The September 10th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Weaver making progress towards a return, Red Sox want to hire Scioscia, Trumbo and Wells officially sharing time and much more…
The Story: Jered Weaver had a pain-free throwing session and is progressing towards a return to the rotation.
The Monkey Says: It sounds as if he will be re-assessed on Monday and then they might actually set a date for the return, but they babied Weaver last time he got hurt, so there is no telling when that could be. Wednesday is the earliest possible date for him to return, but that sounds optimistic based on the current information.
The Monkey Says: Good luck with that. Maybe Scioscia will be tempted by the big market, but I would be more inclined to think that Scioscia, who was infamously touted as a power monger in Anaheim coming into this season, would be scared off by the huge power structure that exists in Boston ownership and management. It seems far more likely that if he were to get let go by the Angels that he would maybe sit out a year and wait for the Dodgers to blow out Don Mattingly (and I am not sure they would even wait a year if they knew they could hire Scisocia).
The Story: Mark Trumbo and Vernon Wells will officially share time in left field for the foreseeable future.
The Monkey Says: This has "unofficially" been the case for the last week or two. As of right now, they seem to be alternating days, but one would have to think that Trumbo's playing time will diminsh even further if he doesn't start showing some signs of life soon.
The Story: The Angels need a fill-in starter for Tuesday's game.
The Monkey Says: Jerome Williams hasn't been used much lately but has been effective when called upon. The other option is Barry Enright who isn't very good but has the advantage of never being seen before, at least in the AL. Williams seems like the obvious choice still. Whoever they choose should be on an exceptionally short leash.
The Story: Maicer Izturis will miss at least a few days with his ribcage injury.
The Monkey Says: With Romine up and Callaspo hitting well, this isn't much of a loss.
The Story: The possible off-season outcomes for the Angels and Dan Haren.
The Monkey Says: With Haren pitching well again, the only reason I can see the Halos not picking up his player option is if they have reason to believe his back problems will become chronic.
The Story: Erick Aybar is keeping Brandon McCarthy in his thoughts.
The Monkey Says: Thankfully, it looks like McCarthy is on the road to recovery.
The Story: C.J. Wilson talks about the importance of momentum.
The Monkey Says: I'm just impressed that he made it all the way through that statement without a PMA reference.
The Story: Fred Lynn advises Mike Trout to ignore the hype over his stellar rookie season.
The Monkey Says: If anyone would know, it is Fred Lynn. You best listen up, Mikey.
The Story: Mike Trout set a team record for homers from the leadoff spot.
The Monkey Says: The first of many team records that Trout will hopefully be setting over the next two decades.
The Story: A scouting report on Nick Maronde.
The Monkey Says: How his change-up develops will be key as it will dictate whether or not he remains in the rotation. Obviously we have seen that he can use his slider and fastball to get big league hitters to swing and miss, but the change is what will allow him to be able to handle right-handed batters too.
The Story: Albert Pujols has quietly seen his production rebound back to excellent levels.
The Monkey Says: It is still a far cry from what was expected from him, but it is more than most of us would have wished for after his abysmal start. In fact, if I recall correctly, the ESPN Baseball Today podcast had a bet on whether Pujols could claw his way back to a .300 average and 30 HR by season end. He is sitting on 29 homers now and his average is at .289, so he is almost there, though I'm not sure he has quite enough time to pump up his average another 11 points.
The Story: At age 40, Jason Isringhausen is still contributing.
The Monkey Says: I figured everyone would get a good laugh out of that headline. Clearly this fill-in beat writer for the Angels hasn't checked Izzy's game logs for the second half of the season.
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