Tag: Los Angeles Angels

Matt Joyce Traded to Angels for Kevin Jepsen: Latest Details and Reaction

The Los Angeles Angels have upgraded their already-potent offense by acquiring outfielder Matt Joyce from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for relief pitcher Kevin Jepsen. 

Details of the trade were confirmed by the Angels on Twitter:

The move does serve two purposes for the Angels. In addition to giving them more depth on the bench, the defending American League West champions have a solid insurance policy in the event that Josh Hamilton gets hurt. Joyce has been durable since 2011, playing at least 140 games in three of the last four years.

Jonah Keri of Grantland likes the deal for both sides, as it gives the Angels’ right-handed heavy lineup a solid left-handed weapon and the Rays get another power arm in their already-potent bullpen:

Even though Joyce’s OPS has declined in each of the last four years, from a high of .837 in 2010 to .732 last year, he’s only had an on-base percentage under .341 once during that span and is an affordable option in his third year of arbitration. 

Jepsen is coming off his best season with the Angels. The 30-year-old right-hander appeared in 74 games covering 65 innings, posting a 2.63 ERA, 75 strikeouts and 45 hits allowed in 2014. He’s entering his second year of arbitration.   

This is one of those smaller deals that makes sense for both sides. The Angels, while they have a full outfield, are always going to need another body because of how erratic Hamilton has been. Joyce can also fill in at DH as part of a platoon with C.J. Cron. 

Since the Rays don’t have the money to go after a top starting pitcher, they can follow the Kansas City blueprint to success and build a power bullpen that can shorten games to six innings. 

Stats via Baseball-Reference.com

 

If you want to talk sports, hit me up on Twitter. 


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Roberto Baldoquin to Angels: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

The Los Angeles Angels made a potentially big move for their future Tuesday by signing promising Cuban prospect Roberto Baldoquin.     

According to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com, the Angels reportedly inked the 20-year-old middle infielder to a deal that includes an $8 million signing bonus:

While Baldoquin is unlikely to play for Los Angeles during the upcoming 2015 season, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez suggests that this move will give the Angels some options when their current middle infielders hit free agency:

With that said, this signing prevents the Angels from getting involved in bidding wars for big-time international free agents over the next two years, per Matthew Pouliot of Rotoworld.com:

This is due to the fact that the collective bargaining agreement places restrictions on teams that sign under-23 international players to contracts, according to Sanchez.

Although the Angels have yet to confirm the deal, Sanchez reports that Baldoquin is thrilled to be part of the organization.

“This is a dream come true,” Baldoquin said. “I’ve made a lot of sacrifices to get to this point. I’m ready for the next part of my journey.”

On the heels of first baseman Jose Abreu having a huge rookie season for the Chicago White Sox in 2014, the Angels are undoubtedly hopeful that they have found the next Cuban success story.

Baldoquin has plenty of work to do before he reaches the big time, but the $8 million signing bonus suggests that L.A. is confident he will eventually reach that point.

 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

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Mike Trout’s 1st Postseason off to a Bad Start with Angels on the Ropes in ALDS

The 2014 postseason was supposed to be Mike Trout‘s coming-out party. It was his chance to shine on the big stage and solidify his status among baseball’s immortal talents.

It isn’t over yet, but so far things aren’t going swimmingly.

In two playoff games, Trout is 0-for-8. And the Los Angeles Angels are down 2-0 in the best-of-five ALDS to the no-quit Kansas City Royals, who look more like a team of destiny with each nail-biting victory.

The Royals’ latest and most convincing win came Friday night, a stirring 4-1, 11-inning triumph.

To be fair, Trout’s not the only Angel who isn’t hitting. The Halos have managed just three runs in two games against K.C., and fellow middle-of-the-order hitters Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols have gone a combined 1-for-17.

But Trout is the stud, the prohibitive MVP favorite. The guy who is supposed to take the team on his shoulders and carry it across the finish line.

Right now, it looks like Los Angeles won’t advance past the first lap.

