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Clips

(June 26, 2016)

June 26, 2016 Page 2 of 26

Today’s Clips Contents

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3)

Angels GM Billy Eppler not willing to talk about making changes

Angels lose sixth straight, fall to Athletics, 7-3

FROM THE OC REGISTER (Page 6)

Angels pitchers Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney hoping stem-cell treatment helps them

avoid Tommy John surgery

Jhoulys Chacin struggles again as Angels lose their sixth in a row

Angels lineups: Yunel Escobar out for second straight day with knee injury

Angels Notes: Torii Hunter Jr. signs with club, but could still play football in fall at Notre Dame

On deck: A’s at Angels, Sunday, 12:30 p.m., FSW

FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 17)

Pujols passes Killebrew for 11th on HR list

Back-to-back jacks, Albert’s 574th can’t halt skid

Struggling Chacin’s rotation spot in jeopardy

Guerra a ‘bright spot’ in Angels’ overworked ‘pen

Santiago seeks consistency in finale vs. A’s

Alacantara squares off against Weaver in Double-A duel

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 23)

Crisp helps Athletics beat Angels 7-3

Hunter Jr. signs with Angels, will still play football

FROM CBS SPORTS (Page 25)

Angels’ Jhoulys Chacin: Continues to struggle, allows four runs versus Athletics on Saturday

FROM THE FOX SPORTS (Page 25)

Athletics-Angels Preview

June 26, 2016 Page 3 of 26

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Angels GM Billy Eppler not willing to talk about making changes

Pedro Moura

After suffering their sixth consecutive loss, a 7-3 defeat to Oakland at Angel Stadium, the Angels finished play Saturday night with the fourth-worst record in Major League Baseball. Some of the teams behind them entered the season hoping to lose.

The 2016 season, to date, has been an unequivocal failure. But, five weeks away from the nonwaiver trade deadline and one week away from the halfway point, those in charge are not willing to attach any permanence to the team’s deficiencies.

The baseball world widely expects the Angels to at least sell off spare parts ahead of the deadline, and perhaps pursue more.

Angels General Manager Billy Eppler was unwilling Saturday to speak about anything beyond the past and immediate future, such as how he expects catcher Geovany Soto and set-up man Joe Smith to soon return to the team.

But, yes, this season has not gone as he hoped, “in part because of injuries to the team's top pitchers.”

“You can point to a number of areas,” Eppler said by phone from Burlington, Iowa, where he was watching the Angels’ Class-A affiliate. “We’ve had to absorb some injuries, pivot and adjust. Losing the front end of the rotation early on has definitely contributed to the position we’re in now. But you cannot discredit the fight that these guys have day in and day out. They are there, they are grinding. There’s been no give-up in guys. That’s exactly what I want us to embody — a club that fights.”

Eppler acknowledged that some players have performed to their own expectations and others have not. He would not address which fit into which category, only that he remained confident those who have not soon would.

“We want to get the full team intact and guys back on the field and healthy,” Eppler said.

That will not happen in advance of the deadline. None of the four injured starting pitchers — Richards, Heaney and left-handers C.J. Wilson and Tyler Skaggs — are on track to return before then, although Skaggs could. So it is unclear what kind of value the team can obtain from evaluating a squad still below full strength.

“Although recently on the offensive side we haven’t attacked the ball like we can, the major issues with our club lie on the other side: the rotation, the bullpen,” Angels Manager Mike

June 26, 2016 Page 4 of 26

Scioscia said Saturday. “That’s the key area where we’ll look and see if we need to make adjustments.”

Scioscia was asked what kind of adjustments he foresaw.

“I don’t want to go through every scenario,” Scioscia said. “Certainly, everything’s evaluated constantly, and you look for options that might move you forward. There is a couple things.”

The perpetual positive remains Mike Trout, the 24-year-old center fielder, who, after his first-inning home run and third-inning single Saturday, surpassed Jim Fregosi for the organization’s all-time lead in Wins Above Replacement by a position player, as calculated by fangraphs.com.

It took Fregosi 1,429 games as an Angel to amass 42.6 WAR. It took Trout 727 to reach 42.7 and become the most valuable non-pitcher in franchise history.

“He’s an incredible talent and one thing that superstars have in common is impact and longevity,” Eppler said when told that statistic. “He’s clearly made an impact in a relatively short time, when you really look at the career of superstars. He’s built to play this game. From that standpoint it’s not surprising that he’s shedding a milestone.”

Eppler has insisted he will not trade Trout. He has not made such definitive declarations about others on the roster. He has only said, effectively, not yet.

“Let’s let this club play a little bit longer,” he said Saturday. “There’s no rush to make a decision right now.”

Angels lose sixth straight, fall to Athletics, 7-3

Pedro Moura

One day after he beat out Nick Tropeano for the final spot in the Angels’ starting rotation, Jhoulys Chacin turned in another subpar outing, failing to finish five innings and putting the Angels on a path to their sixth straight loss against Oakland on Saturday at Angel Stadium.

Chacin walked four men and yielded six hits and four runs in 4 2/3 innings, forcing the bullpen to handle another heavy load of work. The 28-year-old right-hander did not record a strikeout and has just seven against 17 walks in 22 innings this month.

“You absolutely cannot go out there and give guys 10 baserunners in four-plus innings and think you’re gonna have a chance to win,” Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said.

Scioscia said Chacin will still make his next turn in the team’s rotation.

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Acquired last month, Chacin’s 2016 earned-run average has sunk to 5.64 in 14 starts. But Tropeano cannot return to the rotation until next month, barring a disabled list trip from an Angel.

