Clips (June 2, 2015)

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1 June 2, 2015 Page 1 of 28 Clips (June 2, 2015)

2 June 2, 2015 Page 2 of 28 Today s Clips Contents FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3) An Ex-Rays player sporting a Montreal shirt? Hmm. Let's ask him why. Rays reliever Kevin Jepsen is not exactly homecoming king in Anaheim Albert Pujols homers twice in Angels' 7-3 win over Tampa Bay Rays Angels unleash power to beat Rays, 7-3 FROM THE OC REGISTER (Page 7) Mike Trout continues on pace to start All-Star Game For Angels GM Jerry Dipoto, using relief pitchers not a closed subject Pujols, Trout, Freese turn on the power as Angels beat Rays On deck: Rays at Angels, Tuesday, 7 p.m. FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 11) Help send Trout, Pujols to All-Star Game Angels call up lefty Ibarra, DFA Brown Frieri returns to Anaheim a different pitcher Angels crush four homers to sink Rays Pujols continues torrid stretch with 2 homers Even in win, Richards finds ways to improve Wilson, Archer present marquee matchup in Anaheim FROM THE LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS (Page 19) Angels pitching staff back to 12 after calling up lefty Edgar Ibarra Albert Pujols hits two out, pulls within one of Jimmie Foxx in Angels 7-3 win over Rays FROM FOX SPORTS WEST (Page 22) Pujols: 'I have fun watching all 25 guys on this ball club. It's not the Mike Trout show' Rookie catcher Carlos Perez a nice surprise for Angels FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 25) Angels hit 4 HRs in 7-3 win over Rays Rays-Angels Preview

3 June 2, 2015 Page 3 of 28 FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES An Ex-Rays player sporting a Montreal shirt? Hmm. Let's ask him why. By BILL SHAIKIN Cesar Ramos walked into the Angels clubhouse the other day wearing a Montreal Expos T-shirt. So we had to ask why. Ramos, who pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays last season, said he bought the T-shirt at Urban Outfitters last summer. "They always have random sports T-shirts," Ramos said. Two of his Rays coaches Tom Foley and Dave Martinez had played for Montreal, so they asked Ramos to pick up Expos T-shirts for them too. Ramos said he had no particular affinity for the Expos but he liked the look of the shirt and said he would not want to go out wearing the gear of his current team. "The Expos are extinct," he said. Funny he should mention that. Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, a tireless advocate for returning a major league team to his city, met last week with Commissioner Rob Manfred. Coderre proposed that MLB play a handful of regular-season games in Montreal next season seems only fair, since MLB moved 22 Expos home games from Montreal to Puerto Rico in 2003 and again in 2004 and the Rays would appear a logical choice. The Rays' long-running search for a new stadium has spurred talk that the team might be interested in moving to Montreal, despite a lease at the domed Tropicana Field that extends through Rays owner Stuart Sternberg has said he would not move the team but would not rule out selling it to someone who might. Ramos pitched for the Rays for four years, and it would be interesting if he were wearing the Expos T- shirt in subtle support of moving the team. However, Ramos said, it's just a cool T-shirt. Ramos said he believes the Rays could succeed in time, as a generation of kids raised on the Rays replaces a generation of parents who grew up rooting for other teams. He said a waterfront ballpark either in Tampa or St. Petersburg could spur a lively neighborhood similar to the one around AT&T Park in San Francisco. Still, the Rays are baseball's best retort to the maxim that winning cures all. In the six seasons from , the Rays had a winning record each season, with four playoff appearances and one trip to the World Series, yet they never sold even 2-million tickets in any of those years. "They always made the best of it," Ramos said. "I think they've tried everything."

4 June 2, 2015 Page 4 of 28 Rays reliever Kevin Jepsen is not exactly homecoming king in Anaheim By MIKE DIGIOVANNA It s like old-home week for several of the Tampa Bay Rays, who open a three-game series in Angel Stadium on Monday night. There are four former Angels on the Rays roster, relievers Kevin Jepsen, Ernesto Frieri and Steve Geltz and catcher Bobby Wilson. It s a little different coming back and being on the opposite side, said Jepsen, a key late-inning reliever for six seasons (2009 to 2014) in Anaheim. But it s nice to be back. Jepsen didn t exactly get the warmest welcome. He drove to the park Monday afternoon with several teammates and tried to enter the Angels players parking lot just to see if I had enough pull to still get in there, he said. He didn t. The parking-lot attendant knew me, and she was happy to see me and say, Hi, and then once I asked if we could park there, she quickly said no, Jepsen said. They kicked us out. Jepsen made his way to the visiting clubhouse and to the field to meet several ex-teammates. He should have left a trail of bread crumbs. I got lost [on my way back to the clubhouse] and ended up in the dugout suites and the batting cage, Jepsen said. I didn't even know how to get back up to the locker room. It's a little different. The Angels have an effective back-of-the-bullpen tandem in setup man Joe Smith and closer Huston Street, but they have struggled to fill the seventh-inning role Jepsen filled so capably, going 0-2 with a 2.63 earned-run average in 74 games last season. Jepsen, who entered Monday night s game with a 1-3 record and 2.11 ERA in 23 games for the Rays, was traded for left fielder Matt Joyce last December. Joyce struggled for most of April and May but is 12 for 38 with three homers and seven runs batted in over his last 13 games, raising his average from.137 to.186. It was tough to give up Jepsen, but to get something that s going to help you, you have to give something up, Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. You can see the potential over the last 10 games or so that Matt Joyce brings. He was an important piece for us, and they needed someone like Jepsen. Frieri was a very important piece for the Angels after being acquired from San Diego in May of 2012, quickly emerging as a closer and going 4-2 with a 2.32 ERA and 27 saves in 56 games that season. The right-hander went 2-4 with a 3.80 ERA and 37 saves in 2013 but struggled badly in He suffered several meltdowns in April, lost his closer job and went 0-3 with a 6.39 ERA and 11 saves in 34 games before being traded to Pittsburgh in June. He has a 4.84 ERA in 21 games in mostly a mop-up role for Tampa Bay.

