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Clips

(August 22, 2016)

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Today’s Clips Contents

FROM THE LA TIMES (Page 3)

Jered Weaver waves off retirement question before Angels' 2-0 win over Yankees

Angels closer Huston Street could face season-ending surgery

FROM THE OC REGISTER (Page 5)

Final: Rare Angels lead is cause for bullpen auditions

Angels closer Huston Street could be headed for season-ending knee surgery

Angels Notes: Manny Banuelos is the latest flier for the pitching-starved Angels

FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 8)

Chacin, Simmons lead way as Halos blank Yanks

Chacin's gem gives rotation much-needed lift

Street could face surgery on ailing knee

Angels, Blue Jays clash for first time in '16

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 13)

Pujols 3 hits, Simmons' 2 RBIs lead Angels over Yankees 2-0

August 22, 2016 Page 3 of 14

FROM THE LA TIMES

Jered Weaver waves off retirement question before Angels' 2-0 win over Yankees

Bill Shaikin

The Angels presented David Ortiz with a painting. They gifted Vin Scully with a vintage microphone, a windbreaker from his high school, and silver from a New York hotel in which he worked as a teenager. On Sunday, the Angels commemorated Mark Teixeira’s final visit to Anaheim with a scoreboard message: “Mark Teixeira, Congratulations on a Great Career.”

“That was very nice,” Teixeira said.

Ortiz, Scully and Teixeira each has said he is retiring at the end of the season. The Angels certainly would throw a grand farewell for Jered Weaver, their longtime and homegrown ace, but Weaver has not said whether he plans to retire when his contract expires at the end of the season.

“There’s still a lot of season left,” Weaver said Sunday. “When the time comes to answer those questions, I will.”

Weaver spoke before the Angels’ 2-0 victory over the New York Yankees, in which Andrelton Simmons twice singled home Albert Pujols — once when the 36-year-old Pujols took an extra base on Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner, the other after Pujols took an extra base on Yankees center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury. Pujols had three hits, and he would have had four had Ellsbury not robbed him of a home run.

Jhoulys Chacin and three relievers combined on the six-hit shutout.

Teixeira said he started considering the retirement decision in spring training.

“I think every player is going to go through it,” he said. “It’s just a matter of, do you walk away or do they tell you it’s time to go?”

Teixeira said he empathized with Weaver and would not dare suggest what he should decide. In his case, Teixeira said, his body betrayed him, and he increasingly spent more time preparing for a game in the training room rather than in the batting cage.

“Once you get to that point, it’s time to shut it down,” Teixeira said. “It’s hard enough to play this game at 100%.

“Everybody is so different. For me, I’m 36 years old. I’ve done everything I wanted to do in the game. My kids are older right now. They need me. They want me to be home.”

Weaver, 33, is 8-11 with a career-high 5.47 earned-run average. Opponents have a .902 on-base-plus-slugging percentage against him, the highest against any major league starter.

However, in an injury-ravaged season for the Angels’ rotation, no one has started more games for the team than Weaver.

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“Jered is the one starter that has come out of spring training and made every start,” Angels General Manager Billy Eppler said. “He’s had runs of being effective at this level this year. We’ve noticed some things going in a positive direction for him.”

Indeed, his fastball velocity has risen over the course of the season, suggesting he may be regaining some strength even as he alters his approach so he can compete with diminished velocity. The 84.4-mph figure for this month is up more than 1 mph from April, and the highest it has been in 14 months, according to Brooks Baseball.

“He has the durability to keep the team in the game,” said Scott Boras, the agent for Weaver. “It may not be the two-run dynamic, but three or four runs, and you’re keeping the team in the game.

“He’s a young man. This guy can pitch. He can do what he’s doing now for a long time in this league. There’s a lot of teams that frankly don’t have people of that competency pitching for them every five days.”

Boras said he expected to meet with Weaver after the season to discuss the pitcher’s future and said it would be up to the lifelong Southern California resident to decide whether he would consider pitching for a team outside the area. Eppler said he would have conversations with Weaver “when the time is appropriate” but said the Angels would give Weaver the ball every fifth day for the rest of the season.

“No matter how I’m feeling, I’m going to go out there and take the ball,” Weaver said. “I’m not going to give up on my team, no matter what kind of situation we’re in.

“There’s a sense of pride to go out there and finish out a season, no matter what is going on or how your body is feeling. They pay you a lot of money to do so. I’ve definitely never been a quitter and never not gone when things haven’t been 100%.”

