Clips (August 12, 2015)mlb.mlb.com/documents/9/7/6/142696976/August_12_2015_Clips_y… · August 12, 2015 Page 2 of 18 Today’s Clips Contents FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3)

August 12, 2015 Page 1 of 18

Clips

(August 12, 2015)


Today’s Clips Contents

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3)

Angels leaders have a meeting of the minds with Joe Torre

Angels monitoring workloads of pitchers Hector Santiago, Andrew Heaney

Angels, especially Pujols, struggle in clutch, lose to White Sox, 3-0 FROM THE OC REGISTER (Page 6)

Angels Notes: Watching Andrew Heaney's workload

Angels' Pujols can't come up big in loss to White Sox

Angels' Johnny Giavotella continues to establish himself

On deck: Angels at White Sox, Wednesday, 5 p.m. FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 10)

Angels relying on young arms down the stretch

Offense offers no support behind Santiago

Double play thwarts Angels' rally attempt

White Sox eye sweep of road-weary Angels FROM THE ASSOSCIATED PRESS (Page 15)

Rodon, Thompson lead White Sox past Angels, 3-0

Angels-White Sox Preview


FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES Angels leaders have a meeting of the minds with Joe Torre BY MIKE DIGIOVANNA Angels Manager Mike Scioscia, Albert Pujols and Huston Street met with Joe Torre, Major League Baseball's executive vice president of operations, and Jim Leyland, a special adviser to the commissioner, before Tuesday night's game to discuss a number of issues including instant replay and pace of game. Scioscia said replay is "still evolving," and that baseball is moving toward a system of standardized camera angles in every stadium and streamlining its use of super-slow motion so teams can get quicker access to those replays. He also discussed with Torre his desire for a dedicated crew to staff the replay room in New York instead of rotating umpires through the central office. A permanent set of replay officials, Scioscia argues, would lead to more uniformity in calls. "A lot of that has to be negotiated through the [collective bargaining agreement] and the umpires' union," Scioscia said. "To me, it makes sense, but I don't know if it will eventually go there or not." Decision day Left-hander C.J. Wilson, who is contemplating season-ending surgery to remove bone spurs from his pitching elbow, was examined Tuesday by Dr. Neal ElAttrache of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic, but a team spokesman said a final decision on a course of action won't be made until Wednesday. Wilson, who is guaranteed to make $20 million in 2016, the final year of his five-year, $77.5-million contract, said he pitched with the injury all season and had fluid drained from his elbow four times. Over time, his range of motion grew smaller and the discomfort increased to the point where he was placed on the disabled list on July 31 for what the team diagnosed as "left elbow impingement secondary to arthritis." Wilson is 8-8 with a 3.89 ERA in 132 innings over 21 starts this season.

Angels monitoring workloads of pitchers Hector Santiago, Andrew Heaney BY MIKE DIGIOVANNA The Angels don’t plan to put a hard cap on the number of innings Hector Santiago and Andrew Heaney throw this season, but they will monitor both left-handers closely as they surpass their career highs for innings pitched.


Santiago, 27, entered Tuesday night’s start against the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field with 129 1/3 innings, and if he were to average six innings over his last nine starts, he would finish the regular season with about 185 innings. Santiago threw a career-high 149 innings for the Chicago White Sox in 2013 and 141 1/3 innings for the Angels and triple-A Salt Lake in 2014, part of which he spent as a reliever. So Santiago’s workload could increase by as much as 45 innings over last season. Heaney, 24, has thrown a combined 129 2/3 innings for Salt Lake and the Angels this season, and he is also on pace for about 185 innings, which would be about 22 more than the 166 2/3 innings he threw in the minor leagues and for the Miami Marlins last season. “You have something in back of your mind,” Manager Mike Scioscia said, when asked if there was a number of innings he was targeting for Santiago and Heaney, “but there’s nothing to say that a guy is not going to be able to jump from 160 to 200 innings. “We’re watching them. It’s something you always pay attention to, but to say we’re just concerned with it, at this point, we’re not. Hopefully it’s a moot point. We’ll see.” Before Jerry Dipoto resigned in July as the Angels’ general manager, he said he preferred that pitchers, especially prospects, not jump more than 30 innings from one season to the next. Heaney is still classified as a “prospect,” especially when compared to the older Santiago, but he has shown little slippage in eight starts since joining the Angels, pitching to a 5-1 record and 2.45 earned-run average. His worst start was his last one, when he gave up four runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings against the Baltimore Orioles last Friday night. “With Andrew, you’re always conscious of it,” Scioscia said. “You’re going to be concerned if you start to see him hit a plateau and his stuff diminishes and his command falters. Then you make an evaluation and maybe push him back, freshen him up a bit. He had a rough outing last time, but he’s been pretty good.”

