May 27, 2017 Page 1 of 20

Clips

(May 27, 2017)

May 27, 2017 Page 2 of 20

Today’s Clips Contents

FROM LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3)

Angels starter Chavez rocked early in 8-5 loss to Marlins

Angels pitcher JC Ramirez embraces the opportunity to shine for Nicaragua

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER (Page 5)

Bad start sends Angels to loss in Marlins Park debut Angels Notes: Florida native Nolan Fontana homers for first major-league hit

FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 8)

Maldonado, Fontana homer, but Halos fall

Fontana’s first hit come on 9th-inning homer

Norris exits with tight knee after 3 pitches

Maybin (knee) sits, Pujols (hamstring) returns

Superstars Trout, Giancarlo admire each other

Ramirez faces Marlins in Interleague game

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 15)

Stanton's long homer helps Marlins beat Angels 8-5

Angels now know Marlins have some offense

FROM NBC SPORTS (Page 18)

Bud Norris exits outing with right knee soreness

FROM MIAMI HERALD (Page 18)

Stanton drills 460-foot HR as Marlins clip Trout, Angels

May 27, 2017 Page 3 of 20

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Angels starter Chavez rocked early in 8-5 loss to Marlins

By Pedro Moura

Jesse Chavez has a rule. When he starts, he must pitch at least six innings, or he must stay in the dugout

until six innings have been completed.

Rendered temporarily incapable of placing pitches along the strike zone’s edges, the Angels right-hander

made it only 3 2/3 innings on the mound Friday night at Marlins Park, then waited it out. At the end of

the sixth, he headed to the video room to review the evidence of his failure and uncovered what he

thought might be the solution.

“It was a little too late,” Chavez said.

Chavez (4-6) permitted five runs as the Angels lost, 8-5, to Miami. The Marlins entered as losers of 10 of

their last 11 home games, but Chavez could not keep them off the basepaths. The Angels, too, produced

offense, but in insufficient quantities.

With two outs in the first inning, Mike Trout walked and Albert Pujols lashed a single to left field. Luis

Valbuena drove a ball deep to left field for a double off of Marcell Ozuna’s glove. Trout scored. The slow-

footed Pujols did not, and Marlins starter Dan Straily (3-3) escaped with allowing only one run when he

struck out Martin Maldonado.

The Angels (25-26) next scored in the sixth, when Pujols doubled and Maldonado hit a two-run homer

over the center-field wall. Straily pitched aggressively against Angels not named Trout, but twice walked

the superstar center fielder. The Angels scored twice more in the ninth, when Straily had long since

exited and the game was out of reach. Rookie infielder Nolan Fontana secured his first career hit, a

home run.

The Marlins (17-29) scored four times in the first. Chavez allowed a first-pitch single to lead-off

hitter Dee Gordon. Playing first base for the third time this season, Pujols then mishandled a Chavez

pickoff attempt, and Gordon took second. The next batter, the prodigiously powerful Giancarlo Stanton,

worked the count to 3 and 2, received a changeup at his knees, and crushed it 460 feet to the batter’s

eye in center field for a home run.

“He did ‘Stanton’ to it,” Chavez said. “He dented it.”

Next, Christian Yelich rapped a double to right field, and Kole Calhoun overran the carom, which allowed

Yelich to take third. The Angels’ infielders stayed back, but shortstop Andrelton Simmons tried to throw

home anyway when he fielded a grounder. He threw late, and the Marlins had a two-run lead and a

runner on first. Maldonado soon threw that runner out stealing second before J.T. Realmuto sent a

home run to right for the Marlins’ fourth run.

May 27, 2017 Page 4 of 20

Miami scored again in the second. With one out, Straily lined a ball back at Chavez for a single off of his

shin and Gordon doubled in the gap. With two out, Chavez intentionally walked Yelich and

unintentionally walked Ozuna.

He couldn’t finish four innings, forcing Angels manager Mike Scioscia to deploy a bevy of relievers. Down

five runs and wary of overworking middle relievers, he turned to rested closer Bud Norris for the eighth

inning. Three pitches in, Norris grimaced and exited with a sore right knee. The 32-year-old right-hander

said he was unconcerned and convinced he could remedy it with treatment.

“Some days your body just doesn’t wake up the way you want it to,” Norris said. “I don’t expect to miss

any time.”

The Angels expected Maldonado to be fit to play Saturday after his left thumb bent back during a play at

the plate in the eighth. He underwent precautionary X-rays, the results of which were not immediately

known.

With Friday’s first pitch, Chavez earned a $100,000 bonus. He’ll earn escalating bonuses with additional

starts and can collect a total of $2.5 million if he stays healthy and remains in the rotation all season.

That figure is on top of his $5.75 million base salary.

The Angels plan to introduce veteran right-hander Doug Fister, and perhaps injured left-hander Tyler

Skaggs, into their rotation in June. Chavez’s spot is not secure.