5 June 2, 2015 Page 5 of 28 When he first came, he was one-dimensional but had an explosive fastball with good life, and when he needed to make a pitch, he was able to, Scioscia said. He didn t start last year off with that same command. He was not able to get into good counts and put guys away like he did before. He has it in him, his arm is good, but it just didn t materialize last year. Albert Pujols homers twice in Angels' 7-3 win over Tampa Bay Rays By MIKE DIGIOVANNA KEY MOMENT: Rays starter Alex Colome fooled Mike Trout badly in the third inning with an 0-and-1 breaking ball in the dirt that the Angels star couldn't check his swing on. But instead of burying an 0-2 pitch in the dirt or going upstairs with a fastball, Colome hung a belt-high slider over the middle that Trout pounced on, driving it over the left-center field wall for a three-run home run his 13th of the season to give the Angels a 4-1 lead. It was the fourth time this season Trout has homered on an 0-2 count. AT THE PLATE: Third baseman David Freese is batting.237 with a.288 on-base percentage, but he hit his ninth homer of the season in the second inning Monday night he hit his ninth homer of 2014 on Sept. 15 and he has 29 runs batted in, one behind team leader Trout. He's swinging the bat way better than his numbers, Manager Mike Scioscia said. Johnny Giavotella had two hits, scored a run and dropped a sacrifice bunt. The second baseman has 12 hits in his last 28 at-bats in nine games. ON THE MOUND: With two outs and no one on in the third inning, Angels starter Garrett Richards gave up a double to Kevin Kiermaier, an RBI single to Joey Butler and a single to Evan Longoria. With two outs in the fourth, Richards gave up a two-run homer to Nick Franklin. But Richards retired the side in order in the fifth and sixth and held on for the win. ROSTER MOVES: The Angels returned to a traditional 12-man pitching staff Monday, calling up lefthander Edgar Ibarra from triple-a and sending outfielder Alfredo Marte to Salt Lake. To clear a 40-man roster spot for Ibarra, triple-a outfielder Gary Brown was designated for assignment. Ibarra, who is from the same hometown Valencia, Venezuela as catcher Carlos Perez, went 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 17 games at Salt Lake. REHAB REPORT: Reliever Mike Morin, who suffered a left rib-cage strain on May 23, said he's progressing well but is about a week away from picking up a ball and at least two or three weeks away from returning. UP NEXT: Left-hander C.J. Wilson (3-3, 3.18 ERA) will oppose Tampa Bay right-hander Chris Archer (5-4, 2.12 ERA) at Angel Stadium at 7 p.m. TV: FS West; Radio: 830.

6 June 2, 2015 Page 6 of 28 Angels unleash power to beat Rays, 7-3 By MIKE DIGIOVANNA The Angels were playing their 18th game in a grueling stretch of 20 games in 20 days, so Manager Mike Scioscia eased back on the throttle a bit Monday night, cancelling the traditional on-field batting practice to get his players off their feet and give them a mental break after a four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers. That hardly disrupted the preparation or momentum of the Angels, who kept the pedal to the metal in a 7-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays that extended their winning streak to five games, improved them to and kept them four games behind the first-place Houston Astros in the American League West. The Angels were before Detroit came to town, and they seemed to turn a corner against the Tigers, outscoring them, 26-10, and holding a lead for all but three innings of the series. But it wasn't just the lopsided numbers on the scoreboard that impressed Scioscia about his players. "They were gritty. I liked the way they got after it in every aspect of the game, whether it was defense, pitching, clutch hitting, situational hitting, getting bunts down, stealing bases," Scioscia said. "Whatever we needed to do in a situation, we were able to do, and that's what we need to do to have long-term success." The opponent changed Monday night, but the performance remained the same, the Angels throwing at the Rays about as complete a game as they've played this season. Albert Pujols continued his power surge with a home run to left field in the fifth inning and a two-run shot to left in the eighth, giving the slugger five home runs in five games, 13 this season and his 49th multi-home run game. And to think, Tampa Bay actually walked Mike Trout intentionally with runners on second base and third base in the sixth to face Pujols, who flied to center field to end that inning. The reason the Rays didn't want to mess with Trout? The Angels center fielder crushed a game-breaking three-run home run to left-center field in the third inning, giving him 13 home runs this season and a team-leading 30 runs batted in. "Either way, it's a good situation for us," Scioscia said. "Both of those guys are elite players, and if you have to pick your poison, it just makes us better. Albert is a special player, and when he finds it, he usually keeps it for long periods of time." David Freese hit a home run in the second inning, giving the Angels 14 home runs in six games and a sense that their offense has finally emerged from a lengthy season-opening funk. "The homers are coming because they're due," Scioscia said. "We have guys who we know can swing the bat and hit the ball out of the park, and they're getting pitches and hitting them well. That's something we were missing for the first six weeks of the season, for sure."

