Clips (July 31, 2016)

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1 July 31, 2016 Page 1 of 23 Clips (July 31, 2016)

2 July 31, 2016 Page 2 of 23 FROM THE LA TIMES (Page 3) Today s Clips Contents Angels defeat Red Sox, 5-2, as trade deadline looms Angels rethink left-field position, cutting ties with Daniel Nava and Craig Gentry FROM THE OC REGISTER (Page 6) Hector Santiago does just enough to lead Angels past Boston Angels scrap both parts of left field platoon Daniel Nava, Craig Gentry on the same day Angels Notes: C.J. Cron is healing faster than expected On deck: Red Sox at Angels, Sunday, 12:30 p.m. FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 10) Pujols homer helps Angels edge Red Sox Santiago, Smith get it done as Deadline looms Pujols joins elite with 15 th 20-homer season Skaggs returns to Angel Stadium two years after injury JJ Redick, Luke Walton throw first pitches in SoCal Angels activate Robinson, DFA Gentry, Nava FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 19) Pujols hits 2-run HR to help Angels beat Red Sox 5-2 Trout s first car to be sold at collector s auction FROM FOX SPORTS (Page 21) Red Sox-Angels Preview

3 July 31, 2016 Page 3 of 23 FROM THE LA TIMES Angels defeat Red Sox, 5-2, as trade deadline looms Pedro Moura Hector Santiago took the mound at Angel Stadium at 6:07 p.m. Saturday night. His name swirling in trade rumors for weeks, it would not have been a surprise if he exited prematurely, before his allotment of pitches ran out. But he will remain an Angel for at least one more night. Ultimately, the Angels penultimate game before Monday s trade deadline concluded without any real resolution besides a victory. They beat the Boston Red Sox, 5-2, after a serviceable start from Santiago and a balanced effort from their offense. As wild as ever, Santiago began the game with two fastballs that missed. His third fastball was over the plate, and it was whacked into the visiting bullpen by Boston s Mookie Betts for a solo shot. Santiago would walk three more men and throw 35 more pitches in the inning. Yet, only one more run scored. And no more runs scored thereafter, although Santiago continued to throw wildly. He needed 119 pitches to finish five innings, the second-most any major leaguer has used in as short a span this season. Tim Lincecum also issued six walks on Friday night. It had been 15 years since Angel starting pitchers had walked six men in consecutive games. We were fortunate tonight, Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. You can t give that club as many baserunners we did and come out of it OK. But he battled. He survived. Said Santiago, tongue a bit in cheek: Phenomenal start. We got the win at the end of the night. Who cares about whatever else happened? Santiago thanked Scioscia for letting him have the fifth. The 28-year-old left-hander pitched so much better with runners on than with the bases empty that he is considering, more seriously than ever, a permanent move to pitching from the stretch. That s something I ve been leaning towards for the last couple months, he said. In each of his three seasons as an Angel, Santiago has held opponents to a lower on-base-plusslugging-percentage with runners on base. When he ascended to the majors as a reliever with the Chicago White Sox, he sometimes nixed his full wind-up even when he entered at the start of an inning. Behind Santiago on Saturday, Scioscia called in a parade of relievers. First was Fernando Salas for the first four batters of the sixth, then Joe Smith when two men reached base. He induced a

4 July 31, 2016 Page 4 of 23 hard groundout from Xander Bogaerts; Yunel Escobar snagged it and stepped on third, ending the inning. Smith, the most likely Angel to be dealt by Monday s 1 p.m. nonwaiver trade deadline, stayed in for the seventh and retired the side in order. Hoping to avoid rumors involving him, he headed to the bullpen earlier in the game than normal, sequestering himself away from technology. But, still, he wondered what might happen. Yeah, you wonder. Anybody would. Any day you walk in here might be your last, Smith said. But I just try to keep everything normal. I don t know how else to do it. Cam Bedrosian struck out the side in a scoreless eighth, lowering his earned-run average to 0.92 in 39 innings this season. In perhaps the most surprising performance by an Angel this season, he has struck out 48 men and walked just 11. And closer Huston Street handled the ninth without issue, securing his ninth save. New Red Sox acquisition Drew Pomeranz did not display the dominant stuff that enticed Boston into ceding one of baseball s premier prospects for him earlier this month. Mike Trout notched a one-out single in the first inning, moved to second when an Albert Pujols blooper fell in for a hit, and then scored on a wild pitch and groundout. In the third, Pujols slammed a two-run homer, the 580th of his career. Johnny Giavotella shot a run-scoring single to left in the fourth and Jett Bandy powered a runscoring double in the sixth to cap the team s output. Angels rethink left-field position, cutting ties with Daniel Nava and Craig Gentry Pedro Moura One year ago, the tattered collection of players who manned left field for the Angels produced a.592 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, the worst mark in the major leagues that season, and the 10th-worst mark in the last century. This season, it was often said, could not be any worse. But against all odds, it has been. The eight men who ve played the position this season have combined for a.583 OPS, the seventhworst number in the last century. Saturday, the Angels designated for assignment perhaps the two men most responsible for that failure: Daniel Nava and Craig Gentry. They signed them a week apart in December, opting to form a $2.4-million platoon instead of agreeing with any of the bevy of high-priced startingcaliber corner outfielders who were free agents.

