July 24, 2017

July 24, 2017 Page 1 of 16 Clips (July 24, 2017) July 24, 2017 Page 2 of 16 Today’s Clips Contents FROM LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3) Mike Trout's thumb — and bat — appear to be in working order Luis Valbuena drives Angels past Red Sox 3-2 FROM ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER (Page 6) Parker Bridwell gets a little help from friends as Angels top Red Sox Tyler Skaggs still has hurdles to clear before returning to Angels’ rotation FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 9) 3 HRs, solid Bridwell get Angels past Red Sox Bridwell flashes potential as confidence grows Skaggs progressing after 2nd rehab start Catching a Mike Trout homer will make you the happiest person on the planet, as this fan proved Chavez seeks a return to win column vs. Tribe FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 14) Valbuena's solo homer lifts Angels to 3-2 win over Red Sox July 24, 2017 Page 3 of 16 FROM LOS ANGELES TIMES Mike Trout's thumb — and bat — appear to be in working order By Steve Dilbeck Six weeks after tearing up his left thumb and undergoing surgery, two-time American League MVP Mike Troutwas back in the Angels’ lineup. What to expect? Since returning to the lineup July 14, Trout has barely missed a beat. He’s hitting without apparent discomfort and hitting pretty close to how he was before the injury. He batted .280 in his first eight games back, with three home runs — including a solo shot in Sunday’s 3- 2 win over the Red Sox — with five RBIs and four runs. And with no physical complaints. “The thumb is perfectly fine,” Trout said. “It feels great. No aches and pains, just feels normal.” Bridwell impresses The right-hander purchased from the Orioles in April was a combined 2-4 with a 5.13 ERA in the minors this season and showed little indication he could turn things around in the majors. Yet Parker Bridwell (4-1) has a 2.87 ERA in his last seven games. For the first time he faced a team for the second time this season Sunday, and held the Red Sox to two runs on five hits in seven innings, striking out three and walking one. “He made his pitches all afternoon,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “You couldn’t ask for a much better game. “He’s kind of learning on the fly how to be a major-league starter. He’s not afraid to go out there and challenge hitters.” Bridwell, 25, offers no particular explanation for his turnaround. “I have a clear mind,” he said. “It’s a fresh start and a clean slate. I think me being traded was a good thing for my career.” Skaggs wait Apparently it is not simply about left-hander Tyler Skaggs building up arm strength as he returns from his lengthy rehab from an oblique injury. July 24, 2017 Page 4 of 16 Scioscia has a fairly extensive checklist of things Skaggs has to show the Angels before he returns to the rotation. “First is obviously getting healthy,” Scioscia said. “Second is getting to a pitch count he’s able to maintain and repeat. Third is getting hitters out; he’s going to have to back to that competitive mode. “And fourth is staying healthy, which has been probably his biggest issue so far in his career. He has a number of things on his plate. He just has to take them one at a time and then hopefully keep going.” Skaggs, 26, went four innings (three earned runs, six hits) in a triple-A start Saturday and is scheduled to go five innings in his next rehab start Thursday. Short hops Andrelton Simmons hit third in the lineup for the first time as an Angels and only the second time in his six-year career. … Albert Pujols had a scheduled day off. … Second baseman Danny Espinosa, released by the Angels after hitting just .162 (91 strikeouts in 228 at-bats), signed with the Mariners. … Nick Franklin, part of the platoon with Cliff Pennington now at second, has one hit in 15 at-bats since Espinosa last started. … In the last four games, the Angels bullpen has thrown 12 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits with a walk and 13 strikeouts. Luis Valbuena drives Angels past Red Sox 3-2 By Steve Dilbeck Like patterns? Crochet a quilt, go study butterflies. Just stay away from the Angels, who resist near all classification. They win some, they lose some. They cling to the .500 mark like a life preserver. Devoid of a great winning or losing streak. Which, after Sunday’s 3-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox, leaves them … where exactly? Not buried and out of