Angels pitcher JC Ramirez embraces the opportunity to shine for Nicaragua

By Pedro Moura

At 2 p.m. Saturday in Nicaragua’s capital, the city will shut down and the televisions will turn on. Native

son JC Ramirez will be pitching.

The Angels right-hander’s stature has surged in recent weeks as he has transformed himself from a

mediocre reliever into a tantalizing starting pitcher. Given his first chance to start in the majors and his

first anywhere in six years, Ramirez has flourished, with 41 strikeouts, 11 walks, and a 3.65 earned-run

average over eight starts.

Nowhere is there more attention being paid than Managua.

“In Nicaragua, when there’s a really good telenovela, everybody stops what they’re doing to watch the

telenovela at 7 p.m. each day,” Ramirez said. “It’s kind of like that now. The days I’m pitching, everyone

in my hometown stops to watch me pitch. Friends go to bars, families watch at home. It’s fun.”

Ramirez made 111 relief appearances before he started a game. No one much cared about him then, he

said. The interest sparked after Ramirez’s fifth start, when he beat Houston at Angel Stadium.

May 27, 2017 Page 5 of 20

He began to notice Nicaraguan flags in the stands and fans wearing his jersey. He has fielded far more

interview requests, including from Nicaraguan media members traveling to the U.S. to report on his

ascension.

“It’s kind of weird,” Ramirez said. “But I want to be at this point. I don’t want to go less than this. Now, I

want to go to the top. Who doesn’t want to be like Mike Trout? Everybody wants to say hi to him, get

his autograph, take a picture with him. I wouldn’t say that I’m getting used to it. It’s just consistently

lately, and I’m OK with it.”

Ramirez, 28, maintains a gregarious, quirky presence in the Angels’ clubhouse. A fluent English speaker,

he smiles freely, takes photos on his phone often and sports T-shirts with slogans befitting his behavior.

He particularly likes one that reads: “The right way/The wrong way/And the way I do it.”

As a starter, Ramirez’s fastball has trended up, and his slider has improved alongside his addition of a

curveball. His trouble has come in the first inning, but he said slyly Friday that he has “something in mind

that I can try” Saturday against Miami.

“What he’s done as a starter is more important than anything he would’ve been doing in the bullpen

right now,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “He’s one of the reasons why we at least have our heads

above water right now.”

Short hops

Left fielder Cameron Maybin did not start Friday because of right knee soreness, but was available to

appear as a reserve. Maybin hurt his right knee running on the turf at Tropicana Field. He said he

expected to play Saturday. …Right-hander Alex Meyer played catch for the first time since he went on

the 10-day disabled list because of back spasms and said he felt fine. … Scioscia coached Marlins

outfielder Christian Yelich at a Los Angeles youth baseball camp around 2000. He said he saw unusual

skills in the-then 9-year-old Yelich.

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Bad start sends Angels to loss in Marlins Park debut

By Jeff Fletcher

MIAMI — The Angels were the last team to put their cleats on the field at Marlins Park.

And when they finally did, it was not long before their approval of the pristine field and colorful

surroundings gave way to the frustration of a terrible start on the way to a pretty lousy night overall.

The Angels made two errors and gave up two homers in the first inning on their way to an 8-5 loss to the

Miami Marlins on Friday night.

May 27, 2017 Page 6 of 20

Besides the result, they also saw two of their key players get hurt, although neither expects to miss any

time.

Bud Norris, who was pitching the eighth because he was the freshest Angels reliever, came out after just

three pitches with tightness in his right knee. He said he is fine, and he believed the problem would have

resolved itself if he’d just been allowed to stay in the game.

Martin Maldonado also hurt his left thumb making a tag at the plate. It was packed in ice after the game,

and he had undergone X-rays, but he also said he felt better and expected to be ready to play on Saturday.

It wasn’t an entirely bad night for Maldonado, who hit a two-run homer. And it was a good night for Nolan

Fontana, who hit a homer for his first major league hit, in the ninth.

Besides those few bright spots, though, the Angels’ debut at Marlins Park was forgettable, especially

because they saw the ballpark’s iconic sculpture in action three times. Sitting beyond the center field

fence, the tower of pastel colors and South Florida symbols lights up, and the marlins spin around, when

the Marlins hit a homer.

It happened twice in the first inning, on Chavez’s watch.

“Whew,” Chavez said. “There was a lot going on in that first inning. At the end of the day, it’s just a battle

between myself … between me and my mechanics. I’m trying to find that drive to each side of the plate,

which wasn’t there, which led to balls leaking over the plate, where I didn’t want them to go.”

Chavez gave up two homers in the first, including a 460-foot monster to straightaway center field off the

bat of Giancarlo Stanton, baseball’s pre-eminent power hitter.

“It was a bad changeup,” Chavez said. “Supposed to be away. It ended up middle. He did Stanton to it. He

dented it.”

