Clips (May 14, 2015)

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1 May 14, 2015 Page 1 of 31 Clips (May 14, 2015)

2 May 14, 2015 Page 2 of 31 Today s Clips Contents FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3) Angels sign closer Huston Street to two-year extension Angels get a deal, but not a steal, in Huston Street's new contract Huston Street, extending Angels contract, is where he wants to be Mike Trout's defense, Albert Pujols' sacrifice fly give Angels 2-1 win over Rockies Angels take flight behind Mike Trout's big defensive plays FROM THE OC REGISTER (Page 8) Angels not giving up on finding a role for outfielder Gary Brown Alcantara almost ready to return to 66ers, but Baldoquin's timetable remains a mystery Angels sign Huston Street to two-year, $18M extension Pujols' sac-fly wins game in 11th, Trout's defense saves it FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 13) Angels, Street finalize two-year extension Perez making most of everyday reps at catcher Trout gets the outs, before Pujols walks off vs. Rox Trout leaves Angels in awe of his game-saving gems Weaver, Chen to get series started for Angels, O's FROM FOX SPORTS WEST (Page 20) Angels agree to two-year extension with Street Mike Trout 'makes it look easy' in Angels win FROM THE LA DAILY NEWS (Page 22) Angels closer Huston Street chooses winning over money with extension Angels outlast Rockies with 2-1 win in extra innings FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 23) Huston Street signs new deal with Angels for 2 years, $18 million Pujols, Trout star as Angels beat skidding Rockies 2-1 in 11 FROM GRANTLAND (Page 26) The Other Trout

3 May 14, 2015 Page 3 of 31 FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES Angels sign closer Huston Street to two-year extension By Mike DiGiovanna Huston Street and the Angels agreed Wednesday on a two-year contract extension that guarantees the closer $18 million. The Angels are paying Street $7 million this season. The new deal extends through 2017, with a club option for Street, 31, is tied for second in the American League with 11 saves this season. He is 2-1 with a 3.29 earned-run average. Street has made the All-Star team in two of the previous three years. His 91.9% conversion rate on save opportunities over the last five years leads the majors among pitchers with at least 50 opportunities. The Angels acquired Street and minor league pitcher Trevor Gott last July from the San Diego Padres for four minor leaguers. Angels get a deal, but not a steal, in Huston Street's new contract By Mike DiGiovanna The consensus is that the Angels got a pretty nice bargain on Wednesday, when they signed closer Huston Street to a two-year contract extension for a guaranteed $18 million. Street gave up a chance at a better deal elsewhere to stay in Anaheim. The view from here: Street might have gotten the best deal he could get. The Angels were fair, but the evolving market for closers could have put Street in significant jeopardy in free agency. And, of course, an injury could have dampened his value; Street has been on the disabled list in four of the five seasons preceding this one. As an increasing number of teams lean toward the sabermetric conclusions that closers are relatively overpriced and the performance of relievers in general is notoriously volatile, the demand for a proven closer diminishes. When demand drops, price generally follows even amid baseball s record revenues. At the same time, teams have spread the wealth to setup men to build a deeper bullpen. In spring training, Street said he believed his value should fall between two free agents signed last winter: David Robertson (four years and $46 million with the Chicago White Sox) and Andrew Miller (four years and $36 million from the New York Yankees). Robertson and Miller each hit free agency at 29. Street, had he filed for free agency this fall, would have hit the market at 32.

4 May 14, 2015 Page 4 of 31 Of the 11 free-agent relievers to sign with another team for at least $15 million over the past three winters, three were proven closers: Robertson, Joe Nathan (two years and $20 million with the Detroit Tigers) and Rafael Soriano (two years and $28 million with the Washington Nationals). Nathan posted a 4.81 earned-average last year and is injured this year; Soriano lost his job as the Nationals closer at the end of last season and remains unsigned this season. Of the nine pitchers with at least 10 saves this season, their salaries this year range from $521,000 (Brad Boxberger of the Tampa Bay Rays) to $9 million (Miller and Craig Kimbrel of the San Diego Padres). From this view, Street cashed in quite nicely. Huston Street, extending Angels contract, is where he wants to be By Mike DiGiovanna It wasn't that Jerry Dipoto picked up the $600 tab for a dinner for two at a swanky sushi joint in Scottsdale, Ariz., in late February, though it was a nice gesture by the Angels general manager. It was the substance of the conversation during the four-hour meal that helped convince Huston Street to commit to the Angels for another two or three years, even if that meant accepting a little less money than he was seeking and forgoing potentially bigger riches in free agency. The veteran closer on Wednesday agreed to a two-year, $18-million contract extension with a $10- million club option that could keep Street in Anaheim through The groundwork for the deal was laid in spring training over spicy yellowtail and shrimp and a bottle of wine at Sushi Roku. "It wasn't all baseball a lot of it was about life and kind of sharing," Street, 31, said of the dinner. "That really set the framework. I detailed what I wanted in years and average annual value. He detailed where he thought the organization was." When Street arrived at spring training and was acting as his own agent, he said he wanted a deal between what closer David Robertson got from the Chicago White Sox (four years, $46 million) and setup man Andrew Miller got from the New York Yankees (four years, $36 million) last winter. When the season began, Street, who is making $7 million this season, retained agent Alan Hendricks. Street settled on an extension that will pay $8 million in 2016, $9 million in 2017 and $10 million or a $1- million buyout in If the option is picked up, he'll make $34 million from "You get to this stage of your career and you realize how precious winning is," said Street, who has converted 286 of 332 save opportunities in 11 years. "Then you realize how some organizations are more committed to winning than others. To me, it's clear how committed this organization is to winning. "It makes my job that much more meaningful because I'm playing for something bigger than statistics or money. I want that ultimate prize, the World Series. It's very difficult to play in August and September when you're out of it." Street, acquired from San Diego for four minor leaguers last July 18, has never been a free agent. The thought of hitting the open market in November, he admitted, held some intrigue.