The Angels scored twice in the first inning, on back-to-back home runs from Kole Calhoun and Mike Trout against A’s left-hander Dillon Overton, who was making his major league debut.

Chacin also permitted two first-inning runs. Trout made a powerful throw home in the third inning to nearly nix a sacrifice fly attempt, but did not succeed, and the A’s took the lead.

“We’re playing catch up and we’ve been doing it the whole series,” Scioscia said.

With two outs in the fifth inning, Albert Pujols launched a solo shot to left field, bringing the Angels within one run until Mike Morin gave up two more runs in the top of the sixth inning.

Pujols’ 574th home run pushed him ahead of Harmon Killebrew for 11th on MLB’s all-time home run list. It was his second homer in as many nights. He had not hit a home run since June 5 until Friday.

The Angels did not score again. They loaded the bases against left-hander Sean Doolittle in the ninth, but Jefry Marte popped out and Jett Bandy flew out.

Escobar sits out again

Yunel Escobar’s sore left knee held him out of Saturday’s game and could prevent him starting Sunday, too. The Angels had first hoped the third baseman would re-join their lineup Friday after he hurt the knee in Thursday’s seventh inning.

In his absence, Scioscia has turned to second baseman Johnny Giavotella to hit leadoff, but he said Escobar would return to the role as soon as he’s fit to start.

“We feel really confident with the table-sitting aspect that Yunel brings,” Scioscia said.

Short hops

Right-hander Joe Smith (hamstring strain) will start Sunday’s game for Class-A Inland Empire and pitch one inning. He expects to be activated from the disabled list around Friday, when the Angels begin a 10-game road trip in Boston. …Infielder Cliff Pennington ran the bases and should begin a minor league rehab assignment. He also has a strained hamstring, his second this season. …Torii Hunter and his son, Angels’ 23rd-round pick Torii Hunter Jr., attended Saturday’s game. Hunter Jr. took a physical and signed with the team.

June 26, 2016 Page 6 of 26

FROM THE OC REGISTER

Angels pitchers Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney hoping stem-cell treatment helps them avoid Tommy John surgery

By JOEY KAUFMAN / STAFF WRITER

It’s possible the Angels might play about 300 games, spanning the entirety of almost two seasons, before their ace next steps onto the mound.

When Garrett Richards left his last outing at Texas on May 1, he felt arm fatigue. The club said he was dehydrated and cramping. A subsequent MRI revealed rather he had torn the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, a setback that requires Tommy John ligament replacement surgery for most pitchers.

The standard recovery takes up to 18 months.

Richards, instead, hopes to avoid the daunting post-surgery timetable and pitch again in a potential wild-card race thanks to a stem-cell shot he received last month from Dr. Steve Yoon at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles.

“It’s an option, and I decided to take it,” Richards said. “Why not?”

So, on May 16, Yoon extracted bone marrow from Richards, concentrated it and injected the mixture back into the UCL in his elbow, aiming to repair the injured ligament.

Yoon, among others, said he believes this same-day procedure carries promise for healing ligament damage. Bone marrow, along with fat tissue, contains mesenchymal stem cells that can regenerate into a range of tissue types that keep a ligament intact.

This type of regenerative therapy, referred to as stem-cell treatment, is seeing wider use in professional sports leagues in the U.S., including major league baseball, emerging as an alternative to surgery for pitchers such as the Angels’ 28-year-old right-hander.

“If there’s a chance with conservative management, you want to try to exhaust it if time allows that to happen,” Yoon said.

The first point when Richards will see if the injection is working will be Monday when he is set to be evaluated at the six-week point in a recovery that carries a common timetable of up to 12 weeks.

Andrew Heaney, another one of the Angels’ young arms, received a stem-cell shot from Yoon two weeks before Richards did in the hope of repairing his partial UCL tear. Heaney said he had an ultrasound of his elbow taken on June 13 that showed some healing.

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Asked if there was enough to rule out Tommy John surgery, he said, “It’s speculative.”

Whether Richards and Heaney pitch again for the Angels this season or head to the operating table hinges on whether their stem cells can help fix an ailing elbow.

Will it work? Is this a step toward solving baseball’s arm injury epidemic or a mirage?

‘HE LOOKED RESURRECTED’

The first success story always spawns imitation.

In 1974, Dr. Frank Jobe replaced a torn elbow ligament in the left arm of veteran Dodgers pitcher Tommy John with a tendon from his forearm, a pioneering surgery that now bears the name of its first patient.

John pitched 14 more seasons after the operation, won another 164 games and retired at 46.

Many followed.

MLB said a survey from 2012 to 2013 found 25 percent of active pitchers had undergone Tommy John surgery.

For Bartolo Colon, he saw his career arrive at a crossroads much like John three-plus decades before him.

Colon missed the 2010 season because of a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder and ligament damage in his elbow. He was already 37 years old, debuting in the majors when Angels star Mike Trout was 5 years old. His fastball was struggling to hit 90 mph.

A team of doctors in his native Dominican Republic suggested stem-cell treatment the following offseason and invited Dr. Joseph Purita, an orthopedic surgeon and founder of the Institute of Regenerative and Molecular Orthopedics in Boca Raton, Fla., to treat Colon.

Purita, who operated on Colon for free, drew fat and bone marrow stem cells from Colon and injected them back into his shoulder and elbow.

“I was somewhat skeptical he was going to go back and play in the majors,” Purita said, noting the right-hander’s declining velocity, before adding, “The rest was history.”

After he signed with the Yankees and returned for 2011, Colon’s four-seamer was clocking 93-94 mph.

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“Something looked unique about him,” said Billy Eppler, the Angels’ first-year general manager who worked in the Yankees’ front office at the time. “He looked resurrected for lack of a better word.”