Chavez later gave up a homer to J.T. Realmuto. After his day was done, having allowed five runs in 3-2/3

innings, he said he watched some video and diagnosed the issue.

The Angels got back within 5-3 on the Maldonado homer. Their hopes at a comeback ended quickly, when

Jose Alvarez gave up a three-run homer to Justin Bour, just after an intentional walk to Marcell Ozuna.

It was the second time in the game that Manager Mike Scioscia had intentionally walked a hitter, only to

have the next hitter deliver.

“They’ve got a pretty deep lineup, especially for the National League,” Scioscia said. “We had trouble

getting through it tonight.”

May 27, 2017 Page 7 of 20

Angels Notes: Florida native Nolan Fontana homers for first major-league hit

By Jeff Fletcher

MIAMI — Nolan Fontana, a Florida native, had plenty of friends and family members in the stands this

week in St. Petersburg to see his big league debut against the Tampa Bay Rays.

When the Angels infielder finally connected for his first hit, a home run, on the other side of the state on

Friday night, how many people were there?

“Zero,” Fontana said. “They had other obligations.”

Fontana didn’t seem to mind. It’s hard to take the shine off a first major league hit, especially when it goes

over the fence.

After going hitless in his first six big league at-bats, including some hard hit balls, he came up in the ninth

inning of a game in which the Angels trailed the Miami Marlins, 8-3, on Friday night. He blasted the ball

just barely over the fence in right-center.

“That at-bat was exciting,” he said. “I was just trying to get on base and get the next guy up so we can have

the chance to get the meat of the order up. We did, and we gave it a push.”

The Angels scored a run after his homer and got Mike Trout to the plate. He made the last out on a fly ball

to the warning track, just shy of a homer that would have pulled them within one run.

Fontana was the 14th Angels player to get a homer for his first major league hit. The last was Jett Bandy, in

2015.

FAMILIAR FACE

Mike Scioscia’s scouting report on Christian Yelich goes back to when he was about 9.

Yelich, a Miami Marlins outfielder, grew up in the Conejo Valley and attended a baseball camp hosted by

Scioscia, who also lives in the area, when he was a coach with the Dodgers.

Even then, Scioscia could see a bright future for Yelich.

“He was just a kid, but he looked like a baseball player out there,” the Angels manager said. “He obviously

had an incredible career.”

Yelich, who attended Westlake High in Thousand Oaks, was the Marlins’ first-round pick in 2010. Last

season, his third as an everyday player, Yelich hit .298 with 21 homers. He played for the United States in

the World Baseball Classic.

May 27, 2017 Page 8 of 20

MAYBIN OUT

Cameron Maybin was not in the lineup Friday, after coming out of Thursday’s game with right knee pain.

Maybin said he felt better, though.

“I feel good,” he said. “I’m definitely able to play. Hopefully I’ll be back in there tomorrow. Nothing to

worry about at all. I wanted to play today, but I think it’s smarter to take a day.”

FIRST THINGS FIRST

J.C. Ramirez will start for the Angels on Saturday, again trying to figure out a solution to his first-inning

issues. Ramirez has allowed 10 earned runs and 16 hits in the first inning in his eight starts. After that, he’s

allowed only 10 earned runs in the other 41-1/3 innings.

“I don’t know if (pitching coach Charles Nagy) has any super tricks up his sleeve, but they are going to work

on a couple things for sure,” Scioscia said.

The first-inning issues aside, the Angels have no complaints with what Ramirez has given. His 3.65 ERA as a

starter is certainly better than expected for a pitcher who had worked only in relief in the majors.

“What he’s done as a starter is more important than anything he would have been doing in the bullpen for

us right now,” Scioscia said. “He’s turned into a guy that’s pitched to a certain point in games, given us a

chance to win the games he pitches. He’s one of the reasons we at least have our heads above water right

now.”

ALSO

Alex Meyer (back spasms) played catch for the first time since he was placed on the disabled list. Meyer

said they “got after it pretty good” in a throwing session that was one he would normally do the day after

a start. Meyer called it “promising.” He is eligible to come off the 10-day disabled list Wednesday. The

Angels still need to fill in for him at least once more, on Tuesday. Scioscia said the plan is still for Daniel

Wright to make that start. …

Scioscia said Huston Street (strained lat) and Mike Morin (neck) are expected to continue their rehab

assignments at Class-A Inland Empire following their second outings at Triple-A Salt Lake City.

FROM ANGELS.COM

Maldonado, Fontana homer, but Halos fall

By Joe Frisaro and Glenn Sattell / MLB.com

MIAMI -- Marlins Park, not known for being home run-friendly, proved to be a home-field advantage for

the Marlins on Friday night. Giancarlo Stanton, J.T. Realmuto and Justin Bour each went deep in Miami's

8-5 victory over the Angels.

