Steve Soliz peppers the Angels catchers with fastballs from the pitching machine each morning. They start at 60 feet 6 inches. After every three each player secures, they take two steps up, until they are within 45 feet of the machine. It is, more or less, a pitch-framing drill. The intention is...
Highlights of the Angels' 15-7 victory over Milwaukee at Tempe Diablo Stadium. AT THE PLATE: Yunel Escobar went four for four to stretch his streak of consecutive plate appearances with a hit to seven. Escobar has batted 38 times this spring and he has not struck out once. He has 12 singles, four...
On the infrequent occasion of a split-squad game in spring training, when half of a team's players stay home for a game and another group goes on the road, major league stars and managers do not traditionally leave home. There will be travel aplenty over the next six months. Spring's the season...
Colorado 6, Angels 6 Kansas City 7, Angels 4 AT THE PLATE: In the home half of the split-squad in Tempe, Angels third baseman Yunel Escobar and shortstop Cliff Pennington each went three for three. Pennington scored two runs. Second baseman Rey Navarro hit a three-run homer and had a sacrifice...
Highlights from the Angels' 4-4 tie with the Colorado Rockies on Thursday: AT THE PLATE: Second baseman Johnny Giavotella, batting third as the Angels gave most of their stars the day off, doubled home two runs in his first at-bat. He also singled and stole a base. Infielder Cliff Pennington and...
On this afternoon, Mike Trout and the Angels are 30 miles from here. There is no Cactus League game at Tempe Diablo Stadium, but Bud Black is floating among the practice fields that back up against 48th Street. The Angels' minor league system is ranked as the worst in baseball. As cars whiz past...
Angels 6, Cleveland 3 AT THE PLATE: Gregorio Petit hit two home runs. Petit, 31, is a nonroster infielder with two home runs in 193 major league at-bats. … Right fielder Kole Calhoun doubled and drove in two runs. ... The spring averages for the Angels' starting outfield: Daniel Nava .565, Mike...
This idea that a pitcher should just grin and bear it if a batter hits a mammoth home run and celebrates by flipping his bat? Mike Trout isn't having any part of it. "As a pitcher, I'd be pretty upset," Trout said. And would Trout say that such a demonstrative batter would be showing up the pitcher?...
Highlights from the Angels' 3-3 tie with the Seattle Mariners: AT THE PLATE: Left field might still be the greatest source of angst among Angels fans, but the batting averages of platoon mates Daniel Nava and Craig Gentry add up to 1.000. Nava had two more hits Tuesday; he's batting .619. Gentry...
The frustration is evident in Jered Weaver's voice. His fastball is slipping away, his neck is creaky and doctors have told him there is not much they can do. "I almost wish they would tell me I need surgery," Weaver said Tuesday. Weaver, 33, the Angels' ace for a decade, has not pitched in a week....
C.J. Wilson said his surgically repaired throwing elbow feels "great," but the adjustments he made to compensate for the injury have led to a shoulder problem that could knock the Angels left-hander out for the first month of this season, maybe more. Wilson, diagnosed with shoulder inflammation...
Already armed with a 98-mph fastball and biting slider, Richards is working on a changeup he intends to fully implement this season. "Every day, it gets a little better," said Richards, who threw mostly fastballs and changeups in a 52-pitch outing Sunday. "It's a pitch that gets people off the...
Highlights from the Angels' 10-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. AT THE PLATE: Johnny Giavotella, who hit a three-run homer Sunday, had two hits, including a two-run triple to highlight a six-run fifth inning. C.J. Cron lined a two-run single to right in the fifth. Daniel Nava had a hit and two...
Matt Shoemaker took the mound Sunday thinking about his release point and mechanics and all the adjustments he made in the wake of his previous spring start, when he was rocked for seven runs and 10 hits, including three homers, against the Cincinnati Reds. That didn't go so well. The Angels right-hander...
Highlights of the Angels' 7-3 victory over the Texas Rangers in Tempe, Ariz. AT THE PLATE: Second baseman Johnny Giavotella smothered Delino DeShields' fifth-inning shot up the middle with a backhand dive and flipped the ball with his glove hand to shortstop Andrelton Simmons for a force out. He...
In the middle of the Seattle Mariners’ spring-training clubhouse is a luxurious new pool table. Not only does it provide a source of relaxation and friendly competition for players, it adds a certain feng shui to the space, providing a centerpiece to the oblong-shaped room. There was no pool table...
Kole Calhoun's top priority for 2 1/2 seasons has been to get on base ahead of Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. The Angels right fielder will probably spend much of this season trying to drive the two in. Manager Mike Scioscia confirmed Saturday what has become increasingly apparent, that the left-handed-hitting...
Highlights from the Angels' 9-5 exhibition victory over a San Franscisco Giants split squad in Tempe, Ariz. AT THE PLATE: Albert Pujols lined a two-run home run to left field, his first this spring, against Jake Peavy in the first inning and just missed a three-run home run in the fifth, hitting...
Mike Trout sprang into action on the first ball put into play during his first spring-training game this year, a liner to left-center field off the bat of Oakland's Billy Burns. Trout took the ideal quick first step, in a burst reached peak speed, and made the catch at full sprint. The next morning,...
Some baseball questions answered using analytics. WAR WAR (Wins above Replacement) is a complicated equation that answers the question: "If this player got injured and their team had to replace them with a minor leaguer, how much value would the team be losing?” You can learn more about WAR at...