7 June 2, 2015 Page 7 of 28 Garrett Richards recovered from a shaky third and fourth innings, in which he gave up three runs and five hits, all coming with two outs, to deliver a six-inning, three-run, six-hit effort that improved the right-hander to 5-3. Richards was backed by a solid defense that featured several strong plays by shortstop Erick Aybar and Freese, the Angels third baseman, and left-hander Jose Alvarez and right-handers Fernando Salas, Joe Smith and Cam Bedrosian combined for three innings of hitless relief. "We're seeing a lot of good things happening on the field," Scioscia said. "This is the way we need to play, for sure. You're not always going to get four or five homers a game, but we need our lineup to get deeper to where we're pressuring teams on an inning by inning basis. When that happens, I think we're going to put up runs more consistently." FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER Mike Trout continues on pace to start All-Star Game BY PEDRO MOURA Mike Trout remains second among all American League outfielders in the latest voting update for the 2015 MLB All-Star Game, released Monday. With 2.37 million votes, Trout trails Royals breakout star Lorenzo Cain by fewer than 150,000, a more than manageable gap with a month still left in voting. The top three outfielders in each league start the game. Albert Pujols is the only other Angel in the top five at his respective position. He's fifth at first base, nearly 1.8 million votes behind the leader, Detroit's Miguel Cabrera. Kansas City's Eric Hosmer is right behind Cabrera. A Royal is in either first or second place at every position. Trout is currently slated to be flanked by two Kansas City outfielders -- Cain and Alex Gordon. The All-Star Game will be held July 14 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. If the voting holds, it'll be Trout's third consecutive All-Star start and his fourth appearance. Trout, 23, is hitting.295 with 12 homers and a.381 on-base percentage this season. For Angels GM Jerry Dipoto, using relief pitchers not a closed subject BY PEDRO MOURA ANAHEIM The Boston Red Sox hired Jerry Dipoto as a scout in 2003, the same year they hired a man named Bill James in a groundbreaking role as a statistical advisor.

8 June 2, 2015 Page 8 of 28 In 1980, James coined the term sabermetrics, and, working independently over the next 23 years, he came up with many statistically supported ideas that would change the way baseball was played. One of his most popular analyses was on baseball s misguided use of closers; he concluded that it was smarter to use your best reliever when the score was tied in the seventh inning than with a two-run lead in the ninth inning. In 2003, Dipoto was three years removed from an eight-season career as a major-league reliever. He remembers debating the necessity of designated closers in Red Sox staff meetings to no end. And you know what? Dipoto, now the Angels general manager, asks. We still had a closer. No matter what time of year it was, we had a closer. How, then, does he reconcile that with the fact that there s very little on the line in two- or -three-run saves? Really smart people understand that the most logical thing to do is to use the best pitcher you have in the highest-leverage situation, Dipoto said recently. What they don t understand is that when the game is going, you don t know when that s going to be. You just don t know. As a rule, Dipoto said, he believes closers are necessary in the majors. The perfect bullpen, in theory, would have seven guys who could all close at any given time, and no one has enough ego that they have to be in the ninth inning, he said. But, whoever your manager is, if you ve got a pitcher that saves a game on Monday and Tuesday and does so in pretty convincing fashion, there s a pretty good chance he s gonna pitch the ninth inning on Wednesday. So it s a matter of confidence. He has the utmost confidence in Huston Street, the closer to whom he gave a two-year extension last month. There s a sense of maturity that comes with blowing a save on a given night, coming in, and facing your teammates, knowing that in minutes you gave away something they worked all night to achieve, Dipoto said. That s hard to do. Huston has mastered that. I had a tough time with it. Many guys do. It once appeared that Ernesto Frieri had mastered it, too. But it was a mirage. The ex-angel closer is now pitching mop-up innings for the Tampa Bay Rays; he threw a scoreless seventh against the Angels on Monday. The Angels acquired Frieri from the Padres in May 2012, and it was not until his 27th appearance, two months later, that he allowed a run. He was an immediate, dynamic asset. He struck out 46 batters in 271/3 innings until he was scored upon, but also walked 17, throwing almost exclusively fastballs. He was alternately good and bad in Then, in 31 disastrous innings before Dipoto dealt him last June, Frieri gave up 22 runs while striking out 38 and walking nine.

9 June 2, 2015 Page 9 of 28 When he first came, he was one-dimensional but had an explosive fastball with good life, and when he needed to make a pitch, he was able to, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. He didn t start last year off with that same command. He was not able to get into good counts and put guys away like he did before. He has it in him, his arm is good, but it just didn t materialize last year. The 29-year-old Frieri, who has a 4.63 ERA in 231/3 innings for the Rays this season, striking out 19 and walking 11, was designated for assignment after Monday night s game. NOTES The Angels added LHP Edgar Ibarra to their 25-man roster on Monday, optioning OF Alfredo Marte to Triple-A to create space. Ibarra had 29 strikeouts against five walks in 24 innings. Scioscia said he was the team s top-performing pitcher with Triple-A Salt Lake. To make room for Ibarra on the 40-man roster, OF Gary Brown was designated for assignment. The Angels claimed Brown off waivers from the Cardinals in April. Brown, a Cal State Fullerton alum, had been hitting.212 with a.269 on-base percentage for Salt Lake. Scioscia said RHP Cory Rasmus experienced stiffness in his back last week while rehabbing from March core surgery. It made for a minor setback, as Rasmus has now resumed throwing, and is believed to be a few days away from beginning a minor-league rehab assignment. The 27-year-old was a surprise source of 56 great innings last year, as he posted a 2.57 ERA in 30 appearances, including six starts. Pujols, Trout, Freese turn on the power as Angels beat Rays BY PEDRO MOURA ANAHEIM Every hitter to reach the major leagues is talented, many incredibly so. And, yet, there are many who recoil at the thought of an 0-2 count, who become almost entirely incapable of acquiring a hit when the pitcher has the advantage. And then there s Mike Trout, who s almost as good when the pitcher has the edge as he is in all other situations. And he s pretty good in the other situations. In Monday s third inning at Angel Stadium, Trout muscled a two-strike cutter from Tampa Bay righthander Alex Colome for a three-run homer that provided all the necessary offense in the Angels 7-3 win over the Rays. The superstar center fielder does not sacrifice much when he s one strike away from a strikeout. It s not like most guys two-strike approach, where they re gonna just push the ball or let it get deep or fight it off, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. Mike, when he gets a pitch to hit, he s still loading to be able to drive it, and we saw that today. We see that a lot. The Angels (28-24) have won five consecutive games for the second time this season. Right-hander Garrett Richards started and was not at his best. He gave up three hits and a run in his third inning, and, in the fourth, he threw Tampa Bay s No. 8 hitter, Nick Franklin, a hanging slider, and Franklin hammered it for a two-run home run.