May 27, 2017 Page 9 of 20

Stanton's homer was his first since May 8, and Bour stayed hot, homering for the ninth time in 14

games. Backed by early run support, Dan Straily won his second straight start, giving up three runs with

six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. It marked the seventh time the Marlins knocked three homers in a game.

After falling behind by a run in the first inning, the Marlins broke through for four of their own off Jesse

Chavez. Stanton blistered a two-run homer to center, and Realmuto unloaded on an opposite-field shot

with two outs.

"I thought G's homer was big because it kind of erased that first inning and gave us the lead," Marlins

manager Don Mattingly said. "We kind of added on in that first inning."

Bour's three-run shot padded Miami's lead to five, and it came after Marcell Ozuna was intentionally

walked.

"When Ozuna gets walked there, I take it like, 'I want him to be swinging,'" Bour said. "I want him to get

a chance to hit. I want to make the most of that opportunity so that doesn't happen."

Chavez yielded five runs over 3 2/3 innings for his shortest start of the season. Playing for the first time

at Marlins Park, the night ended with concern for the Angels, as closer Bud Norris, getting work in the

eighth inning, exited after three pitches due to right knee tightness.

"There was a lot going on in that first inning," Chavez said. "At the end of the day, we talked about it, it

was just a battle between myself and my mechanics. Trying to find that drive to each side of the plate,

which wasn't there, which led to balls leaking over the plate when I didn't want them to."

Martin Maldonado's two-run homer to center in the sixth inning off Straily was projected

by Statcast™ at 417 feet, his longest of the season and third longest since 2015. Nolan Fontana hit

his first career home run (and hit), connecting in the ninth inning off Kyle Barraclough.

"We're thrilled for that kid," manager Mike Scioscia said of Fontana's homer. "He hit the ball hard in

Tampa, not a lot to show for it. He's one of an elite group who gets a home run on his first hit. How big

that group is I don't know, but I know it's not that big."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Southpaw jinx no more for Bour: So much for Bour not being able to homer off lefties. With two outs in

the sixth inning, Miami's first baseman connected on a two-out, three-run homer off left-hander Jose

Alvarez. It was Bour's 13th of the season, and fourth off a southpaw. He entered the season without any

homers off lefties. But this year Miami opted to give Bour chances against them. The timing of the

homer was also big because the Angels closed to 5-3 on Maldonado's two-run homer in the top of the

inning.

"Putting together a good at-bat was the main thing for me," Bour said. "I was thrown a couple of sliders

to start the at-bat. I felt like I got my pitch to hit, 3-1. I was a little frustrated, fouling off that one."

May 27, 2017 Page 10 of 20

Straily exits, Phelps returns: Straily seemed to run out of steam in the sixth inning, yielding the two-run

homer to Maldonado with one out. David Phelps entered, and he retired Ben Revere on a grounder to

second and pinch-hitter Jefry Marte on a fly ball to right. Phelps then posted a scoreless seventh, giving

him 1 2/3 scoreless frames. Phelps was reinstated from the bereavement list on Friday, and he has not

allowed an earned run in 13 straight games (13 2/3 innings).

"It's not like I had the greatest track record off some of these guys, but I really kind of honed in to who I

was pitching to and what my strengths are, and go out there and try to attack my strengths, and if you

beat me, so be it," Straily said.

QUOTABLE

"It's good to see. It's something I thought was there earlier. I was wondering and doubting if it was there

or not. It's starting to look like he's figuring it out." -- Mattingly, on Bour starting to have production

against left-handed pitching

INSTANT REPLAY

The Angels won a challenge that denied Christian Yelich of an RBI in the eighth inning. On Yelich's double

to left, Stanton attempted to score from first. On a bang-bang play at the plate, the call was originally

ruled safe. Maldonado handled Andrelton Simmons' relay as Stanton slid into his glove hand. After a

review of one minute and 20 seconds, the call was overturned.

WHAT'S NEXT

Angels: Right-hander JC Ramirez takes the mound for the Angels at 1:10 p.m. PT on Saturday at Marlins

Park. Ramirez turned in a quality start his last outing, a win over the Rays. He allowed just two runs on

six hits while striking out five over 6 2/3 innings.

Marlins: Vance Worley makes his second start since being brought up from Triple-A New Orleans. The

right-hander draws the 4:10 p.m. ET contest with the Angels. In his first start, a loss at the Dodgers,

Worley gave up three runs in four innings.

Fontana’s first hit come on 9th-inning homer

By Glenn Sattell / Special to MLB.com

MIAMI -- Nolan Fontana will always remember his first career hit. With one out in the ninth inning of

an 8-5 loss to the Marlins on Friday night at Marlins Park, Fontana belted his first career home run.

With an exit velocity of 100 mph, Fontana clubbed a 96-mph fastball from Marlins reliever Kyle

Barraclough for a solo homer. The 410-foot shot to right-center field had a launch angle of 29 degrees,

according to Statcast™.