Angels, especially Pujols, struggle in clutch, lose to White Sox, 3-0 BY MIKE DIGIOVANNA Albert Pujols has put up some huge numbers this season, his 30 home runs tying him for fourth place in the American League and his 66 runs batted in tying him for 10th, but the Angels slugger has come up surprisingly small in plenty of big situations. Pujols struck out with two on and one out in the first inning Tuesday night, and with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth, he chopped a grounder in front of the plate that Chicago White Sox reliever Jake Petricka fielded and flipped to catcher Tyler Flowers to begin a home-to-first, inning-ending double play.


Those were just two of the many unproductive at-bats for the Angels, who lost to the White Sox, 3-0, at U.S. Cellular Field to extend their road losing streak to eight games, their longest since 1992. The Angels have been shut out five times in their last 18 games and 10 times on the season. There is plenty of blame to go around — that familiar malaise that gripped the offense for the first three months of the season has returned for the Angels, who have lost 13 of 18 games since July 23. The Angels hit .283 with 33 homers and scored 113 runs, an average of 5.7 a game, while winning 17 of 20 games from June 27 to July 22. But in 18 games since, they're batting .217 with 14 homers and have scored 60 runs, an average of 3.3. The Angels are hitting .202 (19 for 94) with runners in scoring position over their last 14 games, and Pujols coming up short in the clutch has become an all-too-familiar refrain. Pujols was a career .328 hitter with runners in scoring position entering 2015, just one of the many impressive statistics on a Hall-of-Fame resume that includes a .314 average, 550 home runs and 1,142 extra-base hits. But he's batting .215 (20 for 93) with runners in scoring position this season. To say it is a bit of a sore subject for Pujols would be an understatement. "I don't think about that crap," Pujols said when asked about his struggles with runners in scoring position. "You can easily go on a tear and forget about what happened the last three months. I don't think that's a question you should ask. "This is part of the game. You think I want to get myself out? I want to come through every time. It doesn't happen. You think you want to write a bad article? No, you want to be perfect all the time, but sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes in this game you have to give credit to the other pitchers." The Angels have faced a slew of tough pitchers lately, including Ervin Santana, Scott Kazmir, Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw and Chris Sale, and they had their hands full Tuesday with Rodon, a 22-year-old left-hander who was the third overall pick in the 2014 draft out of North Carolina State. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Rodon walked Shane Victorino to open the game and gave up a single to Kole Calhoun before striking out Mike Trout looking, Pujols swinging and getting Erick Aybar to fly to left. After surviving the 26-pitch first, Rodon, who mixes a lively 95-mph fastball with a nasty slider to the back foot of right-handed hitters, went on to throw seven shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out 11, a career high. "Not too many guys from the left side have a 92-mph slider," Pujols said. "He struck me out twice on that pitch." Angels left-hander Hector Santiago allowed three runs and four hits over 5 1/3 innings. Melky Cabrera hit a two-run double to left-center in the fourth, and Trayce Thompson, the former Santa Margarita High standout and brother of Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson, hit his first career homer, a solo shot to center, in the fifth.


Up next Left-hander Andrew Heaney (5-1, 2.45 ERA) will oppose Chicago White Sox left-hander John Danks (6-9, 4.79 ERA) at U.S. Cellular Field on Wednesday at 5 p.m. PDT. TV: FS West; Radio: 830, 1330.