5 May 14, 2015 Page 5 of 31 "But at the same time," he said, "the point of free agency is to end up where you want to be." As Street sized up the talent in his clubhouse and the franchise's commitment to winning as well as the Sunset Beach home he's renting with a view of the ocean it was clear he was right where he wanted to be. "You can't let your ego get involved," Street said. "You have to make decisions based on reality and what you really want. If all you want is money, that's one thing. But I put a lot of value on a lot of other things. First and foremost is the happiness of my family. "Second is my loyalty to winning. I love my teammates, but this is a talent league, and I told them if I didn't think they were worth a hill of beans, I wouldn't have signed this contract. I was closing for the team I want to close for. So the allure of free agency wasn't as exciting to me." When Dipoto went back to his office after dinner that night in Arizona, he "threw the receipt on the table," he said. "It was pure fascination." If an extravagant dinner was part of the price to secure a lock-down closer, it was worth it. "If we have a lead going into the ninth inning, my pulse rate is the same as if there's no score in the first," Dipoto said. "There's something about the calm Huston brings. There hasn't been a more consistent closer in the last few years." Street's acquisition pushed Joe Smith back to a setup role and solidified a bullpen that keyed the Angels' run to a major league-best record in Street has a 3.07 earned-run average and 11 saves this season. "As a manager, your IQ is tied to your bullpen," Manager Mike Scioscia said, "and a guy like Huston has a history of making his manager look smart." Mike Trout's defense, Albert Pujols' sacrifice fly give Angels 2-1 win over Rockies By Mike DiGiovanna Angels 2, Colorado 1 (11 innings) KEY MOMENT: Angels center fielder Mike Trout, who leaped at the wall to rob Troy Tulowitzki of a homer in the 10th inning, made a running catch of Daniel Descalso's fly to shallow center in the 11th and threw home to nail Carlos Gonzalez to end the inning. Gonzalez, who had tagged up, was initially ruled safe, but the call was overturned after a 1-minute, 11-second instant-replay review that showed catcher Carlos Perez applied the tag before Gonzalez's foot hit the plate. AT THE PLATE: C.J. Cron snapped an 0-for-18 skid with a leadoff single in the bottom of the 11th. Pinchrunner Taylor Featherston took third on Kole Calhoun's single off the right-field wall, and Trout was walked intentionally to load the bases. Albert Pujols lifted a sacrifice fly to left for the Angels' third walkoff win this season and the 17th walk-off RBI of Pujols' career. The Angels tied the score, 1-1, in the seventh when Erick Aybar hit a bases-loaded single to center, but Pujols, who had doubled, was thrown out trying to score from second. The Rockies got two-out singles by Wilin Rosario, Justin Morneau and Drew Stubbs for a run in the fourth. Colorado lost its 11th game in a row.

6 May 14, 2015 Page 6 of 31 ON THE MOUND: Left-hander Hector Santiago threw one of the best games of his Angels career, allowing one run and seven hits in six innings, striking out eight and walking none. Mike Morin allowed two hits and struck out two in a scoreless seventh, Joe Smith struck out two in a one-two-three eighth, Huston Street retired the side in order in the ninth, and Fernando Salas threw a scoreless 10th. Rockies starter Jordan Lyles was knocked out of the game by a Pujols liner that hit Lyles in the back of the right hand in the first. X-rays were negative. Former UC Irvine standout Christian Bergman replaced Lyles and allowed one run and three hits in 51/3 strong innings. BEHIND THE PLATE: Perez made his sixth start in eight games since being recalled from triple A, a good indication he has replaced the struggling Chris Iannetta (.101) as starting catcher. When a guy plays well, he's going to earn more playing time, and that's what Carlos has done, Manager Mike Scioscia said. We're going to need them both. How time is split will be contingent on production. MANAGER DOWN: Rockies Manager Walt Weiss was taken to a hospital before batting practice because of stomach discomfort and underwent an appendectomy. Bench coach Tom Runnells managed the club in Weiss' absence. UP NEXT: The Angels are off Thursday. Angels take flight behind Mike Trout's big defensive plays By Mike DiGiovanna Angels center fielder Mike Trout wasn t available to discuss his defensive heroics in a 2-1, 11-inning victory over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night. By the time the clubhouse opened to the media, Trout was gone, off to LAX for a red-eye flight to the East Coast so he could spend Thursday s off day in his hometown of Millville, N.J. He got out of here quick, Angels reserve outfielder Collin Cowgill said about 20 minutes after the game. Knowing him, he s probably on the plane by now. Or he s flying himself, sprouting some wings. Cowgill was joking... we think. In his third year as a teammate of Trout, the 2014 American League most valuable player and 2012 and 2013 MVP runner-up, Cowgill has learned that Trout has very few limitations and at times seems otherworldly. That dude continues to wow us, Cowgill said after Trout robbed Troy Tulowitzki of a home run with a leaping catch above the wall in the top of the 10th inning and threw out Carlos Gonzalez at the plate to end the top of the 11th. The Angels won on Albert Pujols sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 11th. Big moments? He slows them down, Cowgill continued. When the ball gets around that guy, good things happen, whether he s at the plate or on defense. Those plays don t get his heart pumping. He just slows things down and makes them when the game is on the line. As impressive as Trout s catch of Tulowitzki s laser toward the gap was, his play on Gonzalez was even better, with a much higher degree of difficulty.

