May 16, 2017 Page 1 of 23

Clips

(May 16, 2017)

May 16, 2017 Page 2 of 23

Today’s Clips Contents

FROM LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3)

Mike Trout homers for fourth straight game to lead Angels to 5-3 win

It's hard to believe, but Mike Trout is still getting better

Angels aren't ruling out a return this season by left-hander Andrew Heaney

Angels mailbag: Mike Trout's great, but what about the rest?

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER (Page 10)

● Mike Trout homers in fourth straight game to lead Angels past White Sox

● Angels Notes: Mike Trout getting started earlier in at-bats

FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 13)

Hot Mike: #ASGWorthy Trout HRs in 4th straight

Trout building case as an all-timer

Back-to-back homers propel Angels to win

Ramirez looks to rebound against White Sox

Angels to miss Escobar's presence in lineup

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 19)

Trout homers in fourth straight game as Angels win

White Sox starter Holland a familiar face for Angels

FROM ESPN.COM (PAGE 22)

Rumor Central: Late season return for Angels' Andrew Heaney?

May 16, 2017 Page 3 of 23

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Mike Trout homers for fourth straight game to lead Angels to 5-3 win

By Pedro Moura

When he missed five consecutive games for the first time in his life, the best ballplayer on Earth

required some time to find his swing again: eight at-bats. Then Mike Trout re-emerged, as good as ever,

if not better.

After returning from a nagging hamstring strain Thursday, he homered Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On

Monday night at Angel Stadium, the Angels advanced past the Chicago White Sox 5-3, pushed by

capable pitching from unlikely sources and another Trout home run. The latest shot marked the first

time in his career he had registered homers in four consecutive games.

“The first game, he didn’t get a hit,” said Kole Calhoun, who also homered Monday. “Now, he’s back to

being Mike Trout.”

It helps to play the teams that aren’t trying to win, but the wins count the same. Angels starter Jesse

Chavez set down a thin White Sox lineup in order the first time he traversed it.

The second time, some trouble brewed.

Leadoff hitter Leury Garcia slapped a single into center field to begin the fourth inning, and Jose Abreu

slammed a two-run homer to right-center. In the fifth, Chavez permitted another run on a single, a

stolen base, and a two-out triple.

He worked around a sixth-inning single and retired the bottom of the White Sox order with ease in the

seventh.

“Jesse, he finished strong,” manager Mike Scioscia said despite an eight-pitch leadoff walk in the eighth

inning that promptly forced his exit.

Through eight starts this season, the 33-year-old Chavez has registered a 3.75 earned-run average. He

exclusively relieved in 2016, but he’s now one-quarter through a full season of starting, and two starts

from beginning to rack up financial incentives that could add $2.5 million to his income.

After his departure, left-hander Jose Alvarez retired the two hitters he faced before Scioscia called in

closer Bud Norris for a four-out save, his eighth this season, and the eighth of his career. Monday

marked his third consecutive day pitching, a task he had never before completed in the major leagues.

Faced with the extended absence of leadoff hitter Yunel Escobar because of a hamstring strain, Scioscia

inserted Calhoun atop his lineup Monday and stuck Trout second. Albert Pujols returned to the lineup as

the designated hitter after a day away from the team tending to a personal matter. Luis Valbuena

manned third base and hit cleanup.

May 16, 2017 Page 4 of 23

Against journeyman Mike Pelfrey, the Angels failed to generate a baserunner in three of their first four

innings. But, in the second, they strung together a walk, a single and a productive out to present two

runners in scoring position for Danny Espinosa. He popped out.

In the fifth, Cameron Maybin took a one-walk, and Espinosa did the same. After Martin Maldonado flied

out, Calhoun took hold of a middling fastball and sent it into the right-field bleachers, 407 feet from

home plate.

“Obviously, that’s a huge momentum swing right there,” Scioscia said.

The game was tied 3-3. It remained that way for four pitches, until Trout sent a 1-and-2 splitter 10 feet

farther in the opposite direction, for the go-ahead home run into the Angels’ bullpen.

Maldonado, the power-deprived Angels catcher, added a solo shot in the seventh. The three homers

represented half of the Angels’ hits; two of theirs came on ground balls by Andrelton Simmons. One was

an infield single, the other a double down the third-base line. C.J. Cron added an eighth-inning double,

after which he was stranded at second base.

The Angels (20-21) remain tied with Texas for second place in the American League West, eight games

behind the pacers, the Houston Astros. No team owns a larger division lead.

It's hard to believe, but Mike Trout is still getting better

By Dylan Hernandez

Are you superstitious?

Mike Trout glanced up.

“Yeah,” he said.

He smiled.

“What’s the question about?” Trout said. “Hitting?”

Trout homered in each of the last three games leading into the Angels’ series opener Monday night

against the Chicago White Sox. So, yeah, hitting.

“Yeah, no,” he said.

Trout chuckled and bolted into the part of the Angels’ clubhouse closed to reporters.

Oh, well.

Several seconds later, Trout returned to his locker, still smiling.

“I’m messing with you,” he said. “Whatcha got?”

May 16, 2017 Page 5 of 23

Of course Mike Trout isn’t superstitious.

He has been widely recognized as the best player in baseball for the last five years. Each of his seasons

has been some variation of awesome and he’s playing better now than ever.

A few hours after talking about his improved production, Trout launched his 12th home run, extending

his home run streak to a career-long four games. The last Angels player to homer in four consecutive

games was Mark Trumbo, in 2012.

“Even though it sounds strange, it looks like he’s doing things easier,” manager Mike Scioscia said.

If you haven’t noticed what Trout has been doing in Anaheim, you’re not alone. Again hamstrung by

injuries and the absence of frontline starting pitchers, the Angels are floundering around .500 and back

in the role of regional afterthoughts. Angel Stadium was more than half-empty Monday night.