Since his return, Colon has won 71 games, made the All-Star Game in 2013 and is 6-3 with a 3.01 ERA this season with the Mets at age 43.

When the Yankees first signed Colon, they were unaware he used stem cells to heal his injured arm (a fact that prompted an MLB investigation, because Purita admits to using Human Growth Hormone, a banned substance, in non-athletes). Eppler felt the procedure checked out.

“It felt like something with a lot of quality healing elements to it,” he said.

Richards became the most high-profile player since Colon to seek stem-cell treatment, at least publicly, with encouragement from Eppler.

“In a lot of cases, it has worked,” Eppler said. “And so it’s provided players an alternative to surgical intervention. When the timing is not risky, it’s worth a shot.”

A 50-50 SHOT

The forebear of the treatment was platelet-rich plasma therapy.

Before using what he would call a stem-cell injection with Richards and Heaney, Yoon relied on PRP shots. The procedure is a more basic form of stem-cell therapy. Here, blood cells are drawn and injected into the damaged area of the body. The platelets contain growth factors to heal tissue.

When Yoon administered PRP as a way to repair partially torn UCLs, he said there a was a “50-50 chance” a pitcher could resume throwing.

Since relying on stem-cell injections, on approximately 15 major league players, he said the success rate has increased.

Some of his patients refer to them as “super PRP injections,” which is not a misnomer. The blood cells taken for PRP contain stem cells, though not as many as in bone marrow.

By using bone marrow, the soft tissue found in bones, Yoon believes he captures a greater supply of stem cells, but cautioned, “No one is sure whether more cells mean better results” and wondered whether a saturation point might arrive.

The cells also must be unaltered. Guidelines from the Food and Drug Administration released in December 2014 say that they may be no more than “minimally manipulated.”

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One typical procedure follows a few steps.

A patient lies face down on an examination table. Yoon uses a bone marrow biopsy needle to twist into the bone, typically in the iliac crest, which rests on the outer edge of the pelvis. It looks like someone is receiving a shot in his hip or lower back. The bone marrow is then concentrated. Using an ultrasound-type mechanism for guidance, Yoon injects the mixture back into the injured area.

Because of privacy laws, Yoon could not discuss the specifics of the treatment for Richards or Heaney.

“The gist of it is we don’t fully understand how all of it works on a cellular level and how it works when you inject this material into an injured area,” Yoon said. “But anecdotally, meaning through experience over the years, we’ve seen good things happen with these type of ejections, with this type of material.”

STILL EARLY

Baseball officials investigated the Colon procedure from 2010, because of the doctor.

Purita previously used HGH in stem-cell therapy with patients. Had he done so with Colon?

While their foremost concerns rested with Purita, they also shied away from rubber stamping the use of stem cells as a way to heal arm injuries.

“As a practicing physician, I wouldn’t recommend these technologies to patients until there’s been more research,” Dr. Gary Green, MLB’s medical director, told USA Today in 2011.

A spokesperson declined to make Green available for this story.

But if there’s a certain distance major league baseball likes to keep, it is not a coincidence.

The FDA said studies have not demonstrated stem cells’ efficacy in repairing ligament tissue, a spokeswoman confirmed in an email.

Established research is still catching up.

“It’s early in the game,” said Dr. Larry Goldstein, who heads the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center at UC San Diego.

Yoon acknowledged his encouragement is primarily based on anecdotal experience. Purita noted that multimillionaire ballplayers would not be knocking at anyone’s door if this was snake oil.

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“Do you know what you can tell when something really works?” Purita said. “Where do the athletes go? The athletes have people who are paid just to check things out. These guys know what works and what doesn’t work. They’re not going to go risk a $20million career just to go try something that may or may not work. They know it works. They’ve seen the results.”

Goldstein disagreed and noted that further research was needed to verify the effectiveness of the treatment.

“Without a double-blind study, you can’t say,” Goldstein said. “You have to have a group of people who were not treated that you followed to know anything for sure.”

His concerns about these procedures include drawing a correlation between healing and the stem cells.

When players such as Richards and Heaney are injected with concentrated bone marrow, stem cells are among a range of cells in the mixture, in addition to proteins, rather than a pure mixture of stem cells.

“You don’t actually know it’s the stem cells that are making the changes,” Goldstein said. “It could be some other active ingredient in the cell preparation.”

Then there’s the role a player’s rehab plays.

“You never know with athletes,” Goldstein said. “They have the best medical care in the world. They’re fanatics about working out and following rehab. How do they know they got better than they would have without the treatment? It’s just total speculation.”

He added, “They would’ve had the same rate of progress without the cells, potentially. That’s the point. We don’t know. It could be that it’s helping. But I’m a big believer in the truth about science and medicine. If you’re going to say a preparation of cells helps, you have to compare it to a control to be sure.”

WAITING GAME

A month after receiving stem-cell shots, Richards and Heaney wait.

Neither can throw. Richards maintains an aggressive cardio program. Heaney is trying meditation.

“I don’t know what the timeline is,” Heaney said, “so in that sense, it’s a little discouraging from a peace-of-mind thing.”

Likely at some point in July, their fate for this season will be sealed. They might return or they might opt for surgery.

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Dodgers pitcher Brandon McCarthy hardly envies them. McCarthy tore his UCL in April 2015. It was a complete tear, he said, and he had Tommy John surgery a week later.

The veteran right-hander is rehabbing and intends to return this season after the All-Star break.

“I consider myself fortunate I didn’t have to play a waiting game or sit on the fence,” McCarthy said.

For now, that is exactly where Richards and Heaney sit.