7 May 14, 2015 Page 7 of 31 With the score tied, 1-1, one out and Gonzalez on third, Daniel Descalso took a full swing but hit a ball off the end of his bat into shallow center field. The speedy Trout raced in, made a running catch of the ball near his shins, gathered himself and threw home on the fly to nail Gonzalez, who had tagged up. Gonzalez was initially ruled safe by home-plate umpire Phil Cuzzi, but the call was overturned after a 1- minute, 11-second instant-replay review that showed catcher Carlos Perez had applied the tag before Gonzalez s foot hit the plate. To field it low, set your feet and throw an absolute strike on the fly to home... there are not many guys who can do that, said Cowgill, who was in left field at the time. It s one of the tougher plays. Full swing, off the end of the bat, it s tough to read, and these stadiums are loud, so it s tough to hear. Normally, those balls fall in. But to make that play in that situation, a double play to end the inning and that being the go-ahead run, makes it that much better. Trout s footwork and coordination were keys to the play, but it probably wouldn t have been possible without his improved throwing arm. The one knock on Trout was that he has an average throwing arm, but not anymore. His arm has improved a lot, said Angels bench coach Dino Ebel, who oversees the outfielders. He s working at it, throwing long-toss with Kole [Calhoun] every three or four days, and you can see it coming. He s confident. He feels it. His arm is much stronger, and his accuracy is better. I said last year, when he comes to spring training and someone says he has a below-average or average arm, he s going to prove you wrong. Trout has made several spectacular home-run-robbing catches, but he got to the wall so quickly and efficiently and timed his jump so perfectly on Tulowitzki s drive Wednesday night that the play almost looked routine. That s what Garrett was saying, that he makes it look so easy, Cowgill said, referring to pitcher Garrett Richards. I feel like it s easy for him. He gets back to the wall so fast and knows where the ball is going to be, and he has an incredible knack for knowing when the ball is going to land. Everyone has an internal clock in baseball, infielders and outfielders. His is just more accurate. People don t get that many chances to rob home runs, and here we are in May, and he has, what, three? Some center fielders go entire seasons without robbing homers. It seems like he does it once a month.

8 May 14, 2015 Page 8 of 31 FROM THE OC REGISTER Angels not giving up on finding a role for outfielder Gary Brown BY BUBBA BROWN SALT LAKE CITY For Gary Brown, this is not how it was supposed to turn out. Considered one of the best prospects in baseball before the 2012 season, the speedy outfielder s fall from grace has been swift and unexpected. Instead of manning center field for the San Francisco Giants, who drafted him 24th overall in 2010, he is with the Salt Lake Bees after the Giants, then the Cardinals, designated him for assignment this spring. But just because he has not performed anything like the player many thought he was going to become doesn t mean he has zero value for the Angels, who claimed him off waivers in April. Bees manager Dave Anderson said Brown s combination of speed and above-average defense in center means there might yet be a role the 26-year-old can fill in the majors. I think there s always value in a guy who can catch the ball in the outfield, Anderson said. The way the game is dictated now, with the left-right matchups and things, that creates a lot of spots at the major league level for a lot of different guys. You ve seen some teams take advantage of that and have success with it. Brown got off to a glacial start with the Bees but has begun showing signs of life. Entering Wednesday s game against the Tacoma Rainiers, he was hitting.253/.290/.425 with three homers in 87 at-bats. It s one of those things where anytime you change to a new club and don t play for a few days, it takes you a while to get in the rhythm a little bit, Anderson said. I think he s starting to kind of head in that direction. Obviously he s made some adjustments on his own. THE MORE YOU KNOW One of the interesting differences between the major leagues and the minors is the amount of information available on opposing players. In the bigs, even bench players and seldom-used relievers warrant extensive scouting reports, complete with statistical breakdowns and game footage. What s available in the minors even in Triple-A is not nearly as detailed. Obviously, more information is known on some players than others, but overall there s much more guesswork involved than there is in the majors. Nick Tropeano, who saw time in the bigs last year with the Astros and started one game this season for the Angels, said the discrepancy in information means pitchers are able to approach hitters differently in the majors than in the minors. In the major leagues, they have more detailed scouting reports on guys and you work with the catchers a little more to form a game plan, Tropeano said. Here, it s kind of more feeling it out as you progress. ALSO