Julio Urias' biggest mistake may have been that he exhaled. The 19-year-old Dodgers left-hander lived up to billing as one of baseball's top pitching prospects in his first spring inning Friday, striking out the side — Geovany Soto, Gregorio Petit and Todd Cunningham of the Angels — with a fastball...
Jered Weaver slowly leaned over at his locker Friday morning. He was asked how he felt. "I feel like Jered Weaver," he replied. It looked like Weaver was uncomfortable. Later in the day, the 33-year-old right-hander would meet with the Angels' orthopedic physician to hear more about the state of...
Former Mets closer Jenrry Mejia wants to challenge the agreement he made not to appeal his third positive drug test, which led to a lifetime ban from baseball. Banned on Feb. 12, Mejia spoke at a news conference Friday in the office of one of his new lawyers. They accused Major League Baseball...
Highlights of the 8-4 Angels victory over the Dodgers on Friday at Camelback Ranch. AT THE PLATE: Angels catcher Geovany Soto hit a long three-run homer to left off Dodgers starter Zach Lee in the first inning. Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes hit a solo homer to left off Angels starter Nick Tropeano...
The Dodgers training room is getting a little crowded. Joining infielders Howie Kendrick, Justin Turner and Alex Guerrero on the shelf this week is catcher Yasmani Grandal, who suffered a right forearm bruise in Wednesday’s game against the Angels and is not expected to play again until Monday....
Hate to have to remind angry UCLA fans following their basketball team's humiliating season-ending defeat Wednesday night against USC, but Coach Steve Alford won't be fired this year. Or next year. Or the year after that. If you care enough about UCLA basketball to demand a coaching change, then...
Because they both grew up here and remain in the area, C.J. Cron and Kole Calhoun drove to the Angels' spring-training complex to practice hitting most days in January. Late in the month, they started to see teammates Kyle Kubitza and Kaleb Cowart doing specialized defensive drills with Mike Gallego,...
PHOENIX — Scott Kazmir's epiphany came on the mound at the cozy 5,200-seat home of the independent league York (Pa.) Revolution, late in the summer of 2012. In the shadow of the "Arch Nemesis," the name given to the imposing left-field wall that is six inches taller than Fenway Park's Green Monster,...
Highlights from the Angels' 5-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday. AT THE PLATE: The top hitters in the Angels' batting order, third baseman Yunel Escobar and Daniel Nava, each reached base twice. Escobar singled both times; Nava doubled and walked. Mike Trout drove him in with a single....
After he struggled to surpass the 80-mph mark in his second spring-training start, veteran Angels right-hander Jered Weaver underwent an MRI exam on his neck Thursday. The results are not yet known, but the Angels characterized the exam as precautionary. Weaver, 33, reported feeling sore when he...
Joc Pederson looked a little lost at the plate in his first three exhibition games, including a three-strikeout performance against San Francisco on Sunday. But the Dodgers center fielder was locked in Wednesday when he led off the game against the Angels with a home run to right field and singled...
The first fastball Angels right-hander Jered Weaver threw Wednesday afternoon against the Dodgers was clocked at 79 mph. The second, 78. The third, 80. Over 2 2/3 innings, Weaver's fastball never surpassed 81 mph and averaged about 79, according to scouts in attendance. He gave up six hits, including...
Highlights of the Dodgers' and Angels' 13-13 exhibition tie at Tempe, Ariz. AT THE PLATE: The teams combined for 36 hits over nearly four hours at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson entered the game with five strikeouts in nine plate appearances, but he launched a home run...
It was late in the summer of 2010 on Cape Cod, and Angels right-hander Nick Tropeano was pitching the biggest game of his life for the Cotuit Kettleers. Then 19 and well past his career high in innings thrown, he had logged 87 pitches in five innings of a tied playoff game. While he waited to head...
Highlights from the Angels' 5-3 exhibition victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. AT THE PLATE: Catcher Carlos Perez hit a two-run home run off Arizona right-hander Josh Collmenter in the sixth inning. Four batters later, first baseman Ji-Man Choi hit another two-run homer off Collmenter to give...
Joe Blanton moved from the first base side of the rubber to the third base side, from the rotation to the bullpen and from a four-pitch repertoire to more of a fastball-slider mix. But before the Dodgers reliever could re-invent himself and revive a career that flat-lined two years ago when the...
Highlights from the Dodgers' 7-3 exhibition victory over the Chicago Cubs: AT THE PLATE: Andre Ethier, who has been slowed by a bruise on his right wrist, had two singles and scored in the fourth inning when center fielder Juan Perez, battling the sun and the wind, misplayed Enrique Hernandez's...
In recent seasons, the New York Yankees gained a reputation for adding an avenue to their long-held strategy of outbidding the other 29 major league teams for talent. Instead of paying more for aging big league veterans, they sought minor league free agents with potential. It was significantly...
Cincinnati 8, Angels 5 Chicago White Sox 9, Angels 4 AT THE PLATE: Daniel Nava went two for two with a double and a walk as the designated hitter against Cincinnati in Goodyear, Ariz. Left fielder Nick Buss went three for three and robbed a home run. Infielder Jefry Marte hit a three-run home run. ...
Daniel Nava did not have a plan, but he had a membership to a gym, so he worked out relentlessly a dozen summers ago. He was 20. He had just withdrawn from Santa Clara University, where he spent two years as an equipment manager for the school's baseball team. At first he tried out to play, but...