"That at-bat was exciting," said Fontana, who entered as a defensive replacement in the eighth. "I was

really just trying to get on base to get the next guy up so we can have a chance to get the meat of our

order back up, and we did, and we gave it a push."

May 27, 2017 Page 11 of 20

The Angels called up Fontana from Triple-A Salt Lake prior to Monday's game in Tampa Bay, and he

made his Major League debut that night, starting at second base. In 38 Triple-A games, Fontana hit .265

with five homers, seven doubles and 25 RBIs.

Fontana, who grew up in Winter Garden and attended the University of Florida, had no family in

attendance for Friday's game. He said it had obligations and did not make the trip.

Fontana said he knew it was just a matter of time before he got his first Major League hit.

"I know they're going to come, just keep having good at-bats and hitting the ball hard and eventually

they'll fall," said Fontana, who had been hitless in six at-bats entering Friday. "I wasn't putting much

pressure on myself. It was nice to get it out of the way. It would've been better with a win."

Rounding the bases, Fontana said he was just happy to put a run on the board and help his team get

closer, cutting the deficit to 8-4.

"Initially, I thought it was going to hit the wall, that's why I was running hard," said Fontana, who was

mobbed by teammates in the dugout. "But it was a good feeling. We all pull for each other. It was

unique in camp and Spring Training, the vibe everyone has together. There's a lot of unity. That was

pretty cool to go into the dugout and see a bunch of smiles on their faces."

In 23 Spring Training games, Fontana hit .311 with a homer and nine RBIs. Selected by the Astros in the

second round of the 2012 MLB Draft, the Angels claimed Fontana off waivers last November.

Norris exits with tight knee after 3 pitches

Righty doesn't believe injury is cause for concern

By Glenn Sattell / Special to MLB.com

MIAMI -- Bud Norris left the Angels' 8-5 loss to the Marlins on Friday in the eighth inning after just three

pitches. The closer left after a 2-1 count on the only batter he faced, Miami's leadoff hitter Dee Gordon.

Norris took no warmup pitches and exited the game with tightness in his right knee.

"It was just a little uncomfortable and pretty tight," Norris said. "Some days, your body doesn't wake up

the way you want to."

It's a reoccurring situation that usually works itself out after warming up, according to Norris.

"I get it every once in a while," he said. "As my body adrenaline gets going and as you get going, ramped

up, you don't feel it anymore. Sometimes you just get it in the 'pen, but that's why you try to get hot

quick. But it just didn't really cooperate today."

The 32-year-old Norris took over as the Angels' closer on April 22, and he recorded his first save that

night against Toronto. He earned his ninth save of the season on Monday, and he had produced 17

scoreless outings in 22 appearances this season prior to Friday.

May 27, 2017 Page 12 of 20

Norris said he doesn't believe that the tightness is cause for concern.

"Not at all. I don't think so," he said. "I've had it before. Just got to stay up on my stretching. … I do a lot

of lifting throughout the year, too. Sometimes your body just reacts a certain way. I don't expect to miss

any time or that it's anything serious."

Norris described the injury as "tightness, dead knee pain."

"Sometimes it warms up, sometimes it doesn't," said Norris, who was hoping to remain in the game. "I

feel like if I can throw a couple more pitches that I can definitely get hotter and it will go away. Our

bullpen was taxed today, and I want to do my job, too."

But manager Mike Scioscia wasn't taking any chances.

"Obviously, we weren't going to push him," Scioscia said. "He's been evaluated, and it looks like he'll be

day to day."

Maybin (knee) sits, Pujols (hamstring) returns

By Glenn Sattell / Special to MLB.com

MIAMI -- Cameron Maybin was not in Friday's starting lineup for the series opener against the Marlins,

but the good news is Albert Pujols was. Maybin left Thursday's game with a sore left knee, and manager

Mike Scioscia held him out to rest it one more day.

Maybin's knee flared up on the artificial turf at Tampa Bay, and according to Scioscia, wanted to remain

in the game.

"Astroturf is like that," Scioscia said. "It's like that truth serum; everything you have, you feel. We took

him out as a precaution. I think if this was a playoff game or a pennant race type of game, he'd suck it up

and play. But since we're looking at 100-plus games ahead of us, we wanted to give him a day to

recover.

"It just makes sense to give him today, and hopefully he rebounds and gets back out there tomorrow.

We're anticipating him playing tomorrow."

The Angels are anxious to get Maybin back in the lineup swinging the hot bat again. He established a

career high with five hits on May 16 and has gone 15-for-35 (.429) with two homers, five doubles, five

RBIs and 10 runs in his last nine games.

The Angels are also excited to keep Pujols in the lineup. Despite still recovering from a nagging right

hamstring injury and with no designated hitter in the National League park, Pujols was nevertheless in

the lineup hitting fourth and playing first base.