9 May 14, 2015 Page 9 of 31 Josh Rutledge started the season with the Bees after failing to win the Angels second base job in spring training. But so far, he is not showing off the bat that enticed the Angels to trade for him this offseason. Rutledge, who spent much of last season in the bigs with the Rockies, is hitting.266/.301/.379 in 124 at-bats, well below the numbers he put up everywhere else he has played in the minors. Alcantara almost ready to return to 66ers, but Baldoquin's timetable remains a mystery BY KYLE GLASER The Inland Empire 66ers rotation is about to get a boost. Victor Alcantara threw a bullpen session Tuesday and will be activated from the disabled list in the coming days, according to Manager Denny Hocking. Alcantara, ranked the Angels' No. 6 prospect by Baseball America, has been on the DL since May 4 with a split fingernail on his right hand. I would anticipate him making a start pretty soon, Hocking said, without offering a specific date. He s the one guy who needs to stay in his routine and the reason he went on the DL was because he wasn t going to be able to throw for a number of days. Everything looked good in the bullpen from what I saw. The 22-year old Dominican right-hander was 1-3 with a 4.19 ERA in six starts before the injury. He s struck out 27 and walked 12 in 28 1/3 innings this season. He will retake his place as the 66ers No. 2 starter when he returns. Meanwhile, no one seems to know when Roberto Baldoquin will come off the disabled list, and that includes the 66ers coaching staff. Hocking said there is no timetable for the return of his injured shortstop, who s been on the DL since April 23 with a strained left lat muscle. Baldoquin, 20, is rehabbing at the Angels spring training complex in Arizona. I know he s been doing some stuff in the pool getting his injury better but I have not been given a timetable for when he will return, Hocking said. Normally they don t tell me when guys are coming back. I think when he s ready I ll probably get a Hey you re getting Baldoquin tomorrow, but I haven t received any information about his return. Baldoquin, ranked the Angels' No. 8 prospect by Baseball America, defected from Cuba and signed an $8 million contract with the Angels over the winter. He hit.154 (6 for 39) in 11 games before going on the DL.

10 May 14, 2015 Page 10 of 31 I imagine he s been on the field taking swings and taking ground balls, Hocking said. As far as being in a game I do not know. Angels sign Huston Street to two-year, $18M extension BY PEDRO MOURA ANAHEIM - They had been working toward it, slowly but surely, for three months. On Wednesday, Huston Street and the Angels finally reached an agreement on an extension. The 31-year-old closer will get a guaranteed $18 million over the next three seasons, with a $10 million team option for In the spring, Street made it known he sought a four-year deal worth roughly $40 million, including an overwriting of his $7 million salary for 2015; with Wednesday's agreement, he settled for a three-year deal worth $25 million. Street said Wednesday the prospect of free agency presented limited appeal to him. For that reason, he was willing to accept less than he could have gotten on the open market in five months, and the Angels were in turn willing to accept the risk involved in an in-season extension. After spending on non-contending teams, he found an additional sense of importance with the Angels last season, and he wanted to retain it. For me, more than anything, it's multiple years where I've got a chance to really matter, Street said. You get into this stage of your career it s my 11th year and you start to realize how precious winning is. Then you start to realize later the business of the game and how there are some organizations that are more committed to winning than others. That's just the nature of it, and to be a part of this organization, it's pretty clear. That makes my job more meaningful because I'm playing for something that's bigger than just statistics or just money. If the Angels exercise the option, it'll be a four-year, $34 million deal $12 million less than David Robertson, who is 20 months younger than Street, received from the Chicago White Sox over the winter. It d also be $2 million less than Andrew Miller got from the New York Yankees. Relative to the market, the Angels seem to be getting a deal. Street initially acted as his own agent in the negotiations, ultimately turning to Alan Hendricks at season s start to continue them. The pitcher met with Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto over dinner during spring training in Arizona; mutual respect was furthered. As he did in the spring, Dipoto spoke highly Wednesday of Street s skills as a negotiator and as a pitcher. The thing that appeals to me most about Huston is that you ve got a three-pitch closer who understands how to attack the strike zone, and isn t ultra-reliant on any one thing, Dipoto said. He s been very consistent in what he does, and it really does bring a sense of calm to you. He has a very steady pulse rate.

11 May 14, 2015 Page 11 of 31 Street will make $8 million in 2016 and $9 million in There is a $10 million option or a $1 million buyout for The Angels acquired him two weeks before last year's trade deadline. He pitched to a 1.71 ERA in 28 games the rest of the year, stabilizing a theretofore-shaky unit in the process. Combined with the 33 innings he pitched for the Padres before he was traded, 2014 was the best season of Street s career. But he has been an effective closer for 11 consecutive seasons now. In 13-2/3 innings this year, he's saved 11 of 13 games, striking out 15, walking five, and recording a 3.29 ERA. As a manager, your IQ is tied to your bullpen, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. Huston Street has a history of making his manager look smart, so we re excited. He s a guy you can build around for a couple years. Street ranks 29th all-time with 286 saves. Troy Percival's 354 career saves, good for ninth place, are well within reach. The career accomplishments really start to sneak up on you, Dipoto said. You start looking at what he s done and the fact that he s just 31 years old. NOTES Scioscia said he had explained the Angels catching situation to incumbent starter Chris Iannetta, who has lost the opportunity to start the majority of games, at least for the time being, to rookie catcher Carlos Perez. Chris understands the start that he got off to, Scioscia said. He understands the need for us to get a little bit of production behind the plate. He also understands how well Carlos has played when he s been out there. Rockies manager Walt Weiss had an appendectomy Wednesday night following two days of stomach discomfort. The 51-year-old Weiss left Angel Stadium right before batting practice with athletic trainer Keith Dugger to get a follow-up exam. A club spokesman said Weiss is expected to be hospitalized until Thursday afternoon, but no timetable has been established on when he will rejoin the club. Bench coach Tom Runnells managed the team Wednesday and will continued to guide the team in Weiss absence. The Rockies begin a four-game series up the freeway at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night. The Reds claimed right-hander Ryan Mattheus off waivers after the Angels designated him for assignment Tuesday. Mattheus pitched just one inning for the Angels after they called him up Friday. Pujols' sac-fly wins game in 11th, Trout's defense saves it BY PEDRO MOURA ANAHEIM The advanced defensive metric Defensive Runs Saved determined that Mike Trout was worth nine runs below the major-league average in center field a season ago, and just one run above average so far this year.