Weaver said he attributed his work ethic to watching his father, Dave, an electrical contractor who would get up at 5:30 a.m. for work and sometimes return home on hands and knees, because his back hurt so badly.

“He’d drive forever,” Weaver said, “and crawl underneath houses and into attics and run wire and get electrocuted and fall off ladders.”

Get electrocuted?

“Every now and then, he’d get a little jolt,” Weaver said with a grin. “He wasn’t working with high-voltage stuff. But, every now and then, he’d forget to turn the power off.”

Angels closer Huston Street could face season-ending surgery

Bill Shaikin

Angels closer Huston Street could face season-ending surgery on his injured right knee, Manager Mike Scioscia said Sunday.

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Street, a two-time All-Star, has been on the disabled list since Aug. 2 because of what the team called inflammation in the knee. Scioscia said Street is consulting with a Texas doctor to see whether “any surgical options” might help the injury.

Scioscia said any such surgery would be “of the minor variety” and said Street would be expected to be ready for the 2017 season.

The Angels had considered trading Street before his latest injury, and Cam Bedrosian has emerged as a cost-effective alternative. However, it is unlikely they could trade Street this winter, because other clubs likely would want to evaluate his health and effectiveness in spring training.

Street, 33, is owed $9 million next year. In 2018, the team can pay him a $10-million salary or buy him out for $1 million.

This season has been the worst of Street’s 12-year career. In addition to the knee injury, he missed a month because of a sprained oblique muscle. He has a 6.45 earned-run average in 21 games, and he has given up five home runs, 12 walks and 31 hits in 22 innings. Opponents are batting .337 against him.

FROM OC REGISTER

Final: Rare Angels lead is cause for bullpen auditions

By JEFF FLETCHER / STAFF WRITER

ANAHEIM – With two closers on the disabled list, the Angels are practically running open auditions in the bullpen.

Problem is, the opportunities to judge how a pitcher holds a lead are sparse with such infrequent leads.

One of those infrequent opportunities came around on Sunday. Three Angels relievers – two who could figure into next year’s plans – delivered to hold a 2-0 victory over the New York Yankees, just their third in the last 17 games.

After Jhoulys Chacin provided 51/3 scoreless innings, which he may have needed to hang on to his spot in the rotation, relievers Deolis Guerra, J.C. Ramirez and Fernando Salas secured the victory with little margin for error.

Salas, the closer by default while Huston Street and Cam Bedrosian are on the disabled list, is a veteran who is unsigned for next year. There is likely not much he can do the rest of this season to show anyone anything they don’t know about him.

Guerra and Ramirez, however, are both still under Angels control next year, a season in which the bullpen canvas is wide open.

“They are part of the bullpen answers right now,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “Anytime someone gets an opportunity and they are throwing the ball well, obviously they make their

August 22, 2016 Page 6 of 14

own role, especially in the bullpen. Both those guys are doing a great job, and hopefully we’ll get some more leads to hold and see how they continue to do.”

This wasn’t much of a lead. Andrelton Simmons put the Angels on the board with a first-inning RBI single. He drove in another run for insurance in the eighth. In between, the Angels pitchers had little margin for error as they tried to secure their first victory in seven games this season against the Yankees.

Guerra, a hard-throwing 27-year-old, was the first man out of the bullpen gates, trying to hold a 1-0 lead after Chacin was done.

He retired all four hitters he faced, all of them swinging left-handed.

Guerra, a Rule 5 pick who has been unable to stick in the majors until this year, has a 2.63 ERA in 22 games out of the Angels bullpen.

Ramirez took the ball in the eighth and had a little more trouble. He walked two of the first three batters he faced, but then he struck out cleanup hitter Didi Gregorius and got Starlin Castro on a dribbler in front of the plate.

Ramirez has a 3.41 ERA in 27 games with the Angels, including one earned run and six strikeouts in his past seven innings. The Angels claimed the 28-year-old on waivers from the Cincinnati Reds last month. He is with his fifth organization.

Both Guerra and Ramirez offer something the Angels bullpen largely lacked before their arrival: velocity. Each throws in the mid 90s.

Neither is young enough to be considered truly a prospect, but they are just the type of out-of-nowhere relievers who teams stumble upon on their way to winning seasons. If the Angels are to contend in 2017, they will need some pleasant surprises.

“They have been awesome,” Chacin said of Guerra and Ramirez. “They have been throwing strikes and getting outs, throwing the ball really well.”