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Angels Notes: Watching Andrew Heaney's workload BY JEFF FLETCHER CHICAGO – The Angels are watching Andrew Heaney more than they are watching his innings. Heaney, the rookie who has been a revelation in the rotation, has already thrown 129 2/3 innings this season, between Triple-A and the majors. With nine or 10 starts left, including Wednesday’s, he should easily surpass last year’s career high of 166 2/3 innings. Although Heaney might not pass that figure by a problematic amount in terms of the raw numbers, major league innings tend to be more stressful than minor league innings. Last year he threw just 29 1/3 innings in the majors. This year he’s already at 51 1/3. Manager Mike Scioscia said there are no immediate plans to skip Heaney or slow him down, but they have a contingency plan if he shows signs of needing a break. “With Andrew you are always conscious of it,” Scioscia said. “You watch if he hits a plateau and his stuff diminishes or his command falters. You may push him back to refresh him a little bit.” Heaney, 24, might already be showing some signs of fatigue. He had a 1.79 ERA over his first six starts with the Angels, but he has allowed six earned runs in 11 innings in his last two games. NO NEWS ON WILSON C.J. Wilson, who is expecting to have season-ending elbow surgery, was scheduled to meet with Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Tuesday to get a second opinion on his elbow. The Angels are expected to announce the final course of action Wednesday, after management consults with Wilson. Wilson said he's expecting to have the same surgery he had in 2008 and 2012, to remove bone spurs. There is a slight chance he might try to pitch out of the bullpen this season and have the surgery after the season.


ALSO Joe Torre and Jim Leyland, who work in the Commissioner’s office, stopped by to meet with Scioscia and selected other members of the Angels before Tuesday’s game. They were making a routine visit to update Scioscia on issues such as instant replay and the pace of game measures that have been implemented. Scioscia said he’s still in favor of changing the replay system to include dedicated replay officials manning the command center in New York, instead of just rotating umpires through.

Angels' Pujols can't come up big in loss to White Sox BY JEFF FLETCHER CHICAGO – For all of the happy stories about the Albert Pujols Renaissance – a narrative that was swept into the All-Star Game, mostly by home runs – there is one nagging pock mark on his season. Pujols is not hitting with runners in scoring position. Whether it’s a serious issue or just a fluke of sample-size, it was in the spotlight again in the Angels’ 3-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night. Santa Margarita High product Trayce Thompson hit his first career homer to provide Chicago’s final run, sending the Angels to their eighth straight road loss. It’s the Angels’ longest such streak since 1992. Once they got past Carlos Rodon, the talented rookie who blanked them for seven innings, they had an opportunity to get back into the game against the White Sox bullpen in the eighth. A single, a walk and an error loaded the bases with one out for Pujols against Jake Petricka. Pujols hit a dribbler in front of the plate. Petricka flipped home for a force and then catcher Tyler Flowers fired to first to get Pujols for an inning-ending double play. “He made some good pitches, man,” Pujols said. “No excuses. I obviously didn’t do my job but he didn’t give me anything. Everything was painted. He got me 0-2 right away and from there I was on the defensive.” Pujols is now hitting .215 (20 for 93) with runners in scoring position. This, from a player who came into the season with a .328 career average with runners in scoring position. Pujols, who also struck out with two runners on in the first inning, bristled at a question about his issues in those clutch situations this year. “I don’t think about that (stuff),” Pujols said. “You can easily go on a tear and forget about what happened the last three months. I don’t think about that. I don’t think that’s a question you should ask anybody. This is part of the game. You think I want to get myself out? I want to come through every time. It doesn’t happen.


