The June 28th, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Hanson to the DL, Pujols says Cardinals 'know what they did' and much more…
The Story: The Angels placed Tommy Hanson on the DL and recalled Michael Roth.
The Monkey Says: His MRI came back without signs of major problems, but he is going to be shutdown for a week and isn't expected back for about three weeks. Roth could take his place in the rotation or work as a second lefty in the pen with Billy Buckner taking Hanson's rotation spot. Garrett Richards is a longshot to get the call as he isn't stretched out for much more than three innings right now.
The Monkey Says: Ooo, mystery and intrigue! I bet they short-sheeted him or stuck his finger in warm water while he was asleep.
The Monkey Says: That is oversimplifying it a little bit but it lines up with what Jason Parks said on the Fringe Average podcast a few weeks ago that basically Hamilton thought he was Superman and now that he has been exposed to a little bit of Kryptonite, he keeps acting like he has all of his powers and won't adjust.
The Story: How pitchers solved the Josh Hamilton equation.
The Monkey Says: This is the same thing but more statistic-oriented showing how pitchers reduced the number of fastballs to Hamilton and just started killing him with curveballs and changeups. My hope is that this obvious change in approach becomes so apparent that even Hamilton can't help but adjust and stop looking fastball first.
The Story: The Angels ranks 18th in the "fascination rankings" for the second half of the season.
The Monkey Says: Would they even be in the top 25 without Trout?
The Story: Keith Law select Mike Trout as his only Angel on his "real All-Star" team.
The Monkey Says: Can't say that I blame him and I really love his point of how "old school" baseball fans would love Trout if he hadn't been tainted by the WAR vs. RBI debate of last awards season.
The Story: In the latest catcher defense rankings, both Iannetta and Conger rate almost dead last.
The Monkey Says: It is worth noting that in Baseball Prospectus' catcher framing ratings, Conger was the best in baseball last time I checked, but that isn't accounted for here. Iannetta is the third-worst catcher in the rankings but it is almost all because he has been so bad throwing out base stealers this season, which seems somewhat flukish. As for Conger, his throwing errors and recent issues with wild pitches and passed balls have hurt him.
The Story: Dane De La Rosa credits his comfort level with his recent success.
The Monkey Says: He's been pitching his ass off since he was recalled, which could be a bit flukish, but it could also be that he just is putting less pressure on himself now.
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