10 June 2, 2015 Page 10 of 28 But Richards salvaged a quality start out of his substandard stuff: six innings, three runs. He struck out four and walked one, and four Angels relievers provided three perfect innings of relief behind him. Garrett struggled, Scioscia said. This was maybe a game that a couple years ago, he might not have been able to corral. I think he settled down after the home run and at least got us through six innings, but it was a struggle. He ll be better. Richards was also helped by good defense. In the second inning, David Freese made a stabbing grab of a Logan Forsythe grounder to prevent a two-on, no-out situation. The Angels scored all their runs on homers. Freese followed his stellar defensive work with a solo homer in the second, Trout added his shot and Albert Pujols launched home runs in the fifth and eighth innings. They re coming because they re due, Scioscia said of the barrage of home runs. It s something we were missing for the first six weeks of the season, for sure: slugging percentage and driving in runs. It s showing up now, and it s good to see. It was Pujols first multi-homer game since May 18, 2014 coincidentally, the last Angels home game against the Rays until Monday Pujols now has a 13 homers in 2015 and an.801 OPS, up more than 100 points in the last two weeks. He s heating up. Albert s a special player, Scioscia said. When he finds it, he usually keeps it for a long time. After pitchers get to 0-2 against him this season, Trout is hitting.296, with a.314 on-base percentage and.419 slugging percentage, numbers that would be good for most major-league hitters in most situations. And that was before his home run Monday night. On deck: Rays at Angels, Tuesday, 7 p.m. BY PEDRO MOURA Where: Angel Stadium TV: Fox Sports West, 7 p.m. Did you know: Twenty years ago Monday, the Angels selected Darin Erstad with the No. 1 selection in the annual amateur draft. Erstad is one of two No. 1 selections in franchise history. The other is catcher Danny Goodwin, selected in THE PITCHERS

11 June 2, 2015 Page 11 of 28 LHP C.J. WILSON (3-3, 3.18) Wilson rebounded from two straight starts in which he was roughed up to hold the Tigers to two hits in six innings in his last time out although he did walk five. His control generally has been better this season, and he s been able to limit home runs. Perhaps the thing he s done best, though, is pitch. Wilson has completed at least five innings in every start, and 52/3 in all but one of his 10 outings. Vs. Rays: 5-3, 3.67 At Angel Stadium: 24-16, 3.30 Loves to face: Nick Franklin, 1 for 9 (.111), 3 SO Hates to face: Brandon Guyer, 3 for 10 (.300), 2 RBI, 1 BB RHP CHRIS ARCHER (5-4, 2.12) Archer dominated the Mariners in his last start, striking out 12 while walking none and allowing just two hits. Tampa Bay lost that game, but those are the kinds of outings Archer is capable of at any time. The 26-year-old is one of the most dynamic pitchers in the majors. Five of his 11 starts have been scoreless. In 68 innings, he has 82 strikeouts, the second-best total in MLB, behind only Corey Kluber. Vs. Angels: 3-1, 3.63 At Angel Stadium: 1-1, 4.82 Loves to face: David Freese, 0 for 3, 1 SO Hates to face: Mike Trout, 4 for 9 (.444), 3 BB FROM ANGELS.COM Help send Trout, Pujols to All-Star Game By Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com ANAHEIM -- Angels center fielder Mike Trout remained second among American League outfielders in fan votes when the latest 2015 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot was unveiled on Monday. Trout has accumulated 2,371,435 votes, fourth overall in the AL behind three Royals players -- catcher Salvador Perez, third baseman Mike Moustakas and center fielder Lorenzo Cain. The 23-year-old Trout entered June ranked 16th in the Majors in OPS (.923), while batting.295 with 12 homers, 27 RBIs and eight stolen bases.

12 June 2, 2015 Page 12 of 28 Trout is on pace to start his third consecutive All-Star Game and make his fourth trip to the Midsummer Classic in four full seasons in the Major Leagues. Trout's teammate, Albert Pujols, batted.357 with three home runs in a four-game sweep of the Tigers, but still ranks fifth among AL first basemen with 351,945 votes -- nearly 1.8 million behind Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers. Fans can cast their votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on their computers, tablets and smartphones -- using the 2015 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot until Thursday, July 2, at 8:59 p.m. PT. For the first time, voting is exclusively online, where fans may submit up to 35 ballots. Fans may also receive the ballot by texting VOTE to (USA) or (Canada), or by texting VOTA for a ballot in Spanish. Message and data rates may apply. Up to five messages. No purchase required. Reply "stop" to cancel and reply "help" for info. Following the announcement of the 2015 All-Stars, fans can return to MLB.com and cast their 2015 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote for the final player for each league's All-Star roster. On Tuesday, July 14, watch the 2015 All-Star Game live on FOX, and during the game visit MLB.com to submit your choice for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet via the 2015 MLB All- Star Game MVP Vote. MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage of All-Star Week festivities. The 86th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 200 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com. Angels call up lefty Ibarra, DFA Brown By Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com ANAHEIM -- The Angels continued to juggle their roster on Monday, selecting the contract of lefthanded reliever Edgar Ibarra, sending corner outfielder Alfredo Marte back to Triple-A Salt Lake and designating center fielder Gary Brown for assignment. With that, the Angels returned to the traditional 12-man pitching staff for Monday's series opener against the Rays -- partly because they used four relievers in Sunday's win over the Tigers, partly because Albert Pujols returned to first base. Pujols started the last two games at designated hitter while nursing a groin injury, but the 35-year-old was cleared to play the field pregame. "It's still bothering me a little bit, but as long as I feel OK to play, I'm going to be out there," Pujols said. "It could be worse, and I've played with worse things than that."