Jhoulys Chacin struggles again as Angels lose their sixth in a row

By JOEY KAUFMAN / STAFF WRITER

ANAHEIM – Jhoulys Chacin had a chance Saturday night to show he belonged in a suddenly crowded rotation.

After he was acquired in a trade with Atlanta in early May, Chacin pieced together a 3.76 ERA in his first five starts with the Angels. He even threw a complete game in a win over Detroit on Memorial Day.

The results that followed over his next three starts were far less encouraging for the right-hander. He combined for a 10.33 ERA, including six runs in two innings against the Astros in his last outing in Houston.

The Angels’ pitching staff now boasts six healthy starters, enough depth that Nick Tropeano, despite boasting the best ERA of the bunch, was optioned to Triple-A, even as injuries had piled on earlier in the season.

Yet if this was part of an audition for Chacin, it did not go over especially well.

“I just go out and do whatever I have to do,” Chacin said. “I’m working hard, trying to get better.”

Despite facing the Oakland Athletics, who had scored the fewest runs in the American League when Saturday began, Chacin gave up four runs in 42/3 innings and allowed 10 runners to reach base.

“He’s got a history of being a little erratic, but the last two starts we’ve seen the worst of it,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.

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The Angels lost, 7-3, and remained in last place in the AL West, dropping to 17 games out of first place. For the second time this season, they also have a six-game losing streak.

They loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth inning with one out, with a chance to tie the game, but Jefry Marte and Jett Bandy each flied out.

Chacin, who walked four, did not record a strikeout for the first time since September 2013.

Oakland jumped ahead early as Danny Valencia smacked a first-pitch fastball 425 feet to center field for a two-run home run in the first inning.

“I was trying to be too fine with it, with my sinker,” Chacin said.

After giving up a two-out, RBI single to Khris Davis in the fifth, Chacin left the game at 84 pitches.

“The first order of business is for us to get our rotation where it needs to be,” Scioscia said, “to give us a chance to control a game early and then let our offense do what they can do.”

Scioscia confirmed afterward that Chacin, despite recent struggles, would make his next scheduled start on Friday at Boston.

The Angels did manage some offensive fireworks.

In the fifth inning, Albert Pujols hit a 424-foot shot to left field that brought them within one run at the time.

For Pujols, it was his 574th career home run, the solo blast moving him past Harmon Killebrew for 11th on the all-time list after tying the former Minnesota Twins slugger the previous night. He sits 10 homers shy of passing Mark McGwire.

Mike Trout and Kole Calhoun each hit a solo home run in the first inning.

“We have a better offense than we had last year,” Scioscia said. “We just haven't had the chance to really let it evolve and do some of the things it can do.”

It was the 29th time that Trout and Pujols had homered in the same game, the most in club history, surpassing the combination of Garret Anderson and Tim Salmon, who went deep in the same game 28 times in their career.

The Angels were facing rookie left-hander Dillon Overton, who was making his major-league debut at 24 years old.

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Overton had allowed two home runs in his 13 starts at Triple-A this season, but gave up the three solo blasts Saturday.

He was effective enough, throwing 108 pitches, 71 for strikes, over 52/3 innings, and just four more hits, all singles.

The A’s tacked on a few more insurance runs in a three-run, sixth inning off Mike Morin.

Their first two runners got on base before Coco Crisp singled to center field to bring them home. Valencia later had his own single to score Crisp.

Angels lineups: Yunel Escobar out for second straight day with knee injury

By JOEY KAUFMAN / STAFF WRITER

ANAHEIM — Third baseman Yunel Escobar, who left the Angels’ loss to Oakland on Thursday in the seventh inning with what is considered a bruised knee, will miss a second straight game.

Escobar, who has a team-leading 85 hits, was not in the lineup on Saturday night as the Angels were set to face the A’s, looking to snap a five-game losing streak.

“It’s going to take a couple days,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “We’ll evaluate him on a daily basis.”

Scioscia said Friday that he had expected Escobar to be in the lineup a day later, but scaled back after the game. Escobar’s knee was still “tender,” he said, and he would need a couple additional days off.

He is not being put on the disabled list.

Without Escobar in the leadoff spot, the Angels put second baseman Johnny Giavotella there again. Giavotella went 3 for 5 leading off on Friday.

Jett Bandy is also the starting catcher for the fourth straight game.

Tonight’s lineups:

ANGELS (31-43) 2B Johnny Giavotella RF Kole Calhoun CF Mike Trout DH Albert Pujols 1B Jefry Marte

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C Jett Bandy SS Andrelton Simmons 3B Gregorio Petit LF Shane Robinson SP Jhoulys Chacin (3-5, 5.50 ERA) ATHLETICS (31-42) LF Coco Crisp 2B Jed Lowrie C Stephen Vogt 3B Danny Valencia DH Khris Davis 1B Yonder Alonso SS Marcus Semien RF Max Muncy CF Billy Burns SP Dillon Overton (MLB debut)

Angels Notes: Torii Hunter Jr. signs with club, but could still play football in fall

at Notre Dame

By JOEY KAUFMAN / STAFF WRITER

ANAHEIM – The Angels on Saturday added a familiar name to their organization.

Torii Hunter Jr., whom they selected in the 23rd round of the draft two weeks ago, signed a contract, the club announced.

He is the son of former All-Star outfielder Torii Hunter, who played for the Angels for five of his 19 seasons in the major leagues from 2008 to 2012.

Hunter Jr., a rising senior at Notre Dame who is also a wide receiver for the Fighting Irish football team, could still return to school for the fall after he plays in the minors this summer.

The 6-foot, 195-pound prospect has more experience suiting up for football than for baseball.

