Daily Links for the LA Angels including Morales seeking a second opinion on his ankle, Walden now has a changeup, Bulger clears waivers and heads to Triple-A and much more…
The Story: Kendrys Morales is headed to Colorado to get a second opinion on his slow-healing ankle.
The Monkey Says: The Angels are trying to spin this as part of the process, but make no mistake, this is a big, scary deal. Buried in the article is even mention that a second surgery is a possibilty for K-Mo. In light of this news, the Angels would be best-advised to approach the rest of the season as if Morales will not be back. Oh, and in case you still believed the Angel PR staff isn’t full of crap when it comes to Kendrys, please take note that they are no longer pretending like he is just having some foot problems that are slowing him down. This article specifically says he is having problems with the ankle now. No more pretending like this is part of the normal recovery, he is having issues and they could be major.
The Story: Jordan Walden has introduced a changeup into his arsenal.
The Monkey Says: For him to have a third pitch, especially if he can make the changeup a good one, could be HUGE for him. However, he did blow the first game in which he used it as a result of the pitch, so he better be smart about when to pull it out or he is going to just holster it until he can refine it some more.
The Story: Jason Bulger has cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake.
The Monkey Says: Not a big deal, but Bulger does have talent and could be nice depth for later in the season. Pitching in Triple-A will let him work out his command issues and maybe get back to being a solid middle reliever again.
The Monkey Says: Best wishes.
The Monkey Says: Yes, you can have him! No take backs!! Double-stamped it!!!!! Seriously though, Mathis isn’t going to Boston. The BoSox have gotten uneven defense from their backstops, but they have also gotten Mathis-like offensive production from them too and they want to fix that more than the defense. I do think the Halos could warm to the idea of trading Mathis as Conger continues to gain Scioscia’s trust, but the fact that they never use Bobby Wilson strongly suggests otherwise.
The Story: Bobby Wilson continues to play the waiting game.
The Monkey Says: His situation just plain sucks. He is good enough to be a nice back-up, if not more, in this league but can’t even get playing time. The Angels know he will be snatched up if he hits waivers, so they won’t risk exposing him to waivers even though they could really use an extra bat off the bench.
The Story: Peter Gammons profiles Jered Weaver’s ascent to ace-hood.
The Monkey Says: I’m confused. A major East Coast columnist is actually aware of how good Weaver is? Is the sky still blue? This would certainly explain why I saw my dog getting it on with the neighbor’s cat in the middle of a swarm of locusts.
The Story: Mark Trumbo is benefitting from steady playing time.
The Monkey Says: Incorrect, I actually believe that Trumbo is only playing more because he is playing well. I hope this is Trumbo heating up for good, but I just think that he is one of those super-streaky power hitters and that Scioscia will simply ride him when he is hot and sit him when he is cold, a la Mike Napoli.
The Story: Rich Thompson is a rare find from Australia.
The Monkey Says: I spent several months living in Australia and think the sport could be big there if it got a chance to revive itself. I mean, for God’s sake, they televise cricket and lawn bowling in Australia (lawn bowling!!!!) and they only have like five channels.