Angels closer Huston Street could be headed for season-ending knee surgery

By JEFF FLETCHER / STAFF WRITER

ANAHEIM – In another blow to an Angels team that has received nonstop bad news on injuries this season, Huston Street may be having season-ending knee surgery.

Manager Mike Scioscia said Sunday that Street is seeking a second-opinion to determine if he needs surgery on the knee. He has been out since Aug. 1 with what was diagnosed as right knee inflamation.

Scioscia said so far he doesn’t believe anything would threaten Street’s long-term availability. Street is signed through 2017, with an option for 2018.

“I haven’t heard anything in the first couple evaluations of the knee that says it would be any kind of major surgery, but all surgery has some unknown quantity as far as how guys come back,” Scioscia said Sunday. “But what has been talking about with Huston would be of the minor surgery variety.”

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Street had a cortisone injection shortly after going on the disabled list and then resumed throwing for about a week, but the pain did not subside enough for him to pitch.

Obviously, losing Street for the rest of 2016 wouldn’t make much difference to the outcome of this season for the Angels, but it could affect their offseason. If Street returns and pitches well, he could be a trade chip for the winter.

The Angels have been without Street and the closer who took his place, Cam Bedrosian. Bedrosian has been shut down for the past few days in his rehab from tendinitis in his middle finger.

Scioscia said Bedrosian will be evaluated again on Monday.

“He’s feeling better but not quite where he’s ready to get back out there and get after it,” Scioscia said. “Progress has been slow, but we’re getting more answers in the next couple days.”

The Angels have only had two ninth-inning leads to protect since Bedrosian got hurt, and both have been handled by Fernando Salas.

Angels Notes: Manny Banuelos is the latest flier for the pitching-starved Angels

By JEFF FLETCHER / STAFF WRITER

ANAHEIM – The Angels have signed left-handed starter Manny Banuelos, the latest no-risk flier the club is taking on a pitcher whose career once looked more promising than it does now.

Banuelos was one of the top pitching prospects in baseball about five years ago, when he was a member of the New York Yankees organization. Not coincidentally, Angels general manager Billy Eppler worked for the Yankees then.

Eppler said Banuelos will not pitch for the rest of this season, as he works to come back from some nagging injuries and regain strength for 2017.

Banuelos, 25, was making steady progress toward the majors until 2012, when injuries slowed him down. He had Tommy John surgery that cost him 2013, and since then he has struggled.

He had a slight bounceback in 2015, posting a 2.23 ERA in 16 starts at Triple-A in the Atlanta Braves organization. He earned seven-game big league promotion, including six starts. He had a 5.13 ERA in the majors. This season he had a 5.33 ERA in 14 minor league starts when the Braves let him go.

Desperate for pitching because of injuries in the majors and a shallow farm system, the Angels have taken shots at several pitchers looking to bounce back, most notably Tim Lincecum.

They also traded for Alex Meyer, and picked up Brett Oberholtzer and Andrew Bailey after they were let go by the Philadelphia Phillies. Meyer was once a top prospect before he got hurt. Bailey was the rookie of the year before a series of injuries. Oberholtzer looked like a promising big league starter in his first two years.

ALSO

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The Angels optioned Ji-Man Choi to make room for A.J. Achter. Manager Mike Scioscia said the Angels needed more arms for the bullpen, and they wanted Choi to get more regular playing time. With Nick Buss to play left and C.J. Cron back to play first, there weren’t going to be many opportunities for Choi…

The Angels are considering shuffling their rotation after Monday’s off day. Tyler Skaggs and Matt Shoemaker will start the first two games in Toronto, on Tuesday and Wednesday. After that, the Angels could juggle the rotation. Thursday’s game would be Jered Weaver’s turn. Homer-friendly Rogers Centre may not be the best ballpark for Weaver, who leads the majors in homers allowed.

FROM ANGELS.COM

Chacin, Simmons lead way as Halos blank Yanks

By Jack Baer and Austin Laymance / MLB.com |

ANAHEIM -- Jhoulys Chacin won his first start in over two months as the Angels scrapped their way to a 2-0 shutout of the Yankees on Sunday afternoon at Angel Stadium, avoiding a season series sweep.

Chacin had his best start since returning to the Angels' rotation earlier this month, tossing 5 2/3 scoreless innings. Chacin, who had worked six innings over his last two starts combined, scattered six hits and struck out four against one walk to earn his first win since June 14.