13 June 2, 2015 Page 13 of 28 Brown -- a 26-year-old former first-round pick by the Giants -- was selected off waivers from the Cardinals on April 22, but the Angels needed to designate him in order to make room on the 40-man roster for Ibarra. Ibarra, signed to a Minor League contract in the offseason, gives the Angels three lefty relievers, along with Jose Alvarez and Cesar Ramos. Converted to the bullpen three years ago, Ibarra posted a 1.93 ERA in Double-A and Triple-A in 2013, then had a down year at those levels in 2014, compiling a 4.22 ERA, a 1.48 WHIP and a 2.07 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 40 appearances. The Angels watched Ibarra struggle in Spring Training, then moved him to the other side of the rubber, saw his fastball play up and his slider improve, then watched it translate to the Pacific Coast League, where he posted a 2.25 ERA and struck out 29 batters in 24 innings. Ibarra was informed of his first big league callup at 10:30 p.m. local time in Memphis, Tenn., on Sunday - - in the final hours of his 26th birthday. "Really happy to be here," Ibarra said. "I was really surprised." Worth noting Mike Morin, nursing an oblique strain for the last eight days, continues to get treatment and should be playing catch by the end of this week. At that point, though, the 24-year-old right-hander will have to make an entire throwing progression and go out on a rehab assignment. Morin said "it's just going to depend on how my body reacts day-to-day." Right-handed reliever Cory Rasmus, in the late stages of his recovery from surgery to repair a core injury in March, was recently shut down from throwing to hitters in Arizona because of back stiffness. Scioscia said it wasn't serious and Rasmus is back to throwing to hitters. Tyler Skaggs, who will spend the season recovering from Tommy John surgery, played catch from 150 feet on Monday and said it "went really well." Skaggs will throw from that distance four days a week and plans to get off a mound in three weeks. The Angels hosted 1,900 at-risk students as part of an ongoing effort to keep children out of gangs. The kids -- representing the largest group to attend an Angels game under the organization OC Grip -- got the invitation as a reward for improved school attendance and behavior. Hector Santiago and Kole Calhoun were among the Angels who spoke to them pregame. Frieri returns to Anaheim a different pitcher By Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com ANAHEIM -- Ernesto Frieri isn't the guy he once was, while with the Angels and thriving as their closer. And you don't have to look at his numbers or even his velocity to make that assumption.

14 June 2, 2015 Page 14 of 28 He'll tell you himself. "I'm no longer that guy who comes across his body, who tucks his arm back," Frieri said on Monday, just before stretching with his Rays teammates in his return to Angel Stadium. "I've tried to correct it, but I can't. I don't throw that hard anymore; my elbow doesn't feel very good sometimes. "This whole year has been spent trying to find my mechanics, to be the Ernesto Frieri of 2012 and 2013 with the Angels. To try to find my fastball." Frieri's fastball was magical. It sat in the mid-90s, traveled with unpredictable movement and was impossible to see until it came out of his hand. It was the only pitch Frieri really needed to dominate in the back end of the Angels' bullpen for the better part of two seasons, after being acquired from the Padres for Alexi Amarista and Donn Roach in May Then came Frieri blew a bunch of saves, went to the Pirates in exchange for Jason Grilli, struggled mightily in Pittsburgh, got released with four weeks left, signed an incentive-laden contract with the Rays and spent the first two months of 2015 pitching in mop-up duty. After the first game in June, the Rays designated Frieri for assignment. Speaking hours before that, the engaging, congenial 29-year-old right-hander smiled at the thought of coming back here. "Happy thoughts," Frieri said. "A lot of beautiful things happened for me here. I'm happy to be back here." Frieri was one of four former Angels on the Rays' active roster, along with catcher Bobby Wilson and right-handers Steve Geltz and Kevin Jepsen, who spent his first 13 professional years with the Angels before being dealt for Matt Joyce in December. "Seeing everybody and not wearing the red," Jepsen said, "it's a little different." Jepsen left the Angels at the height of his career, after posting a 2.63 ERA while thriving as the seventhinning man down the stretch in Frieri's departure was the start of a downward spiral. He posted a 2.32 ERA and struck out 80 batters in 54 1/3 innings after joining the Angels in 2012, then finished 2013 with a 3.80 ERA and 37 saves. Thirty-four appearances into 2014, though, Frieri's ERA was And after being dealt to the Pirates on June 27, he gave up 12 runs on 14 hits in 10 2/3 innings. Frieri began that 2014 season working on a quicker delivery that would help prevent stolen bases, and he has yet to recover from the mechanical issues it caused. Now he's nowhere near as across-his-body in his stride, nowhere near as violent in his delivery, and his velocity has dipped from 94 mph to 91.2 mph in a span of three years. He feels that fastball is still in there, though, somewhere.