"We're just going to go day by day, try to get him some at-bats and see how it goes," Scioscia said of

Pujols' hamstring. "Obviously with Albert, the most important thing is going to be his health moving

May 27, 2017 Page 13 of 20

forward. We need him swinging the bat in the batter's box. So he'll play the field here and hopefully get

back to DH'ing at home.

Pujols, who entered Friday three homers from 600, missed a series before returning to play the first

three of a four-game series in Tampa Bay. He was given the day off on Thursday.

"He was really starting to swing the bat well before we went on this road trip and hasn't been able to

get the consistent at-bats like you know he wants," Scioscia said. "We need him. We need him to keep

driving in runs like he is."

Superstars Trout, Giancarlo admire each other

By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com

MIAMI -- Batting practice had a lot more sizzle on Friday night at Marlins Park. The must-see attractions

were Giancarlo Stanton when Miami was warming up, and Mike Trout when it was the Angels' turn to

hit.

For the first time since 2014, the Marlins faced the Angels, and it marked Los Angeles' first trip to

Marlins Park, which opened in 2012.

Trout, again having an MVP-caliber season, had never played in South Florida. He is a virtual lock to

return to Miami in a couple of months, representing the Angels in the 2017 All-Star Game presented by

MasterCard on July 11 at Marlins Park.

Before Friday's series started, Trout couldn't help but watch Stanton taking BP, and Stanton shares high

admiration for the Angels outfielder.

"Amazing player, of course," Stanton said of Trout. "Is this the last ballpark on his list? I don't know if he

has homers in every park, but we've got to keep him off this one."

In batting practice, the deep dimensions were no match for Trout, who connected on a number of

warmup shots that cleared the wall. One of his most impressive homers was a drive high off the batter's

eye, well beyond the 407 marker in center.

Stanton did his usual batting practice display, crushing balls onto the concourse. He later knocked a two-

run, first-inning homer.

"I got to see [Stanton] a little bit in the Derby last year," Trout said. "His power is unbelievable."

Stanton was the star of the 2016 Home Run Derby, setting a record with 61 homers and claiming the

crown at Petco Park.

Stanton and Trout are among the most feared hitters in the game and do major damage when they

connect.

May 27, 2017 Page 14 of 20

"It's always the same," Stanton said of Trout's approach. "It's always calculated. He always has a set

plan. He will get you in a lot of ways, offensively and defensively. Those guys are very dangerous."

Per Statcast™, the average distance of balls Trout puts in play is 209.32 feet, well above the Major

League average of 186.40 feet. Stanton's average distance is 199.15 feet.

When it comes to their respective average home run distances, Statcast™ has Stanton at 420 feet, and

Trout at 407.

"Hopefully, he won't hit some off us, but he's a great player, and a great dude," Trout said of Stanton.

Ramirez faces Marlins in Interleague game

By Glenn Sattell / Special to MLB.com

JC Ramirez gets the nod on Saturday afternoon when the Angels take on the Marlins in the middle game

of a three-game series at Marlins Park. The right-hander is looking to keep the opposition in check. He

has allowed two runs or fewer in five of his last six starts while posting a record of 2-1 with a 2.77 ERA

over that span.

The Marlins counter with Vance Worley, who will make his second start for the Marlins since being

signed as a free agent on April 4. In his only other start for the Marlins, Worley gave up three runs on six

hits over four innings in Sunday's loss to the Dodgers.

It will be Worley's first career start against the Angels, although the right-hander did face them twice in

relief last season with Baltimore. He worked a total of one inning in back-to-back outings last May,

yielding one hit and two walks.

Three things to know:

• Ramirez gets his first start against the Marlins. He made a relief appearance versus the Marlins in

2013, working two innings and giving up just one hit while striking out one.

• Of the two current Marlins that have faced Ramirez over the last five seasons, only Christian Yelich has

a hit (1-for-1). In his only at-bat facing Ramirez, Giancarlo Stanton did not get a hit.

• The Marlins have the hardest-hitting outfield in the Majors. Each of the three starters (Marcell Ozuna,

Yelich and Stanton) top 90-mph average exit velocity.

May 27, 2017 Page 15 of 20

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Stanton's long homer helps Marlins beat Angels 8-5

Associated Press

MIAMI -- If Mike Trout had positioned himself in the hedge behind the wall, he still couldn't have

caught Giancarlo Stanton's first-inning drive.

Stanton homered off the retaining wall in center, a shot estimated at 460 feet, and the Miami

Marlins beat the Los Angeles Angels 8-5 on Friday night.

Stanton's two-run homer off Jesse Chavez was his 12th of the year but his first since May 8. Center

fielder Trout took a few steps back before stopping to watch the ball sail way over his head.

"I did my job," Stanton said.

"It was a bad changeup," Chavez said. "He did Stanton. He dented it."