"I wasn't trying to do too much, just trying to throw strikes," said Chacin, who didn't allow an earned run in a start for the first time since April 12. "I executed good pitches today."

Rookie Chad Green produced a quality start for the Yankees, who had beaten the Angels in all six prior meetings this season. Green took the tough-luck loss, allowing one run on five hits over six innings with five strikeouts and one walk.

"I thought he battled really well considering he didn't have his cutter today," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "He didn't really have command of it. He used the two pitches and he used them effectively. Gives up a run in the first inning, so it's a battle in the next five innings. I'm pleased with what he did again."

Andrelton Simmons drove in both runs for the Angels on a pair of two-out singles in the first and eighth innings that scored Albert Pujols, who finished with three hits. The Angels managed three runs in the three-game series, and they finished 3-4 on a seven-game homestand which began with four games against the Mariners.

"He did it two times, found a hole," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "That's what you want to do in those situations."

The Yankees were unable to move a season-high four games over .500 and remain four games behind the Orioles for the second American League Wild Card. It was the first time the Yankees were shut out since July 6 against the White Sox.

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MOMENTS THAT MATTERED What a relief: Angels reliever JC Ramirez pitched out of a jam in the eighth to hold the lead. Ramirez worked around two walks, including a leadoff walk to Brett Gardner, and stranded the speedy Jacoby Ellsbury in scoring position. With runners on first and second with one out, Ramirez struck out Didi Gregorius and then got Starlin Castro on a soft groundout.

Catching history: Pujols would have broken a tie with Mark McGwire for 10th on the all-time home run list had it not been for a leaping grab by Ellsbury in the fifth inning. Pujols took Green 395 feet to straightaway center, but Ellsbury was soon at the wall and timed his jump perfectly to make the catch, taking away a two-run homer and keeping the score within one. More >

"It was a couple feet over," Ellsbury said. "It was a good feeling to pull a ball back and take a home run away. Big part of the game, keeps it within one. Unfortunately, we didn't pull it out today."

Simmons delivers: In addition to his usual stellar defense at shortstop, Simmons had multiple RBIs in a game for the first time since driving in three runs on July 5 against the Rays. He entered Sunday with two RBIs across 17 games in August.

Been a while: Mark Teixeira got his first extra-base hit since Aug. 7 with a double in the third inning. The hit would also turn out to be the only extra-base hit of the game for the Yankees, a significant change from the 12 runs total they scored on Friday and Saturday.

QUOTABLE "Probably something that's lost in everything is Albert going first to third in the eighth inning, which opened up a hole there at second base where [Starlin] Castro was playing." -- Scioscia, on Pujols' baserunning to set up Simmons' run-scoring single in the eighth

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Pujols was the only Angel to score in the three-game series over the weekend.

WHAT'S NEXT Yankees: Michael Pineda (6-10, 4.89 ERA) will journey back to Seattle on Monday and face the team with which he entered the Majors as the Yankees open a three-game series against the Mariners. First pitch is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET.

Angels: The Angels return to action on Tuesday when they open a three-game series against the Blue Jays in Toronto. Left-hander Tyler Skaggs (1-2, 5.19 ERA) takes the mound for the Angels, who have not played the Jays this year. First pitch is scheduled for 4:07 p.m. PT.

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Chacin's gem gives rotation much-needed lift

By Austin Laymance / MLB.com | August 21st, 2016

ANAHEIM -- The Angels need improved starting pitching going forward, andJhoulys Chacin was able to provide exactly that in Sunday's 2-0 win over the Yankees at Angel Stadium.

Chacin scattered six hits over 5 2/3 innings in his first start without surrendering an earned run in over four months. He picked up the victory, too, the first time he's done so in over two months.

"Yes, it was definitely good for me, but for the team, too," said Chacin, who earned his first win since June 14 to help the Angels avoid a season sweep by the Yankees. "It was really nice to get a win."

The Angels' rotation entered Sunday with a 1-12 record and 7.83 ERA over the last 16 games, which had yielded just two wins for the Halos.

Sunday was Chacin's third start since returning from a six-week stint in the bullpen. His outing against the Yankees was by far the best he's been since rejoining the rotation, as he'd worked a total of six innings over this last two starts combined.

"I think he really had good command of both his breaking pitches, his slider, his curveball, didn't make many mistakes with them," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "And when he needed to, he found some velocity and good movement on his fastball. He made some big pitches."

One of those big pitches was a 3-2 breaking ball to Yankees slugger Mark Teixeira, which resulted in a flyout to end a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning and preserve a 1-0 lead for the Angels.