15 June 2, 2015 Page 15 of 28 "Of course it is," said Frieri, who had a 4.63 ERA in 23 1/3 innings with the Rays. "I feel like my arm is strong, but unfortunately my mechanics don't let me. They just don't let me. We're working on it." Angels crush four homers to sink Rays By Alden Gonzalez and Bill Chastain / MLB.com ANAHEIM -- Albert Pujols homered twice, and David Freese and Mike Trout also went deep, leading the Angels and their suddenly surging offense to a 7-3 victory over the Rays in Southern California on Monday night. Pujois has hit five home runs over his last five games and is batting.375 since the start of last week, raising his batting average to.254. "He's swinging it," Trout said of Pujols. "He's a machine. It's impressive to watch. He's a tough out. Even the balls he's getting out on are usually base hits with the shift." The Angels, coming off a four-game sweep of the Tigers, have won a season-high five straight games to put them a season-best four games above.500 at The Rays have dropped seven of their last nine and are now Alex Colome took the loss after giving up five runs on nine hits and three walks in six innings, putting his ERA at Garrett Richards, who gave up a combined 10 runs (eight earned) in his last two starts, got the win after notching his seventh quality start in nine tries. "I do like the at-bats we had against [Richards]," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "Made him get the ball over the plate. But, you know, he's got electric stuff." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED A Machine: Pujols has resembled one of late. The star first baseman crushed a solo homer in the fifth and blasted a two-run shot into the Angels' bullpen in the eighth, giving him 13 homers on the year -- tied with Trout for the team lead -- and five over the last five games. During that span, the Angels have amassed 13 home runs. "That's the team that we put together in Spring Training," Pujols said of an offense that was 29th in OPS as recently as Thursday morning. "Lately, you've seen the success we've been having, but that's something we know that we have here. Before you know it, we can put five runs, 10 runs on the board." Red-Hot Butler: Joey Butler batted.342 (25-for-73) in May, which ranked tops among Major Leagues rookies and established a Rays rookie record for May (minimum of 50 appearances). Butler got June started on a high note when he singled home a run in the third that tied the game at 1. A little relief: Richards retired six straight batters to complete six innings with only three runs across, then gave up a leadoff single in the seventh and exited with a two-run lead. Jose Alvarez came in to face Kevin Kiermaier, Cash countered with Brandon Guyer, and Alvarez got Guyer to bounce into a 3-6

16 June 2, 2015 Page 16 of 28 double play. Fernando Salas followed by retiring Butler, setting it up for Joe Smith in the eighth and Pujols' two-run shot in the eighth. "You're gonna have nights when you have to battle," Richards said, "but you've got to do your job and you've got to go deep into games and you've got to give us a chance to win. Those are the only things on my mind when I step on the mound in the first inning. Tonight worked out, but I've still got to be better." Franklin Goes Deep: With the Rays smarting from Trout's three-run homer in the third, Nick Franklin batted in the fourth with two outs and a man aboard. That's when the Rays infielder re-routed a 2-1 pitch from Richards and deposited the ball over the wall in right to cut the lead to 4-3. SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Trout entered Monday's game with a remarkable.286/.314/.490 slash line on 0-2 counts, then got an 0-2 cutter from Colome and belted it over the left-center-field fence for his 13th home run in the third inning. QUOTABLE "Feel good. Missed three pitches. I miss it, they get it." -- Colome, on the three home runs he surrendered Monday night "I don't think about that, dude. It's part of the game. They can do that a hundred more times. That doesn't matter to me. I've been on the other side." -- Pujols, on the Rays intentionally walking Trout to load the bases and face him in Monday's sixth inning WHAT'S NEXT Rays: Chris Archer will start for the Rays, at 10:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday, after a dominating eight-inning performance against the Mariners six days earlier. Facing Seattle ace Felix Hernandez, Archer rose to the occasion allowing no runs on two hits while striking out 12. He left prior to the ninth inning of a 0-0 game and came away with a no-decision. His 2.12 ERA is the best in club history through the end of May (minimum of 50 innings pitched). Angels: C.J. Wilson takes the ball for the second of a two-game series at 7:05 p.m. PT, five days after pitching six innings of one-run ball despite five walks against the Tigers. Through the first two months, Wilson (3-3, 3.18 ERA) ranked second only to Mike Trout for the team lead in Wins Above Replacement, according to FanGraphs. The 34-year-old left-hander has a 3.67 ERA in 73 2/3 career innings against the Rays.

17 June 2, 2015 Page 17 of 28 Pujols continues torrid stretch with 2 homers By Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com ANAHEIM -- It was one of those classic Albert Pujols stares, the perfect blend of satisfaction and disdain. It re-emerged in the eighth inning late Monday night, when the menacing slugger turned on a 95-mph fastball, drove it into the Angels' bullpen, watched it sail for a couple of seconds and tossed his bat with one of those patented "how dare you?" dispositions. "When you hit 500 of them, you can watch them," Mike Trout said, laughing, after the Angels' 7-3 win over the Rays. "I don't think anybody's going to say anything." It's 533, thank you very much -- and five of them have come over the last five games. Pujols is feeling good again, and he's bringing the Angels' offense with him. "He's a special player, and when he finds it he usually keeps it for a long time," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of Pujols. "He's a guy who takes a lot of pressure off the rest of the guys in our lineup." The Angels have won five consecutive games, moving a season-best four games above.500. Their previously floundering offense -- 29th in the Majors in OPS as recently as Thursday morning -- has amassed an ungodly 13 home runs in that span, with Pujols, Trout and David Freese all adding to that total in the series opener. Pujols has increased his batting average by 19 points in those last five games, from.235 to.254, while tying Trout for the team lead with 13 homers. "It's still a long season," Pujols said after his 49th career multi-homer game. "My job every day is to get myself ready to play. Obviously, every night you want to get some hits and you want to do something to help the ballclub, but that's impossible. The most important thing is to stay positive and know that it's a long season, and if you put quality at-bats and quality swings together, sooner or later it's going to come through. That's what's happening. But I'm not changing anything. It's the same approach I've been taking for 16 years." Freese hit his ninth home run in the second, Trout added a three-run shot in the third, then Pujols belted a solo homer in the fifth and added a towering two-run homer in the eighth. Two innings before that, with runners on second and third and two outs in a two-run game, the Rays elected to intentionally walk Trout to face Pujols. Pujols, who beat the Padres with a walk-off single off Craig Kimbrel under similar circumstances seven days earlier, flied out. "Whether I'm hitting.500, you don't want the best player on the team to beat you," Pujols said. "That doesn't bother me. I've been in this game too long. I know what I need to do. Most of the time, I'm going to make them pay, and other times I don't get the hits that I should get."

