball with two outs that allowed Adrian Beltre to score a run that proved crucial considering the Angels’ run in the bottom of the 11th. Aybar dropped a pop-up in the second inning that led to the Rangers’ first run.

“Erick had an uncharacteristic day at shortstop,” Scioscia said. “This guy is a great shortstop. Obviously the first ball got in the sun a little bit and he missed the ball in the 11th and those are two big runs.”

The Angels mounted a rally in the 11th inning when Albert Pujols doubled and scored on an Aybar single but Grant Green struck out to end the game. April 27, 2015 Page 19 of 28

The Rangers collected just four hits through the first eight innings, scratching out a pair of early runs. The Angels rallied when Mike Trout tied the game with a two-run home run in the seventh inning and Giavotella singled with the bases loaded in the eighth for a 3-2 lead.

Rangers starter Nick Martinez continued his surprising start to the season with six shutout innings to lower his microscopic ERA to 0.35. The unheralded rookie, who was never one of the Rangers’ top 20 prospects, gave up seven hits, six of which Kole Calhoun and C.J. Cron were responsible for. Cron finished 4 for 4 and Calhoun 3 for 6.

A day after going 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the Rangers delivered in the most difficult of circumstances. Two-out singles by Prince Fielder and Beltre in the ninth inning set the stage for Moreland to tie the game.

Angels starter Hector Santiago failed in his bid to earn wins in three consecutive starts for the first time in his career, but allowed just one earned run for the third outing in a row. The 27-year-old went 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits to drop his ERA to an impressive 2.28. He threw 109 pitches and registered a career-high six walks, one of which was intentional.

Angels’ offense struggling, but Calhoun doing his part

By Clay Fowler

ANAHEIM >> The Angels entered Sunday with a .219 team batting average that ranked 27th out of 30 Major League Baseball teams, but Kole Calhoun can only do so much.

The Angels’ right fielder was 3 for 6 in Sunday’s 5-4 loss to the Texas Rangers. The Angels failed to drive him in once.

Since beginning the season 1 for his first 12, the leadoff hitter is batting .388 in his last 13 games with five extra-base hits, including three home runs.

Sunday was his second consecutive three-hit game and his fifth multi-hit game in the last 13. He singled his first three times at the plate, the first of which was an opposite-field base hit for the left-hander. He was retired in his last three plate appearances, two of which came with men on base in the critical late innings of Sunday’s extra-inning loss.

Technically, Calhoun did provide enough offense by himself in Thursday’s 2-0 win over the Oakland A’s. His two-run home run was the Angels’ lone hit, just the third time in club history the team won with only one hit to its credit.

Only six teams produced more home runs from the leadoff spot than Calhoun’s 17 home runs last season.

DEEP SCOUTING BELTRE

Angels manager Mike Scioscia’s scouting report on one of the Texas Rangers runs as deep as they come.

As a minor-league coach for the Dodgers, Scioscia first encountered 18-year veteran Adrian Beltre when the Rangers’ third baseman was a 15-year-old in the Dominican Republic. The Dodgers infamously signed Beltre before he turned 16, breaking a league rule that led to year-long suspensions for the two Dodgers scouts who signed Beltre and preventing the organization from signing Dominican-born amateur free agents for a year. April 27, 2015 Page 20 of 28

Beltre reached the major leagues by the time he was 19, two years before Scioscia would leave the Dodgers to become the Angels manager after the 1999 season.

“I saw Adrian before he signed in the Dominican when he was 15 and he was just working out,” Scioscia said. “I mean you could just see. He was so far ahead of people as far as his body, his bat speed, his arm, everything and he’s grown into a real Hall of Fame-caliber player. A lot of guys come up with a lot of promise, but Adrian’s turned it into an incredible career.”

Beltre doesn’t remember encountering Scioscia in the Dominican Republic, but he does recall a Dodgers scout halting a game so he could measure how tall he was.

“He put me next to another guy and he said, ‘No, go ahead. You’re too short,’” Beltre said. “Funny thing after that, I signed with the Dodgers two weeks later. I guess the scouts from the same organization didn’t care about my height. I will never forget that. It was the first time I really wanted to prove somebody wrong that badly.”

ALSO

Angels left fielder Matt Joyce’s single in the eighth inning was his first hit in eight games and snapped a career-high hitless streak that lasted 26 at-bats. … C.J. Cron’s four hits Sunday are a career high and the Angels’ designated hitter is 8 for his last 11. … Rangers manager Jeff Banister was ejected in the eighth inning for arguing a call that was overturned via replay when Calhoun was prevented from catching a foul ball due to fan interference.