He saw only 11 at-bats last spring playing baseball at Notre Dame, but caught 24 passes for two touchdowns in football in 2015.

Although he was drafted in the 36th round out of high school, Hunter Jr. did not play baseball at Notre Dame until his sophomore season. He went 2 for 12 with two walks over two collegiate seasons.

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Ric Wilson, the Angels scouting director, praised his athleticism earlier this month when discussing their draft picks.

The Angels have signed 20 of their draft picks from this year, including seven of the top-10 selections. The signing deadline is July 15.

Both Hunter Jr. and his father were in attendance Saturday at Angel Stadium for the game against the Oakland Athletics. They met with players and coaches beforehand and watched from a dugout suite.

ESCOBAR OUT

Third baseman Yunel Escobar, who left the Angels’ loss to Oakland on Thursday in the seventh inning with what is considered a bruised knee, missed a second straight game.

Escobar, who has a team-leading 85 hits, was not in the lineup.

“It’s going to take a couple days,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “We’ll evaluate him on a daily basis.”

Scioscia said Friday that he had expected Escobar to be in the lineup a day later, but scaled back on that forecast after the game. Escobar’s knee was still “tender,” he said, and he would need a couple more days off.

He is not being put on the disabled list, Scioscia said.

Without Escobar in the leadoff spot, the Angels had second baseman Johnny Giavotella lead off.

Giavotella went 3 for 5 in that spot on Friday. He began Saturday with nine at-bats as the leadoff hitter this season with three hits, but Escobar will return to the top of the lineup when he returns, Scioscia said.

REHAB REPORT

Setup man Joe Smith, who has been out for two-plus weeks because of a strained left hamstring, has a minor-league rehabilitation assignment tonight with Class-A Inland Empire.

Smith threw a bullpen session on Thursday. His last appearance in a game was June 4 against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.

Veteran infielder Cliff Pennington (hamstring) and catcher Geovany Soto (knee) have begun baseball activities. They each ran the bases on Saturday.

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Scioscia said both were closer to rehab stints.

He added that Soto, who had surgery for a torn meniscus, would try some “aggressive” catching drills in the next couple days that would “give us an idea for how that knee reacts and where he is.”

Carlos Perez became the full-time catcher when Soto was put on the disabled list in mid-May, but Jett Bandy started his fourth consecutive game behind the plate on Saturday.

On deck: A’s at Angels, Sunday, 12:30 p.m., FSW

By JOEY KAUFMAN / STAFF WRITER

Where: Angel Stadium TV: FSW, 12:30 p.m. Did you know? The Angels began Saturday with a 0.4 percent chance of making the postseason, according to FanGraphs. THE PITCHERS ANGELS LHP HECTOR SANTIAGO (4-4, 4.99) Vs. Athletics: 3-3, 3.34 At Angel Stadium: 8-9, 3.84 Hates to face: Jake Smolinski, 5 for 11 (.455), 1 HR, 8 RBI Loves to face: Jed Lowrie, 0 for 21 (.000), 3 SO ATHLETICS RHP SONNY GRAY (3-6, 5.20) Vs. Angels: 5-3, 3.27 At Angel Stadium: 2-0, 1.52 Hates to face: Johnny Giavotella, 3 for 9 (.333) Loves to face: Kole Calhoun, 6 for 32 (.188) UPCOMING MATCHUP Monday: Angels RHP Matt Shoemaker (3-8, 4.43) vs. Astros RHP Collin McHugh (5-5, 4.70), 7 p.m., FSW, ESPN

June 26, 2016 Page 17 of 26

FROM ANGELS.COM

Pujols passes Killebrew for 11th on HR list Angels DH hits No. 574, sits nine shy of tying McGwire

By Fabian Ardaya / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- Angels designated hitter Albert Pujols passed Hall of Fame slugger Harmon Killebrew for 11th on the all-time home run list Saturday night at Angel Stadium, knocking career home run No. 574 off of Oakland left-hander Dillon Overton in the bottom of the fifth inning of the 7-3 loss.

Pujols, who homered in Friday's 7-4 loss to tie Killebrew, took a low fastball from Overton and drove it a Statcast-projected 424 feet out to center field, cutting his team's deficit to 4-3. He needs nine more home runs to match Mark McGwire (583) for 10th on the all-time list.

Killebrew is the third player Pujols has passed on the list this season, joining Reggie Jackson (563) and Rafael Palmeiro (569).

Pujols is also nearing another milestone. With his next home run, he will become the fifth player ever to log at least 15 homers in his first 16 seasons. The others to accomplish the feat are Barry Bonds, Eddie Murray, Frank Robinson and Eddie Mathews.

Back-to-back jacks, Albert’s 574th can’t halt skid

By Fabian Ardaya and Austin Laymance / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- Danny Valencia's two-run, first-inning home run boosted Dillon Overton in his Major League debut as the Athletics beat the Angels, 7-3, to claim their third straight in the four-game set.

Overton worked around three solo home runs, including back-to-back first-inning jacks from Kole Calhoun and Mike Trout, to nearly deliver a quality start, exiting with two outs in the sixth inning and earning the win.

"It's a dream come true," said Overton, the first A's pitcher to start and win his debut since Bobby Cramer on Sept. 13, 2010. "Not many people can get their first big league win in their first outing. So it's awesome and I'm an extremely blessed young man."

Angels right-hander Jhoulys Chacin struggled again, and was unable to record a strikeout for the first time since Sept. 20, 2013. He exited after 4 2/3 innings. Valencia's two-run blast was responsible for half of the four runs scored against Chacin, sending the Angels to their sixth consecutive loss.

