The June 20th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Williams better but needs more tests, Angels not interested in a Youkilis trade, Morales trying to break out of slump and much more…
The Story: Jerome Williams has been released from the hospital but will have to undergo further tests.
The Monkey Says: As of right now, it sounds like Garrett Richards will get to take Jerome’s next turn in the rotation since Williams will be unable to do his normal prep. A DL stint isn’t entirely out of the question either. If anything, this might be a convenient excuse for the Halos to “be cautious” with Williams in a thinly veiled attempt to get Richards a few more starts while he is on a roll.
The Story: The Angels are reportedly not interested in trading for Kevin Youkilis.
The Monkey Says: Good, as I detailed last week, Youk is going to be expensive to acquire and might well be washed up. The article also theorizes that the Angels might need to trade for more pitching. That strikes me as a knee-jerk reaction to Williams’ illness, especially since we don’t know how long he will be out. On the other hand, you can never have enough starting pitching depth. If the Angels can find a reasonable priced swingman that they can use in long relief but call on to move to the rotation if needed, it wouldn’t be the worst idea.
The Story: Kendrys Morales is trying to break out of his slump despite inconsistent playing time.
The Monkey Says: Having to sit recently may not be the reason for the slump, but it definitely isn’t helping. It is just as likely that Kendrys playing in the field during the swing through NL parks put a new amount of strain on his surgically repaired leg and resulted in his slump. Or maybe, he just his a bad stretch like the rest of the Halos did before their breakout night against Zito.
The Story: A look at how the Angels got back in the race for the AL West.
The Monkey Says: A great BPro piece as usual, especially since it makes the Angels look good and the Rangers less so.
The Story: The Angels and Giants are early season “also-rans” that could be dangerous in the post-season.
The Monkey Says: A similar piece but with the post-season qualifier at the end. It is probably too early to start fantasizing about a playoff run, but the Halos are well-equipped, at least on paper since Haren and Santana aren’t currently pitching to the best of their abilities.
The Story: Bobby Wilson is the new Jeff Mathis.
The Monkey Says: That’s why he is called Jeff Fathis. I actually am not as upset with Wilson getting semi-regular playing time since he is the best defender left of the healthy Angels catchers. My real issue is John Hester being on the roster over Hank Conger as Hester has been nothing special behind the plate and is really falling off with the bat. There is just no reason a journeyman like him should be higher on the depth chart than a prospect like Conger.
The Story: Ryan Langerhans will began a rehab assignment at Triple-A last night.
The Monkey Says: There is a good chance that Langerhans will take Andrew Romine’s spot on the roster once he is healthy since the Angels have more use for Langerhans’ lefty bat than Romine’s glove and pinch-running skills.