FROM FOX SPORTS WEST

Week ahead for Angels: Six games in the Bay Area

By Rahshaun Haylock

The week ahead

The Angels will head north to the Bay Area for six games beginning with three in Oakland on Tuesday (starting at 6:30 p.m. on FOX Sports West). This comes after a well-deserved off day following the club's completion of 10 games in 10 days -- all against division rivals. After Thursday's day game in Oakland, the Angels will head across the bridge to San Francisco to take on the defending World Series champions in the first interleague series of the regular season for both clubs.

The week behind

The seven-game homestand wrapped up with an extra innings loss to the Rangers on Sunday. There was, however, some good that came out of the homestand. The Angels won at The Big A for the first time this season and were over .500, winning four of the seven games. Oakland was in town for four games and the teams split the series. The win on Tuesday came with the Angels scoring a season-high 14 runs. The Angels also picked up a win in the series finale despite only having one hit on Thursday. The next night, Garrett Richards picked up his first win since his season-ending injury a season ago. It was the first of back-to-back wins over the Rangers in the series.

Record and standings April 27, 2015 Page 21 of 28

The Angels enter Monday at 9-10 on the year and in second place in the American League West, 2.5 games behind the first-place Astros. At 11-7, Houston enters the week as the only team in the A.L. West with an above .500 record.

Thumb's up

Kole Calhoun enjoyed quite a homestand with three games of three or more hits. Calhoun hit .400 and had a slugging percentage of .600 in the seven games. He had 12 hits total, including two home runs, and five RBI. Calhoun was also responsible for the Angels lone hit -- a two-run home run -- in the 2-0 win over Oakland last Thursday.

Thumb's down

Matt Joyce has yet to find his groove at the plate as an Angel. He's hitting just .140 on the year and has one hit in his last 27 at-bats. Joyce is not alone in his struggles at the plate -- he's one of three regulars in the Halos lineup hitting below .200 for the season.

Player to watch

After enjoying a stellar spring and a not-so-stellar first couple of weeks of the season, C.J. Cron is starting to heat up. He has 10 hits in his last five games, including going 4-for-4 on Sunday in the series finale against the Rangers to set a new career high. As a result, his average skyrocketed 62 points Sunday to .275 on the season. He entered the Angels most recent homestand hitting just .143 on the season.

Stat to watch

Jered Weaver has made four starts this season but has yet to earn a victory. The Angels ace is expected to start on Tuesday in Oakland where he'll be opposite Sonny Gray for the second consecutive week in search of win No. 1 of the 2015 season. Weaver won 18 games in 2014 which was tied for the American League lead.

FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

Rangers trade gives Hamilton chance at getting life, career back in order

Josh Hamilton has indeed played his last game for the Angels. The former AL MVP, currently working his way back from off-season shoulder surgery as well as aself-reported relapse involving cocaine and alcohol, is reportedly on the verge of being traded back to the Rangers, for whom he starred from 2008-12 before departing via free agency. The Halos, still reeling from an arbitrator's verdict that Hamilton could not be suspended under the Joint Drug Agreement, will pay around $68 million of the $80.2 million remaining on his contract, according to the Dallas Morning News, with Hamilton relinquishing around $6 million to offset the state of Texas's lack of an income tax, leaving the Rangers' share a little more than $6 million.

The added complexity regarding those financial aspects is the main holdup in the deal, as the league and the union will scrutinize it. It may not be finalized for another couple of days. Hamilton will gain an opt-out clause after 2016 as a benefit to allow the restructuring, April 27, 2015 Page 22 of 28 though it seems quite unlikely he would pass up the $30 million salary scheduled for the final year of his deal.

Eating $68 million to make Hamilton go away is a marked departure from Angels owner Arte Moreno's recent public statement suggesting that the team could challenge the slugger's ability to collect the full amount of his contract. Assuming that the deal is completed more or less as reported, this is a victory not only for the troubled 33-year-old slugger but for the players’ union, and it could pay big dividends for the Rangers, a team that did a much better job of building a support network for Hamilton than its division rival did. When it's all said and done, the Angels will have paid quite a price: roughly $110 million for their two years of Hamilton.

