The April 22nd, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Madson suffers another setback, Callaspo and Lowe to the DL and much more…
The Story: Ryan Madson suffered yet another setback after throwing a simulated game over the weekend.
The Monkey Says: I even joked recently that he had been making so much progress that he was due for another setback. So, you know, my bad. This really sucks though as Madson seemed like he was about to head out on a minor league rehab assignment and maybe rejoin the Angels at the end of the month. Then, of course, there is the matter that the Halos desperately need som more talent in the bullpen right now. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.
The Story: Alberto Callaspo was placed on the DL with RHP Michael Kohn called up to take his roster spot.
The Monkey Says: Beto just wasn't getting better fast enough and, frankly, Lucho has been playing so well in his absence that there was no need to rush him. Kohn had a strong sprign and then was lights out in Triple-A. He could earn himself a prominent role in a hurry if he impresses.
The Story: The Angels placed Mark Lowe on the DL with a stiff neck and recalled IF Tommy Field.
The Monkey Says: Lowe had a good first week for the Angels and has been a trainwreck ever since. He's lucky that he is going on the DL and not the waiver wire. Field is just a warm body. He was basically the only non-catcher position player on the 40-man roster who wasn't injured or on the active roster already. I can't imagine he'll see any real playing time.
The Story: Albert Pujols is "hurting real bad" and will be limited to DH indefinitely.
The Monkey Says: As long as he can still hit, the Angels should be fine, even if it means some clunky defense from Mark Trumbo in the mean time.
The Story: Kevin Jepsen has not touched a baseball since being placed on the DL.
The Monkey Says: His is the kind of injury that can take a week to heal or a few months. It looks like Jepsen is headed towards the latter.
The Story: Thus far in 2013, Hank Conger is rating well at pitch framing while Chris Iannetta ranks poorly.
The Monkey Says: Lots of small sample size warning for Conger, but he has rated decently in the past and does look pretty smooth back there. His defensive issues have always been more about throwing and, to a lesser extent, blocking balls. Iannetta has never been good at framing though, which might explain why Scioscia has been pairing Conger with the command-challenged C.J. Wilson the last few times out.
The Story: Questioning how Jerry Dipoto has gone about building his pitching staff.
The Monkey Says: Jerry does have some real questions to answer, especially with the Blanton signing. The Vargas trade I think will work out just fine and the Hanson trade was a worthy gamble, but the Blanton signing was just ill-conceived especially when so many better pitchers like Brandon McCarthy and Carlos Villanueva signed for the same money or even less.
The Story: Luis Jimenez is impressing the clubhouse with his fired up attitude.
The Monkey Says: He's been playing pretty damn well too. He certainly seems to have earned himself a role on this team going forward even after Callaspo gets healthy. Plus, having a token gritty guy on the roster should appease the Mighty Scioscia and his old school desires.
The Story: Mike Trout reminds Jim Leyland of Mark Fidrych in the way he took the league by storm.
The Monkey Says: Well, let's hope not too much because The Bird was out of the league after he turned 25.
The Monkey Says: Either way, we are siding with a corporation that already makes a ton of money. The people lose both ways.
The Story: Garrett Richards is making a push for a permanent rotation spot.
The Monkey Says: Two starts isn't enough for such a move yet, but I'd still be pretty nervous if I were Joe Blanton. That is just a general statement. Just having that as my identity would make me nervous.
The Story: Both of LA's big spending baseball teams are struggling despite their star-laden rosters.
The Monkey Says: Let's revisit this in two weeks and see how much it holds up.
The Story: Josh Hamilton feels good despite his ongoing struggles.
The Monkey Says: He is getting BABIP'd a little bit, but mostly he looks like he is unaware that pitchers are capable of throwing breaking balls.
The Story: The updated pixelated uniforms for every MLB team.
The Monkey Says: I don't know why this is so cool, but it is.
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