"I got two quick outs and then I got bases loaded, just trying to make my pitch and get out of the inning, and that was the key out today," said Chacin, who had four strikeouts against one walk.

Chacin said he's been focused on bringing a reliever's mentality into his familiar role as a starter. It worked wonders on Sunday.

"When you come out of the bullpen, you have to use all your pitches," Chacin said. "The first inning, I was using all my pitches. ... I wasn't trying to do too much, just trying to throw strikes. I executed good pitches today."

Andrelton Simmons gave Chacin an early lead to protect with a two-out single in the first to score Albert Pujols, who finished with three hits. Simmons also drove in Pujols with another two-out single in the eighth to provide insurance for Fernando Salas, who struck out two in a perfect ninth inning for his fourth save.

Chacin also benefited from a solid day from the bullpen. In addition to a 1-2-3 ninth from Salas, Deolis Guerra got four outs and JC Ramirez pitched a scoreless inning. It was the Angels' first shutout since July 16 against the White Sox.

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"They've been awesome," Chacin said. "They've been strong, getting outs and throwing the ball really well. I've been watching them in the bullpen and now in games. They threw the ball well."

Street could face surgery on ailing knee

Angels closer has been limited to 26 appearances

By Austin Laymance / MLB.com |

ANAHEIM -- Angels closer Huston Street will get a second opinion on his injured right knee, with minor surgery a possibility, manager Mike Scioscia said on Sunday.

"We're weighing if there's any surgical options that might help his knee," Scioscia said.

If Street undergoes surgery on his inflamed right knee, the Angels are confident the right-hander would be able to pitch in 2017.

"I haven't heard anything in the first couple evaluations of the knee that says it would be any kind of major surgery," Scioscia said. "All surgery has some unknown quantity as far as how guys come back. I think what has been talked about with Huston would be of the minor surgery variety."

Street, 33, has been limited to 26 appearances this season, going 3-2 with nine saves and a 6.45 ERA, a 1.93 WHIP and a 1.17 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He's been on the 15-day disabled list since Aug. 2. He also missed 32 games in April and May because of a strained left oblique muscle.

Street is set to earn $9 million next season and has a $10 million club option for 2018 ($1 million buyout).

The Angels will continue to mix and match relievers in the closer's role with Street out indefinitely.

Cam Bedrosian got the first crack at earning the closer job when Street landed on the DL, but Bedrosian was injured in his second outing after the Angels lost Street. Bedrosian has been on the DL since Aug. 9 with right middle finger flexor tendinitis. He began a throwing program this week, but has since been shut down and will be evaluated on Monday.

"Cam is going to be evaluated tomorrow, and I think he's feeling much better, but maybe not quite where you would hope to," Scioscia said. "He started to throw, and I think first and foremost, it feels much better, but not quite where he's ready to get back out there and get after it and get on the mound. Progress has been slow, but we'll get more answers in the next couple days."

Worth noting

• The Angels optioned first baseman/outfielder Ji-Man Choi to Triple-A Salt Lake and recalled right-handed reliever A.J. Achter from Salt Lake before Sunday's series finale against the Yankees.

Choi had not played since Thursday, with the Angels using Nick Buss in left field and C.J. Cron coming off the disabled list on Saturday to resume his role as the primary first baseman.

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The Angels want Choi to get regular at-bats in the Minors, and could bring him back to the Majors when rosters expand Sept. 1.

"We need pitching right now," Scioscia said. "He'll get more regular at-bats and hopefully improve as much as he did the first time down. I think he's making strides towards where he needs to be, but it's not going to happen unless you play every day, and he needs to get everyday at-bats."

Angels, Blue Jays clash for first time in '16

By Gregor Chisholm / MLB.com |

The Blue Jays and Angels will meet for the first time this season when knuckleballer R.A. Dickey takes the mound vs. lefty Tyler Skaggs on Tuesday night at Rogers Centre.

Dickey hit a rough patch in July, but he has since bounced back with a total of six earned runs over his last three starts. During his last outing vs. the Yankees, Dickey's velocity increased to the upper 70s on his knuckleball and even hit the low 80s on a few occasions.

"I felt like I pitched pretty well," Dickey said after that one-run outing. "I felt as strong as I've ever felt with the ball in my hand, and the last three or four months I feel like I've always been just a click away from turning out really good outings."