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"We didn't do a whole lot on the mound to get it on our terms, so you're playing catch up," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "That's what we've been doing this whole series. Our first order of business is to get our rotation where it needs to be to give ourselves chances to control a game early."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED So Crisp: A's outfielder Coco Crisp went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs, a walk and four runs scored in his return to the leadoff spot after a day off Friday.

"That's the Coco we know and love," said catcher Stephen Vogt. "He's a special baseball player and you never know, he could do that every day of his career and you wouldn't be surprised."

Oh man, not again: Calhoun and Trout rudely welcomed Overton to the big leagues with back-to-back homers in the first inning. Calhoun battled Overton, eventually turning on the eighth pitch of the at-bat and driving it a Statcast-projected 369 feet over the short wall in right field. Trout followed by taking a hanging 75-mph curveball and knocking it into the left-field bullpen. It was the third time the Angels have gone back-to-back this season, and the second time it's been Calhoun and Trout.

"Two of those guys have been All-Stars every year they've been in the league pretty much," Overton said of the homers. "So Trout's I didn't think too much of that one."

All-Star candidates: A's manager Bob Melvin cited Khris Davis, Vogt and Valencia as candidates to make the All-Star team. All three contributed in Saturday's win. Valencia had three hits and three RBIs, including a two-run homer. Vogt added a sac fly. Davis had two hits and one RBI.

All Alone: Angels designated hitter Albert Pujols stands alone at 11th on the all-time home run list, as his fifth-inning solo shot off Overton moved him past Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew. Pujols took a low, 88-mph fastball from Overton and hit it a Statcast-projected 424 feet (with 106-mph exit velocity) to center field to cut the Athletics' lead to 4-3. Pujols needs nine home runs to tie Mark McGwire (583) for 10th all-time.

"Pujols you have to give it to him, he hit that one a long ways," Overton said. "First time out there, you've just got to admire the distance on how far he hit it."

QUOTABLE "This kid was under the knife [for Tommy John surgery in 2013] and to watch him progress the way he has and as quickly to move up, seeing him in Spring Training, and the confidence he pitched with, and the composure that he carries himself with, it was a lot of fun to watch him tonight." -- Vogt on Overton

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Mike Trout leads the Majors since 2013 with 36 first-inning home runs after launching a solo shot off Overton in the first inning to tie the game, 2-2.

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Trout now has the highest Fangraphs WAR (42.7) for a position player in franchise history, passing Jim Fregosi, who had the lead while playing in 1,429 career games. Trout passed him in career game No. 727.

WHAT'S NEXT Athletics: Sonny Gray gets the start as the A's go for a four-game sweep of the Angels at Angel Stadium. Gray is winless in his last five decisions, which is a career-long streak. First pitch is scheduled for 12:35 p.m. PT.

Angels: Left-hander Hector Santiago starts for the Angels as they look to avoid a sweep at home against the A's. Santiago has allowed one run in each of his last two starts. First pitch is scheduled for 12:35 p.m. PT.

Struggling Chacin’s rotation spot in jeopardy Angels righty walks four, with no strikeouts in loss to A’s

By Fabian Ardaya / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- When he was acquired on May 11 in a trade with the Atlanta Braves, Angels right-hander Jhoulys Chacin provided a much-needed source of depth.

Now, after another poor performance and a 7-3 loss to Oakland on Saturday, that same depth could soon lead to the end of Chacin's time in the starting rotation.

Chacin was wild, walking the first batter of the game on five pitches and giving up a two-run homer on a fastball over the heart of the plate to Danny Valencia two batters later, opening an early 2-0 lead for the A's. Command evaded Chacin all night, as he walked four batters and allowed 10 total baserunners before being pulled with two outs in the fifth inning.

"You absolutely cannot go out there and give 10 baserunners in four-plus innings and think you're going to have a chance to win," manager Mike Scioscia said of Chacin's performance.

Even when Chacin found the strike zone, he didn't miss bats. He was unable to strike out a single batter for the first time since Sept. 20, 2013, frequently finding himself saved by loud outs and balls hit right at his defense.

"If you don't throw strikes, you can't really miss any bats," Chacin said. "If you're walking four, five guys in a game, you can't really get any strikeouts. That's not really my game anyways. I have to throw strikes, get ground balls and throw a lot of innings. I haven't done that the last four or five starts."

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While Chacin lasted longer than he did in his last outing, when he threw two innings against the Astros, the same struggles were apparent with his command. He nibbled at the corners, missing early in counts and often finding himself trying to fight out of trouble.

"[Jhoulys has] got a history of getting a little bit erratic, but these last two starts we've seen the worst of it," Scioscia said. "Too many missed counts, too many walks. Jhoulys knows this."

Scioscia confirmed that Chacin will make his next start Friday in Boston, but what lies beyond is uncertain. Right-hander Nick Tropeano, who had the lowest ERA of anyone in the starting rotation, was optioned to Triple-A when activated from the DL on Friday. He won't be eligible to return to the Majors for 10 days after being optioned unless there's an injury, but could take a spot in the rotation if need be after that point.

That leaves six potential starters -- Chacin, Tropeano, Hector Santiago, Matt Shoemaker, Tim Lincecum and Jered Weaver -- competing for five spots. None of the six have really stood out, but it appears that Chacin could be the odd man out.

The rotation, Scioscia said, is the key to any possible turnaround for the Angels season now that they sit in last place in the American League West and losers of six in a row.

"We didn't do a whole lot on the mound to get it on our terms, so you're playing catch up," Scioscia said. "That's what we've been doing this whole series. Our first order of business is to get our rotation where it needs to be to give ourselves chances to control a game early."