On Friday night, the Angels faced rookie Yordano Ventura, who has electric stuff but came out of the bullpen to surrender a two-run home run in the Wild Card Playoff against the Oakland A’s. 

Ventura can touch triple digits with his fastball, and he pitched like a flame-throwing ace against the Angels. His counterpart and fellow rookie, right-hander Matt Shoemaker, wasn’t so bad himself.

In fact, Shoemaker was downright excellent, allowing just one unearned run and striking out six in six innings. For a guy who missed the end of the season with an oblique strain, it was a gutsy, impressive performance.

But his teammates failed to reward him. Sure, the Angels plated a run in the sixth on a Pujols single to tie the game 1-1. As the contest stretched past the ninth, though, it seemed inherently to favor the Royals, who have now won three postseason games, all in extra frames.

As for the Angels? After accumulating the best record in baseball at 98-64 and running away with the AL West, they’re teetering on the brink of an early, unceremonious exit.

If they’re going to stave off elimination, they’ll need something from Trout.

As Robert Morales of the Long Beach Press-Telegram (h/t Los Angeles Daily News) put it Oct. 1:

[Trout] was Rookie of the Year in 2012 and could win the AL Most Valuable Player award for his efforts during this 2014 regular season.

He has not toiled in the postseason yet, however. And since the baseball world is looking at him as the new face of baseball, what with the Yankees’ Derek Jeter retiring, there is tremendous anticipation to see what the 23-year-old from New Jersey does with that first taste.

Will it be bitter? Sweet? Somewhere in the middle? 

We still don’t know the answer. The Angels, and Trout, will get another crack at the Royals on Sunday in Kansas City. It’s not over till it’s over; there’s still time for redemptive heroics.

Otherwise, the 2014 campaign will go down as a colossal disappointment for Trout and the Halos. 

After ostensible ace Garrett Richards went down with a knee injury Aug. 20, pitching was supposed to be the Angels’ biggest weakness.

Instead, they’ve gotten solid efforts so far in the NLDS from starters Shoemaker and Jered Weaver. And the ‘pen has mostly held its own.

It’s been the bats—which led MLB with 773 runs scoredthat have gone limp at the worst possible time.

Trout, per Greg Beacham of The Associated Press (h/t ABC News), got some valuable advice from Pujols prior to the postseason: “He told me to just be myself…Just keep that same swing that got you here, and go from there. It’s definitely a bigger game, for sure. All eyes are on you.”

The problem, now, is that all eyes may soon be off Trout. And the party may be over before it starts.

 

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Angels’ Matt Shoemaker Sets Franchise Rookie Wins Record

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker, who is hoping to return from an oblique injury for the playoffs, set a franchise rookie record in recording 16 wins this season, per MLB Stat of the Day. The previous record of 14 was held by Dean Chance (1962), Marcelino Lopez (1965) and Frank Tanana (1974).

Though not considered an elite prospect, the 27-year-old Shoemaker was often dominant after joining the starting rotation in mid-May. He’ll finish the season with a 3.04 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 124/24 K/BB ratio over 136 innings, with those fantastic numbers complementing a sterling 16-4 record.

The right-hander had a pair of 10-strikeout performances, and he notably got better as the season went on, posting a 1.87 ERA after the All-Star break, compared to a modest 4.38 mark before the Midsummer Classic.

Despite starting just 20 games, Shoemaker leads all rookie pitchers in wins this season, sitting ahead of Kansas City Royals flame-thrower Yordano Ventura (14) and New York Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka (13).

It was an excellent year for rookie starting pitchers in the American League, with Colin McHugh of the Houston Astros, Jake Odorizzi of the Tampa Bay Rays, Marcus Stroman of the Toronto Blue Jays and Roenis Elias of the Seattle Mariners also sticking out.

According to ESPN.com, there are seven rookie starters in the American League with 1.5 or more WAR this season, while New York Yankees rookie reliever Dellin Betances incredibly has 3.7 WAR through 70 appearances out of the bullpen.

