The May 6th, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including it might be time for Scioscia to go, Richards returns to bullpen and much more…
The Story: Ken Rosenthal believes it might be time Mike Scioscia and the Angels to part ways.
The Monkey Says: I hate to say it, but I agree and I think it needs to happen today. Come back later this morning and I will explain why because it isn’t necessarily for the reasons you might think.
The Monkey Says: This was a really tough decision that I was split on initially but eventually began to lean towards favoring it. The Halos desperately needed an impact reliever and Richards was their best internal option, but he was also doing a passable job in the rotation. Obviously this ended up blowing up in Scioscia’s face as Williams pitched poorly in his start and Richards made two relief appearances, one that resulted in the Angels losing in extras and the next caused a one-run deficit to turn inot a four-run deficit. Literally nothing Scioscia tries works anymore no matter how smart or dumb it is.
The Story: Jered Weaver is expected to throw his first bullpen session this week.
The Monkey Says: If things go well, he should be back before the end of the month. Let’s hope it isn’t too late by then.
The Story: Ryan Madson is encouraged after a bullpen session on Saturday.
The Monkey Says: Yeah, sure, we’ve all heard that song before. He is supposed to throw again on Tuesday, if that happens, it is at least a step forward towards him coming back this month, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
The Story: Sean Burnett visited Dr. James Andrews about his forearm irritation.
The Monkey Says: This was a precautionary measure and there has been no follow-up reports, so one assumes it went well. Then again, with the way the Angel season has gone, I’m sure we’ll find out later today that he had his arm amputated or something.
The Story: A GIF of Hank Conger, bunting, running, falling, tumbling, and stumbling his way to a single.
The Monkey Says: I figured you all need a laugh at this point.
The Story: Alberto Callaspo was activated from the DL.
The Monkey Says: You know this already, but it hadn’t been in the links and I am a completist by nature. Glad to have him back as Lucho and Harris had both fallen off a cliff in the last two weeks.
The Story: The timing of Josh Hamilton’s day off was stupid.
The Monkey Says: The theory being that he could have teed off on Freddy Garcia. Naturally, Garcia almost no-hit the Angels, so Hamilton probably wouldn’t have done anything. Josh is a total mess. I don’t think there is ever a bad time for him to be benched.
The Story: Should the Angels trade Mike Scioscia?
The Monkey Says: Yes, but I don’t know how that works. Presumably he would be under contract still even if they have him step down mid-season. I just think the one team they could never deal him to is the Dodgers because of the PR war between the teams. I have no doubt some other team would come calling, but the Dodgers might actually overpay for him.
The Story: A statistical look at Josh Hamilton’s struggles.
The Monkey Says: Make sure you wait until well after you’ve eaten breakfast before reading this one.
The Story: Mark Lowe is three appearances into a rehab stint at High-A Inland Empire.
The Monkey Says: I’d expect him to be activated soon. He might be garbage, but he is a far better option than Ryan Brasier.
The Story: The Angels are having a terrible time throwing out baserunners.
The Monkey Says: Part of this is that Tommy Hanson is completely incapable of controlling baserunners, leading to several steals where Iannetta doesn’t even bother to throw. Still, Iannetta’s inability to throw out runners with other pitchers on the mound is pretty terrible right now, which is uncharacteristic for him.
The Story: Mark Trumbo’s adaptability is a vital cog for the Halos.
The Monkey Says: Welcome to “Stretching the Truth with Lyle Spencer.” Just because Trumbo has played several positions doesn’t make him versatile. He is maybe an average first baseman, but he certainly doesn’t have soft hands. He is quicker than you’d think, but he has brutal hands. In the outfield, he isn’t awful, but he is a liability largely due to his inexperience. His ability to produce with the bat despite a shifting role is admirable as some players do let that stuff go to their head even though it really shouldn’t make much of a difference.
The Story: Has moving Mike Trout to the two-hole worked as expected?
The Monkey Says: Let me first say that it was the right call. All the research screams that your best hitter should bat second and Trout is the Angels’ best hitter. The problem is that it did nothing to get Hamilton out of his slump or Pujols to kick it into gear, though I suspect that has a lot more to do with his foot problems. I see no reason for Scioscia to shift gears.
The Story: Suggestions for an Angel fire sale.
The Monkey Says: Things are going poorly, but talking fire sale at this point of this season is both premature and really rather dumb. Even if the Angels completely implode, they aren’t going to just blow up the roster. With the money they spent on Pujols and Hamilton plus the years of control they have left on Trout and Trumbo, they have a limited window to make a run at the World Series and they can’t waste any of that time stockpiling prospects that won’t be ready for years. If things go south, I can see a few minor trades being made, but they still will want to be in a position to make a run at the championship in 2014.
The Story: An open letter to Arte Moreno about “Buttercup.”
The Monkey Says: The team knows how much people hate the song. They still don’t change it and I am fairly certain they are doing it just to prove some bizarre point about how they won’t let fans dictate the stadium experience, which is asanine considering the fans pay for said experience.
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