5 July 31, 2016 Page 5 of 23 To be honest with you," Gentry said during spring training, I was pretty surprised that it stuck out that way. So was much of the industry, and answers have never quite been provided. Angels owner Arte Moreno has declined repeated requests to speak to The Times since December, when he was asked what he would tell fans frustrated by the team s inaction regarding high-priced free agents. You know, we re doing the best we can, he said then. Any of those [outfielders], you d like to have but it s the economics. There were lesser possibilities beyond the likes of Yoenis Cespedes and Justin Upton: The Angels pursued Austin Jackson, but he opted for a chance to play center for thechicago White Sox. They came close to a three-team trade that would have netted them Michael Saunders, an All-Star this year, only to have it fall through because of a medical issue with another player involved. Both Nava and Gentry had succeeded in the majors in previous seasons, but struggled in Both went on to miss months with injuries this season. And both continued to toil when healthy. Nava was on the active roster. His designation made room for Shane Robinson to be activated from the 15-day disabled list, where he spent the last three weeks because of a sprained ankle. Gentry was on a rehab assignment with triple-a Salt Lake. Two separate situations, and although when those guys came on we certainly looked for them to bring a lot to what we needed on the offensive end and in left field, it unfortunately didn t materialize, Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. Facing almost exclusively right-handed pitching, Nava hit.235 with a.309 on-base percentage and.303 slugging percentage. Against mostly left-handers, Gentry had four singles, one double and three walks in 39 plate appearances as an Angel a.413 OPS all in April. He missed a month with a back injury, then more time with a personal issue. And then he logged a.405 OPS in eight games for Salt Lake this month, prompting the club to pull the plug. He seemed like he never got on track, Scioscia said. Boston also designated Nava for assignment last season on July 30, traditionally one of the easiest times in a major league season to slip players through waivers, because of the roster crunch surrounding the nonwaiver trade deadline. Last year, Tampa Bay claimed him off waivers the following week.

6 July 31, 2016 Page 6 of 23 To fill left field in the immediate term, the Angels will use some combination of Robinson and Ji- Man Choi, Jefry Marte, Gregorio Petit and Cliff Pennington, upon his likely activation from a hamstring strain Sunday. Among them, only Robinson has notable experience manning left field in the majors. Short hops C.J. Cron could resume swinging a bat as soon as Tuesday, and the Angels believe a major league return in two weeks is now a possibility. When he broke his hand July 8, he was expected to miss six to eight weeks, meaning he s now ahead of schedule. Yeah, I know, Scioscia said. It s amazing. Scioscia intimated the Angels are likely to push right-hander Tim Lincecum s next start back a day to Friday in his hometown of Seattle. That could allow them to split up left-handers Hector Santiago and Tyler Skaggs within their rotation, with Santiago staying on schedule Thursday against Oakland, if Santiago is not traded by Monday. FROM OC REGISTER Hector Santiago does just enough to lead Angels past Boston By JEFF FLETCHER / STAFF WRITER ANAHEIM If that was Hector Santiago s goodbye to the Angels, it was a long one. Santiago slogged his way through 119 pitches, equaling his second most with the Angels, in a crude-but-effective five innings of the Angels 5-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday night. Effectively wild, Manager Mike Scioscia said. We were fortunate tonight. You can t give that club as many baserunners as we did and come out relatively unscathed. Hector knows this. He was not trying to be wild. He was searching for his timing and once he found it, he made some tremendous pitches. Albert Pujols 20th homer of the season, a two-run shot in the third, put the Angels on top, and then Santiago and four relievers made the lead hold. With plenty of scouts on hand as the trade deadline approaches, Santiago gave them a lot to evaluate. In a trade market thin on starting pitchers, Santiago is one of the few attractive, available options. Despite a season ERA that is now a rather ordinary 4.25, Santiago has pitched well lately.

7 July 31, 2016 Page 7 of 23 He had a 5-0 record and a 1.48 ERA in July, coming into Saturday s start. Santiago is also under control for one more season, making him attractive to other clubs. That also makes him valuable for the Angels to keep, so it s very possible he ll still be here when the deadline passes at 1 p.m. PT on Monday. You can t worry about that, Santiago said. I m just trying to go out and compete and give us a chance to win. In this game he showed what makes him good and what also makes him inconsistent. He can be wild and inefficient with his pitches, but he has enough raw stuff to get out of jams, and to dominate when he s on his game. When I get to that point where guys are on base, I put myself in a situation where I can t give up any more runs, Santiago said. I seem to somehow find a way to make the pitch at the right time. I just need to find out how to do that before I get into that situation. Santiago said he has toyed with the idea of pitching out of the stretch exclusively, but he s concerned that could cause too much stress on his arm. He was in the stretch almost immediately in this game. He gave up a homer to the first batter of the game, Mookie Betts, and then he walked the next two hitters. All the while, Santiago was aware of his rising pitch-count. He said he doesn t even need to look up at the scoreboard, because he naturally keeps count in his head. So he knew that it took him 39 pitches to get through the first inning. He knew that his 100th pitch got him the second out of the fourth. He also knew, when he walked off the mound after 104 pitches in four innings, that he might not get a chance to go back for the fifth. He did, and it took him only 15 more to get through that inning. He was just shy of the 124 pitches he threw, also against Boston, last May. He pitched 62/3 innings in that game. He also threw 119 in April 2014, against Detroit. The Angels took the lead in the third inning on a two-run homer by Pujols, a blast that shot off his bat at 109 mph and traveled an estimated 447 feet. It was Pujols 20th homer of the season, and triggered a couple of the type of career tidbits that often follow Pujols homers. He became the fourth player to hit 20 homers 15 times in his first 16 seasons, joining Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.