But the price of ignoring the Angels is missing out on Trout, who, at 25, could be a quarter of the way

into the best season of his already-historic career.

He is on pace for 47 home runs. His single-season best of 41 was set in 2015.

He entered Monday batting .352, a career high. His previous best was .326, as a rookie in 2012.

His on-base percentage was .449, better than the .441 he recorded last year.

On-base-plus-slugging percentage? Also a career high, at a Babe Ruth-like 1.187. His OPS in each of the

last two seasons was .991.

Some players around the league have said they have consciously tried to hit more home runs by

adjusting the launch angles of their batted balls, which is information now widely available to players.

Trout isn’t one of them.

“I don’t look at that stuff,” he said. “My thing is barrel up the baseball, if it goes over the fence, it goes

over the fence.”

He also doesn’t have much use for studying video of opposing pitchers. “I like to be simple,” he said.

Of the chance he has of hitting 40 home runs and stealing 40 bases in the same season, Trout said, “It’d

definitely be a cool statistic. But I don’t really set individual numbers. You can’t control home runs. If I

try to hit home runs every time, I’m going to get out every time.”

While his immediate success has obscured the extent of his growth, a close observer such as Scioscia can

point to how Trout has evolved as a player.

“You’re 19 years old, I don’t care how good you are, you’re not the finished product,” Scioscia said. “I

think experience is the best teacher and he’s used his experience extremely well. He’s made

adjustments along the way.”

May 16, 2017 Page 6 of 23

Trout has gradually become more aggressive.

Two years ago, he swung at only 10.2% of first pitches, according to Baseball Reference. This season,

that number was up to 24.5% through Sunday.

“He’s definitely made adjustments to where he was a couple of years ago, where he was very, very

passive early in counts,” Scioscia said.

Trout was productive back then, too. That was one of the three seasons in which he was the runner-up

for the American League MVP award. He finished first in his other two seasons.

“It worked both ways, but it’s an adjustment that I know he was comfortable with and it’s led to pitchers

having to do some different things that probably led to better counts for him in the course of an at-bat,”

Scioscia said. “I think it’s a good thing when you’re able to have the plate discipline that Mike has when

you’re able to do that. A lot of guys try to be more aggressive and it’s counterproductive because

they’re going to start to expand a little early in counts and get into counts they shouldn’t be in.”

Trout has somehow not only become more aggressive, he also has become more selective.

He has swung at a career-low 21.7% of pitches outside the strike zone, down from 23.0% last year,

according to FanGraphs. He has swung at a career-high 70.5% of pitches in the zone, up from his

previous best of 60.3% last year.

Trout pointed to his experience as the reason.

“You see the pitchers more often,” Trout said. “Over the five or six years, you get to see pitchers more

often and see their tendencies.”

Scary words for opposing pitchers.

Angels aren't ruling out a return this season by left-hander Andrew Heaney

By Pedro Moura

At the start of spring training, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said the information available to him

indicated there was “nothing” that would make left-hander Andrew Heaney available to pitch in 2017,

one year after elbow ligament replacement surgery.

“I just don’t see it happening this year,” Scioscia said.

At that time, Heaney said he retained hope to pitch this season, though he declined to discuss his goals

in detail. Three months later, he has become more open as his recovery rate has kept pace. He knows

he’s still months and many potential pitfalls away from a return, but he has already broached the

subject with the team and its doctors, to gauge their willingness.

May 16, 2017 Page 7 of 23

“In some sense, I know I can do whatever … I want,” Heaney said recently. “But, also, I understand that

they’re medical professionals and they understand the safest thing. You know what I mean? It’s about

finding a balance between the two.”

So, will he pitch this season? General manager Billy Eppler is unwilling to rule it out.

“We’re open-minded to whatever the outcome is,” Eppler said. “We are still a time away from the

ultimate resolution, so I think it’s premature to say yes or no to that question. The way that he has

recovered and responded to each mile marker, so to speak, along the race, probably allows some

growing optimism. But we’re still a long ways away.”

Even the manager’s perspective appears to have changed, if slightly.

“Andrew’s rehab has gone flawlessly,” Scioscia said over the weekend. “But there are still some major

hurdles that he’s gotta get over before he’s in that conversation of, ‘I think he can come back around

this date.’ So, my position right now is: Andrew’s rehabbing. What we are looking at is to let the rehab

take care of itself.

“If there’s a day where he’s available this year, it would be a pleasant surprise.”

Eppler said the Angels’ openness was unrelated to the spate of significant injuries that struck the team’s

pitching staff for the second consecutive season.

“Those decisions are made independently, on what’s best for the player and his long-term health,” he

said.

Heaney, 25, had elbow ligament replacement surgery on July 1, 2016, after he suffered a torn UCL while

pitching in the Angels’ second game of the season. He first tried to rehab the injury with rest and a stem-

cell injection, neither of which worked.

A scheduled two-week break in Heaney’s rehab will end this weekend, and he will resume throwing

bullpen sessions. Come Sept. 1, when major league rosters expand, he will be 14 months removed from

surgery. Recovery from his type of procedure typically spans from 12 to 24 months. There’s plenty of

precedent for a return this season.

“I’m gonna push, and that’s the goal, but whether I end up there or not is out of my control. Not totally

out of my control, but a lot,” Heaney said. “I’m gonna continue on the program that I’m on. I’m gonna

push when I feel like I need to push. And I’m gonna respect the breaks when I need to.”

Short hop

Right-hander Andrew Bailey visited Dr. David Altchek in New York on Monday. Eppler said imaging and

the examination “revealed no new findings” in Bailey’s injured shoulder. Bailey will return to Orange

County and proceed with his throwing program “as tolerated,” Eppler said.

May 16, 2017 Page 8 of 23

Angels mailbag: Mike Trout's great, but what about the rest?

By Pedro Moura

Hello, Angels fans. Your favorite baseball team is 19-21, which translates to a 77-win pace for a full

season. Last week was neither good nor bad. It just was. Here are some questions and answers about

the Angels.