Signed to a five-year, $125 million deal in December 2012, the 33-year-old Hamilton hit just .255/.316/.426 for a 110 OPS+ with 31 homers and 2.9 WAR in two seasons with the Angels, a far cry from the .305/.363/.549/137 OPS+ he hit while earning All-Star honors in five straight seasons for the Rangers, a run that resulted in three playoff appearances and back-to-back pennants in 2010 and 2011. He was limited to just 89 games in 2014 due to a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb that required in-season surgery as well as soreness in his ribs, upper back and right shoulder, a combination that likely contributed to his 0-for-13 showing in the Division Series against the Royals. The shoulder continued to hamper him over the winter, and after experiencing considerable pain as he intensified his batting practice sessions, Hamilton underwent surgeryin early February to repair the acromioclavicular joint.

Before he could rejoin the team in spring training, reports emerged in late February that Hamilton had suffered a relapse in his sobriety involving cocaine and alcohol, and could thus face disciplinary action. The complexity of his case, which included a self-report of his relapse rather than a failed drug test, as well as a disagreement between MLB and the players' union over whether he was a first-time or repeat offender in the eyes of the JDA, led to a deadlocked four-member panel attempting to determine whether Hamilton violated the agreement. On April 3, arbitrator Roberta Golick ruled that Hamilton did not, and thus could not be suspended.

• CORCORAN: Royals need to change their fighting ways

In the immediate aftermath of the verdict, commissioner Rob Manfred released a statement disagreeing with the decision and promising to “seek to address deficiencies in the manner in which drugs of abuse are addressed under the program in the collective bargaining process.” He did not, however, address the breach of confidentiality that allowed the general public to find out information that should only have been made public if Hamilton was suspended. Manfred declined to launch an investigation into the source of the leaks regarding the disciplinary proceedings, which stood to benefit the Angels financially because Hamilton would be suspended without pay, forfeiting some portion of his $23 million salary.

Additionally, team president John Carpino and general manager Jerry Dipotoissued statements that expressed their displeasure, suggesting the team was less concerned with Hamilton's well-being than with punishment. “It defies logic that Josh's reported behavior is not a violation of his current program,” saidCarpino. The Angels “have serious concerns about Josh's conduct, health and behavior, and we are disappointed that he has broken an important commitment, which he made to himself, his family, his teammates and our fans,” said Dipoto. Team player representative C.J. Wilson, who also played with Hamilton in Texas,openly criticized the Angels' response, calling it “kind of disheartening” and questioning the team's motivations. April 27, 2015 Page 23 of 28

Asked by reporters a week later whether Hamilton would return to the team, Moreno responded, “I will not say that.” He claimed that that the team could enforce unique language in Hamilton's contract protecting the Angels in the event of a relapse, an assertion that the Major League Baseball Player's Association emphatically challenged shortly after the owner's words were reported. Earlier on Friday, Sports Illustrated legal expert Michael McCann backed the MLBPA's assertion, pointing out the historical lack of success that teams have had in attempting to void guaranteed contracts, and that the protections in the JDAbar a player from receiving additional discipline at the hands of his team. McCann also cited an industry source saying that Hamilton may never play for the Angels again.

Hamilton has been rehabilitating his injury in Houston instead of with the Angels, who did not issue him a locker in spring training. On Tuesday, manager Mike Scioscia told reporters that Hamilton would report to the team's training complex in Arizona this week, but Dipoto refuted that schedule. Assuming the trade goes through, Hamilton will likely need 2-3 weeks in extended spring training before he heads out on a minor league rehab assignment and then rejoins the Rangers and resumes what has been a tumultuous career.

The No. 1 pick of the 1999 draft by the Devil Rays out of a Raleigh, N.C., high school, Hamilton began battling drug and alcohol problems in the wake of a February 2001 car accident that caused lingering back pain and took him away from the diamond. Multiple failed drug tests and suspensions kept him from playing a single minor league game from 2003-2005, and he played just 15 in Low after being reinstated in 2006. That winter, the Devil Rays left him off their 40-man roster, and he was chosen in the Rule 5 draft by the Cubs, who immediately traded him to the Reds. As a 26-year-old rookie in 2007, Hamilton finally began showing the promise that made him the top pick, hitting .292/.368/.554 with 18 homers in 90 games.