12 May 14, 2015 Page 12 of 31 Make that three. Trout saved two runs for the Angels in the field on Wednesday night, affording them the chance to win late, a chance they finally acted upon in the 11th inning, when Albert Pujols hit a walk-off sacrifice fly and the Angels beat the Colorado Rockies, 2-1, at Angel Stadium. In the 10th inning, Troy Tulowitzki drove a ball deep to center field. Trout calmly reached above the Yokohama Tires ad on the wall to disallow Tulowitzki s tie-breaking homer. Mike made that look easy, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. That s not an easy catch. Said Collin Cowgill, who was in left field at the time: It s an incredible knack for knowing where the ball s gonna land, and the time. Everybody has an internal clock in baseball infielders, outfielders. His is just more accurate. Then, in the 11th, Trout did it one better, securing a shoestring catch in center and firing a superbly accurate, short-armed strike home to erase Carlos Gonzalez, who tagged up from third. It might have been the best throw of his major-league career to date. Trout was not born with a throwing arm near the caliber of his natural gifts; he has worked diligently to improve it, though, and, through an optimistic perspective, it could now be reasonably described as average. Gonzalez was initially called safe Wednesday night, but Trout waved his arms wildly from the outfield, Scioscia challenged, and the call was reversed, the inning was over, and the Angels were on their way to winning. That s a huge play for this team, this season, Angels closer Huston Street said. You look at games that can turn around a season. He comes in running full speed, catches it, the ball is basically right below his knees, has to make a perfect throw. Teammates raved about both feats afterward. Rookie Taylor Featherston, who scored the winning run, said he had already come to expect that from Trout. He s fearless, Cowgill said. Those plays don t get his heart thumping. He just makes the plays and gets the outs. It s incredible that he can slow the game down so much when so much is on the line. He makes it look so easy and it s just not. Leading off the Angels half of the 11th, C.J. Cron singled to snap an 0-for-18 skid and Kole Calhoun followed with a single. Predictably, Trout was intentionally walked, and Pujols tagged a ball just deep enough to left to get Featherston home safely. Corey Dickerson s throw home was delayed and way off-line. The Angels (17-17) secured their second three-game winning streak of the season and climbed back to.500 for the first time this month. Colorado lost its 11th straight game; the Rockies haven t won since April 27. Before Wednesday night s game, Angels left-hander Hector Santiago had been riding a wave of good fortune to his early-season success. He was walking too many batters and not striking out enough, but he was still winning ballgames.

13 May 14, 2015 Page 13 of 31 Wednesday night was the inverse. Santiago started and pitched splendidly, striking out eight Colorado Rockies while issuing no free passes. He still needed 107 pitches to finish six innings. He s conveniently, effectively wild at times, Scioscia said. Hector was Hector tonight. Left-hander Cesar Ramos earned the victory for pitching a scoreless 11th inning. Street pitched a perfect ninth on the day he signed his contract extension. Right-hander Jordan Lyles started for Colorado. He lasted only one inning. Pujols hit his 13th pitch right back at him, bruising pitcher s right hand and caroming to DJ LeMahieu, who turned it into an out. Christian Bergman, a UC Irvine product, emerged from the bullpen to throw 39 strikes in 50 pitches, the best strike percentage in MLB among any relief outing of more than 33 pitches this season. Beginning the seventh against Bergman, Calhoun singled and was erased by a Trout forceout. Pujols then doubled and, after a pitching change, David Freese walked to load the bases. Erick Aybar ripped a single to center to score Trout, and Pujols headed home too. At various times as an Angel, the 35-year-old Pujols has made daring, arguably incorrect decisions on the basepaths. Some have worked, including a successful stolen-base attempt late in Tuesday s win over the Rockies. This time, he was out comfortably, costing the Angels a runner at third with one out in a tie game. When Wednesday s game ended, Trout celebrated and sprinted to the Angels clubhouse, showered and got into a car headed to the Los Angeles International Airport. He had a midnight flight to go back east, where he ll spend Thursday with family before meeting the Angels in Baltimore on Friday. The game ended at 10:26 p.m. He s probably already on the plane, Cowgill said 25 minutes later. Flying it himself, sprouting some wings. FROM ANGELS.COM Angels, Street finalize two-year extension By Alden Gonzalez ANAHEIM -- The allure of free agency never really tugged at Huston Street, even though he was less than six months away from hitting the open market as one of the game's steadiest, most successful closers over the last decade. "The point of free agency," Street said, "is to end up where you want to be." And Street never wanted to be anywhere else. He proved it Wednesday afternoon, after finalizing a two-year, $18 million extension that will keep him pitching the ninth inning for the Angels at least through the 2017 season. The deal will pay Street $8