@pedromoura mike trout appears to have accrued about as much fWAR as the rest of the angels

combined, when you subtract negative WAR. will this continue

Yes, Mike Trout is in the midst of another superb season, so far the best of his career. So, to date, Trout

has been worth 2.5 Wins Above Replacement, per Fangraphs.com. The 35 other fellows who have

played for the Angels have combined to be worth 3.4 WAR. Most of that’s come from the bullpen. That’s

pretty close, but not quite there, and it’s unlikely to happen this season. There would have to be

abundance of bad players to offset Kole Calhoun, Andrelton Simmons and some of their other positive

performers. But, if you want to have fun with small sample sizes, you can say Trout has been worth

more than eight times as much as the rest of the Angels’ position players so far.

@pedromoura When will the Angels take the Astros route, become sellers and have a complete rebuild?

A complete rebuild would obviously involve them trading Trout, which is not going to happen. So, not in

the next four years, at least. Houston’s organization is in wonderful shape now, but the circumstances

don’t always line up as well for such a rebuild. They were the oldest club in the league before they tore

down, and they did not have a star player. They also drew terribly at Minute Maid Park for several years

and are still recovering. That path carries risk.

@pedromoura Blake Parker has some great peripheral numbers, but it feels like Scoscia doesn't really

trust him in high leverage. Think that changes?

I’ve gotten this question from a few people, but the premise is inaccurate. The Angels are actually using

Parker in a valuable role. He’s often the first man to emerge from the bullpen, but that’s regularly with

men on base, which can be the highest-leverage situations within games.

Take Sunday, for example, when he entered with a man on second, one out and a one-run lead in the

seventh inning. He struck out Justin Upton and escaped on a deep flyout from J.D. Martinez. Those were

the two most important plate appearances of the game, according to fangraphs.com’s leverage metrics.

Parker is a 31-year-old journeyman who went around the waiver wire during the off-season, but he

leads the patchwork bullpen in strikeout rate, so it makes sense to deploy him with men on base. When

I asked Parker about it, he said he imagines Mike Scioscia uses him there because of that, but it has not

been mentioned to him. He said he hadn’t pitched in a role like this since he was in Class-A almost a

decade ago.

May 16, 2017 Page 9 of 23

I imagine fans are asking about it because Parker rarely pitches after the seventh. But the Angels have

played tighter than typical games, which amps up the leverage in earlier innings.

“We’re put into a lot of higher-leverage situations because our games have been so close,” Angels

General Manager Billy Eppler said the other day. “So, we are encountering higher-leverage situations

nightly right now. We know that the big spots come up in the sixth inning, the seventh inning, the

eighth, the ninth. They arrive at all times of the game based on out situations, game states, and so on

and so forth.”

Out of the Angels’ bullpen, only closer Bud Norris and left-handed specialist Jose Alvarez are entering in

higher-leverage situations than Parker this season.

@pedromoura Are there any hints that the Angels have lost enough confidence in Espinosa to give Caleb

Cowert a chance to come take the job?

Cowart has played 182 innings at second base in his career, all recently. He has a .477 major league OPS.

Yes, he has had a nice start to his triple-A season, but do you really want to entrust a regular major

league role to him? It would be foolish to do so at this point.

If Danny Espinosa continues to struggle and Cowart becomes better at his new position, perhaps it’ll be

an option in a few months. But Espinosa has proven over many years he has strengths at the major

league level. He can field well, and he can hit home runs. Yes, he strikes out far more than you want, but

the power potential remains.

@pedromoura next week's mailbag Q: why does Espi still bat left? His splits don't seem to favor it. Is it

something he insists upon?

Espinosa has long been a switch-hitter. Before the 2015 season, the Washington Nationals asked

Espinosa to only hit right-handed during spring training, so he did, with a few exceptions. Then, in the

season’s sixth game, Phillies right-hander Jeanmar Gomez relieved left-hander Cole Hamels, and

Espinosa switched over to bat left-handed, later telling the Washington Post he felt more comfortable

that way. He switch-hit for the rest of the year.

You can imagine that it’d be difficult to face major league right-handed pitching as a right-handed hitter

for the first time in a decade. So, it’s not really the sort of thing that can happen mid-season. While the

Angels have acknowledged Espinosa’s right-handed swing is in much better shape than his left-handed

swing, they’re not about to have him nix it right now.

@pedromoura When will we have money to spend on free agents, including international ones?

As I’ve written in this space already this season, the Angels can spend internationally this season. Come

July 2 they will be free to spend up to $4.75 million on a prospect from outside of America. As far as

normal free agents, the Angels can pretty much spend whenever they want. There’s no salary cap in

baseball. Nothing besides business sense has been preventing them from spending in recent seasons.

May 16, 2017 Page 10 of 23

@pedromoura Who are some legitimate Angels prospects that are having a solid or a breakout season

this year?

I would describe little as a breakout season in mid-May, but right-hander Eduardo Paredes is having a

good year. The Angels added him to the 40-man roster over the winter, and he has already earned a

promotion from double-A to triple-A. He’s a reliever, but he’s only 22, and he has 24 strikeouts in 20 2/3

innings.

Outfielder Michael Hermosillo, also 22, earned a promotion to double-A Mobile two weeks into his

season, but he has a .463 OPS since. Right-hander Jaime Barria, 20, has 42 strikeouts and eight walks

over 46 2/3 innings with high Class-A Inland Empire. That’s good.

@pedromoura Roberto Baldoquin update one month in... he still hurt or finally playing in Burlington?

Angels gonna trade him to Dipoto in Seattle maybe?

Baldoquin, once the Angels’ big international investment, turned 23 Sunday. He’s in low Class-A, hitting

.247 with a substandard .712 OPS. It's not great. But it’s better than the last two years in high Class-A, so

there is that.