If not for the presence of Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, the American League would have a slew of pitchers competing for Rookie of the Year honors this season. As is, Abreu rightfully looks like a lock to take home the trophy.

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Ranking the Top 5 Los Angeles Angels Players in Franchise History

The Los Angeles Angels franchise has enjoyed plenty of success since being established back in 1961. While the Angels have a relatively short franchise history in comparison to some MLB teams, there has been no shortage of both team and player achievements. The Angels have seen multiple MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of Year Award winners, as well as a World Series Championship in their franchise’s history.

With players like Nolan Ryan, Tim Salmon and Mike Trout documented throughout franchise record books, determining the top-five players in Angels franchise history is no easy task. However, a careful analysis of statistics and player value may help give perspective to this never-ending debate.

This list will count down the five best players in Angels franchise history.

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Albert Pujols Injury: Updates on Angels Star’s Hamstring and Return

Updates from Tuesday, Sept. 16

Angels communication director Eric Kay confirms Albert Pujols‘ status for tonight’s game vs. the Mariners: 

 

Original Text 

Everything has been going right for the Los Angeles Angels lately, but they could have a problem on their hands with an injury to Albert Pujols.

Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports provides the latest on the veteran first baseman:

This injury was later confirmed by the team’s official Twitter account:

After the Angels 8-1 win over the Mariners, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register provided an update: 

The double was Pujols’ 36th of the season while bringing his RBI total to 97 on the year. He also has 26 home runs to go with a .274 batting average. While the three-time MVP has clearly had better seasons, he has bounced back nicely from a subpar 2013.

Unfortunately, this injury can be a setback if it ends up being serious. Hamstring injuries are difficult to judge and can sometimes keep a player out for weeks.

He was removed for a pinch runner (Tony Campana) against the Seattle Mariners on Monday. Efren Navarro was moved to first base and will likely take over the bulk of playing time if Pujols is unable to play.

With the best record in the majors and a 10-game lead in the AL West, the Angels can afford to be cautious for the rest of the regular season. However, they’ll certainly need Pujols in the playoffs and hope he can return as soon as possible.

 

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.

Follow TheRobGoldberg on Twitter

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Highlighting Matt Shoemaker, MLB’s Most Valuable Rookie of 2014’s Playoff Chase

They don’t hand out Rookie of the Year awards in September.

If they did, the safe money would be on Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox and Billy Hamilton of the Cincinnati Reds taking home the honors in the American League and National League, respectively.

Those two players have one thing in common, though, besides being unarguably good: They both play for teams that’ll almost certainly be sitting home come October.

Other awards, most notably the MVP, frequently consider whether a player led his club to the postseason. 

Rookie of the Year winners, on the other hand, aren’t always held to that standard. In fact, of the last 10 winners in each league dating back to 2009, half have been from non-playoff teams. 

That’s not to take anything away from Abreu, Hamilton or anyone else. It is worth asking, though: Who’s the best rookie on a contending club, one with a realistic shot at the World Series? 

Paging Matt Shoemaker.

Shoemaker made the Los Angeles Angels‘ 25-man roster out of spring training as a bullpen arm, a fringe contributor. Less than six months later, he’s helping baseball’s top squad shore up a shaky rotation.

Entering play Tuesday, the Angels sport an MLB-best 88-55 record and an eight-game lead over the Oakland A’s in the American League West.

Their rotation, meanwhile, is in shambles.  

Injuries to Tyler Skaggs and ace Garrett Richards have critically thinned the Halos’ starting five, casting a serious pall over an otherwise stellar season.

Shoemaker has stepped up in a big way, lesseningif not eliminatingthe doubts.

“Once you get that opportunity you want to run with it and do as best as you can,” Shoemaker told the Los Angeles Times‘ Helene Elliott. “It’s one of those things where every time I get the ball I try and be as aggressive as I can and just keep going out there and try and get outs, put up zeroes for the team, and at the end of the day the team getting the win.”