8 July 31, 2016 Page 8 of 23 With 1,190 career extra base hits, Pujols tied Lou Gehrig for ninth on the all-time list. Angels scrap both parts of left field platoon Daniel Nava, Craig Gentry on the same day By JEFF FLETCHER / STAFF WRITER ANAHEIM The best laid plans of mice and men sometimes get DFA d. Daniel Nava and Craig Gentry the players general manager Billy Eppler hoped could provide some left field production for a discount failed miserably, finally resulting in both players being designated for assignment on Saturday. Now, the Angels will go with a left field combination that includes only one natural outfielder, Shane Robinson. The other candidates are converted infielders: Jefry Marte, Gregorio Petit and Ji-Man Choi. Cliff Pennington, expected to be activated on Sunday, could also play left. Nava was hitting.235 with a.305 on-base percentage, the latter figure significantly down from what the Angels had hoped. Even in Nava s injury-marred 2015 season, when he batted.194, he still had a.315 on-base percentage. The Angels, who signed him for only $1.38 million, hoped that if he played only against righthanders he could approach his career.377 on-base percentage against righties. A hot spring further encouraged them. Once the season began, though, Nava, 33, battled leg injuries and twice went on the disabled list. In between, he simply didn t hit or get on base. Unfortunately Daniel was banged up, Manager Mike Scioscia said. I think it s still in him to be able to do some of the things he s done in his career I think he just never quite got there. You re seeing some signs of him getting a little more productive offensively but unfortunately he was a little banged up to play enough to get into his groove. As for Gentry, who signed a $1 million deal, he played only 14 games with the Angels before he hurt his back, posting a.147 batting average. While Gentry was rehabbing the back injury, he was struck with what the Angels only revealed was a personal medical condition. Gentry returned to action on July 10 and hit.149 at three levels of the minors. Rehab assignments for position players are limited to 20 days, so Gentry s expired on Friday and the Angels hadn t seen enough signs that he could help them. With Craig, it seems he never got untracked, Scioscia said.

9 July 31, 2016 Page 9 of 23 The Nava and Gentry moves cleared room for a host of players to get opportunities, although there doesn t appear to be a natural solution. Robinson, who was activated Saturday after missing three weeks with a sprained ankle, is the only natural outfielder. He is a right-handed hitter, though. Angels Notes: C.J. Cron is healing faster than expected By JEFF FLETCHER / STAFF WRITER ANAHEIM C.J. Cron is well ahead of schedule in rehabbing from hand surgery, a rare bit of good medical news for the Angels. Cron, who was expected to miss six to eight weeks after his July 12 surgery, could be back in as soon as two weeks, Manager Mike Scioscia said Saturday. Scioscia said Cron could be cleared to swing as soon as his appointment on Tuesday. It s amazing, Scioscia said. I don t know what these guys are doing, but the doctors are patching these guys up. Andrelton Simmons, who also had hand surgery, returned a week or two ahead of expectations earlier this season. ALSO The Angels are expected to use Monday s off day to rearrange their rotation, which would provide an extra day for Tim Lincecum to try to work on the issues with his delivery. Lincecum s turn would fall on Thursday, but the Angels could have Hector Santiago pitch Thursday at home, and Lincecum on Friday in Seattle, his hometown. Scioscia said they also want to split up Santiago and Tyler Skaggs, who could then pitch Saturday in Seattle, because they have the potential to provide more innings than the other starters Kole Calhoun was not in the lineup on Saturday for a routine day off, Scioscia said. On deck: Red Sox at Angels, Sunday, 12:30 p.m. By JEFF FLETCHER / STAFF WRITER Where: Angel Stadium TV: Fox Sports West, 12:30 p.m. Did you know? Tyler Skaggs has not allowed a run over his past 132/3 innings dating to 2014.

10 July 31, 2016 Page 10 of 23 THE PITCHERS ANGELS LHP TYLER SKAGGS (1-0, 0.00) Vs. Red Sox: First game At Angel Stadium: 1-2, 5.27 Hates to face: None Loves to face: None RED SOX RHP STEVEN WRIGHT (12-5, 3.12) Vs. Angels: 2-1, 6.61 At Angel Stadium: 0-1, Hates to face: Albert Pujols, 3 for 6 (.500), 3 BBs Loves to face: Carlos Perez, 0 for 6 (.000) FROM ANGELS.COM Pujols homer helps Angels edge Red Sox By Alden Gonzalez and Ian Browne ANAHEIM -- Albert Pujols homered for the 20th time this season, Hector Santiagocontinually navigated out of trouble and Joe Smith recorded four big outs, sending the Angels to a 5-2 win over the Red Sox on Saturday night at Angel Stadium. Pujols turned on a first-pitch cutter from Drew Pomeranz in the third inning and sent it to leftcenter field a projected 434 feet, according to Statcast, giving the Angels a 3-2 lead. Johnny Giavotella added an RBI single in the fourth and Jett Bandy hit a run-scoring double in the sixth, ultimately giving the Angels their 14th win in the last 21 games. "We had a rough first half, all of us together as a group," Smith said. "But we've been playing really good baseball since the All-Star break. It's really fun around here, and we're just trying to keep doing it." Mookie Betts led off the game with a home run and Hanley Ramirez added an RBI single with one out in the first, but Santiago escaped a bases-loaded jam without any further damage, and the Red Sox didn't score again. "It happens in baseball," said Betts. "They capitalized on some chances and we didn't. We just have to go and play tomorrow and see how things shake out." It was the seventh loss in the last nine games for the Red Sox, who trail the Blue Jays by two games in the American League East.