“You think you want to write a bad article? No, you want to be perfect all the time, but sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes in this game you have to give credit to the other pitchers. They are trying to make good pitches to get you out.” Manager Mike Scioscia also shrugged off Pujols’ numbers with runners in scoring position. “I think early on, he was hitting the ball better than some of his numbers showed,” Scioscia said. “As the season has gone on, I think he’s done better in those situations. There aren’t many guys we want out there in those situations on our team outside of Albert, even though some of the raw numbers aren’t as good as they have been in past. He’s gotten some big hits for us, but didn’t happen tonight.” Certainly, the Angels have offensive issues beyond Pujols. Over their last 23 innings, they have had just one inning with more than one hit. They were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position on Tuesday. They have been shut out five times in the last 18 games. The Angels’ lack of production left no room for error for Hector Santiago, who had an uneven outing in his first time facing the team that traded him in December 2013. Santiago gave up three runs in 5 1/3 innings. He now has allowed 15 earned runs in 21 1/3 innings over his last four starts, a drop from the performance in the first half that landed him a spot on the All-Star team. This wasn’t so bad, though. He gave up an infield hit and a walk, and then made a bad pitch that Melky Cabrera tagged for a two-run double in the fourth. In the fifth, he left one over the middle of the plate and Thompson jacked into the seats in left-center. “It’s something I’ll remember forever, that’s for sure,” Thompson said. Thompson was recalled to make his major league debut earlier this month. Thompson is the son of former NBA star Mychael Thompson. His brothers Klay and Michael play in the NBA. “Yeah, if it wasn’t for them, me growing up I wouldn’t be here, that’s for sure,” Trayce said. “Two of the best sports moments of my life was watching Klay make his debut and my oldest brother making the Cavaliers. Two of the top most happy thrilling nervous, anxiety, it was amazing to see their accomplishments. Their support means the world to me. They’re my two best friends in the world and they always will be so it’s awesome that they back me up.” While the Thompson family was celebrating, the Angels were trying to find the bright side of another loss. To Pujols, it was the fact that they still sat only 1 game behind the Houston Astros, who lost to the Giants in San Francisco on Tuesday. “You guys are looking for things like the season is done, dude,” Pujols told reporters. “There are a lot of ballclubs that are out right now. To us, we are never out.”


Angels' Johnny Giavotella continues to establish himself BY JEFF FLETCHER CHICAGO – Johnny Giavotella still checks the lineup every day to see if he’s in it. It’s partly an old habit, partly an attitude. “I still take the approach that I’m trying to make the team,” Giavotella said. “I am trying to impress people and prove that I can play at this level, each and every day. It doesn’t matter how good of a day I had the night before, I’m still there the next day trying to help the team win and do the best that I can in any situation I’m in.” Giavotella, who never got much of an opportunity to play with the Kansas City Royals, was an afterthought to many outsiders when the Angels acquired him in January. Even as spring training began he was believed to be no better than third in line for the starting second base job, behind Josh Rutledge and Grant Green. Not only did Giavotella win the job, but he’s had a firm hold on it well into a fifth month now. Giavotella was hitting .270 with a .318 on-base percentage and a .677 OPS heading into Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago White Sox. He’s been just slightly below the American League average at second base, which the Angels will certainly take considering the lack of experience they had at the position. “I think Johnny has done what we thought in spring training,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “He’s giving us a spark.” Giavotella’s defense, which was considered his weak spot, has been acceptable to Scioscia. He’s also made some adjustments at the plate to maintain solid production, even as the league has gotten a longer look at him. “It definitely is an adjustment period,” Giavotella said. “I find that guys aren’t giving me as many fastballs as I was seeing early in the season. I think guys are getting accustomed to what kind of hitter I am, what my tendencies are and what approach I have at the plate.”

On deck: Angels at White Sox, Wednesday, 5 p.m. BY JEFF FLETCHER Where: U.S. Cellular Field TV: Fox Sports West, 5 p.m. Did you know: Garret Anderson, Troy Glaus and Vladimir Guerrero each hit seven homers for the Angels at U.S. Cellular Field, the most in franchise history.


THE PITCHERS LHP ANDREW HEANEY (5-1, 2.45) After completing at least six innings in each of his first six starts with the Angels, Heaney has been knocked out in the sixth twice in a row. He gave up two runs against the Dodgers on Aug. 1 and then a season-high four runs against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday. The Angels have won seven of the eight games Heaney has started. Vs. White Sox: First game At U.S. Cellular Field: First game LHP JOHN DANKS (6-9, 4.79) Danks has become one of the most consistent pitchers in the majors, and not in a good way. His ERAs the previous two seasons were 4.75 and 4.74, and he’s right there again this year. Danks has never quite lived up the expectations after he had a 3.61 ERA from 2008-10. Danks has a 3.60 ERA over his past seven starts, and the White Sox have won five of them. Vs. Angels: 3-4, 3.11 At U.S. Cellular Field: 38-47, 4.28 Loves to face: Erick Aybar, 4 for 26 (.154) Hates to face: David DeJesus, 9 for 25 (.360)