“You’d like to do that your whole career,” Shoemaker continued. “I just want to keep it going.”

So far, so good. Shoemaker went 6-1 in August with a 1.31 ERA and 0.77 WHIP, earning Player of the Month honors in the process. 

More importantly, the Angels went 19-10 and extended their advantage in the hyper-competitive AL West, which features the A’s and Seattle Mariners, two potential playoff teams.

Overall, Shoemaker is 14-4 with a 3.25 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. That might not be enough to overtake Abreu (.317 BA, 33 HR, 99 RBI entering play Tuesday). But it’s more than enough to impress his manager.

“Shoe is just getting an opportunity and he’s making the most of it,” Los Angeles skipper Mike Scioscia said, per Elliott.

A hirsute, under-the-radar 28-year-old who entered the season with a grand total of five big league innings on his resume, Shoemaker was no one’s idea of a sure bet.

As Robert Morales of the Long Beach Press-Telegram noted recently:

Shoemaker…pitched parts of seven years in the minor leagues, where he compiled a record of 50-40 with an ERA of 4.52. He was not even drafted out of Eastern Michigan University, the Angels signing him in August 2008 as an amateur free agent. But here in 2014, he has had such a solid season he has pitched himself into the conversation for Rookie of the Year. That doesn’t mean he’ll rest on his laurels. That is not in Shoemaker’s make-up.

The Angles certainly hope not. They need Shoemaker to keep flashing his surprising skills well into October. 

Ultimately, the Halos’ hurler may not win Rookie of the Year honors regardless of what he does the rest of the way.

If he helps Los Angeles hoist the second Commissioner’s Trophy in franchise history, though, it won’t matter.

 

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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Albert Pujols as a Leader Can Help Angels’ World Series Run

The numbers are now celebrated only in relevant context, and the comparisons to himself as a productive superstar are less frequent, replaced by comparisons to himself as an injured shell of one of the greatest hitters the sport has ever seen.

Albert Pujols is again a meaningful piece of a contending lineup, albeit not as an elite bat or the driving force. The Los Angeles Angels, partly because of his steady health and above-average production, are a World Series threat three seasons into Pujols’ highly priced era with the Orange County franchise.

At what seems like an old 34, mostly because he hit like few others ever have for so long, Pujols is the elder statesman in a veteran clubhouse. But it is his winning pedigree, the October experience, and any kind of leadership qualities that should get better with agethose are things that make Albert Pujols as valuable as anyone else on the Angels roster.

Never one to be overly candid or to overtly display leadership qualities, Pujols keeps things simple, at least publicly.

“I’m just one of those 25 guys that want to accomplish the dream,” Pujols told the Los Angeles Times’ Helene Elliott last week, “and that’s to win a championship.”

With a steady Pujols, on the field and in the clubhouse, the Angels are as good a bet as any team in the majors right now.

The team’s four-game weekend sweep of their American League West rival, the Oakland A’s, goes a ways in realizing that dream. Pujols’ output in that seriesfour hits in 15 at-bats and two RBIswas not eye-popping, but his numbers since the Fourth of July are as productive as any significant stretch he’s had with the Angels since signing his 10-year, $240 million contract before the 2012 season.

In his last 52 games, Pujols is hitting .311/.371/.485 with an .857 OPS, seven home runs and 33 RBIs. These aren’t superstar kind of numbers, but when you consider that Pujols, with the help of injuries, has been in extreme decline since leaving St. Louis, they are steady. And a steady Pujols, one who shockingly leads the team in games played (134), is a big deal.

 

 

He is 10th in the AL in home runs (24) and RBIs (83) and has a realistic shot to hit the 30-100 plateaus, numbers that would be more meaningful this year as opposed to 2012 (30 and 105) when they were mostly empty calories.

“I think you’re seeing Albert closer to where he was in his heyday,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia told the Times’ Elliott. “He’s anchored the middle of our lineup.”

