The August 13th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Angels hold closed door meeting, Geltz called up, Walden and Downs progress in their injury rehab and much more…
The Story: Mike Scioscia closed the doors for a brief private meeting after yesterday’s loss.
The Monkey Says: Oh good, so we’re back to this tactic again. It sounds like there is a fair amount of frustration in the clubhouse right now, which is no surprise because you can see it on the field. Hopefully this session allowed everyone to vent and they can take on the task of beating the crap out of the lowly Indians and getting this ship righted for the stretch run.
The Story: Reliever Steven Geltz was called up to help the bullpen with David Carpenter getting demoted.
The Monkey Says: Geltz posted video game numbers in Arkansas this year but was more hittable in Salt Lake, but so is everyone. He is the Angels only real viable relief prospect who can try and help right now, but he is also going to be another guy who is prone to the homer, so he could just be a more raw version of what they already have. He’ll be worked in slowly, if at all, as his spot could soon be handed over to Jordan Walden once he gets healthy.
The Story: Jordan Walden and Scott Downs took steps forward in their return from injury.
The Monkey Says: Walden got battered in his rehab appearance, which is discouraging but also not the end of the world. He’ll make a few more appearances this week and be called up if they go well. Downs is now throwing off a mound, which probably puts him 7-10 days from going out on a rehab assignment of his own.
The Story: Albert Pujols isn’t concerned about his current slump.
The Monkey Says: Why would he be? Compared to April, his August slump barely even registers on the Richter Scale.
The Story: Vernon Wells earned his start on Sunday.
The Monkey Says: I get the idea that the Halos want to do something to salvage Wells, but let’s not get crazy and act like one good game means he is suddenly fixed.
The Story: Handicapping the big AL award races.
The Monkey Says: Suffice it to say that the Angels are going to be well represented in the voting and possibly in the hardware itself.
The Monkey Says: The Halos have had a sabermetric presence in their front office for years, but this certainly suggests that they are going to be investing heavily in this area going forward. I suggest you all start brushing up on your sabermetric stat definitions.
The Story: Mike Trout has already captured the minds and hearts of Orange County fans.
The Monkey Says: Nothing special here other than a good old fashioned ball washing for the Halos’ golden boy.
The Story: The best pitches thrown last week, all by Jered Weaver.
The Monkey Says: This is the basically Weaver porn. Be sure to check out the link to the companion piece at the bottom as it provides a nice perspective on how Weaver has used his two-seam fastball to transform himself into an elite pitcher.
The Story: What if Mike Trout is cooling off?
The Monkey Says: I’m not too worried. Every player goes through a slump and I just don’t buy the idea that a 21-year old, world class athlete like Trout is going to be too burnt out and fatigued to continue playing at a high level.
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