14 May 14, 2015 Page 14 of 31 million in '16 and $9 million in '17, and it includes a $10 million club option for the '18 season, with a $1 million buyout. Street will still make the $7 million he's owed this season -- on the last of a three-year, $21 million extension he signed with the Padres in July and will make a total of $34 million in his four full seasons with the Angels if his option is picked up. The deal fell a little short of the extension Street eyed at the start of Spring Training, at four years and somewhere between $36 million and $46 million -- but it was enough. "You can't let your ego get involved," Street said from the podium at Angel Stadium. "You have to make decisions based on reality and what you really want. I put a lot of value on a lot of other things. First and foremost is happiness of family. Second, my loyalty to winning. I told my teammates in there, 'If I didn't think you guys were worth a hill of beans, I wouldn't have signed this contract.'" Talks between Street and Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto began in November and never really stopped. "There was always steady progress, throughout the whole time," Street said. "We spent many, many days and hours talking about this," Dipoto said, "dating back to being in the middle of my vacation walking around in the beaches of Hawaii talking to Huston on a cell phone." It all turned early in Spring Training, when Dipoto and Street finally met face-to-face. Street suggested a swanky Japanese restaurant in West Scottsdale, and Dipoto obliged. They shared a bottle of wine, ran through an inordinate amount of sushi and spent the better part of four hours talking -- about the Angels, about a potential extension, about the game, about life. The bill was $600, and Dipoto insisted on paying. "I came back into the office the next day and threw the receipt on the table," Dipoto said. "It was pure fascination." And it was ultimately worth it. Street has been as steady as they come throughout his 11-year career, posting a 2.83 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP, saving 286 games -- tied with Rod Beck for 29th on the all-time list -- and cracking two All-Star teams. Over the last five years, his 91.9-percent conversion rate leads the Majors. "The thing that appeals to me about Huston is you have a three-pitch closer who understands how to carve the strike zone and isn't ultra-reliant on any one thing," Dipoto said. "He isn't ultra-reliant on velocity, he isn't ultra-reliant on one pitch being any more dominant than the other, he isn't ultra-reliant on facing righties or lefties. He's been very consistent in what he does, and he really brings a sense of calm to you." The Angels acquired Street from the Padres in a six-player deal last July, parting with four intriguing prospects -- Taylor Lindsey, Elliot Morris, Jose Rondon and R.J. Alvarez -- because they felt Street could change the makeup of their entire roster. Then they watched it happen. Street's presence moved the reliable Joe Smith to the eighth inning and Kevin Jepsen to the seventh, giving the Angels a lethal back end of the bullpen for the first time in a long time. Jepsen is gone, but Smith is signed through the 2016 season, locking down the final six outs of a game.

15 May 14, 2015 Page 15 of 31 "As a manager, your IQ is tied to your bullpen," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "A guy like Huston has a history of making his manager look smart." Street began contract negotiations as a self-represented player, then rehired his former agent, Alan Hendricks, to tackle the bulk of the negotiations when the regular season began, so Street could focus on his job on the field. About a week ago, Street and his wife -- six months pregnant with the couple's third boy -- decided to accept the dollars and years the Angels had been offering. The couple has grown fond of the house they rent in Sunset Beach, and as a closer, Street believes it's necessary to be on a team that is committed to winning long term. Free agency can wait. "You want to be where you want to be," Street said. "In free agency, the only thing you're really going for is money, and you have to follow where the money is. That's just not a position I want to be in. Winning is the thing that drove my position, first and foremost, from a professional standpoint. From a personal standpoint, I'm staring at the ocean when I wake up in the morning, with my wife and my kids. I'm very, very lucky to be where I am." Perez making most of everyday reps at catcher By Alden Gonzalez ANAHEIM -- Angels manager Mike Scioscia isn't one for labels, so he won't officially deem Carlos Perez the everyday catcher over Chris Iannetta. But Scioscia's recent lineups indicate as much. Perez has started six of the Angels' last eight games behind the plate, including Wednesday's series finale against the Rockies at Angel Stadium. Perez, called up on May 4 largely because Iannetta's batting average was sitting below.100, was batting.361 for Triple-A Salt Lake and had six hits in his first 18 atbats in the Majors -- including a walk-off home run in his Major League debut. "Any time a player plays well, you're going to earn more playing time," Scioscia said. "That's what Carlos has shown." Scioscia said, "We're going to need them both," and is conscious of Iannetta's well-established track record for getting on base and providing occasional power. But Scioscia has been impressed with Perez's defense behind the plate since Spring Training, and he wants to continue to ride the hot bat. "Chris understands the start he got off to, he understands the need for us to get a little bit of production behind the plate, and he also understands how well Carlos has played when he's been out there," Scioscia said. "Chris has confidence in the way he can play, and hopefully we're going to see some signs of it when he gets his opportunity." Worth noting The Reds claimed veteran right-handed reliever Ryan Mattheus off waivers from the Angels on Wednesday. Mattheus, 31, signed a Minor League contract in the offseason, was called up on Friday and was designated for assignment on Tuesday, when the Angels returned to the traditional four-man bench. He was out of options.