The Reds traded Hamilton to the Rangers for pitchers Danny Herrera and Edinson Volquez in December 2007, and in Texas he flourished, earning All-Star honors in each of the next five seasons, beginning in 2008 with a .304/.371/.530 showing with 32 homers accompanied by league-leading totals in RBIs (130) and (361). Two years later, he led the league in batting average (.359) and slugging percentage (.633) while helping the Rangers to their first postseason appearance since 1999 and their first pennant in franchise history; his four homers earned him 2010 ALCS MVP honors. The team lost to theGiants in the World Series, but Hamilton was named AL MVP despite missing 24 games due to broken ribs.

Streaky and injury-prone, Hamilton couldn't match those numbers in 2011 as he missed nearly six weeks with a broken humerus, but he did help the Rangers to another pennant, and his two-run 10th-inning homer in Game 6 of the World Series against the Cardinals put them in a position to clinch their first championship, though their bullpen couldn’t hold the lead. He bashed a career-high 43 homers in 2012, including four in one game on May 8 against the Orioles, and 21 by the end of May, but he wound up greasing the skids for his exit over the remainder of the season. He fell into a prolonged slump in June and July (during which he conceded he was “out of sorts mentally”), battled sinus problems and blurred vision in September (missing five games due to overconsumption of caffeine and energy drinks), struck out in 18 of 44 plate appearances upon returning and dropped a routine fly ball in Game 162 as the A's snatched the AL West title away from the Rangers, who were forced to settle for a wild- card berth. After going 0 for 4 in the team's wild-card loss to the Orioles, he made for an easy scapegoat, lessening the sting of his defection to the team's division rival on a five-year, $125 million contract.

• Hamilton meets with teammates, 'wants to play baseball' April 27, 2015 Page 24 of 28

Given that Hamilton had already experienced a pair of very public relapses with alcohol (one in August 2009, the other in February 2012), the Angels had to know what they were getting when they signed Hamilton: a supremely talented player but a physically and mentally fragile one as well. They promised to give him the support that he needed and hired an accountability partner to accompany him off the field, similar to an arrangement he had in Texas. Notably, Moreno said at the time that the contract had no special provisions regarding a relapse.

While Hamilton's overall numbers took a dip away from the hitter-friendly environment of Texas, it's worth noting that he hit far better away from Anaheim (.268/.331/.483 with 22 homers in 535 PA) than at home (.241/.299/.362 with nine homers in 482 PA). Anything approximating that road performance will help the Rangers, who are hitting just .215/.299/.344 thus far while going 6-10 and, as with last year, enduring a litany of injuries, most notably losing Yu Darvish for the season.

Once he's healthy, Hamilton will presumably see time in leftfield and at DH. Rangers leftfielders—including Shin-Soo Choo, who has since shifted back to rightfield—combined to hit .217/.301/.331 last year, for the league's third-lowest OPS at the spot. The four players who have appeared there for the team this year (Jake Smolinski, Ryan Rua, Carlos Peguero and Delino DeShields Jr.) have been even worse, “hitting” a combined .173/.306/.288 thus far.

Hamilton alone isn’t likely to turn around the Rangers’ fortunes. But freed from an organization that demonstrated it could no longer support him by failing to show compassion when he needed it the most, and back in the fold with a different organization that has shown that it can, the odds of him improving his own fortunes appear to be higher. Here’s hoping he can get back to the field and resume his career in short order.

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Angels waste Trout's 2-run HR in 11-inning loss to Rangers

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — One day after receiving his 2014 AL MVP award in a home plate ceremony, Mike Trout gave another example of why he means so much to the Los Angeles Angels with a tying two-run homer in the seventh inning against Texas Rangers reliever Anthony Bass.

The Angels then took the lead in the eighth on Johnny Giavotella's bases-loaded RBI single, but Joe Smith blew the lead in the ninth, Jose Alvarez gave up two more in the 11th, and the Angels lost 5-4 on Sunday.

"Joe was throwing the ball well, but just couldn't get the last out," manager Mike Scioscia said. "We were very confident with Joe out there. He had an incredible run closing games for us last year. It just didn't happen today."

Smith got his first save opportunity of the season because Scioscia didn't want to use Huston Street a fourth consecutive day. The right-hander retired his first two batters before giving up three consecutive singles, including Mitch Moreland's RBI hit to right field.

"It's tough, but it's going to happen," Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun said. "We had Joe Smith on the mound, and that's our go-to guy. Everybody in the stadium wanted him on the mound. He gave up one today, but that's the way the game rolls sometimes." April 27, 2015 Page 25 of 28

Alvarez (0-1), working his second inning of relief, gave up a leadoff homer in the 11th to Leonys Martin on a full count after falling behind 3-0. It was Martin's first homer of the season and 16th in 1,121 big league at-bats. Another run scored that inning on shortstop Erick Aybar's second error of the game.