FROM ANGELS.COM

Angels relying on young arms down the stretch BY GREG GARNO CHICAGO -- With starters Hector Santiago and Andrew Heaney taking the mound Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, Angels manager Mike Scioscia faces a dilemma. He must decide how to balance his young hurlers' starts as the Angels make their playoff push. The Angels entered play Tuesday night one game back of the Astros in American League West and two games ahead for the second AL Wild Card spot. But the back of their rotation doesn't have much starting experience: both pitchers have roughly four years of combined experience in the Majors.


Santiago started 23 games in 2013 and 24 games in 2014, making the transition from the bullpen to the rotation. He made his 22nd start of the season on Tuesday, exactly 20 innings away from eclipsing his career high. Heaney, whoo appeared in seven games last season, starting five, has already set a career high in innings this season after being called up in June, and has already thrown 78 1/3 innings with Triple-A Salt Lake City. Scioscia hasn't laid out a plan for the future. He's sticking with his schedule, and hopes his players "hold up to the workload." "I'm not going to say there's a plan that we're considering," Scioscia said, "but yes, there are definitely things we have looked at going though this month and into September for skipping guys for a number of reasons. It could be for matchups, it could be to refresh someone else. "We haven't really made a decision whether we need to or not right now." The Angels remain without starter C.J. Wilson for the remainder of the season with an elbow injury, which means Heaney and Santiago are all the more critical to the club staying in the pennant race. Wilson had a second opinion on Tuesday, but Scioscia was unsure of the final verdict for the left-hander. That still doesn't have Scioscia worried with two pitchers who have been at the top of their form as of late. Named an All-Star earlier this season, Santiago has had just three outings where he has allowed more than three runs. And since being called up in June, Heaney has given up more than two earned runs only once. "It probably will sway you to do some things if you thought guys were losing their stuff," Scioscia said. "The health of the pitchers is No. 1, then their performance. "Obviously, you're always conscious of it, but you're going to be concerned if you start to see him maybe hit a plateau, his stuff diminishes, his stuff falters, and then you can make an evaluation," he added. Scioscia also has two-year veteran Matt Shoemaker to keep in the back of his mind, since the right-hander is close to setting a career high in innings. But Scioscia understands that between the three, worrying about innings may be unnecessary by the end of the season. "To say we're concerned with it at this point, we're not," Scioscia said. "Hopefully it's a moot point, but we'll see."

Offense offers no support behind Santiago BY GREG GARNO AND SCOTT MERKIN CHICAGO -- Carlos Rodon worked a career-high seven innings, allowing four hits and just one walk, during the White Sox 3-0 victory over the Angels on Tuesday night at U.S. Cellular Field. Rodon struck out a career-high 11, and pushed the Angels to their eighth straight road loss. The White Sox (53-58)


also moved to within 5 1/2 games of the American League's second Wild Card spot, currently held by the Angels (59-53). "I think command, he was getting ahead and getting guys swinging late," said White Sox manager Robin Ventura of Rodon's effectiveness. "Really impressive stuff from Ro after the last couple haven't been his best." Hector Santiago, who came to the Angels via a trade with the White Sox, took the loss in his first career start against his original team. Santiago retired the first 10 hitters faced before Tyler Saladino reached on an infield single in the fourth. Santiago hit Jose Abreu with a pitch and then yielded a two-run double to Melky Cabrera. Santiago struck out four and walked one, giving up three runs on four hits over 5 1/3 inning. The Angels' best scoring opportunity came in the eighth, when Shane Victorino singled and Kole Calhoun walked against Zach Duke and Mike Trout reached on Alexei Ramirez's fielding error with Jake Petricka on the mound. But Albert Pujols' cue shot back to the mound was turned into an inning-ending 1-2-3 double play, from Petricka to catcher Tyler Flowers to first baseman Abreu. "Still, there aren't many guys we want to have in that situation on our team outside of Albert," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Big trouble? Big hitters? No problem: Rodon walked Victorino and gave up a single to Calhoun to open the first inning, putting the southpaw in trouble after just eight pitches. He then had to face Trout and Pujols with two on and nobody out. But Rodon struck out Trout looking with a 3-2 slider Erick Aybar's fly out to left on a 3-2 pitch ended the rally and the inning. "We started off OK," Scioscia said. "[Rodon] made some pitches in the first inning to Mike and to Albert, and actually to Erick, after we set the table to get out of some damage there. You could see the stuff is live coming out of his arm. He settled in, worked ahead in the count and we didn't get too many good looks at him." Welcome back: In his first start since being traded from Chicago, Santiago showed glimpses of what impressed both teams early on. He gave up just four hits and one walk while striking out four, but it also marked the fourth straight game Santiago has allowed three or more runs. "I think I probably could have probably mixed up a little more, made a few pitches early in the count, kind of get them off the fastball," Santiago said. "But for the most part, I was in control of it. They didn't roll a bunch of hits together. Thompson's career milestone: With two outs in the fifth inning, Trayce Thompson connected on his first career home run. Thompson, who started in left field, went deep on a 2-1 sinker from Santiago. "It was nice. It was just another game, but it was definitely nice to help the team and to contribute to a win," Thompson said. "That's all it really is. Tonight was really fun. Carlos was amazing."