11 July 31, 2016 Page 11 of 23 In his third start with the Red Sox, Pomeranz gave up six hits and five runs over 5 1/3 innings. Santiago allowed 10 baserunners and threw more than 100 pitches in the first four innings, but somehow managed to complete five innings of two-run ball. Smith then got the Angels into the eighth with a three-run lead by retiring all four batters he faced, giving him 7 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings and lowering his ERA to "We're fortunate tonight," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "You can't give that club as many baserunners as we did." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Distinguished company: Pujols' third-inning homer made him one of just four players to amass 20 or more home runs in 15 of his first 16 seasons, along with Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Frank Robinson. It was also Pujols' 1,190th extra-base hit, tying another Hall of Famer, Lou Gehrig, for ninth on the all-time list. With three more home runs, Pujols, sitting on 580, will tie his good friend, Mark McGwire, for 10th. "When it's all said and done, year after year, Albert is one of the most productive hitters to ever play the game," Scioscia said. "He keeps showing it." Mookie's leadoff power: Betts' leadoff homer was his sixth this season and the eighth of his young career. Nomar Garciaparra (seven leadoff homers in 1997) is the only Red Sox player since 1913 to have more leadoff homers than Betts, who deposited the third pitch of the game by Santiago over the Angels' bullpen in left. The right fielder has 21 home runs, already three more than he hit last year in his first full season. "I wasn't trying to ambush," said Betts. "Just swing at good pitches, that's my motto. I'm just trying to put a good swing on a good pitch, and fortunately I got one and it went out." Finding a way: Santiago somehow managed to move to 6-0 in July, despite requiring 119 pitches to finish five innings. The Angels' erratic left-hander issued six walks and recorded the second out of the fourth with his 100th pitch, but he breezed through the fifth and held the Red Sox to only two runs. He became only the second starter this year to throw 115-plus pitches in five innings while allowing two runs or fewer, along with the Red Sox's Joe Kelly. "Somehow I just find a way to make the pitch at the right time," said Santiago, who ranks third in the Majors in left-on-base percentage this season. "I'm just trying to figure out how to do that before I get in that situation with guys on. That's the key. Something inside me clicks and it's like, 'Hey, you're not scoring.' Literally. I said that three times to them. There were guys on second and third, and I'm like, 'You're staying right there.' That's the mindset I get with guys on base." Brentz, Red Sox miss opportunities: With Santiago obviously lacking command,bryce Brentz had two chances to break the game open for the Red Sox. He came to the plate in the first and third

12 July 31, 2016 Page 12 of 23 innings with the bases loaded and two outs and struck out both times. Boston had two on with one out in the fourth, and didn't score. And in the sixth, with two on and two outs, Xander Bogaerts hit a bullet to third, butyunel Escobar made a nice play on it to end the inning. Boston left 11 runners on base. "Missed opportunities," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "That's the story of this one. We did a fantastic job of, once again, putting guys on, but to cash in and complete the inning, that base hit has been elusive [of late]." SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Mike Trout reached 70 walks for the fourth time in his career in the seventh inning. He is one of only eight players to reach that total at least four times before their age-25 season, along with Mickey Mantle, Mel Ott, Eddie Mathews, Eddie Yost, Ted Williams, Harlond Clift, Jimmie Foxx and Donie Bush. Cam Bedrosian lowered his ERA to 0.92 by striking out the side in the eighth inning. The Angels' 24-year-old right-hander has gone 24 consecutive appearances without allowing a run, passing Smith for the fourth-longest streak in club history. He has 48 strikeouts in 39 innings in 2016, after combining to post a 5.81 ERA in 51 games from #HUGWATCH Escobar's pick on Bogaerts' grounder helped Smith preserve the Angels' 4-2 lead in the sixth. Smith, who also pitched a perfect seventh inning, had entered the game with runners on first and second and two outs. Both Smith and Escobar, along with Santiago, are candidates to be traded before Monday's 1 p.m. PT non-waiver Trade Deadline. "Yeah, you wonder it," Smith said of whether this might be his last game for the Angels. "Anybody would. Any day you walk in there it might be your last." WHAT'S NEXT Red Sox: Knuckleballer Steven Wright, who is coming off his toughest start of the season, will try to get back on track when the Red Sox close out this four-game series against the Angels with a 3:35 p.m. ET contest on Sunday at Angel Stadium. In his last six starts, Wright is 4-1 despite a 6.29 ERA. Angels: Tyler Skaggs makes his second start of the season, on the two-year anniversary of a fateful game. Skaggs tore his ulnar collateral ligament in Baltimore on July 31, 2014, requiring Tommy John surgery, but the lefty returned from a long recovery to throw seven scoreless innings against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday.

