The May 31st, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Dan Haren will be moved up in the rotation to start against Texas, Albert Pujols is proving his doubters wrong, the upside of Jered Weaver’s injury and much more…
The Monkey Says: This is the right thing to do. Haren has been dealing of late, so the Halos would be dumb to not have him face Texas. They would be even dumber if they held him back so that the rookie Richards could face them. With the long layoff until his scheduled start against Seattle, expect to see Richards make one or two more relief appearances so he can stay sharp.
The Story: Albert Pujols’ excellent May is making his April skeptics look silly.
The Monkey Says: While his recent play is wonderful and all, I wouldn’t exactly be bragging about him proving people wrong after he had the kind of month in April that a player of his caliber is never supposed to have.
The Story: Getting a chance to evaluate Garrett Richards is the good side of Jered Weaver’s injury.
The Monkey Says: If you believe that, then send me your bank account number because I know a Nigerian prince who wants to send you some money. Yes, it is nice to see Richards get something of an extended look, but to intimate that this is his Gehrig-Pipp moment is a major stretch.
The Story: Mike Trout is amongst Jim Bowden’s five rookies with the best long-term future.
The Monkey Says: I really hate Jim Bowden. It amazes me that he was once considered the wunderkind of baseball GMs. It amazes me even more that he is paid a handsome sum to do nothing but state the obvious.
The Story: The Angels want you to #VOTETRUMBOMB to get Mark Trumbo into the All-Star Game.
The Monkey Says: I would love to see Trumbo in the All-Star Game, but this is wrong. The issue is that he is listed as a third baseman on the ballot and voting him into the All-Star Game as a third baseman is intellectually dishonest. Hopefully he makes it in as a reserve.
The Story: Mike Trout has faced a higher percentage of fastballs than any hitter in the game this season.
The Monkey Says: Now that’s interesting. I can’t say for sure, but I sense that opposing teams think Trout can be beaten with a good heater in on his hands, but his stellar numbers so far strongly suggest that this plan of attack is not working. It will be very curious to see if teams start pitching him differently now that they have a good amount of video on him hitting in the majors and then even more curious to see how quickly he adjusts.