QUOTABLE "I don't think about that. Just the same way that I'm like that, you can easily go on a tear and forget about what happened the last three months. … It's a part of the game. It's stuff that happens. You think I want to get myself out? I want to come through every time, but it doesn't happen." -- Pujols, on hitting .215 with runners in scoring position, including his double play in the eighth inning with the bases loaded STRIKING OUT THE OPPOSITION Rodon joined Gary Peters, Jack Harshman and Jason Bere as the only rookies in White Sox history to fan at least 10 in two games during their rookie season per STATS. Harshman did it three times. WHAT'S NEXT Angels: Andrew Heaney looks to rebound from his last outing when he takes the mound for the Angels in Wednesday's finale of a three-game series at U.S. Cellular Field. Heaney allowed a season-high four runs his last time out, the first time he allowed more than two runs in a game since starting in June. First pitch is scheduled for 5:10 p.m. PT. White Sox: John Danks (6-9, 4.79) completes this three-game set against the Angels Wednesday night at 7:10 p.m. CT. Danks is 4-3 with a 3.70 ERA over 11 starts at home this season and 3-4 lifetime against the Angels.

Double play thwarts Angels' rally attempt BY GREG GARNO CHICAGO -- White Sox reliever Jake Petricka found himself in a "bit of panic" Tuesday night in the eighth inning of a 3-0 victory over the Angels. With one out and the bases loaded, Petricka was called in to face Albert Pujols and hold a three-run lead. The panic came as Pujols hit a soft chopper toward the mound, instead of somewhere in the outfield. Petricka wasn't fazed though, as he charged the ball to get the out at home and Tyler Flowers' throw to first was just in time to complete the inning-ending double play. "It's not a spot you ever want to be in, but I used my advantage with the sinkerball and it worked," Petricka said. "It's almost a little bit of panic at first because he didn't hit it very hard at all, and it was a matter of 'I've got to get there quick.' Just move as fast as possible and get it to [catcher Tyler Flowers]." Pujols took two called strikes to begin the at-bat, and then fouled the next two off before the ball went straight at the mound. It was the Angels' best scoring chance in a game in which they finished 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, and left seven men on base. But it was especially tough on Pujols, who is now hitting .215 with men on second and third.


"No excuse, but obviously I didn't really do my job," Pujols said. "He didn't really give me anything. He got me 0-2 right away, and from there I was almost on the defensive. "It's a part of the game. It's stuff that happens. You think I want to get myself out? I want to come through every time, but it doesn't happen." Pujols is second on the team in RBIs this season and is batting .254, but he has just two RBIs over his last 10 games. "Still, there aren't many guys we want to have on that situation on our team outside of Albert," added Angels manager Mike Scioscia. "I think he's gotten some big hits for us, but it just didn't happen tonight." The Angels put three runners on base against White Sox reliever Zach Duke to begin the inning. They strung together a hit from Shane Victorino and a walk to Kole Calhoun, and Mike Trout reached on an error by Alexei Ramirez with one out. In a game in which they collected just five hits and struck out 13 times, Pujols' at-bat was the best chance since the first inning, when the Angels stranded runners on first and second. Trout and Pujols both struck out before Erick Aybar flied out. "There were some big outs during the game that maybe didn't show up as much as heightened as it was in the eighth inning," Scioscia said. "It came to a hit in the eighth inning, and obviously we couldn't get anything across."