13 July 31, 2016 Page 13 of 23 Santiago, Smith get it done as Deadline looms By Alden Gonzalez ANAHEIM -- Hector Santiago got the win, his sixth this month, despite allowing 10 baserunners and exceeding 100 pitches before the end of the fourth inning. Joe Smith retired all four of the batters he faced, running his scoreless streak to 7 2/3 innings. And after they were done, neither could be sure if they would ever play for the Angels again. The non-waiver Trade Deadline is Monday, at 1 p.m. PT, less than 40 hours from the time the Angels beat the Red Sox, 5-2, on Saturday night to capture their 14th win in the last 21 games. Santiago, an accomplished starting pitcher in a market devoid of them, and Smith, a free-agent to be with a sterling track record as a setup man, are two of the Angels' most likely trade pieces. "Yeah, you wonder it," Smith said regarding whether he'd be dealt. "Anybody would. Any day you walk in there it might be your last." Santiago, seemingly a perpetual trade candidate, is a little bit more accustomed to this kind of thing. "I'm not worried about that," he said. "It's not in my plans or in my mind. I'm just trying to go out there and compete." Santiago counts the pitches in his head during his starts, just to keep track. He knew he needed 39 of them to complete a two-run first inning, and that his pitch count was at 74 through the first three frames, and that the second out of the fourth came on his 100th pitch. "I was like, 'Man, I don't know if they're going to let me go back out there.'" But Santiago gave up only those two first-inning runs, on a leadoff homer by Mookie Betts and a single by Hanley Ramirez. He breezed through the fifth, ending his start with a career-high 119 pitches. And he joined Joe Kelly of the Red Sox as only the second pitcher to allow just two runs despite needing at least 115 pitches through the first five innings this season. Santiago has a 1.27 ERA this month, and he's done that despite allowing 26 hits and 21 walks over a stretch of 35 1/3 innings. "Somehow I just find a way to make the pitch at the right time," Santiago said. "I'm just trying to figure out how to do that before I get in that situation with guys on. That's the key. Something inside me clicks and it's like, 'Hey, you're not scoring.' Literally. I said that three times to them. There were guys on second and third, and I'm like, 'You're staying right there.' That's the mindset I get with guys on base."

14 July 31, 2016 Page 14 of 23 Santiago loaded the bases in three innings but didn't give up any runs in spite of it. His left-onbase percentage ranks third in the Majors this month, and within the top 25 going back to his first year with the Angels in It has Santiago wondering if he should simply pitch out of the stretch at all times, an approach that tends to put more stress on a pitcher's arm. He brought it up to the Angels' pitching coach, Charles Nagy, and both sides are good with it. "But it's just a matter of me being comfortable doing it from Pitch 1 to Pitch 100," Santiago said. "It might be something for these next couple starts, if not next year." Smith got on track thanks in large part to the Angels' bullpen coach, Scott Radinsky, who has known Smith for about 10 years and worked to refine his delivery so that he is driving towards home plate as opposed to fading towards the third-base side. Smith, who has previously dealt with a nagging hamstring and a sore back, has been supplanted by the young, upstart Cam Bedrosian in the setup role. But his ERA has dropped from 4.80 to 3.82 since July 9. "It's just fun being healthy," Smith said, "and to actually have an idea of where the ball is going when you throw it." Over his previous six appearances, Smith had thrown 90 percent of his pitches for strikes. He faced his first three-ball count since July 17 on Saturday. "I was pissed," Smith said, smiling. "You have no idea how pissed I was." Pujols joins elite with 15 th 20-homer season By Fabian Ardaya / MLB.com ANAHEIM -- Albert Pujols earned his nickname, "The Machine," through his years with the St. Louis Cardinals for a simple reason: He was arguably the most dangerous hitter in the league, producing 30-homer, 100-RBI seasons with machine-like efficiency. On Saturday night against the Boston Red Sox, Pujols again demonstrated that he has the ability to be one of the best run-producers in the sport, turning on a first-pitchdrew Pomeranz cutter for a two-run homer in the third inning of the Angels' 5-2 win. The home run, which had an exit velocity of 109 mph and was projected by Statcast to travel 447 feet, not only gave the Angels a 3-2 lead but also further vaulted the slugger higher into the ranks of the all-time greats.