Guerra a ‘bright spot’ in Angels’ overworked ‘pen

By Fabian Ardaya / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- With the Angels using an American League-most 42 players this season, it's been quite easy for guys to get lost in the shuffle of injuries, callups and options.

Reliever Deolis Guerra knows this as well as anyone. He's one of 22 pitchers the club has used this season, starting as a waiver claim from the Pirates. After an emergency appendectomy at the end of Spring Training, he was optioned to Triple-A. He's since been called up to the big leagues, designated for assignment, unclaimed on waivers and optioned back to the Minors before being recalled on June 4 for his second big league stint.

Since then, he's made a positive impression on manager Mike Scioscia, who called Guerra "one of the bright spots of this season."

In seven appearances since returning to the big leagues, Guerra has posted a 1.35 ERA and provided something that's been lacking in the Angels bullpen -- length. He's worked at least one inning in each of his outings, extending himself as far as 2 2/3 innings on June 10 against

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Cleveland. Guerra worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the A's, allowing two hits and striking out one.

Scioscia said Guerra had made significant progress in his ability to control games before the appendectomy surgery at the end of Spring Training, and he has continued to improve in the big leagues. His pitching has come along, too.

"It seems like his stuff is starting to pick up," Scioscia said. "He throws strikes, he has a couple really good pitches that could be out pitches and he's throwing the ball well for us."

Guerra's ability to pitch multiple innings has been a reprieve for a bullpen that has often found itself overworked this season. They've posted solid numbers, with their 3.92 ERA entering Saturday being toward the middle of the pack in the Majors, but have worked the third-most innings of any AL team.

Scioscia, who found his team last in the AL West and in the midst of a five-game losing streak before Saturday's game against Oakland, said that if anything was going to turn things around, it was going to be the club's pitching. Angels starters have posted a 4.77 ERA this season, ranking 22nd in the Majors, giving the bullpen few chances to reset.

"Our bullpen needs the functionality," Scioscia said. "We need guys who can get into their roles and can get outs when you're trying to hold a lead. We think that [Guerra] can grow into that role."

Worth noting

• Angels setup man Joe Smith, who has been dealing with a strained left hamstring, will begin a rehab assignment on Sunday with Class A Advanced Inland Empire. Smith hasn't pitched in the Majors since June 4.

• Angels third baseman Yunel Escobar was held out of the lineup for the second consecutive game Saturday. He is listed as day to day with a tender left knee, and hasn't played since sustaining the injury during his seventh-inning at-bat Thursday against Oakland.

Santiago seeks consistency in finale vs. A’s

By Austin Laymance

The A's will send Sonny Gray to the mound on Sunday as they go for a four-game sweep against the Angels at Angel Stadium. Left-hander Hector Santiago will start for the Halos.

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Gray is 0-1 with a 3.28 ERA in four starts since returning from the disabled list on May 21 (strained right trapezius). A's manager Bob Melvin said he's seen improvement from Gray in each outing since coming back from injury.

"Every start that he's had since he's come back, less really one inning, has been really good," Melvin said. "His stuff has been there, the movement on his fastball, the breaking stuff, everything is really crisp and he's throwing the ball well. Everybody goes through a period of struggles at some point in time in their career, but since he's been back he's been much more like the old Sonny Gray that we're used to seeing."

Santiago is 4-4 with a 4.99 ERA in 15 starts this season. The Angels have alternated wins and losses in Santiago's four previous starts this month. He took a no-decision against the Astros his last time out, despite pitching 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball in a game the Angels went on to lose.

"It's been hot and cold from him," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He's thrown some games where you just go, 'Wow' and everything is working for him. The velocity is there and the command. But then there's some games where he really just doesn't have the stuff you saw the start before."

Things to know about this game

• Gray is 2-0 with a 1.52 ERA in four career appearances at Angel Stadium.

• Santiago is 3-3 with a 3.34 ERA lifetime against the Angels in 12 appearances (10 starts).

• A's third baseman Danny Valencia is 7-for-17 (.412) lifetime against Santiago with two doubles, two RBIs and two walks.

Alacantara squares off against Weaver in Double-A duel By Mike Rosenbaum

Here's a look at top prospects to watch in today's Minor League action:

Duel of the day: Luke Weaver (Cardinals' No. 3) vs. Victor Alcantara (Angels' No. 4), Springfield vs. Arkansas (3:10 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)

After beginning the year on the disabled list with a fractured left wrist, Weaver has quickly made up for the lost time with four dominant starts for Double-A Springfield. The 22-year-old right-hander is 3-0 with a 1.37 ERA, and he's posted a 29-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 26 1/3 innings.

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Alcantara had been making strides for Double-A Arkansas before struggling in his start on June 21, when he allowed seven earned runs on 11 hits in four innings. The 23-year-old righty has pitched to a 4.61 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 70 1/3 innings (14 starts).

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Crisp helps Athletics beat Angels 7-3

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Coco Crisp and Danny Valencia helped Dillon Overton have a winning debut.

Crisp hit a two-run single and scored four times, Danny Valencia homered and drove in three runs, and Overton pitched into the sixth inning to get the win in major league debut as the Oakland Athletics beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-3 on Saturday night.

Overton was overcome with emotion as he exited and was still flying high after his first postgame beer shower.

"When I got taken out, I was walking off the field and looking up at the stands at my family," Overton said. "It almost makes your eyes want to start watering a little bit because it's such a surreal feeling. It's a dream come true. Not many people can get their first big league win in their first outing."

The A's won have won the first three games of the series.

Angels slugger Albert Pujols hit his 574th homer to snap a tie with Harmon Killebrew for 11th place on baseball's career list. It was Pujols' second homer in two nights and No. 14 on the season, but the Angels lost their sixth in a row and fell to a season-worst 13 games under .500 (31-44).