@pedromoura When is Ben Revere going to replace C Maybin?

The recency bias regarding players at the same position always astounds me. When Revere had a great

spring training, fans clamored for his insertion into the opening-day lineup. When he struggled in April,

they stopped. After a good week in May, the chorus has returned. The reality is that Revere is hitting

.228/.238/.342 and Maybin is hitting .185/.307/.250. They’ve both been bad, about equally bad. Maybin

is a better defender, and capable of playing center field. Over the long haul, they’re probably going to

hew toward what they’ve been over their careers. Whichever man was the better player three months

ago is probably still the better player.

FROM ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Mike Trout homers in fourth straight game to lead Angels past White Sox

By Jeff Fletcher

ANAHEIM — On Thursday night, Mike Trout returned to the Angels lineup after missing five days with a

tight hamstring and went hitless.

That concludes the description of his re-adjustment.

“The first game he didn’t get a hit, and now he’s back to being Mike Trout,” Kole Calhoun said. “Every day

he is going to amaze you with something.”

May 16, 2017 Page 11 of 23

The latest amazement came when he homered for the fourth straight game in the Angels’ 5-3 victory over

the Chicago White Sox on Monday night.

It was the first time in his career that he had accomplished that feat. It was the first time any Angels player

had homered in four straight games since Mark Trumbo did it in 2012.

The franchise record is five, set by Bobby Bonds in 1977. Trout will have a familiar face in front of him as he

takes a shot at that on Tuesday. The White Sox will start lefty Derek Holland, a longtime member of the

Texas Rangers. Trout has faced Holland 51 times, and he’s hit .326 (14 for 43) with three homers.

Trout’s homer on Monday night was a 417-foot blast to straightaway left, a no-doubt-about-it shot. All

four of his homers in the streak have traveled at least 400 feet.

Trout’s homer followed a three-run shot by Calhoun, which suddenly put Jesse Chavez in line for a victory.

To Chavez, the Trout streak is another item to add to the list of awe-inspiring accomplishments in his first

year as Trout’s teammate.

“You have been spoiled,” Chavez said he tells people who have seen Trout every day for years. “I’m

relishing every moment of it. Watching him go do his work every day. The way he goes about his business.

Bar none, the best I’ve seen.”

Of course, Calhoun’s homer set the stage, erasing the three-run deficit and finally getting Calhoun the

results he’d been waiting for while enduring a 2-for-21 slump.

“I feel like I’ve had some pretty solid contact in there and not getting a lot to fall in,” he said. “But that’s

the ups and downs of the season. You just want to go out and help your team win games, and we’ve done

that the last two games.”

Chavez got credit for this victory after allowing three runs in seven innings, one of his better outings of the

season. Chavez, projected to be the Angels’ No. 5 starter, has performed about as well as could be

expected, for that role.

After Monday’s game, Chavez has a 4.22 ERA, but it’s 3.75 as a starter. He gave up three runs in his one

inning of relief when the Angels were forced to turn to him in the 13th inning of a game last month.

“I’m satisfied, but still not happy,” Chavez said. “There’s still a lot of work to do. It’s still early in the season.

I don’t think any of us are happy where we’re at right now. We’re still coming in every day and trying to

eliminate the bad that we did the night before.”

Chavez did not allow a baserunner through the first three innings, but then Leury Garcia singled up the

middle to start the fourth. An out later, Jose Abreu drilled a two-run homer to right field.

An inning later, No. 9 hitter Tyler Saladino dropped an RBI triple just beyond the reach of a diving Calhoun

in right, making it 3-0.

May 16, 2017 Page 12 of 23

That was all Chavez allowed, though. He bounced back with two scoreless innings after the Angels took the

lead on the Calhoun and Trout homers.

Chavez started the eighth, but he walked Tyler Saladino. Jose Alvarez came in and picked up two outs, and

then Bud Norris got the final four outs to pick up his eighth save.

Angels Notes: Mike Trout getting started earlier in at-bats

By Jeff Fletcher

ANAHEIM — Of all the little ways that Mike Trout continues to raise the bar on his performance, you can

start with the first pitch.

Trout, who had been notorious for often taking first-pitch fastballs down the middle, has so far this season

shown a greater willingness to swing at that first pitch.

In Trout’s first four full seasons, he swung at 10.7 percent of the first pitches he saw, which was one of the

lowest rates in the majors each year. Last year, he increased that to 17.2 percent, and a quarter of the way

into this season he was swinging at 24.5 percent of first pitches.

“I think over the course of time, Mike has definitely made adjustments from where he was a couple years

ago,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “He was very passive early in counts. He was very productive too. What

you’re seeing is Mike understanding pitchers and what they’re doing. You’re seeing when he gets a first

pitch in there he likes, he’s putting a good swing on it.”

So far this season, Trout had seven hits in the 14 first pitches he had put into play, including two doubles

and a homer.

Scioscia pointed out that is still too small of a sample to draw any significant conclusions. However, he likes

what he’s seen so far.

“It’s a good thing when you are able to have the plate discipline that Mike has to be able to do that,”

Scioscia said. “A lot of guys try to be more aggressive and expand and get in counts they shouldn’t be in. …

I can’t remember a bad swing he took on the first pitch.”

WHO’S ON THIRD?

Luis Valbuena got a second straight start at third base in place of Yunel Escobar, who is on the disabled list

with a strained hamstring.

However, the job won’t be his entirely. Scioscia said Cliff Pennington and Jefry Marte will also play some

third.

Valbuena said he doesn’t mind playing either position, or even bouncing back and forth.

May 16, 2017 Page 13 of 23

BULLPEN INJURY UPDATES

Mike Morin (neck) is scheduled to face hitters on Tuesday, which could be the final step before he begins a

minor league rehab assignment.

Huston Street (lat) is also expected to face hitters this week at the Angels’ complex in Arizona. He could

then be headed for a rehab assignment. Street is on the 60-day disabled list, so he’s not eligible to be

activated until June 1.