15 July 31, 2016 Page 15 of 23 It was his 20th home run this season, putting him in a group with Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays as the only players to slug 20 or more homers in 15 of their first 16 seasons. It was also his 1,190th extra-base hit, tying him with Lou Gehrig for ninth all-time in that category. Pujols now sits at 580 career home runs, three shy of tying Mark McGwire for 10th all-time. There was a time this season when many of Pujols' abilities were in doubt. A slow start saw his batting average at.176 after April, and constant nagging injuries to his lower half have forced him to almost exclusively be used as a designated hitter. But, in typical Pujols fashion, when he got hot, the production came quickly. "We weren't worried about Albert," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He always comes around, and when he does it leads to this kind of production." Pujols' two-run homer Saturday gave him 30 RBIs for the month of July, the most of anyone in the Majors and making him the first to record that many in July since Alex Rodriguez and Delmon Young did so in Pujols has 80 RBIs and is on pace to finish the season with 125, which would be his highest total since 2009, the year he last won the National League MVP Award. He's also on pace for 31 home runs. His batting average has also jumped up to.260, as Pujols has hit.331 (39-for-114) since June 25. As Pujols' bat has returned, so has the Angels' offense. The club has hit.291 in the month of July, scoring a Major League-best 149 runs through its first 25 games (5.96 runs per game). "The Machine" is still running just fine. "When it's all said and done, Albert has, year after year, been one of the most productive hitters to ever play the game, and he's showing it," Scioscia said. "He's on pace for an incredible amount of RBIs, he's getting big hits for us. He's driving the ball out of the ballpark and he's doing things that you need a cleanup hitter in the Major Leagues to do." Skaggs returns to Angel Stadium two years after injury By Fabian Ardaya / MLB.com Two years to the day of the start that significantly altered his career, Angels left-hander Tyler Skaggs (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will once again take the mound at Angel Stadium on Sunday as he faces the Boston Red Sox in the final game of a four-game series. Squaring off against Skaggs will be Red Sox knuckleballer and American League All-Star Steven Wright (12-5, 3.12), who was shelled for eight runs in 4 2/3 innings in his last start, against Detroit on July 26. Wright's knuckleball could be affected by Anaheim's humid climate, which should see high-80s temperatures and humidity above 50 percent. Red Sox manager John

16 July 31, 2016 Page 16 of 23 Farrell has ruled out scratching Wright from starts due to undesirable climates that could impact his knuckleball. What Wright must do, he said, is prevent excessive sweat and moisture from reaching his hands during the course of the game. Skaggs has not pitched at Angel Stadium since July 25, Six days later, he was 4 2/3 innings into a no-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles and suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. He underwent Tommy John surgery and had a pair of setbacks that moved his originally planned September 2015 return to Spring Training 2016, and then again to last week. In his official return against the Royals, Skaggs worked seven shutout innings and picked up the win. Over his last three combined starts between the Angels and Triple-A Salt Lake, Skaggs has worked 19 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings with 31 strikeouts compared to four walks. Wright pitched around trouble in his first start against the Angels on July 1, picking up the win despite allowing four runs on eight hits in five innings of work. He's 2-1 with a 6.61 ERA in three career starts against the Angels. Skaggs will be making his first career appearance against the Red Sox. Things to know about the game Wright has not allowed more than one homer in each of his last 24 starts, the fifth-longest active streak in the Majors and the longest by a Red Sox pitcher since Pedro Martinez from May 3, 2003-April 10, Angels infielder Cliff Pennington is "close" to making a return, according to Mike Scioscia. He will be evaluated on Sunday and will likely be activated after not playing since June 1 because of a left hamstring strain. He was injured while running out a bunt, aggravating the same injury that caused him to miss time earlier this year. With a home run on Saturday, Albert Pujols became one of four players in history to log at least 20 homers in 15 of his first 16 seasons, joining Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. That homer also gave him 580 for his career, moving him within three of tying Mark McGwire for 10th on the all-time list. Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz will be playing in his final game against the Angels after his day off on Saturday. Ortiz hit.275/.370/.555 for his career against the Angels, hitting 32 homers and driving in 91 runs in 125 games. He hit his first career homer as a member of the Red Sox while at Angel Stadium, driving a pinch-hit home run to win an extra-inning game against the Angels on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball on April 27, 2003.

17 July 31, 2016 Page 17 of 23 JJ Redick, Luke Walton throw first pitches in SoCal By Adrian Garro / MLB.com Both the Dodgers and Angels played home games on Saturday night, with the Dodgers losing, 4-2, to the D-backsand the Angels besting the Red Sox, 5-2. In a fitting coincidence, both games featured ceremonial first pitches from local basketball figures: Clippers shooting guard JJ Redick put on some Halos gear and threw a pitch to Mike Trout -- a pitch, by the way, that skipped on the ground and forced Trout to make a nice glove save. (Fun anecdote: According to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez, known autograph hunter and Angels left-hander Hector Santiago brought a basketball to the stadium, hoping to get Redick's signature for his collection). After it was all said and done, Redick posted a series of photos on Instagram from his day at Angel Stadium, with an amusing reference to his pitch encounter: Over at Chavez Ravine, Luke Walton -- onetime Laker, son of Bill and the team's new head coach -- put on some Dodger Blue and threw his own ceremonial first pitch. This one seemed to land without incident, however. Angels activate Robinson, DFA Gentry, Nava By Fabian Ardaya / MLB.com ANAHEIM -- The Angels' offseason plan for left field has proven not to be a success, as both of their free-agent signings -- Daniel Nava and Craig Gentry -- were designated for assignment on Saturday. To take Nava's spot on the 25-man roster, the Angels activated Shane Robinson. Robinson batted ninth and played right field in Saturday night's game against the Red Sox. Nava, who signed a one-year, $1.375 million deal with the Angels during the offseason, was hampered by injuries throughout this season, notably left knee tendinitis and a left groin strain that caused him to make separate trips to the disabled list. The 33-year-old wound up playing 45 games for the Angels, hitting.235/ with one homer and 13 RBIs. On Thursday night, he pinch-hit and chopped a ball to first base in what wound up being the game-winning play in the team's 2-1 win over his former team, the Boston Red Sox.