Depending on Pujols to do that entering this season would have created eye rolls and headshakes. His last two seasons have been riddled with injuries and limited him to 253 games. Last season, plantar fasciitis cut his season down to 99 games and led to career lows in average (.258), home runs (17), RBIs (64), on-base percentage (.330), slugging (.437), OPS (.767) and OPS-plus (116).

He was down across the board, and even though his contract seemed like a bad investment when it was initially made, it looked absolutely wretched after last summer. Wondering if Pujols would ever be healthy or productive enough to give the Angels acceptable value for even one season of the deal seemed iffy at best. 

Maybe as shocking as any of those slides is Pujols’ decline in walks. It is understandable that his walk rates would be down the previous two seasonshe had a career-low 7.8 percent in 2012, according to Fangraphs.combut this season he is at 7.4 percent despite being productive and hitting in front of a productive Josh Hamilton most of the year. Pujols is swinging at fewer pitches outside the strike zone, but pitchers are simply challenging him more than they ever have before, as Fangraphs.com’s numbers show.

That is telling because the fear he once struck into pitchers has quickly faded.

There is also evidence that Pujols, probably because of knee and foot injuries, has driven the ball to the opposite field with less relevancy since becoming an Angel, again making him a diminished threat, according to ESPN’s Peter Keating. When Pujols does go the other way, though, he is productive, Baseball-Reference.com says. He is just doing it less frequently, again showing that pitchers are more willing to challenge him these days.

Pujols has had his share of critics, even during his St. Louis days, who questioned his role as leader as recently as the Cardinals’ last World Series run. And recently, there was a repeat of what has always been classic Pujols, telling the Times’ Elliott that reporters should not be so quick to criticize him since they’ve never played the game and don’t understand its difficulties.

Any reporter who has ever had dealings with Pujols and attempted to discuss anything other than his positive on-field exploits knows the player can be quick to cut off interviews. Criticism of any kind is dismissed with a gruff demeanor, unlike, say, teammate Josh Hamilton, who fields all questions with grace and poise even if some don’t like his answers. Finding Pujols in the clubhouse to answer questions after a bad game is a crap shoot, and he, the house, pretty much always wins.

Pujols has always been thin-skinned in this way. And according to Bleacher Report colleague Scott Miller, when Miller was with CBSSports.com, Pujols can also be this way with teammates. Miller cited sources in recounting a near fistfight in 2012 between Pujols and then-teammate Torii Hunter, recognized as a good teammate and mentor to young players, after Hunter criticized Pujols for pouting when he played poorly even if the team won.

As Pujols loves to remind, the past is the past. The Angels don’t need Pujols to be the rah-rah cheerleader type. But Pujols won two World Series with the Cardinals, and it is that experience that can help the Angels now.

Whatever advice or tutelage Pujols has in him, or in whatever ways he can lead by example, as the magnifying glass gets closer to this club, this is the stretch where it can become invaluable to a franchise that hasn’t seen playoff baseball since 2009.

Here is Pujols’ chance to add to his resume and reputation off the field.

Anthony Witrado covers Major League Baseball for Bleacher Report. He spent the previous 3 seasons as the national baseball columnist at Sporting News, and four years before that as the Brewers beat writer for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.

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Matt Shoemaker Giving Angels Some Hope After Devastating Garrett Richards Injury

The Los Angeles Angels suffered a potentially crushing blow Wednesday night when they lost ace Garrett Richards for the next six to nine months with a torn patellar tendon in his left knee.

Richards’ injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Angels, who currently hold a two-game lead over the Oakland A’s in the American League West with an MLB-best 76-50 overall record. With the right-hander sidelined for the rest of the season, the Angels’ rotation suddenly is much less threatening, especially in the context of a five- or seven-game playoff series.

However, rookie Matt Shoemaker did his best to ease those concerns Thursday night, guiding the Angels to a 2-0 victory and four-game road sweep of the Boston Red Sox.