White Sox eye sweep of road-weary Angels BY GREG GARNO The last time John Danks saw the Angels, he tied a career-high 10 strikeouts. On Wednesday, he makes his 12th career start against them when the White Sox and Angels, losers of eight straight road contests, conclude a three-game series at U.S. Cellular Field on Wednesday. Danks is 3-4 against the Angels in his eight-year career, carrying a 3.11 ERA. He hopes to rebound from his losing effort his last time out, when he allowed three runs in six innings to Kansas City. Andrew Heaney also looks to rebound from a tough start, when he gave up four runs in 5 2/3 innings. That outing was his first loss of the season in what has otherwise been a strong second year. He carries a 2.45 ERA with 36 strikeouts in eight starts this season. Things to know about this game • White Sox designated hitter Adam LaRoche has been in a slump as of late, and as a result, missed his second start in his last three games on Tuesday. LaRoche has eight hits in his last 10 contests, but has hit safely in five of them. This season, he's hitting .213, below his .261 career average.


• Angels third baseman Conor Gillaspie could make his first start against his former team after missing the first two games of the series. The Angels acquired Gillaspie off waivers on July 25 after the White Sox designated him for assignment a week earlier. Since he was called up, he's hitting .186 with one home run and six RBIs. • Los Angeles outfielder David DeJesus has also yet to make a start this series, but he figures to see action given his record against Danks. In 25 career at-bats against the lefty, DeJesus is has nine hits, including three doubles, and five RBIs.

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rodon, Thompson lead White Sox past Angels, 3-0 CHICAGO -- A pair of rookies came through for the Chicago White Sox. Carlos Rodon threw seven scoreless innings, Trayce Thompson hit his first career home run in their 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night. Rodon (5-4) had struggled in his previous four starts, going 1-2 with a 9.33 ERA. He did considerably better Tuesday, striking out a career-high 11, allowing four hits and finishing seven innings for the first time for the White Sox, who have won the first two of the three-game series. "I've been trying to get seven innings this whole year and it just hadn't been happening for me," Rodon said. He set the tone in the first. Shane Victorino started the game with a walk and Kole Calhoun followed with a single. Rodon struck out Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, before getting Erick Aybar to fly out to left and end the inning. "That's not a good position for anybody to be in, but he handled it great," Chicago manager Robin Ventura said. Melky Cabrera gave Chicago the lead in the fourth with his two-run double against Hector Santiago. Thompson put the White Sox in front 3-0 with two outs in the fifth when his towering drive landed a couple rows into the deep left-center field stands. Thompson, the son of former NBA player Mychal and brother of current Golden State Warriors star Klay, was playfully ignored in the Chicago dugout until making it almost to the end of the bench before getting mobbed by his teammates. "It was funny," Thompson said. David Robertson picked up his 23rd save in 28 tries for Chicago by pitching a perfect ninth.