18 July 31, 2016 Page 18 of 23 "Daniel was banged up," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "I think it's still in him to do some of the things he's done in his career. He was banged up last year. He had a great spring with us, started off the season and missed some time and just never quite got there." Scioscia said the team elected to designate Nava instead of optioning one of their relief pitchers because the team needs bullpen depth with the starting rotation struggling to provide length. Gentry, 32, signed a one-year, $1 million deal in the offseason with the idea of platooning with Nava. He was also hampered by injuries, as he didn't play in a game after April 23. He originally missed time with a right lumbar spine strain, then appeared close to coming back before being moved to the 60-day disabled list with a "personal medical condition." He only appeared in 14 games for the Angels, recording five hits in 34 at-bats and two RBIs before succumbing to injury. Scioscia said Gentry, who has been working with Triple-A Salt Lake since July 18, was healthy enough to make a return but was "never able to get on track" enough to warrant an activation. To make the move, the club activated him from the 60-day DL before designating him for assignment. With Nava and Gentry gone, the Angels will now have four likely left-field options: Robinson, Gregorio Petit, Jefry Marte and Ji-Man Choi. Only Robinson is a natural left fielder, and only Choi is a left-handed hitter. Scioscia said Cliff Pennington, who is primarily a shortstop, is also an option to play left when activated off the DL. Worth noting Scioscia hopes to have first baseman C.J. Cron back within a "couple weeks." Cron, who hasn't played since July 8 because of a fractured left hand, will be evaluated on Tuesday and could begin swinging a bat soon after. He was originally given a timetable of 6-8 weeks to recover. Scioscia said Pennington is "close" to a return from his hamstring injury and will be evaluated again Sunday before making a decision. Sunday is the first day he is eligible to be activated. The Angels will look to reshuffle their starting rotation after Monday's off-day, Scisocia said. They currently have a pair of lefties, Hector Santiago and Tyler Skaggs, working back to back, and Scioscia said he'll likely break up the two. Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz will be playing in his final game against the Angels on Sunday after his day off on Saturday. Ortiz hit.275/.370/.555 for his career against the Angels, hitting 32 homers and driving in 91 runs in 125 games. He hit his first career homer as a member of the Red Sox while at Angel Stadium, driving a pinch-hit home run to win an extrainning game against the Angels on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball on April 27, The Angels gave Kole Calhoun just his second day off of the season on Saturday.

19 July 31, 2016 Page 19 of 23 FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Pujols hits 2-run HR to help Angels beat Red Sox 5-2 ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Hector Santiago was happy to overlook his rough stretch as long as the Los Angeles Angels got the win. Santiago labored through five innings, throwing a season-high 119 pitches with six walks, and it was good enough as the Angels beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 Saturday night. "A phenomenal start," Santiago said. "We got the W. Who cares about the rest?" After giving up a pair of runs in the first, including a leadoff homer to Mookie Betts, Santiago mostly managed to frustrate the Red Sox, who left 11 men on base. "It's almost like he was effectively wild," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "He was erratic enough in the strike zone to prevent us from squaring anything up." Santiago (10-4) has now won six consecutive starts, posting a 1.78 ERA, all in the month of July. He's the first left-hander to go 6-0 in a calendar month sinceandy Pettitte managed it for the Yankees in August of He was supported Saturday by the continued hot bat of veteran Albert Pujols. After Santiago allowed the two runs in the first, the Angels got one back in the bottom of the inning against Drew Pomeranz (8-9) before Pujols put the Angels on top with a line-drive, tworun homer in the third. Pujols has 20 RBI in his last 13 games, 30 for the month of July and 80 on the season. It was his 20th home run of the year. This after he started the season batting.185 in his first 33 games. "Year after year, Albert is one of the most productive hitters to ever play the game," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "We were never worried about Albert." It was the third start for Pomeranz with the Red Sox since acquired from the Padres on July 14. He is 0-2 with a 7.53 in his three starts with Boston. "Overall he just wasn't as strong as the last time out," Farrell said. "It's been a mixed bag. There's quality stuff being thrown, it's just a matter of consistency." Pomeranz went 5 1/3 innings and was charged with all five runs. He gave up six hits, walked two and struck out four.