16 May 14, 2015 Page 16 of 31 Pitching prospect Jeremy Rhoades, ranked 19th in the Angels' system by MLB.com, carried a no-hitter through seven innings for Class A Burlington on Wednesday night. In the eighth, though, the 22-year-old right-hander was charged with three runs on three hits and suffered the loss to Kane County. Trout gets the outs, before Pujols walks off vs. Rox By Alden Gonzalez and Earl Bloom ANAHEIM -- Mike Trout saved the game with a couple of defensive gems, and Albert Pujols ended it, lifting an 11th-inning sacrifice fly that plated pinch-runner Taylor Featherston and sent the Angels to a 2-1, walk-off victory over the Rockies on Wednesday night. With that, the Rockies lost their 11th straight game and the Angels, winners of six of their last eight, moved to.500 for the first time since April 30. C.J. Cron led off the bottom of the 11th with a single to right-center field off Christian Friedrich, snapping an 0-for-18 slump. The next batter, Kole Calhoun, ripped a line drive off the right-field wall to put runners on the corners. After Trout was intentionally walked to load the bases, Pujols fouled off a couple of tough two-strike pitches, then lifted a low slider to left-center field, giving the Angels their third walk-off win this season. "You just have to try to not be too anxious," Pujols said. "Bases loaded, no outs, five-man infield, my only reminder was to stay away from the ground-ball double play. He made some tough pitches. I knew I had to get a good pitch to hit. That last one was a pretty good one. I drove down my knee to try to get it up." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Trout's glove, arm come up big: The Rockies had two golden opportunities to take the lead in extra innings, but Trout kept them off the board twice. In the top of the 10th, he trotted to the wall, timed his jump perfectly and casually robbed Troy Tulowitzki of extra bases, perhaps even a home run. In the top of the 11th, he raced forward, made the catch on a shallow fly ball from Daniel Descalso, fired a perfect throw home and nailed Carlos Gonzalez at the plate. Gonzalez was initially deemed safe, but umpires overturned the call after consulting replay. What a relief (outing): Rockies right-hander Christian Bergman, making an emergency appearance to start the second inning in place of injured starter Jordan Lyles, retired the first 10 Angels he faced before Erick Aybar doubled in the fifth inning. The throw to second was wide of the mark, but Aybar was thrown out trying to take third by Tulowitzki. Bergman retired the next four hitters and had faced only the minimum 15 entering the seventh. He finished with 5 1/3 innings of three-hit relief, one earned run allowed, four strikeouts and no walks. "He was outstanding.... I hugged him," said bench coach Tom Runnells, who took the place of manager Walt Weiss after Weiss underwent an emergency appendectomy. "He was phenomenal. He gave us length. He pitched tremendously. He kept the ball down, and threw first-pitch strikes." Fly balls and punchouts: That pretty much made up Hector Santiago's entire outing on Wednesday. The 27-year-old left-hander struck out eight batters, all in the first four innings, and his 10 other outs came

17 May 14, 2015 Page 17 of 31 on fly balls -- some hit hard, some traveling far. He gave up just one run on seven hits and no walks in six innings, dropping his ERA to "Hector was Hector tonight," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He used his off-speed pitches when he had to, he had good life fastball. He can be effectively wild at times, but he got back into counts and pitched six strong innings." Clutch throw: In the bottom of the seventh inning, Rockies center fielder Drew Stubbs threw out Pujols, the potential go-ahead run, at the plate on a close play, as Pujols tried to score from second on Aybar's RBI single. Pujols came in just a few steps behind Trout, who scored easily from third to tie the game. "I was just trying to get the ball home as fast as I could, and I was a little surprised he was going," Stubbs said. "The throw was gone when I saw [Pujols] going home. I guess they were just trying to be aggressive." Streak stopper: Rockies catcher Nick Hundley had his career-best hitting streak end at 13 games. Angels third baseman David Freese robbed him of a hit in the seventh, backhanding a hard grounder and throwing Hundley out from foul territory. QUOTABLE "When the ball gets around that guy, good things happen -- at the plate, on 'D.' He's fearless. Those plays, they don't get his heart pumping. He just makes the plays, and he gets the outs. It's incredible how he can slow the game down and be so under control when the game is on the line." -- Angels outfielder Collin Cowgill on Trout "[Angels catcher Carlos Perez] never touched my foot coming in. He missed my foot. He tagged me down, behind the knee when my foot was already on the plate. It was a bang-bang play. Those can go either way. It was a great throw by Trout." -- Gonzalez, on the 11th-inning play at the plate that was overturned SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Pujols' sac fly was his first walk-off of any kind since his home run on Aug. 9, 2014, against the Red Sox. The Angels' first baseman now has 17 career walk-offs. The only player with more since 2000 is Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, with 19. WHAT'S NEXT Rockies: Right-hander Chad Bettis, up from Triple-A Albuquerque, will open a four-game series at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night at 8:10 p.m MT. Bettis was 2-2 with a 3.97 ERA in six starts for the Isotopes. He has 37 games of Major League experience, most of it in relief. Angels: Following a day off on Thursday, the Angels embark on a 10-game, three-city East coast trip, starting with a weekend series in Baltimore. Jered Weaver gets the ball in the opener at 4:05 p.m. PT on Friday, opposing lefty Wei-Yin Chen and hoping to build off an encouraging shutout seven days earlier.