Los Angeles loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, but Sean Doolittleretired the next two in order.

"Seems like the situation we need to win on the field to start the flow of momentum, to put the game on our terms, some of it is slipping through the cracks," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "You absolutely cannot go out there and give 10 baserunners in four-plus innings and think you're going to have a chance to win."

Overton gave up back-to-back homers by Kole Calhoun and Mike Trout in the first inning. The 24-year-old left-hander was charged with three runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.

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"We were kind of laughing on the bench after the first inning," Oakland catcher Stephen Vogt said. "He threw his first pitch, gave up his first homer and got his first punch-out. Got everything out of the way, now it's time to go pitch."

Jhoulys Chacin (2-4) allowed four runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings for Los Angeles.

"I've been working hard, trying to get better, and today, the first inning I couldn't make that good pitch," Chacin said. "I just felt bad that I couldn't get through the fifth and we lost the game, but I'm going to keep battling and trying to get better."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Athletics: LHP Sean Manaea made a rehab start with Class-A Stockton on Friday. A's manager Bob Melvin said Manaea felt great after throwing 69 pitches over 3 2/3 innings. Manaea gave up two earned runs and two hits. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 14 with a left pronator strain.

Angels: RHP Joe Smith will begin a rehab assignment on Sunday with Class-A Inland Empire. Smith previously threw live batting practice twice, with the latest mound session coming Thursday. Smith was placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 7 with a strained left hamstring.

UP NEXT

Athletics: RHP Sonny Gray will try to snap a career-high five-game losing streak in the series finale. Gray is 2-0 with a 1.52 ERA in four games at Angel Stadium.

Angels: LHP Hector Santiago has shown signs of improvement after a streak of rough outings in May and June, allowing only one earned run in each of his last two starts. Santiago is 3-3 with a 3.34 ERA in in 12 games against Oakland and allowed four earned runs over 7 2/3 innings in a no-decision in his one start against the A's this season.

Hunter Jr. signs with Angels, will still play football

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Angels have signed Torii Hunter Jr., their 23rd-round draft pick and the son of the former Angels outfielder.

Torii Hunter attended his son's signing Saturday.

Hunter Jr. also is a football receiver at Notre Dame. He caught 28 passes for 363 yards last season, and he will play his senior season for the Fighting Irish in the fall.

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Hunter Jr. has been a part-time player for the Irish baseball team for two seasons, largely used as a defensive replacement and pinch runner. The Angels were intrigued enough by his athleticism and potential to use the 696th overall pick on him.

Torii Hunter played five of his 19 big league seasons for the Angels (2008 to 2012), making two All-Star teams and winning two Gold Glove awards. He retired in October.

FROM CBS SPORTS

Angels’ Jhoulys Chacin: Continues to struggle, allows four runs versus Athletics on Saturday

Chacin (2-4) allowed four runs on six hits over 4.2 innings in a loss against the Athletics on Saturday. He didn't strike out a single batter and walked four.

Things haven't gotten any better for Chacin since being traded from Atlanta to Los Angeles. He has allowed at least four runs in each of his last four appearances, and since pitching a complete game on May 30, Chacin has yielded 21 runs over 22 innings (8.59 ERA) in the last five outings. He is now 3-6 with a 5.64 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 54 strikeouts in75 innings with both the Braves and Angels this season. His next start will be Friday against the Red Sox.

FROM FOX SPORTS

Gray, Santiago symbolize mound struggles for A’s, Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Last year at this time, the Oakland Athletics' Sonny Gray and the Los Angeles Angels' Hector Santiago were performing at an All-Star level. Now, both find themselves struggling mightily, and each seeks to reverse course at the other's expense when their respective teams meet Sunday at Angel Stadium.

Gray made the American League's All-Star team in just his second full season before finishing 14-7 with a 2.73 ERA, good for third place in the league's rankings. The right-hander also led the league with two shutouts and finished third in voting for the Cy Young Award.

This year, however, Gray is trying to end a five-game losing streak that began before a strained right trapezius muscle put him on the disabled list. During that losing streak, a career worst, Gray has compiled a 6.41 ERA. For the season, Gray leads the majors with 11 wild pitches.

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But in his last start Tuesday night against the Milwaukee Brewers, Gray conceded only one earned run and one walk in six innings while scattering seven hits and collecting seven strikeouts for his first quality start since April 22, the date of his last victory.

A's manager Bob Melvin believes Gray has turned a corner since returning from the disabled list June 5.

"Every start he's had since he's come back, less really one inning, has been really good," Melvin said. "His stuff's been there. Everything has been really crisp. Everybody goes through a period of struggle at some point in their career. Since he's been back, he's much more like the old Sonny Gray we're used to seeing."

Meanwhile, Santiago struggles to find the consistency that enabled him to compile a 2.33 ERA at the All-Star break and join Gray at the All-Star Game. This season, the left-hander saw his ERA swell to 5.64 before he threw quality starts in his last two appearances.

"Hector's been hot and cold," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He's thrown some games where you just go, 'Wow!' Everything's working for him; the velocity's there and he's got his command. Then there are some games where he came out not having the stuff you just saw the start before.

"But the last couple of starts, you're seeing what we saw earlier in the season. He's throwing fewer pitches behind in the count. He's getting into the strike zone early with good stuff and letting all his pitches play off of each other."

The Angels' and Athletics' pitching staffs have more in common than two struggling former All-Stars. Three of Los Angeles' projected starters are on the 60-day disabled list. Oakland, meanwhile, has two on the 15-day disabled list, two on the 60-day disabled list and two out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery earlier this year.