Andrew Bailey (shoulder) saw Dr. David Altchek on Monday in New York. He had an exam and imaging,

and there were “no new findings,” according to General Manager Billy Eppler. Eppler said Bailey will

continue to “progress as tolerated.”

ALSO

Without Escobar, a fixture in the leadoff spot, the Angels moved Kole Calhoun back to the top of the order.

Scioscia had just shuffled his order, moving Calhoun from No. 2 to No. 5 to get more production behind

Albert Pujols. But Escobar’s injury scuttled those plans, and Calhoun went back to the top, despite a 2-for-

21 slump.

“Kole has had a little rough spot, but he’s been hitting the ball better than some of his numbers,” Scioscia

said. “Hopefully he’ll get up there and be that table-setter in front of Mike and Albert.”…

Nick Tropeano, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, just resumed throwing after a scheduled

break. He said he is throwing four days a week. Andrew Heaney, who is about a month ahead of Tropeano

in Tommy John rehab, is currently on a break. He has already thrown from a mound, which Tropeano

hasn’t. Neither pitcher is expected to pitch in 2017. Scioscia said they won’t change their rehab plans for

either because of the other injuries to the pitching staff…

Left-hander Nate Smith, one of the Angels’ top pitching prospects, is back on the disabled list. Smith

missed the first five weeks of the season with a forearm issue, then pitched 5-2/3 scoreless innings in his

2017 debut last week at Triple-A. A couple days later, he felt tightness in his shoulder while throwing, so

the Angels put him on the DL, Eppler said. Smith started throwing again on Monday, according to Eppler.

FROM ANGELS.COM

Hot Mike: #ASGWorthy Trout HRs in 4th straight

By Kaelen Jones / MLB.com

The reigning American League MVP Award winner blasted a solo shot during the fifth inning of the

Angels' 5-3 win over the White Sox on Monday night, marking his fourth home run in as many games.

May 16, 2017 Page 14 of 23

It's a sign the center fielder has picked up where he left off prior to missing five straight games with a

hamstring injury earlier in the month amid a career-best 17-game hitting streak. Since returning, Trout

has only further asserted his dominance. After going hitless against Detroit on May 11, he's opened a

career-best four-game homer streak.

Trout is one game away from tying the Angels' record for consecutive games with a home run, achieved

by Bobby Bonds from Aug. 2-7, 1977. The last Angel to homer in four straight was Mark Trumbo, May

27-30, 2012.

"Unbelievable," said Angels outfielder Kole Calhoun, whose game-tying three-run homer was ensued by

Trout's go-ahead blast on the next at-bat and carried 433 feet, according to Statcast™. "First game [back

from hamstring tightness] he didn't get a hit, and now he's back to Mike Trout. The guy, every day, he's

going to amaze you with something."

Earlier Monday, Halos manager Mike Scioscia was asked about Trout, the AL Player of the Month for

April, and his development amid his torrid start to the year. He said that experience has been Trout's

best teacher.

"He's made adjustments along the way," Scioscia said. "I think the thing that I'm always amazed at with

Mike is how consistent he is, and how he does great things with relative ease, almost on a daily basis. A

lot of the things he does, believe me, are not easy to do."

While the statistics are tantalizing -- Trout has a .352/.450/.752 slash line, to go along with 12 home runs

and 27 RBIs this season -- Scioscia insists Trout, who he said is the best player he's been around, is a

tireless worker who's worked hard to adjust at the plate to understand pitchers and what they're doing.

"Mike's not chasing numbers," Scioscia said. "He helps us try to win the game in every aspect. He just

plays the game, and obviously is playing at an extraordinary level.

"I think everybody tries to be consistent and tries to go out there and improve every game, but very few

have the skill set and the ability to do the truly sensational things you see Mike do."

Trout building case as an all-timer

Angels star finding new ways to rise to baseball's challenges

By Richard Justice / MLB.com

Mike Trout now looks like he's interested in joining the 50-homer club, which is about the only elite one

he's not already in. If you're in need of a reminder that we're watching one of the greatest players of all

time, this is the latest.

Trout has hit 12 already this season, which puts him on track for 47. His career high is 41, in 2015.

May 16, 2017 Page 15 of 23

But Trout has picked up the pace lately, homering in four straight games. He'll go for five in a row

Tuesday night against a pitcher he knows well: White Sox left-hander Derek Holland. Trout homered

three times in 43 at-bats against Holland when the southpaw was with the Texas Rangers.

Here are the rest of Trout's numbers vs. Holland: .326 batting average, three doubles, one triple, 1.043

OPS.

On the other hand, does it matter who Trout is up against?

Trout is 25 years old and is about to make the American League All-Star team for the sixth consecutive

summer. He has never finished lower than second in AL MVP Award balloting.

Here's some perspective: In 846 games, Trout's career WAR of 51.1 is already higher than a few Hall of

Famers -- Kirby Puckett, Larry Doby and Tony Lazzeri. If Trout's next 846 games are as good as his first

846, he'll become just the 33rd player to crack the 100 WAR threshold. And he'll be just 30 years old.

Babe Ruth is the all-time WAR leader at 183.5, and while Trout may not touch that number, it speaks

volumes that we're even mentioning the two players in the same sentence. In terms of some of the

other all-time greats -- Willie Mays (156.3), Hank Aaron (142.8), Ted Williams (123.1) -- Trout is tracking

toward that conversation.

This is the thing some people have used to criticize him: Trout is not colorful enough. There are no great

quotes from him. There are no signature gestures. Trout's game is entirely centered on winning.

Derek Jeter had some of the same things said about him. Isn't that about the highest compliment one

can give a baseball player?

Trout simply is what he is. He is a baseball player. His joy is in the playing of the game, not in the fame or

the spotlight. In that way, Trout is a lot like his teammate Albert Pujols, whose career is defined by

greatness and a relentless work ethic.