The outing arguably was Shoemaker’s best of the season, as he no-hit the Red Sox through 6.2 innings before finishing with one hit allowed over 7.2 scoreless frames. The 27-year-old right-hander struck out nine batters and walked one in the game, throwing 79 of 116 pitches for strikes.

Manager Mike Scioscia offered high praise for Shoemaker following the game (via Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com):

He goes out there with his stuff, and he thinks his stuff will get hitters out. And he really has the confidence that it is. With that composure he has, and that poise, it gives him a sense of confidence where he’s not going to be intimidated. He’s not afraid to fail. He trusts what he can do, and he’s having a terrific season for us.

After picking up his 12th win of the season, Shoemaker, who signed for $10,000 in 2008 after going undrafted out of Eastern Michigan University, is now tied with Masahiro Tanaka for the major league lead among rookies, and he also sports an impressive 3.56 ERA and 102-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 103.2 innings.

Specifically, Shoemaker has been rolling since the All-Star break, with a 5-2 record, 2.25 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 40-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his last 40 innings. He’s allowed just four home runs during that span while holding opposing hitters to a .190 batting average.

Furthermore, a deeper dive into the right-hander’s numbers this season, particularly his 3.43 FIP and 3.13 xFIP compared to his 3.56 ERA, reveals that his success is for real rather than rooted in luck.

Shoemaker’s 1.1 HR/9 is right in line with the 1.1 HR/9 he posted over seven seasons in the minor leagues, and neither his BABIP (.297) nor strand rate (74.4 percent) suggests he’ll endure a significant regression. His 1.65 BB/9 may seem unsustainable compared to his 2.3 BB/9 in the minor leagues, but it’s worth noting that Shoemaker posted a 1.4 BB/9 over 184.1 innings at Triple-A Salt Lake in 2013.

So what’s made Shoemaker so successful this season?

For starters, the right-hander boasts three major league-quality pitches in a four-seam fastball, slider and splitter, and he’s thrown each of them between 22 and 25 percent of the time this season.

Shoemaker averages 91.43 mph with his fastball, which is roughly league-average velocity, but the pitch features 10.46 inches of vertical movement, which ranks 28th among all starters who’ve thrown at least 200 four-seamers this season, per Baseball Prospectus’ PITCHf/x leaderboard. Meanwhile, opposing hitters generally have struggled against the pitch, as they’re batting just .240 with a .230 BABIP.

At the same time, Shoemaker’s fastball is arguably his least effective pitch, as he’s posted a rough 39.6 percent ball rate—compared to a 27.57 percent strike rate—this season while allowing opposing hitters to slug .453 with four home runs.

Shoemaker’s slider represents his second-best offering, registering in the 81-82 mph range with good depth (2.31 inches of vertical movement, to be exact). He’s throwing it 28 percent of the time to right-handed batters this season, who are collectively batting .222 with one home run and a 38.75 percent whiff/swing rate, per the PITCHf/x leaderboard.

That brings us to Shoemaker’s splitter, which is regarded as one of the best in the major leagues and undoubtedly the right-hander’s best offering.

Shoemaker’s splitter averages 6.03 inches of horizontal movement, tying him with Charlie Morton for the 13th-best among big league starters. However, it’s the pitch’s additional 3.74 inches of vertical movement, which ranks eighth in the major leagues, that make it special.

While Shoemaker’s fastball command can vary, he has proved to be adept at consistently locating his splitter down in the zone. It’s the reason why opposing hitters are swinging at it 63.35 percent of the time this season, the third-highest swing rate behind Tanaka and Alex Cobb, and whiffing on 46.75 percent of those swings.

Unsurprisingly, Shoemaker’s splitter is his go-to pitch with two strikes, as he’s throwing it 54 percent and 44 percent of the time to right- and left-handed batters, respectively. Overall, opposing hitters are batting just .147 with 60 strikeouts against the pitch.