Stanton has 10 homers of at least 460 feet since 2015, most in the majors.

"It's just a treat whenever he hits a homer," teammate Justin Bour said.

Bour added a three-run homer , his 13th, and J.T. Realmuto had a solo drive for his fourth of the season.

All three Miami homers came on 3-2 pitches.

Angels pitchers have allowed 73 homers, most in the majors.

Christian Yelich had three doubles in three at-bats and scored twice. Stanton and Dee Gordon each had

three hits for the Marlins, who scored four runs in the first and finished with 14 hits.

Miami (17-29) began the night tied for the worst record in the majors, and won for only the fourth time

in the past 16 games. But its offensive potential remains considerable -- the Marlins have scored 29 runs

in their past three victories.

The Angels (25-26) lost their third game in a row, and the latest defeat was painful in more ways than

one.

Reliever Bud Norris tweaked his right knee and departed after throwing only three pitches in the ninth,

and his status is day to day. Catcher Martin Maldonado hurt his left thumb tagging out Stanton at the

plate in the eighth inning and remained in the game, but he had his hand heavily wrapped afterward

and was awaiting results of X-rays.

Angels pinch hitter Nolan Fontana homered for his first career hit in the ninth. A.J. Ramos entered with

two out and one on in the ninth to retire Trout on a 400-foot flyout for his fifth save.

May 27, 2017 Page 16 of 20

Dan Straily (3-3) gave up three runs in 5 1/3 innings and won his second start in a row. He departed after

giving up a two-run homer to Maldonado and was displeased with the quality of his pitches.

"Terrible," Straily said. "I never really felt in sync. You find out what kind of pitcher you are when you

don't have your best stuff."

Jesse Chavez (4-6) allowed five runs in 3 2/3 innings, his shortest start of the year. His ERA rose to 5.09.

The Angels became the final major league team to play at Marlins Park, which opened in 2012.

WALK BACKFIRES

Angels manager Mike Scioscia ordered a two-out intentional walk in the sixth so left-hander Jose

Alvarez could face Bour, a left-handed hitter. Bour spoiled the strategy with a homer to put Miami

ahead 8-3.

"We felt more comfortable going after Bour and he got it done," Scioscia said. "So you tip your cap to

him."

Said Bour of the intentional walk: "I want to make the most of that opportunity, so it doesn't happen

again."

The homer was his fourth off a lefty this year.

ROUGH NIGHT

Marlins left fielder Marcell Ozuna misplayed two fly balls on the warning track. Each was scored a

double, including Luis Valbuena's run-scoring hit.

ROSTER MOVE

Before the game, the Marlins optioned right-hander Drew Steckenrider to Triple-A New Orleans and

reinstated right-hander David Phelps from the bereavement list.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Angels: CF Cameron Maybin was held out of the starting lineup because of a sore right knee but hopes

to play Saturday. ... Albert Pujols started at 1B even though he has been nursing a sore right hamstring.

He looked gimpy running out a standup double in the sixth.

Marlins: CF Christian Yelich (hip) was back in the starting lineup after missing one game. ... LHP Jeff

Locke (left shoulder tendinitis), who has been on a rehab assignment, is on the verge of joining the

rotation and making his season debut, manager Don Mattingly said. ... SS Adeiny Hechavarria (left

oblique) and 3B Martin Prado (right hamstring) are about 10 to 14 days from going on rehab

assignments, Mattingly said.

UP NEXT

May 27, 2017 Page 17 of 20

RHP J.C. Ramirez (4-3, 3.81 ERA) is scheduled to start Saturday for the Angels against RHP Vance

Worley (0-1, 6.75 ERA).

Angels now know Marlins have some offense

By Associated Press

MIAMI -- The slumping Miami Marlins, who are 17-29 and have lost 21 of their past 28 games, earned

the respect of the Los Angeles Angels in Friday night's opener of a three-game series.

"They have a pretty deep lineup, especially for the National League," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said

after the Marlins pounded out an impressive 8-5 win. "We had trouble getting through it."

Game two is set for Saturday afternoon at Marlins Park. The Angels will send right-hander JC Ramirez (4-

3, 3.81 ERA) out to face an unusual Miami lineup that features slugger Giancarlo Stanton batting second.

Ramirez, who will be making his 12th appearance and ninth start of the season, has only faced the

Marlins once in his career.

But that was a whole different animal. It was back in 2013, when Ramirez was a reliever for

the Philadelphia Phillies, and he fired two scoreless innings against Miami.

On Saturday, Ramirez will face a Marlins lineup that is suddenly clicking. Stanton was only moved to No.

2 in the order on Tuesday -- a desperation move by Miami manager Don Mattingly.

On Friday, though, it worked as Dee Gordon, Stanton and Christian Yelich -- the first three batters in the

reworked lineup -- each had three hits. Each of those three batters had one extra-base hit as well.