Teams thought they'd unlocked the door to getting Trout out a couple of years ago, when they fed him a

steady diet of pitches up in the strike zone. Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell can pick up the story from there.

"You watched what teams did to him," said Bagwell, "and the first thing you wonder is, 'Will he adjust?

Will he be able to adjust?'

"That's the thing you never know. Teams will find your weakness, and they're going to challenge you

until you show you can adjust. Now Mike Trout is a great high-ball hitter, and that takes one more

option away from a pitcher."

To players like Bagwell, this is the kind of thing that separates really good players from the really great

ones. But the thing that is so great about Trout is that he impacts winning even when he's not hitting. He

helps win games with his defense in center. He wins the games running the bases.

May 16, 2017 Page 16 of 23

Angels manager Mike Scioscia and Trout's teammates have just about run out of superlatives. They

admire not just his talent, but the way he leaves no stone unturned in maximizing that talent. Trout is

the blueprint for the perfect player.

Back-to-back homers propel Angels to win

By Maria Guardado and Steve Dilbeck / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- Kole Calhoun and Mike Trout smashed back-to-back home runs off Mike Pelfrey in the fifth

inning to power the Angels to a 5-3 comeback win over the White Sox in Monday night's series opener

at Angel Stadium.

Calhoun blasted a three-run homer to right-center field to tie the game, 3-3, before Trout followed with

a solo shot -- his 12th of the season -- to left to put the Halos in front, 4-3. It was the first time the

Angels have produced back-to-back home runs this year.

Trout has now homered in four consecutive games, becoming the first Angel to accomplish the feat

since Mark Trumbo did it in May 2012.

"Unbelievable," Calhoun said. "His first game [back from hamstring tightness] he didn't get a hit, and

now he's back to Mike Trout. Every day he's going to amaze you with something."

Martin Maldonado added a solo homer in the seventh to help back a strong outing from Angels right-

hander Jesse Chavez, who allowed three runs on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts over seven-

plus innings. Chavez became only the second Angels pitcher to work into the eighth this season, though

he opened the inning by walking Tyler Saladino, prompting Angels manager Mike Scioscia to lift him in

favor of Jose Alvarez. It still marked Chavez's longest start since Aug. 19, 2015.

"I just roll with the punches," Chavez said. "Today he was able to instill that trust in me and go back out

there for that eighth. He gave me that leash, and I didn't take advantage of it to earn that trust a little

bit, but next time he gives it to me, I'm going to take it."

Chavez retired the first nine batters he faced, but he stumbled in the fourth, yielding a two-run blast

to Jose Abreu that gave the White Sox a 2-0 lead. Saladino extended Chicago's lead to 3-0 with an RBI

triple in the fifth, but that proved to be the extent of the damage against Chavez.

The White Sox threatened in the ninth, putting runners on first and second with two outs against

closer Bud Norris, but Norris struck out Kevan Smith looking to seal the Angels' win. Norris recorded the

final four outs of the game to pick up his eighth save of the season.

Pelfrey lasted only 4 2/3 innings in his fifth start of the season for the White Sox, surrendering four runs

on three hits while walking three and striking out two. Pelfrey allowed just two baserunners through the

first four innings before losing his command in the fifth, when he issued two walks and a pair of homers

to fuel the Angels' rally.

May 16, 2017 Page 17 of 23

"He was throwing a lot of strikes," said White Sox manager Rick Renteria. "His breaking ball was working

well. I thought he was working both sides of the plate. In the end, it started to sputter a little bit. He

gave us what he could give us. He gave us a chance to win that ballgame. And quite frankly, I didn't take

advantage of it."

Pelfrey blamed going deep into counts on too many hitters.

"I'm pretty frustrated," Pelfrey said. "Pretty disappointed. Pretty tough to swallow after being given that

3-nothing lead and giving it right back."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Angels rock Pelfrey for four runs: The Angels had just one hit entering the bottom of the fifth inning,

but they erased a three-run deficit by erupting for four runs behind Calhoun and Trout's homers.

Still, Cameron Maybin ignited the comeback by drawing a one-out walk on a 3-2 sinker from Pelfrey that

appeared to be strike three but was called a ball by home plate umpire Mike DiMuro. Pelfrey then

issued another free pass to Danny Espinosa before Maldonado flew out to the warning track in left field

for the second out of the inning.

But Pelfrey could not escape trouble, as Calhoun and Trout subsequently went deep to shift the

momentum in the Angels' favor.

Chavez's shutdown inning: After the Angels took a 4-3 lead, Chavez came out for the sixth and gave up a

leadoff single Melky Cabrera, putting the tying run on first for Chicago. Still, Chavez averted danger by

coaxing a flyout from Abreu, a forceout from Leury Garcia and a groundout from Todd Frazier to leave

the runner stranded, preserving the Halos' slim lead.

HE'S HUMAN

Anthony Swarzak allowed a two-out double to Andrelton Simmons in the sixth. The White Sox right-

hander had allowed one hit in his previous 48 hitters faced. His scoreless innings streak was extended to

19 2/3 innings.

WHAT'S NEXT

White Sox: Left-hander Derek Holland is scheduled to make his eighth start Tuesday at 9:07 p.m. CT.

Holland is coming off his worst outing of the season, yet only gave up three earned runs in five innings

against the Twins. On the season he is 3-3 with a 2.43 ERA.

Angels: Right-hander JC Ramirez will take the mound for the Angels on Tuesday in the second game of

their three-game series against the White Sox at 7:07 p.m. PT at Angel Stadium. In two career relief

appearances against Chicago, Ramirez is 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA.

May 16, 2017 Page 18 of 23

Ramirez looks to rebound against White Sox

By Kaelen Jones / MLB.com

The Angels will send right-hander JC Ramirez to the bump to start the second matchup of a three-game

series against the White Sox on Tuesday. Chicago will counter with left-hander Derek Holland. Both

pitchers are seeking their fourth win of the season.

