The Doomsday edition of Los Angeles Angels news includes Garrett Richards reportedly needing Tommy John surgery, Andrew Heaney dealing with similar but (hopefully) not as severe elbow issues, and more…
The Story: Garrett Richards has torn UCL, needs Tommy John surgery
MWAH Says: Absolutely devastating. The already paper-thin Angels rotation is now in tatters, removing just about any hope of contention in 2016. How a reported bout of “dehydration” morphed into a fully torn ulnar collateral ligament is a mystery, but I’m sure we’ll learn more in the coming weeks. A much bigger write-up on the fallout from Richards’ injury is coming.
The Story: Andrew Heaney also has UCL damage but is attempting the rehab route
MWAH Says: This one may be even more confusing than the Richards injury. For weeks now the team has told reporters that there was nothing structurally wrong with Heaney’s elbow. Heaney himself told the beat writers that team doctors described his UCL as “fat and happy.” That means either the Angels’ doctors screwed up big time here, or someone is lying. Seeing how the Richards news was broken by someone outside the team’s circle of regular reporters, I’m leaning toward the latter.
The Story: Cory Rasmus to start in place of Richards today
MWAH Says: This was reported long before any news of elbow problems surfaced, so it still might change before gametime. Rasmus was a godsend as the emergency starter down the stretch in 2014, but there’s a massive difference between relying on a long reliever for spot starts in September and doing so in early May. If the plan isn’t to stretch Rasmus out for full-length starts, which he’d need to do in Anaheim, then the Halos are going to have to bring Nate Smith or Jose Alvarez into the equation, not to mention Matt Shoemaker sliding back into the fifth starter spot.
The Story: The Angels and Giants are making unprecedented contact
MWAH Says: The approach has been a boon in San Francisco thus far, with the team boasting the third-best wRC+ (113) in the league. Less so for the Angels, who are 14th in wRC+ (99) and last in double plays hit into.
The Story: Mom with ‘warrior’ spirit set example for Geovany Soto
MWAH Says: Cue the Mothers Day columns! There’s a certain sappiness to most of these stories, which is to be expected, but Soto’s mom really does sound like a badass.
The Story: Salt Lake catcher Jett Bandy in tune with his catchers
MWAH Says: Sounds like someone’s eager to catch Mike Scioscia’s ear. Talking up game-calling abilities is definitely the way to go, especially when the team’s other young catcher seems to have taken a step back defensively.
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