Skaggs entered the Angels' rotation at the end of July and has since gone 1-2 with a 5.19 ERA. He allowed four runs over 3 1/3 innings during his last start vs. the Mariners, and this will mark his third career outing against the Blue Jays, who hold a slim lead atop the American League East.

"We got a lead, but Tyler couldn't make pitches to keep it," manager Mike Scioscia said after the game against Seattle. "Tyler had trouble repeating pitches. It's the big leagues, it's performance-based, and 82 pitches in 3 1/3 innings is not going to cut it."

Three things to know about this game

• Russell Martin will get the day off as he usually does when Dickey is on the mound for Toronto. Dickey's personal catcher, Josh Thole, will be behind the plate while Martin gets a rare two-day break because of Monday's team off-day. Martin entered play on Sunday with six home runs over his previous six games. He went 0-for-5 during Sunday's loss to Cleveland.

• There are only nine players who have hit more home runs than Albert Pujols, who slugged career homer No. 583 in the ninth inning of the Angels' loss to the Yankees on Saturday night at Angel Stadium, tying him with former teammate Mark McGwire for 10th on the all-time list.

• Pujols is hitless in 10 career at-bats vs. Dickey with one strikeout and one RBI. Mike Trout has fared much better with six hits in 11 at-bats, including two doubles, a triple and one RBI.

August 22, 2016 Page 13 of 14

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Pujols 3 hits, Simmons' 2 RBIs lead Angels over Yankees 2-0

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- After going winless for two months, Jhoulys Chacindecided to think like a reliever.

Chacin (4-8) allowed six hits over 5 2/3 innings, struck out four and walked one in his first scoreless start since April 12 for Atlanta, leading the Los Angeles Angels over the New York Yankees 2-0 Sunday.

"It felt good, not just for me, but for the team too," Chacin said. "I wasn't trying to do too much. I was just trying to throw strikes."

Albert Pujols had three hits and scored twice on singles by Andrelton Simmons. That was enough offense for Chacin, who had been 0-4 in five starts and eight relief appearances since beating Minnesota on June 14.

Making his third start since rejoining the rotation, Chacin used a relaxed bullpen mentality.

"I thought he showed really good stuff," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He had good command of both his breaking pitches -- his slider and his curveball. He didn't make many mistakes with them. And when we needed him to, he found some velocity and some good movement on his fastball."

Deolis Guerra, JC Ramirez and Fernando Salas followed with hitless relief. Salas pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save.

After winning the first two games of the series, New York entered four games over .500 at 63-59 but for the fourth time failed to move five games over.

Chad Green (2-3) allowed one run and five hits in six innings, which matched his big league high. He struck out 11 in six scoreless innings against Toronto on Monday when he rejoined the rotation.

"He didn't have his cutter today," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "But he still found a way to get through it all and give up one run. He was a little bit different today, but the good thing was that he found a way to get through it."

Pujols had his seventh three-hit game this year. Aggressive base-running by allowed him to score from second base on Simmons' first single. Pujols went from first to third on C.J. Cron's single and scored on came home on Simmons' two-out ground single just beyond the reach of second basemanStarlin Castro.

"Something that's lost in everything is Albert going first to third in the eighth inning," Scioscia said. "That opened up a hole there at second base where Castro was playing."

One night after tying former St. Louis teammate Mark McGwire for 10th on the career home run list at 583, Pujols nearly surpassed his close friend. Center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury made a leaping catch at the wall in the fifth to deny Pujols a two-run homer.

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New York was 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position. Mark Teixeira hit an inning-ending flyout to leave the bases loaded in the fourth. After the Yankees put two on with one out in the eighth, Ramirez struck out Didi Gregorius and retired Castro on a groundout.

"Our opportunities, we have to take advantage of them when we get them," Girardi said. "We weren't able to do that today."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Angels: RHP Huston Street has gone to Texas to seek a second opinion on his injured right knee in Texas and may need offseason surgery. Scioscia said surgery likely would be minor and would take place in the offseason. Street was placed on the 15-day disabled list with right knee inflammation on Aug. 2.

UP NEXT

Yankees: RHP Michael Pineda (6-10) will pitch on an extra day of rest Monday when the Yankees open a series at Seattle, his former team. Pineda pitched five scoreless innings against Toronto in his last outing and has won five of his last six starts.

Angels: LHP Tyler Skaggs (1-2) starts Tuesday when the Angels open a three-game series at Toronto. In his third start following Tommy John surgery, Skaggs allowed four earned runs and six hit in 3 1/3 innings against Seattle on Wednesday.