18 June 2, 2015 Page 18 of 28 And Pujols just keeps rolling with it, whether he's batting.218 on balls in play like he was five days ago or sporting a.421 clip like he has over these last five games. He'll continue to show up early and take extra swings and squeeze the most out of every at-bat and do his best to not look anywhere beyond that. A few times along the way, though, he might stare you down a little. Even in win, Richards finds ways to improve By David Adler / MLB.com ANAHEIM -- The numbers -- a 3.26 ERA, a 5-3 record, including the win in the Angels' 7-3 win over the Rays Monday night at Angel Stadium -- don't look bad for Garrett Richards. But his pitching hasn't exactly been all that good of late, either. The right-hander seems like he's been fighting himself in his last three starts, all rocky -- five runs allowed to the Red Sox on May 22 and the Padres on May 27, three to the Rays on Monday night. He's especially struggled getting out of innings. In Richards' last two starts, all eight runs he allowed were scored with two outs. So after his Monday outing -- a start which, again, he won -- Richards had a list chock full of areas to improve on. "I need to do a better job of getting ahead of guys -- I feel like I was behind in the count a lot tonight," Richards said first. "I've got to do a better job of not being fine too early," he added later. Up next: "I've got to do a better job mixing my curveball in with my fastball and my slider. I felt like I got a little bit repetitive and a little bit predictable." Then came, "I've got to do a better job putting guys away. I've noticed [all the two-out runs]." And, of course, there was, "I've got to be better overall." Angels manager Mike Scioscia thinks that the whole host of issues -- falling behind, throwing too many sliders as a result, and not getting out of innings -- is stemming from a lack of command. "I think it's just a function of being a little bit erratic and maybe not having your best stuff," Scioscia said. "You try to get outs, you get two outs, you try to get the next guy out, and you're not quite there. "You will see, at times, some pitchers just get into a little cyclical thing where they have trouble finishing innings. And I think that's where Garrett is right now. He's finished some innings, but for the most part, there's no doubt."

19 June 2, 2015 Page 19 of 28 But there are positives, too. Richards said that his delivery is close to where it needs to be. And Scioscia said that a couple of years ago, Richards might not have been able to "corral" a start like Monday's. But Richards has matured since then. So his skipper isn't overly worried. "He'll be better," Scioscia said. Wilson, Archer present marquee matchup in Anaheim By David Adler / MLB.com Angels left-hander C.J. Wilson will take the mound against the Rays on Tuesday night -- hoping for a better result than the last time he faced Tampa Bay -- in the second game of a three-game set at Angel Stadium. Last August, Wilson returned from a three-week stint on the disabled list at Tropicana Field -- and his return lasted four outs, as he was knocked out in the second inning after giving up six runs. Wilson would prefer his start Tuesday to look more like the one he pitched five days ago, when he held the Tigers to one run on two hits over six innings. He'll be opposing Rays right-hander Chris Archer, who matched Felix Hernandez pitch for pitch in his last start -- throwing an eight-inning, no-run, 12-strikeout gem. It was a performance worthy of the ace role Archer was pushed into with Alex Cobb out for the season. Things to know about this game: Albert Pujols homered in his return to the field in Monday's series opener after a groin injury kept him at designated hitter for the previous two games. Pujols' ability to start at first base gives the Angels much more lineup flexibility. Archer pitched the only two games the Rays won out of their seven against the Angels in one at Angel Stadium and one at Tropicana Field. FROM THE LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS Angels pitching staff back to 12 after calling up lefty Edgar Ibarra By Robert Morales The Angels went with an 11-man pitching staff for two days when Vinnie Pestano was sent down to Triple-A Salt Lake City on Saturday and first baseman/outfielder Efren Navarro was recalled. They rectified that Monday when they recalled left-handed reliever Edgar Ibarra from Salt Lake and sent down outfielder Alfredo Marte.