Ramirez enters 3-3 with a 4.20 ERA and will make his seventh start of the season. His latest outing didn't

get off to the best start, as he allowed five runs through the first two innings of the Halos' 7-1 loss to

Detroit on Thursday. The 28-year-old did finish the night strong, however, yielding just two hits and one

walk over the final five innings he pitched.

Holland is also 3-3, although his 2.43 ERA is the eighth-lowest mark in the American League and 10th-

lowest in Major League Baseball. The 30-year-old southpaw exited his latest outing against the Twins

after just five innings. He allowed three runs on six hits, including three solo homers, and four walks,

striking out a season-low three batters.

Three things to know about this game

• Ramirez throws his slider 51 percent of the time when he is ahead in the count. The rate is the highest

of the 85 pitchers who have tossed at least 150 pitches in such situations.

• Ramirez is 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA (2 2/3 innings with one earned run) through two career relief

appearances against the White Sox. He tossed a scoreless inning on July 15, 2016, against Chicago -- his

only appearance against the White Sox last year.

• Holland, who spent the first eight years of his career with Texas, is making his 28th appearance and

25th career start against the Halos. He enters 10-8 with a 5.24 ERA, having allowed 91 earned runs

across 156 1/3 innings pitched.

Angels to miss Escobar's presence in lineup

By Maria Guardado / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- Angels third baseman Yunel Escobar expressed disappointment Monday after learning that

he would miss two to four weeks with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain.

"It's tough because my plan was to play the most games of my career this year," Escobar said in Spanish.

"I wanted to play at least 160 games. It's difficult."

Escobar, who was officially placed on the 10-day disabled list Monday, said he first began to feel

discomfort in his hamstring after scoring from first in the fifth inning of the Angels' 7-0 win over the

Tigers on Friday. It flared up again the next day, causing him to depart Saturday's game and undergo an

MRI on Sunday, which revealed the strain.

May 16, 2017 Page 19 of 23

"I started to feel something a couple of days ago, but the team needed help and I wanted to try to play

through it," Escobar said. "I didn't say anything because I thought it was something temporary, but it got

worse."

Escobar, 34, said he plans to rest for five to 10 days before resuming baseball activities.

"I'm going to try to get better as soon as possible," he said.

Escobar's absence will create voids for the Angels at third base and the leadoff spot. Manager Mike

Scioscia said Luis Valbuena will likely get the majority of starts at third in the interim, though he also

plans to mix in Cliff Pennington and Jefry Marte, who was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake after briefly

being sent down on Sunday to clear room for first baseman C.J. Cron.

Escobar's production at the top of the lineup will more difficult to replace, however, as he had been

batting .272 with a .735 OPS, five home runs and 17 RBIs through 38 games. Kole Calhoun hit leadoff on

Monday in the Halos' series opener against the White Sox, but the right fielder has been streaky this

season and entered Monday batting .225 with a .637 OPS.

"I think with Yunel being out for a while, we're going to have to rearrange some things," Scioscia said.

"It's a spot where obviously Kole has hit before and has been comfortable. Kole has had a little rough

spell, but he's hitting the ball better than some of his numbers showed. Hopefully, he'll be able to get up

there and be that tablesetter that he can be in front of Mike Trout and Albert Pujols and go from there."

Worth noting

• Right-hander Andrew Bailey visited Dr. David Altchek in New York on Monday for a shoulder

examination, and his clinical exam and imaging revealed no new findings, according to Angels general

manager Billy Eppler. Bailey, who has been on the disabled list since April 12 with right shoulder

inflammation, will continue to "progress as tolerated," Eppler said.

• Right-hander Mike Morin is scheduled to face live hitters on Tuesday for the first time since landing on

the disabled list on April 21 with neck tightness.

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Trout homers in fourth straight game as Angels win

Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- After a brief absence with a hamstring issue, Mike Trout undoubtedly has his legs

under him.

Trout homered for the fourth consecutive game, helping the Los Angeles Angels top the Chicago White

Sox 5-3 on Monday night.

May 16, 2017 Page 20 of 23

The Angels scored each of their runs via the long ball. Kole Calhoun hit a three-run homer to right in the

fifth inning, and Trout followed with a drive to left. Martin Maldonado homered in the seventh inning.

Trout missed five games with the hamstring issue, then went hitless in his return. His homer streak

started the next day.

Even Trout's teammates, who have been watching him do his thing for years, continued to be amazed

by the two-time AL MVP.

"Unbelievable. What, first game didn't get a hit, and now he's back to Mike Trout," Calhoun said. "The

guy, every day, he's going to amaze you with something."

It was the first set of back-to-back homers this season for Los Angeles. Trout became the first Angel to

hit a home run in four consecutive days since Mark Trumbo in May 2012.

"I think he's comfortable in the box," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "It took him a couple of at-bats

to get in a flow. Mike's swinging it."

Angels right-hander Jesse Chavez (3-5) pitched seven-plus innings and Bud Norris got four outs for his

eighth save. The White Sox put runners on first and second with two out in the ninth, but Kevan

Smith struck out looking to end the game.

Jose Abreu hit a two-run homer for Chicago, and Tyler Saladino had an RBI triple. Mike Pelfrey (0-4)

allowed four runs and three hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Leury Garcia hit a leadoff single in the fourth for Chicago's first baserunner. After Melky Cabrera lined

out, Abreu hit a drive to right-center for his sixth homer.

Saladino's big hit made it 3-0 in the fifth, but the Angels responded in the bottom half. It was Calhoun's

fifth homer of the season and No. 12 for Trout.

"It's unbelievable," Chavez said of Trout. "I mess with the guys all the time, `You guys have been

spoiled.' I'm relishing every moment of it, watching him go in every day and do his work and the way he

prepares and the way he goes about his business. It's bar none, hands down, the best I've seen."