Aybar hit an RBI single in the bottom half, but the Angels' rally fell short as Rangers closer Neftali Feliz (1-1) threw a called third strike past Grant Green to end it. Feliz pitched two innings for the victory.

Hector Santiago, who departed from each of his previous two starts with a 10-1 lead, labored through this one. The lefty allowed two runs — one earned — and four hits through 5 1-3 innings. He had four strikeouts and six walks, matching his total from his first three starts this season combined.

"He got himself into trouble and he got himself out of trouble," Scioscia said. "Command was an issue today. His stuff looked good, but at times he had trouble with his release point and his pitch count went up quickly."

Over the Angels' last six games, their starting pitchers have allowed just six earned runs in 36 innings despite giving up 30 hits and 17 walks. This 5-1 stretch began last Tuesday with Santiago's six-inning stint against Oakland, when he gave up a run and three hits.

Santiago retired his first two batters in the second before giving up an unearned run. Aybar dropped a popup by Shin-Soo Choo after a single by Elvis Andrus, putting runners at the corners. Carlos Corporan walked on a full count, loading the bases, and No.9 hitter Rougned Odor was hit with a 2-0 pitch to force in the game's first run.

Rangers batters have been plunked a major league-leading 20 times, the most by any team through its first 18 games since at least 1914. Choo got clipped by Mike Morin in the eighth.

Santiago walked Jake Smolinski to open the Rangers' third, and Adrian Beltre hit a ground-rule double before Moreland delivered the Rangers' second run with a sacrifice fly. Two more walks loaded the bases again for Corporan, who struck out on a 3-2 pitch — Santiago's 72nd to that point.

Texas' Nick Martinez scattered seven hits over six scoreless innings and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third. The right-hander finished April with a 0.35 ERA, allowing one earned run in 26 innings. It broke the previous Texas club record for lowest ERA through the end of April by a pitcher with 25 or more innings, which was held by Rick Honeycutt with a 0.72 figure in 1983.

HISTORY ON THE HORIZON

Rangers DH Prince Fielder needs four more RBIs to enable him and his dad Cecil to join Bobby and as the only father-son duos with at least 900 RBIs each.

TRAINER'S ROOM:

Rangers: Before a herniated disc in his neck last year limited Prince Fielder to 42 games in his first season with the Rangers, he had missed only one of a combined 875 regular-season games by the Brewers and Tigers — and that was because of flu-like symptoms.

UP NEXT

Rangers: RHP Yovani Gallardo opposes Seattle RHP Taijuan Walker on Monday night in the opener of an eight-game homestand that concludes with another three-game set against the Angels. The only other April 27, 2015 Page 26 of 28 time Garrardo faced the Mariners in the regular season during his nine-year career was on April 17, when he pitched six scoreless innings in a 3-1 win at Safeco Field.

Angels: RHP Jered Weaver (0-2) is making his fifth attempt at his first victory of the season Tuesday night at Oakland in a rematch of his April 22 duel with Athletics RHP Sonny Gray, who beat the Halos 9-2 after Weaver allowed one run in six innings.

In dealing Josh Hamilton, Angels will close an odd, expensive chapter

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Before they head north to play two series against the San Francisco Bay Area teams this week, the Los Angeles Angels will have today off, providing them a chance to reflect on the events of the last few days – and perhaps even catch Josh Hamilton's explanation about his return to the Texas Rangers.

Hamilton's trade back to the Rangers is not official, so no reintroductions are in order yet. The proposed swap – with no other player involved – has to be approved by Major League Baseball and the players association because of the amount of money involved and because Hamilton would be forfeiting about $6 million of the more than $80 million left on the five-year, $125 million contract he signed in December 2012.

With Hamilton forfeiting money - expected to be made up by Texas' lack of a state income tax - and the Rangers kicking in about $2 million a year, the Angels are expected to pay Hamilton $68 million to go away.

And end a strange and at times ugly saga in the franchise's history.

"It seems like every time we move forward getting kind of a plan of action, stuff moves slower," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said when asked if the club has moved on from Hamilton. "Whatever branch this thing takes, this thing takes. Guys in this clubhouse are focused on one thing, and that's going out there and winning games. It has not been a distraction."

