Daily Links for the LA Angels including Kendrick might end up on the DL, Aybar proving his versatility in the lineup, Willits hoping to use his bat to earn some playing time and much more…
The Story: The Angels are hoping to avoid placing Howie Kendrick on the DL with his hamstring problem.
The Monkey Says: So much for them not expecting him to miss more than a day or two. It sounds like he is unlikely to play in this Oakland series, so I can’t imagine the Halos would let him sit out much beyond that without DLing him given there depth problems.
The Story: Erick Aybar is proving to be a capable hitter no matter where in the order he bats.
The Monkey Says: The funny thing about Aybar’s improvement this year is that it seems to have him on the track to being a leadoff hitter, but I tend to think that since he has shown he can only be successful by being very aggressive at the plate makes him better suited for hitting in the bottom half of the order rather than trying to be a table-setter where patience is always going to rule the day.
The Story: Reggie Willits is hoping to use his current chance at playing time to breakout at the plate.
The Monkey Says: Nothing against Reggie, but if Kendrick is going to hit the DL, the Halos should try and find someone that they can call up and more a more significant impact on the offense than Willits and his slap-hitting bat could possibly do.
The Story: Bobby Abreu’s recent doubles milestone is “very special” to him.
The Monkey Says: Milestones are funny things because they often put players in the same conversation with other players who aren’t really in their class. This is a big accomplishment for Abreu, but for him to have his name mentioned with someone like Lou Gehrig just doesn’t feel right, even though Abreu has been had a very respectable career. The fact of the matter is that he just isn’t quite Hall of Fame material.
The Story: Check out Mark Trumbo, Hank Conger and Rich Thompson at the Angels Youth Camp.
The Monkey Says: Maybe someone at the camp took some time to teach Trumbo how not to strike out so much.