Los Angeles' last chance came in the eighth. With one out, Chicago's Zach Duke allowed a Victorino single before walking Calhoun. Jake Petricka replaced Duke, and Trout grounded to Jose Abreu but his throw to second was dropped by Alexei Ramirez to load the bases. Petricka ended the inning when he fielded Pujols' tapper and flipped to home for the force and Tyler Flowers threw to first for the double play. "No excuse," Pujols said. "Obviously I didn't do my job, but he really didn't give me anything." After that, Los Angeles couldn't make a winner of Santiago in his return to Chicago. Santiago (7-6) was making his first start at U.S. Cellular Field since being acquired by Los Angeles from the White Sox in a December 2013 three-team deal. He pitched 5 1/3 innings and gave up three runs and four hits while striking out four. That wasn't enough to prevent the Angels from losing their eighth straight on the road, their longest streak since dropping nine in July 1993. Los Angeles also fell 1 1/2 games behind Houston in the AL West race, with the Astros playing late Tuesday at San Francisco. "Two bad pitches. That's it," Santiago said. "Game over." Chicago, meanwhile, got big nights from its youngest players. "It's great," Petricka said. "Gives us hope for later this year and even further into the future." STILL STRUGGLING White Sox 1B/DH Adam LaRoche wasn't in the Chicago lineup. Signed as a free agent in the offseason to a two-year, $25 million contract, LaRoche is hitting only .213. IN MEMORIAM The White Sox added a jersey patch on their right arm in memory of Billy Pierce, who died July 31 at age 88 after his battle with gall bladder cancer. Pierce is being honored with a black patch that has his number 19 displayed in white. TRAINER'S ROOM Angels: LHP C.J. Wilson (left elbow) had an evaluation Tuesday but there was no update on how the appointment went. Wilson is expected to miss the remainder of the season. White Sox: INF/OF Emilio Bonifacio (left oblique) was sent to Triple-A Charlotte on a rehab assignment, while OF J.B. Shuck (left hamstring) took fly balls before the game.


UP NEXT: Angels LHP Andrew Heaney (5-1, 2.45) faces Chicago LHP John Danks (6-9, 4.79). Heaney has a 1.83 ERA on the road, while Danks is 3-4 with a 3.11 ERA lifetime against the Angels.

Angels-White Sox Preview Mired in their worst road losing streak in 22 seasons, the Los Angeles Angels don't expect the final stretch of the season to be an easy one. They'll look to avoid a ninth consecutive road defeat and series sweep at the hands of the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night. Los Angeles (59-53) holds a slim advantage for the AL's second wild-card spot and remains well in reach of first-place Houston in the West. However, it hasn't looked like a serious postseason contender while batting .189, posting a .238 on-base percentage and totaling 17 runs in losing eight straight on the road for the first time since a nine-game skid July 17-25, 1993. "We're going to keep grinding," manager Mike Scioscia told MLB's official website. C.J. Cron had two of the five hits during Tuesday's 3-0 loss. The Angels were last swept at U.S. Cellular Field over a four-game set in July 2010. After recording a pair of hits in Monday's opener, Mike Trout went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. He's 2 for 16 with six strikeouts in four road games this month. Albert Pujols is 1 for 12 and has fanned four times over the last three overall. Each is 0 for 4 while combining for four strikeouts against John Danks (6-9, 4.79 ERA), who has overcome eight walks to yield one run over 18 1/3 innings to go 2-0 in his last three home starts. The left-hander also was solid on the road for four innings before giving up three runs in the fifth and sixth of Friday's 3-2 loss to Kansas City. "All my stuff is a little better, but I'd say the cutter is more consistent," Danks told MLB's official website. "Just staying down in the zone better. The balls that got up were the balls that hurt me (Friday). I feel good about where I am." He gave up two runs and struck out 10 in 7 2/3 innings while not factoring in the decision of a 3-2 home win over the Angels last season. Danks will try to help the White Sox (53-58) match a season high with their fourth consecutive home victory. Carlos Rodon struck out a career-high 11 over seven innings, Melky Cabrera had two RBI and rookie outfielder Trayce Thompson belted his first career homer for Chicago, which has outscored the Angels 11-2 in the first two of the series after losing eight of the previous 10. Thompson is 4 for 9 in four games since making his major league debut last Tuesday.


Cabrera is batting .397 in his last 20 games and has 23 RBI in his last 21. Chicago gets its first look at rookie Andrew Heaney (5-1, 2.45), who looks to rebound from his worst start of the season after yielding four runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings while not factoring in the decision of an 8-4 home victory over Baltimore on Friday. The left-hander, however, is 2-1 with a 1.83 ERA on the road this season. Teammate David DeJesus is 2 for 27 in 10 games since being acquired by the Angels on July 28, but could make his first appearance in this set based on a .360 average in 25 at-bats against Danks.

Documents

Clips (August 12, 2015)mlb.mlb.com/documents/9/7/6/142696976/August_12_2015_Clips_y… · August 12, 2015 Page 2 of 18 Today’s Clips Contents FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3)