ANOTHER SHOT

Right-hander Gregorio Infante pitched in the majors for the first time since Oct. 1, 2010. The White Sox

purchased his contract from Triple-A Charlotte, and infielder Cody Asche was optioned to Charlotte.

The 29-year-old Infante made 10 appearances with the White Sox in 2010, his only major league season,

and returns again, seven years later. Infante pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the White Sox.

"I'm sure he's pretty excited, like anything, when you've been away a little bit," White Sox manager Rick

Renteria said. "I'm sure he's been working very hard trying to do what he wanted to do to be able to get

here. We saw him in the spring, and he did a nice job for us. He's been here, he's experienced. Hopefully

he'll feel comfortable with all his teammates."

May 16, 2017 Page 21 of 23

TRAINER'S ROOM

White Sox: C Geovany Soto was moved to the 60-day DL after it was determined he will have

arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow Tuesday in Chicago. The surgery will be done to remove

debridement with loose body removal in his right elbow. ... RHP James Shields (right lat strain) is

expected to start a throwing program Tuesday.

Angels: RHP Huston Street (right lat strain) is expected to throw to hitters this week in Arizona. ...

RHP Mike Morin (neck tightness) is expected to throw to hitters Tuesday. ... RHP Andrew Bailey (right

shoulder inflammation) had a doctor visit on Monday but results weren't yet available. ... INF Yunel

Escobar (left hamstring) was placed on the 10-day disabled list, and INF Jefrey Marte was recalled from

Triple-A Salt Lake City.

UP NEXT

White Sox: LHP Derek Holland (3-3, 2.43 ERA) allowed three home runs in his last start Thursday against

the Twins. He had given up just three home runs all season. Holland has pitched five quality starts in his

last seven outings. His 2.43 ERA is 10th-lowest in the majors.

Angels: RHP JC Ramirez (3-3, 4.20 ERA) has a 12.00 ERA in the first inning since being moved into the

starting rotation. Yet, he is tied for the most wins (three) of any pitcher on staff. He allowed five runs in

seven innings in his last start Thursday against Detroit, a 7-1 loss.

White Sox starter Holland a familiar face for Angels

Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The hitters who step into the batter's box Tuesday night for the Los Angeles

Angels probably will do a double take, maybe rub their eyes a little to make sure they are seeing what

they think they are seeing.

On the mound for the game against the Angels will be Chicago White Sox left-hander Derek Holland.

It will be the first time Holland has faced the Angels in a White Sox uniform, but he is no stranger to

them. As a member of the Texas Rangers, Holland pitched against the Angels 27 times (24 starts), more

than any other opponent in his career. So introductions will not be necessary.

Holland has a winning mark against the Angels in his career, 10-8, but the record may be deceiving. His

career ERA against Los Angeles is 5.24, and Angels hitters have batted .275 with a .794 OPS against him.

The heart of the Angels' lineup -- Mike Trout and Albert Pujols -- have hit him particularly well. Trout is

batting .326 (14-for-43) with three doubles, a triple, three homers and 12 RBIs against Holland. Pujols is

hitting .294 (10-for-34) with three doubles, four homers and seven RBIs vs. the lefty.

Holland, though, is a different pitcher than the Angels are used to seeing ... at least in recent years.

Injuries limited Holland to just five starts in 2014, 10 starts in 2015 and 20 starts last year.

May 16, 2017 Page 22 of 23

When Holland's contract was up after the 2016 season, the Rangers and Holland parted ways. Holland is

not bitter, and in fact he said a fresh start was a good thing.

"A change of scenery has been good so far," Holland told the Dallas Morning News. "I'm very happy.

They're letting me be myself, keeping it loose and enjoying the game."

The White Sox were well aware of Holland's free-spirited personality when they signed him to a one-

year, $6 million contract. In fact, White Sox manager Rick Renteria told the Morning News that Holland's

personality is a plus.

"I don't think I have to encourage Derek to be himself," Renteria said. "He is himself. It's great for us to

have him. We love his personality.

"It's hard to put people in boxes. Let them be who they are. Their personalities help bring a little flavor

to a ballclub."

Holland so far this season has remained healthy, and the results show it. Though his record is just 3-3,

Holland has a 2.43 ERA in his seven starts. Opposing hitters are batting just .204 against him.

Holland's record is more a reflection of the offensive support behind him -- in his three wins, the White

Sox are averaging 5.3 runs per game; in his three losses, they are averaging 3.7 runs per game.

Angels starter JC Ramirez is much less familiar with the opposition than is Holland. Ramirez has faced

the White Sox only twice in his career -- both games as a reliever -- going 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA. He

struggled in his last start, giving up five runs and eight hits in seven innings against the Detroit Tigers on

Thursday.

Three of those runs came in the first inning. Opening-inning runs have been a problem for Ramirez, who

is trying to figure out why.

"I think the first inning has been huge for me in all games since I started," Ramirez told mlb.com. "I don't

know why I've been giving up runs this inning, and then I bounce back. I think it's something I need to

work on. Maybe I need to be more focused and be more mentally prepared for that first inning."

FROM ESPN.COM

Rumor Central: Late season return for Angels' Andrew Heaney?

ESPN.com

The Los Angeles Angels have not ruled out a late-season return for left-hander Andrew Heaney,

reports Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times.

May 16, 2017 Page 23 of 23

During spring training, manager Mike Scioscia appeared to rule out any 2017 action for Heaney, who is

recovering from elbow ligament replacement surgery. But general manager Billy Eppler hinted at some

progress.

“The way that he has recovered and responded to each mile marker, so to speak, along the race,

probably allows some growing optimism. But we’re still a long ways away,” Eppler tells Moura.

The 25-year-old Heaney was 6-4 with a 3.49 ERA in 18 starts for the Angels in 2015, striking out 10.5

batters per nine innings. He made just one appearance in 2016 before landing on the disabled list.