20 July 31, 2016 Page 20 of 23 He was not helped by the Red Sox offense, which stranded those 11 runners and could never come up with the timely hit after the first. "Missed opportunities," Farrell said. "That's the story of this game." The Angels backed up the erratic performance by Santiago with four scoreless innings of relief by four different relievers. Houston Street got the final three outs for his ninth save. The Angels are 47-57, their season appearing lost. But they have won 10 of their last 15 and 18 of their last 25. And since 2012, they are at home against the Red Sox. ALL LEFT OUT The Angels parted ways with their opening-day platoon in left field, designatingdaniel Nava and Craig Gentry for assignment. Not wanting to pay the luxury tax, the Angels signed the two in the offseason for a combined $2.4 million. Nava hit.229 with one home run. Gentry hit.147 in 34 at-bats before injuring his back and being assigned to the minors. The Angels activated outfieldershane Robinson (right ankle sprain) from the disabled list. MOVING UP The home run by Pujols left him with 1,190 career extra-base hits, tying Lou Gehrig for ninth on baseball's all-time list. With the home run, he joined Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays as the only plays with 20-plus home runs in 15 of their first 16 seasons. TRAINER'S ROOM Red Sox: RHP Craig Kimbrel threw 17 pitches in his first rehab appearance. Kimbrel (surgery for torn left knee cartilage) started the game for triple-a Pawtucket, recording one out while hitting a batter and allowing one hit. Manager John Farrell it was uncertain what Kimbrell's next step would be, but said he could join the team when it opens a four-game series in Seattle Tuesday. Angels: C.J. Cron may be on the verge of a remarkable recovery from his fractured left hand. Cron injured the hand on July 9 and it was originally expected he would be out six-to-eight weeks. But manager Mike Scioscia said Cron could return within two weeks. He is scheduled to be examined Tuesday and could be cleared to start swinging a bat. UP NEXT Red Sox: RHP Steven Wright (12-5) will try to bounce back from his worst start of the season when he gave up eight earned runs in 4 2/3 innings Tuesday against Detroit. In his last six starts, he has a 6.89 ERA but has gone 4-1.

21 July 31, 2016 Page 21 of 23 Angels: LHP Tyler Skaggs will try to duplicate his first start of the season. Skaggs, returning from Tommy John surgery, threw seven scoreless innings Tuesday, holding the Royals to only three hits in his first start since July 31, Trout s first car to be sold at collector s auction ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- You could own a truck driven by one of the best players in MLB. The first car of Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout is being auctioned off in Atlantic City. Trout's parents bought him a pickup truck in 2007, when he was a junior at Millville High School in New Jersey. He bought a new car after he was drafted by the Angels and sold the truck to the parents of his now-fiancee. They gave it to their youngest son, who has also been drafted by the Angels. The families decided to auction it off at the National Sports Collectors Convention on Thursday. Trout autographed the outside of the glove compartment. The truck is expected to sell for around $15,000. Trout was baseball's MVP in FROM FOX SPORTS Red Sox-Angels Preview ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Tyler Skaggs will pitch at Angel Stadium for the first time in two years Sunday when the Los Angeles Angels and the Boston Red Sox conclude their three-game series. The left-hander, who turned 25 on July 13, returned to major-league action Tuesday night in Kansas City after spending the past two years recuperating from Tommy John surgery. In his start against the Royals, Skaggs conceded just three hits and one walk in seven shutout innings while collecting five strikeouts in the Angels' 13-0 romp. Skaggs threw 63 of his 88 pitches for strikes.

22 July 31, 2016 Page 22 of 23 "It went a lot better than I expected, to say the least," Skaggs told MLB.com afterward. "Everything just felt really fast in that first at-bat and after that, it started to slow down. It was a fun game for me." The left-hander last pitched in Anaheim on July 25, 2014, when he struck out five in 5 2/3 innings while allowing runs on five hits and a walk against the Detroit Tigers. In his next start six days later, Skaggs amassed seven strikeouts and issued no walks during 4 2/3 no-hit innings in Baltimore but left after throwing 72 pitches. Skaggs underwent ligament-transfer surgery 13 days later. Skaggs began this season with Triple-A Salt Lake but after his first three starts, biceps tendinitis kept him from pitching for two months. Skaggs returned to minor-league action June 22 with a rehabilitation assignment with the Angels' rookie-league team in Arizona before returning to Salt Lake on July 2. In his final two minor-league starts, Skaggs held opponents to just two hits and three walks in 12 2/3 shutout innings while accumulating 26 strikeouts. Fourteen came against Triple-A Omaha to tie the Bees' team record set by Jered Weaver. The left-hander will play a pivotal role in the starting rotation for the rest of this season and well into the next, at least. Injuries stripped the Angels of starters Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney, C.J. Wilson and Nick Tropeano. Heaney already had Tommy John surgery but Tropeano and Richards seek to avoid it. "We have great expectations for him," manager Mike Scioscia told MLB.com in reference to Skaggs. "He's an important part of what we're trying to do. We expected to have him maybe a little bit earlier. But he's ready now, and we're happy to have him." Opposing Skaggs will be 31-year-old knuckleballer Steven Wright, who is having the best season of his career. The right-hander, an American League All-Star for the first time, already has career bests in victories (12), complete games (3), starts (20), strikeouts (109) and innings (132 2/3). Wright anticipated being one of the bullpen's spare parts before left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez suffered a knee injury that forced a quick change in plans. "I was going to be a long guy, spot starter," the knuckleball specialist told the Boston Globe. "I knew my role in spring training. They made it clear. That's what I prepared for. I knew there was a chance I'd get starts. I didn't think I'd be in the rotation. Unfortunately, Eddie got hurt but it opened up a door for me." But Wright had perhaps his worst start of the season in his last appearance Tuesday night against the Tigers in Fenway Park. The right-hander allowed eight earned runs on nine hits and

23 July 31, 2016 Page 23 of 23 three walks in 4 2/3 innings yet received no decision in Boston's 9-8 defeat. Before that game, Wright won his previous four starts. "This is a tough loss for me because I feel like if you can get eight runs, you should get the team a win," Wright told MLB.com afterward. "You can't keep asking the offense to score eight, nine runs every night. That's tough to do for any team."