20 June 2, 2015 Page 20 of 28 It s just really a need for us to get some more depth on our pitching staff, a lot of guys have thrown a lot of innings in our bullpen, manager Mike Scioscia said. And we (were) short for a couple of days just to try to keep some bats here and some position players with some guys being banged up. But hopefully we re past that now, and we need to re-establish a little bit of length in our pen. Shortstop Erick Aybar missed Friday s and Saturday s games with a sore hamstring and first baseman Albert Pujols was relegated to DH duties on Saturday and Sunday because of a sore groin. Aybar played Sunday and Pujols was back in the lineup at first base on Monday night when the Angels opened a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays. Ibarra, 26, was 2-1 with an ERA of 2.25 in 17 games (24 innings) of relief at Salt Lake. Marte played in two games and had one hit in four at-bats with the Angels. GIAVOTELLA HAS KNACK FOR HEROICS Second baseman Johnny Giavotella was the hero on Sunday when he hit a two-run single in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the Angels to a 4-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers to complete a four-game sweep. The Angels afterward put out a staggering statistic that shows Giavotella is batting.517 (15 of 29) in late and close situations. It was Giavotella s seventh game-winning RBI of the season. You never see him come out of his game in the batter s box, Scioscia said. He puts the ball in play, he s a contact hitter. I think those types of guys are going to have those numbers, and he just tried to put the ball in play and found a hole. Giavotella was batting.271 on the season before Monday,.289 with runners in scoring position. He had eight doubles, one triple, one home run and 17 RBIs. He was batting.317 at the end of April, but dropped to.246 on May 23. He has 10 hits in his past 25 at-bats. He went through a little soft spell a couple of weeks ago, Scioscia said, but it seems like he just gets big hit after big hit for us. Giavotella, 27, had never hit higher than.247 in parts of four major-league seasons with the Kansas City Royals prior to He was traded to the Angels in December for pitcher Brian Broderick. Giavotella, who is 5-foot-8, is enjoying every minute of this. It was a great feeling coming through for the team, he said Sunday, surrounded by reporters. START OF SOMETHING BIG? When the Angels began their just-concluded four-game series with the Tigers, they were They were after the sweep and had pulled within four games of the first-place Houston Astros in the AL West. Scioscia is hopeful it s the start of a solid run.

21 June 2, 2015 Page 21 of 28 Well, we don t have a crystal ball, he said after Sunday s game. But there is no doubt we played a pretty good ballclub this weekend and we played good baseball, and I think that s the important thing. So I don t think we have to overthink this. We won a ballgame today, we ve got another ballgame tomorrow. Any time you play a good club and you play well, it has to carry some confidence forward. Hopefully, this will. Albert Pujols hits two out, pulls within one of Jimmie Foxx in Angels 7-3 win over Rays By Robert Morales Mike Scioscia is like any other manager in baseball. One game at a time. No gazing into the future, no looking back. He cemented that credo Monday when he was asked before Monday s series-opener with the Tampa Bay Rays about the momentum his team had created with a four-game winning streak. Whether we have momentum or not, what s important is playing a good game tonight, he said. That s how you build it. Build it, the Angels did. David Freese and Mike Trout each hit a home run, Albert Pujols hit two and Garrett Richards came through with a good-enough pitching performance, and the result was a 7-3 victory over the Rays before 27,078 at Angel Stadium. The Angels (28-24) have now won five consecutive games and they kept pace with the first-place Houston Astros in the Al West, trailing them by four games. The Rays (26-26) began the night tied with the Yankees for first place in the AL East and the Yankees won, so the Rays are a game back. Trout s home run was a three-run blast in the third inning that gave the Angels a 4-1 lead, and Pujols first home home run in the bottom of the fifth gave them a 5-3 cushion after the Rays Nick Franklin had gotten his team within 4-3 with a two-run home run off Richards in the top of the fourth. Pujols added a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth, and he now has 533 career home runs and is now just one back of Jimmie Foxx, who at 534 is 17th all-time. I think his last 50 at-bats, he s been where he feels really comfortable, Scioscia said of Pujols. He was hitting the ball better than his numbers were showing, and right now everything about him in the batter s box, it just looks like he s real comfortable, he s attacking the ball. That s how good Albert is. Trout marveled at his future Hall of Fame teammate. He s swinging it, Trout said. The work he puts in before a game, he s a machine. It s impressive to watch. He s a tough out.

22 June 2, 2015 Page 22 of 28 Trout and Pujols now both have 13 home runs to lead the team. Trout has a team-high 30 RBIs, Pujols has 26. Freese, whose home run leading off the second inning gave him nine this season, has 29 RBIs. Pujols doesn t like to brag much about personal stuff. My job every day is to get myself ready to play, he said. Obviously, every night you want to get some hits and do something to help the ballclub, but that s impossible. So the most important thing is to stay positive and realize that it s a long season. Sooner or later, if you keep putting together good swings and quality at-bats, it s going to come through. And that s what s happened. Richards (5-3) picked up the victory. He threw six-plus innings and was removed leading 5-3 when No. 9 hitter Rene Rivera hit a line-drive single to center leading off the seventh. Richards allowed three earned runs on six hits. He struck out four and walked three on 99 pitches. Southpaw Jose Alvarez came on to induce pinch-hitter Brandon Guyer to hit into a double play. Alex Colome (3-2) took the loss. He allowed five earned runs on nine hits. He struck out five and walked three in six innings. Garrett struggled, Scioscia said of Richards. This is maybe a game that a couple of years ago he might not have been able to corral, but I think with an understanding that this is the big leagues and you have to make pitches, and if you are getting hit, you have to go out there and try to make better pitches. And I think he settled down after the home run (by Franklin) and just started to at least get us through six innings. But it was a struggle. He was just in bad counts all night. Franklin entered in an 0-for-24 slump that had reached 0-for-25 by the time he teed off on Richards. Game 2 of the three-game series will pit the Angels C.J. Wilson (3-3, 3.18 ERA) against the Rays Chris Archer (5-4, 2.12). FROM FOX SPORTS WEST Pujols: 'I have fun watching all 25 guys on this ball club. It's not the Mike Trout show' By Jill Painter Lopez Albert Pujols hit two homers Monday in another home run fest for the streaking Angels. Pujols has finally found his swing, hitting five home runs in the last five games. But what will be remembered most from his game might be his postgame comment about friend and teammate Mike Trout.