But it has dominated the conversation, as those near and far from the situation ponder the notion of a team being so desperate to get rid of a player that it would be willing to take such a huge financial hit while getting no assets in return. The $68 million figure would easily be the largest severance pay a team has absorbed. It even exceeds the minimum $61 million the would have paid had they preferred never wear pinstripes again.

Then again, in word and deed, the Angels made it clear they didn't want Hamilton around since he reported to MLB officials an offseason relapse in his longstanding battle with drug and alcohol abuse.

Team owner Arte Moreno wanted Hamilton suspended, and Angels officials – who are not commenting on the trade reports – were aghast when an arbitrator ruled that MLB could not sanction him.

"The Angels have serious concerns about Josh's conduct, health and behavior, and we are disappointed that he has broken an important commitment which he made to himself, his family, his teammates and our fans," general manager Jerry Dipoto said in a statement.

Angels players, in the meantime, have been caught in a no-man's land of wanting to support their teammate, being aware of who signs their paychecks and trying to win games without the 2010 AL MVP. April 27, 2015 Page 27 of 28

"You did the only thing there was to do, which was to go play baseball," closer Huston Street said. "There were a lot of moving pieces, and I think everybody in here respected the process. All we really did was try not to speculate and hope for the best outcome for a friend and our teammate."

The fans have been less diplomatic, apparently siding with Moreno, and not just because he keeps beer prices at Angel Stadium among the lowest in baseball.

Vaughn-sized bust

Until Hamilton came around, Angels fans held Mo Vaughn as the standard for free agent contracts gone horribly wrong. Vaughn, the AL MVP in 1995 with the , signed a six-year, $80 million contract with the Angels in December 1998 and soon saw his production decline.

But while Vaughn delivered at least 33 home runs and 100 RBI in his first two seasons in Anaheim before sitting out all of 2001 with injuries – he was traded to the New York Mets after that – Hamilton never came close to providing the expected return on investment.

His numbers nosedived from a .285 batting average, 43 homers and 128 RBI in his final season in Texas to .250, 21 and 79 after switching uniforms. Then he missed nearly half of 2014 with injuries, had career lows of 10 homers and 44 RBI and went hitless – while getting lustily booed – in 13 playoff at-bats as the Angels got swept in the division series.

Andy Hoyle, who attended the Rangers-Angels game with his teenage son Ben, references Vaughn in expressing his indignation over Hamilton paying such a minimal financial price for the relapse that prompted his exit from Anaheim.

"He gets away with murder," said Andy Hoyle, who hails from Upland, 30 miles northeast of Anaheim. "He breaks the rules, the Angels are out the money, and yet he walks away scot-free. There's no repercussions whatsoever. … Moreno didn't do anything wrong. Hamilton is the one. He robbed the bank, and now he's allowed to walk into Texas and say, 'Hey, guys, I'm back.' "

Like Hoyle, fellow Angels fan Darryl Glass of San Juan Capistrano defended Moreno's decision to ship away Hamilton.

Pointing to the kids parading around the field before the game as part of Little League day, Glass said Hamilton was a poor role model to youngsters because of his well-chronicled history of drug abuse.

"I totally agree with what the owner did," Glass said. "We don't need that kind of cancer around here."

Not surprisingly, Hamilton jerseys were almost impossible to find among the crowd of 35,053, although a young waitress named Jenna Willis sported one and said the Angels should have been more supportive of the troubled outfielder. The ballpark's apparel store was stripped of Hamilton merchandise this month.

The Rangers, on the other hand, will be happy to sell his jersey, even if he initially gets a mixed reaction after his comments that the Dallas area is a football town alienated some fans.

Rangers players have expressed their willingness to welcome back Hamilton, even if they have no idea what to expect from him. His former teammates fondly remember a player who at times dominated the game with stunning ease – like the game in May 2012 when he hit four home runs against the Baltimore April 27, 2015 Page 28 of 28

Orioles – but they're also aware he'll be 34 next month and hasn't replicated the success he enjoyed in Texas, where he averaged 28 homers and 101 RBI in five All-Star seasons.

"This is a different team. We had Ian (Kinsler); we had (Mike) Napoli," said third baseman Adrian Beltre, with the Rangers since 2011. "You can't expect Josh to come in here and change the team. We need to play better as a team, and that's not going to happen just because of one player."

But given his resume and the low cost involved, it's hard for the Rangers not to be excited about Hamilton's return. At the least, they'll be far more enthusiastic about Hamilton's presence than the organization about to cut him loose.