the race, not taking command of their playoff position. There are 49-51, 2½ games back of the final American League wild-card spot with all things somehow still possible. The July 31 non-waiver trading deadline quickly approaches and the Angels have no obvious directive whether they need to be buyers or sellers. Their great drawback all season has been lack of consistent offense. They’re in the bottom five of almost every offensive stat. Yet they won Sunday behind not just another sterling effort by surprising right-hander Parker Bridwell but on three solo home runs, one each from Andrelton Simmons, Mike Trout and Luis Valbuena. This from a team that ranks 29th out of 30 teams in slugging and 25th in home runs. July 24, 2017 Page 5 of 16 They give cause for optimism and frustration. “We need to get better on the offensive end if we’re going to make the push we want to make,” said manager Mike Scioscia. “There’s no reason to feel frustrated, no reason to feel optimistic. We know what we need to do. “Once they fall into place, I think there’s every reason in the world to be optimistic. But right now, we need to get better.” It helped the cause that they took two of three from the AL East-leading Red Sox. They beat ace David Price on Saturday and reigning AL Cy Young winner Rick Porcelloon Sunday. “It shows we can still compete,” Simmons said. “We have a couple of injuries, but we’re still grinding, still fighting. We have to keep doing that every day.” Simmons turned in his usual outstanding defense Sunday in support of Bridwell, the pitcher purchased from the Orioles in April that the Angels had no real reason to believe would seriously help them this season. “None of us ever saw him throw a ball,” Scioscia said. “We had no expectations. We had no idea.” Bridwell (4-1) has become a minor revelation for an injury-riddled rotation in desperate need of a lift. He has allowed two or fewer runs in five of his last six starts. His 3.09 ERA is the best of any starter. On a hot and fairly humid Sunday afternoon he went seven strong innings. He did not allow a hit until the fifth, then surrendered three consecutive to tie the score at 1-1. Simmons had hit his 11th home run of the season in the fourth. After Hanley Ramirez put Boston up 2-1 with his own solo shot in the sixth, Trout came back in the bottom of the inning with his 19th home run to tie it. “He told me too, ‘Let’s go back to back,’ ” Simmons said. “I said, ‘OK, start it off.’ He kept his word. I didn’t get a good pitch to keep mine. But that’s the kind of player he is. Some people are just a little better.” Valbuena hit his game-winner in the seventh, Blake Parker threw a scoreless eighth and Bud Norris the ninth to earn his 15th save. The Angels were back two games under .500, still hovering, still hoping to become the team they believe they can be. “We’re pitching well, we’re catching the ball,” Scioscia said. “That’s a great beginning. “We need to play better baseball, particularly on the offensive end. If we do that, then a lot of our game starts to fall into place.” July 24, 2017 Page 6 of 16 FROM ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER Parker Bridwell gets a little help from friends as Angels top Red Sox By Elliott Teaford ANAHEIM — By now you should know all about Mike Trout. Two-time American League MVP. Six-time All- Star. Two-time All-Star Game MVP. Rookie of the Year. Angels superstar center fielder. Probably the best player in baseball now and maybe for the foreseeable future. You would be forgiven for knowing next to nothing about Parker Bridwell, although after Sunday maybe it’s about time to start learning something about the Angels’ 25-year-old right-hander, who tossed another standout game in a 3-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Angel Stadium. Manager Mike Scioscia freely admitted he’d never seen Bridwell throw a pitch before the Angels acquired him April 17 from the Baltimore Orioles for cash or a player to be named. Bridwell has made quite an impression after four victories in five decisions, though. Bridwell gave up two runs and five hits with three strikeouts and one walk, needing only 78 pitches to get through seven innings. He wanted to continue, but Scioscia turned the game over to the Angels’ sizzling bullpen for the eighth and ninth innings. “I know (General Manager) Billy Eppler was excited to get him because he saw his upside, and you’re seeing that right now,” Scioscia said of Bridwell.

Load more