The May 1st, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Hamilton's worsening struggles, numbers from the marathon game and much more…
The Story: Josh Hamilton is swinging himself into oblivion.
The Monkey Says: I just don't see how it is going to get better for him. His approach is only getting worse and obviously nobody can talk him out of it. Yet teams now clearly know that all they have to do is just bury him in breaking balls low and away and he will just keep whiffing or rolling over and grounding out to the right side. The parallel is being drawn to Pujols last season, but this seems to be a much more systemic problem with Hamilton.
The Story: All the crazy numbers from Monday's marathon Angels-Athletics game.
The Monkey Says: It was a fun game and all, but let's not forget that the Angels gagged away a five-run lead and then choked away a one-run lead in extras.
The Story: The Angels placed Peter Bourjos on the disabled list and activated Erick Aybar.
The Monkey Says: No word on how long Bourjos will be out. Let's hope it isn't too long because he was one of the team's best players thus far and you'd hate to see his season derailed because of injury once again.
The Story: The Angels demoted Michael Roth and added Scott Cousins to the active roster.
The Monkey Says: Roth flashed promise, but it seems the league caught up to him pretty quickly. He should be back someday. Cousins should be mostly depth at this point. In all likelihood J.B. Shuck will get most of the playing time with Bourjos out. It would be preferable if the Angels could find someone who is more of a hitter to come up and bring some additional offense to the table.
The Story: Josh Hamilton signed a ball in a very peculiar way.
The Monkey Says: I'm just surprised he was able to make enough contact with the ball to write that much.
The Story: A's fans threw Butterfinger bars to Josh Hamilton on Monday and he happily ate them.
The Monkey Says: They were just showing their appreciation for his dropped flyball at the end of the 2012 season that basically gave the A's the division. Glad to see he has a good sense of humor about it. I hope he has the same sense of humor when Angel fans throw "Season of the Whiff" Head and Shoulders shampoo bottles at him at the next homestand.
The Story: Sean Burnett's tests revealed no structural damage in his arm.
The Monkey Says: That bodes well for a speedy return, but the Angels might be cautious with him given that he got dinged up during the spring as well.
The Story: The Angels may have found a keeper in Dane De La Rosa.
The Monkey Says: All the beat writers cranked out a similar story, regrettably it came right before DDLR was the main culprit in blowing the first Angel lead in the marathon game. De La Rosa does appear to be a solid reliever, but he is a long ways away from being that go-to guy in high leverage situations.
The Story: A look at the intentional ball to Pujols on Monday that was almost a strike.
The Monkey Says: Yes, this was a very weird game.
The Story: Which MLB teams should be worried after the first month?
The Monkey Says: I'm done standing up for the Angels. I am very worried. I'm not totally ready to write them off, but I am very, very close.
The Story: The Battle of Los Angeles featuring a rant about the poor food selection and quality at the Big A.
The Monkey Says: I haven't been to the Big A in a few years, but yeah, it isn't good. Safeco, however, is amazing. I went to several games when the Angels were in town and I think every food/beer stand had an an entirely different selection of craft beers. Yes, they were expensive, but $4.50 beers don't mean much to me when they are swill. No thanks, I'll have my Mac and Jacks' African Amber to wash down my garlic fries and BBQ brisket sandwich while you "enjoy" your Bud Light and hot dog.
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