Shoemaker’s inconsistent command of an underwhelming fastball normally would be disconcerting. However, with a pair of standout off-speed pitches—the splitter is nearly a double-plus—that break in different directions within the same velocity band, the right-hander has been able to offset some of those fastball-related issues. More importantly, both offerings have helped him to turn over lineups multiple times in a given outing, which in turn has allowed him to work deeper into games.

None of the Angels’ pitchers can fill Richards’ shoes in terms of his stuff and success. But with a playoff berth on the line, it goes without saying that the club will need its remaining starters to step up in his absence.

While Shoemaker certainly has pitched like an ace over the last two months, it’s still unreasonable to think that the 27-year-old rookie can be the savior of the Angels’ rotation—at least any more than he has been.

However, with continued success, Shoemaker should help take some of the pressure off the team’s other starters, specifically veterans Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson, over the remainder of the regular season.

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Angels Looking Like MLB’s Best After Furious Acsension to Top of AL West

The last time the Los Angeles Angels were alone atop the American League West, Thor was No. 1 at the box office. 

OK, so May 15, 2011, wasn’t that long ago. Yet it must seem like long enough to Angels fans, who watched their club limp to third-place finishes in each of the last two seasons. 

Now, with a 4-2 win Monday night against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, the Halos moved a half-game ahead of the idle Oakland Athletics and took hold of the best record in baseball.

As he so often does, Mike Trout led the charge, going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. As the Angels rise, so do Trout’s chances of claiming his first MVP Award.

But he’s far from the only catalyst behind the Angels’ ascent. After a disappointing, injury-shortened 2013, Albert Pujols is enjoying a bounce-back campaign, belting 23 home runs and providing Trout with some much-needed protection in the lineup.

The bullpen, bolstered by the arrival of closer Huston Street before the trade deadline, has transitioned from a liability to an asset.

The rotation remains a question mark; Tyler Skaggs is out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and No. 3 starter C.J. Wilson owns an unsightly 4.59 ERA. 

Still, Los Angeles can ride studs Garrett Richards (2.53 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 167 IP) and Jered Weaver (3.66 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 161.1 IP). 

Granted, the Angels’ perch is precarious. Oakland, despite dropping five in a row entering play Tuesday, is loaded with aces and boasts baseball’s highest-scoring offense. 

And the Angels haven’t been unstoppable. They’ve gone 16-13 since the break, but, as Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com notes, the bulk of those wins have been squeakers:

The two teams will square off 10 more times before things are settled, and the strength of their remaining schedules is virtually identical, per ESPN.com. This means things could easily tip either way, and this marathon will almost assuredly go down to the final lap.

“It’s been a race,” leadoff hitter Kole Calhoun, another key cog in the Halos’ winning machine, told MLB.com‘s Gonzalez. “We’ve kind of been neck and neck all season. It’s nice to be in this position right now.”

The stakes couldn’t be higher.

The winner of the AL West will waltz into the division series, likely with home-field advantage. The loser, meanwhile, will be tossed into a one-game, do-or-die playoff (assuming they don’t careen out of the wild-card picture). 

It’d be a tough break for what could end up being the second-best team in the big leagues. Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia has no problem with that, as he told Daniel Carp of USA Today:

I think the weight on winning a division is warranted. If you’re going to have divisional baseball, you have to make winning a division the first objective of any team that’s contending. And if you don’t reach that goal and you played well enough, you have the opportunity to work your way into the playoffs.

The Angels, naturally are hoping to skip that “opportunity” altogether. They have their sights set on the top spota position the A’s once seemed to have firmly in their grasp, but that’s now officially up for grabs. 

As Anthony McCarron, who recently put the Angels at the top of the New York Daily News‘ power rankings, notes:

Just when we thought Oakland was untouchable, Mike Trout and the lads have slipped into first place in the elite American League West, the best division in baseball … They’re good. Real good. 

Good enough to hang on and make a run at their first World Series since 2002 and the second in franchise history? Time will tell.

For now, we know this: Thor may not be the No. 1 movie in America, but the Angels are flying like superheroes. 

 

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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