18 May 14, 2015 Page 18 of 31 Trout leaves Angels in awe of his game-saving gems By Alden Gonzalez ANAHEIM -- He robbed Troy Tulowitzki of a game-winning home run in the top of the 10th, nailed Carlos Gonzalez at home plate in the top of the 11th, watched Albert Pujols win it on a sacrifice fly in the bottom half, and then -- poof -- he was gone. Mike Trout had a plane to catch late Wednesday night -- a redeye flight back east, to visit his hometown of Millville, N.J., before the Angels start a series in nearby Baltimore on Friday -- so he didn't have time to fool around. He saved his teammates, then left them glowing. "He has it all, man," Pujols said after the Angels' 2-1 win, their third walk-off victory of the season. "The thing about Trout that I admire the most is that it doesn't matter what he does at the plate; he'll still go out there and play great defense. I don't think he got any hits in this series, and he played the Gold Glove outfield that he always does. For a 23-year-old guy to do that and stay focused, knowing he can help us out every different way -- with his speed, with his glove -- it's pretty special." With one out in the 11th, Tulowitzki crushed an 0-2 fastball from Angels reliever Fernando Salas and sent it deep into one of the toughest places to drive a ball at Angel Stadium, especially at night. Trout raced to the Yokohama sign in front of the rock pile, briefly set his feet, timed his jump perfectly and made the catch just before making contact with the padded fence, keeping the score knotted at 1. When the Angels came to bat, Garrett Richards turned to Collin Cowgill and said, "He makes it look so easy." Cowgill, who had a great angle on the play as the left fielder, shook his head. "I think it's easy for him," Cowgill said. "He gets back to the wall so fast and knows where the ball's going to be. It's an incredible knack for knowing where the ball's going to land. Everybody has an internal clock in baseball -- infielders, outfielders. His is just more accurate." With one out, a runner on third and the score still tied the next inning, Daniel Descalso hit a flare into shallow center field. "I thought for sure that was going to drop," Pujols said. But Trout raced in, made a basket catch near his ankles, crow-hopped and fired a bullet home. Plate umpire Phil Cuzzi initially called Gonzalez safe, but replay seemed to indicate that Angels catcher Carlos Perez tagged Gonzalez's right foot just before his left one came across home plate, prompting an overturned call. "To field it low, set your feet and throw an absolute strike on the fly to home -- there's just not many guys who can do that, from that distance, that play, that situation," Cowgill said. "For him to be able to slow himself down in that moment, knowing it's the go-ahead run -- I mean, the dude just continues to wow us, man. He shocks me every day." A quick look at the Statcast data proves just how special the play was. According to Statcast, Trout's route efficiency was , he covered feet and reached a top speed of mph, which was faster than Gonzalez who topped out at mph.

19 May 14, 2015 Page 19 of 31 Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun beamed at that play -- not just because it saved the game, but because it showed how far Trout has come with his arm strength. "He's been working his tail off to improve that thing," Calhoun said. "It's pretty special to see him work on something many people overlook." The only blemish in Trout's game -- the one trait that prevented him from being a true five-tool player in many people's minds -- used to be his throwing arm. But through long toss, better mechanics and the additional strength that came with settling into his 20s and growing into his body, Trout has become a better, more accurate thrower. Three weeks ago, Trout began a daily long-toss regimen with Calhoun, who probably has the strongest outfield arm in the organization. And after every long-toss session, the two would try to throw the ball over the center-field fence from the left-field foul line. For the first couple of weeks, Trout came up short. Finally, earlier this week, he got his first one over -- and never came up short again. "You could just see how much he was improving," Calhoun said. "It's a good arm, man. I mean, look at that throw. It's definitely showing up." Weaver, Chen to get series started for Angels, O's By Alden Gonzalez Defending division champions meet when the Angels begin a three-game series against the Orioles in Baltimore on Friday night. Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen takes the mound for Baltimore, and he'll be opposed by right-hander Jered Weaver. The Orioles won four of the six meetings with the Angels in Three things to know for this game: Baltimore's Jimmy Paredes enters Friday with a 12-game hitting streak. In 21 games since being activated from the disabled list, Paredes is hitting.364 (32-for-88) with five home runs, seven doubles, two triples, 18 RBIs and 16 runs scored. He has at least one hit in 19 of his 21 games. Weaver has struggled early on in 2015, but he is coming off his best outing of the season, a six-hit shutout of the Astros in which he struck out six and didn't walk a batter in picking up his first win. He's 7-4 lifetime against the Orioles, with a 3.46 ERA in 12 starts. Chen only has one win, but the Orioles are 4-2 in games he's pitched. He allowed a run on five hits over seven innings against the Yankees on Saturday, and he has given up three earned runs or fewer in each of his six starts. Chen is 0-1 with a 5.23 ERA in two previous starts against the Angels.

20 May 14, 2015 Page 20 of 31 FROM FOX SPORTS WEST Angels agree to two-year extension with Street Huston Street determined he was no longer the best option. So, he made an adult decision and fired himself. The Angels closer did the rare act in professional sports and acted as his own representation. Although he entered into contract discussions with the Angels, he didn't hang around long enough to close the deal. Street brought back his former agent shortly after the regular season started so that he could focus on his primary job of closing baseball games -a role he'll continue to have for the Angels through the 2017 season as he and the club have come to an agreement on a two-year extension, it was announced Wednesday. There is a team option for Street and Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto began talks in November and continued through the spring over sushi in Scottsdale. It was during that time a lot of the groundwork for the extension was laid, Dipoto says. "We were never far off," the Angels general manager said. Although there was no agreement with Street negotiating for himself, Dipoto enjoyed that part of the process. "He did a great job," Dipoto said of Street. "He represented himself very well. I told him along the way I really appreciated dealing with him. I found it to be refreshing because we were very honest with one another from the start. No B.S. negotiations. He knew what I thought and I knew what he thought." The Angels general manager thinks Street is really good at his job. The numbers back him up. Street is in rare air as it relates to this era of baseball. Since his American League Rookie of the Year campaign in 2005, only three other relievers have at least 200 saves and 600 strikeouts --Joe Nathan, Jonathan Papelbon, and former Angel Francisco Rodriguez. Over the last five seasons, Street has converted 91.9 percent of his save opportunities, which is the best in baseball. "The thing that appeals to me the most about Huston is you got a three-pitch closer who understands how to carve the strike zone," Dipoto said. "He isn't ultra reliant on one thing." He is, however, is committed to remaining in an Angels uniform. "It all, really, is a belief of winning," Street said. "It's a loyalty to winning. It's a loyalty to an organization that's loyal to winning, that's committed to their players. As a closer, that's what matters most. "I'm happy here." He may not have closed the deal with the Angels but he's still the Angels closer.