The 4-5-6 hitters also did well as Marcell Ozuna had two RBIs, Justin Bour hit a three-run homer, and JT

Realmuto hit a solo shot.

Stanton, who had been batting fourth, seems fine with the move up the batting order.

"It's a little adjustment," Stanton said. "I've got to get ready to hit sooner in the first inning. But I also

know I'm going to batting in the first inning 100 percent.

"At the end of the day, it's just two spots (up), but I think it will pay dividends in the late innings and in

close games. There are some innings where I get cut off when I'm fourth."

Stanton said it is too early to tell if he is getting better pitches to hit batting behind Gordon.

But Stanton said his main concern is to move Gordon once the Marlins' leadoff batter gets on base.

"If he gets a good jump (on a steal attempt), see if it is a good ball to hit," Stanton said. "I did my job (on

Friday). I've just got to make sure I move him over. That's all I'm worried about.

"I want to get a pitch I can drive. If it bloops over an infielder, and Dee scores, that's good, too."

May 27, 2017 Page 18 of 20

While the Angels wrestle with Miami's batting order, they will also try to get to Vance Worley (0-1, 6.75

ERA), who made his Marlins debut last week in a 6-3 loss at the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Signed as a free agent by the Marlins on April 4, Worley did not impress against the Dodgers, allowing

three runs in four innings. This will be Worley's first career start against the Angels.

Ramirez may have a slight edge over Worley due to recent history. Ramirez is 2-1 with a 2.77 ERA in his

past six starts.

FROM NBC SPORTS

Bud Norris exits outing with right knee soreness

By Ashley Varela

Angels’ right-handed reliever Bud Norris made his 23rd appearance of the season on Friday, and after

just three pitches, he was done for the night. He worked a 2-1 count to Marlins’ Dee Gordon in the

eighth inning, then promptly exited the field after experiencing some tightness in his right knee. Neither

Norris nor manager Mike Scioscia believe the injury is cause for major concern, and the 32-year-old

right-hander admitted that it may have had something to do with his lack of stretching before he took

the mound. For now, he’s day-to-day with right knee soreness, with the hope that the issue doesn’t

escalate over the next few days.

While the Angels are lucky to have avoided serious injury, they’ll need Norris to pitch at 100% if they

want to stay competitive within the AL West. They currently sit a full nine games behind the league-

leading Astros, and haven’t been helping their cause after taking five losses in their last eight games.

Friday’s 8-5 finale marked their third consecutive loss of the week.

When healthy, Norris has been one of the better arms in the Angels’ bullpen. Through 23 2/3 innings,

he’s pitched to a 2.66 ERA, 3.4 BB/9 and an outstanding 11.8 SO/9 in 23 outings. The righty hasn’t

allowed a single run in four straight appearances, recording three saves and helping the club clinch four

wins in that span. This is his second setback of the year after sustaining a partial fingernail tear on his

pitching hand during spring training.

FROM MIAMI HERALD

Stanton drills 460-foot HR as Marlins clip Trout, Angels

By Manny Navarro

Mike Trout watched Giancarlo Stanton slug 61 bombs on his way to the Home Run Derby title at last

summer’s All-Star Game in San Diego.

May 27, 2017 Page 19 of 20

Friday night, the American League’s two-time MVP didn’t have to wait long to see one fly over his head

in his first game at Marlins Park.

Stanton crushed a 460-foot, two-run bomb off Angels right-hander Jesse Chavez in the first inning to

center field which flew an estimated 460 feet and bounced off the batter’s eye, leaving a dent in it.

The blast was Stanton’s second-longest this season according to MLB Statcast (he hit a 468-foot shot on

May 7), and the tone-setter in Miami’s 8-5 victory.

“Whether it’s the two-hole, three-hole or four-hole, he’s a force,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of

Stanton, who homered for the first time since May 8 and the first time in the No. 2 hole, where he’s

been batting since Tuesday.

“If [Dee] Gordon’s going to get on base, [Stanton] is going to have a lot of opportunities to swing the

bat.”

Stanton’s 12th homer of the season – and the 10th in the last three seasons to travel at least 460 feet –

fueled a four-run first inning for the Marlins, who tacked on another run in the second on a bases-

loaded walk and then picked up a big three-run home run from Justin Bour in the sixth to turn an 5-3

lead into a pivotal five-run cushion.

Marlins starter Dan Straily scattered six hits, struckout six and walked two over 5 1/3 innings to improve

to 3-3 on the season. He’s the first Marlins pitcher this season to hit the three-win mark.

Miami (17-29) has won three of its last five games after dropping 10 of its previous 11 games before

that.

“The way we’ve been playing ball the last few days has really kind of shifted,” Straily said. “To get up

there and get all the hits and runs and get the result of a win at the end of the day is very good.”

Stanton, Gordon and Christian Yelich all had three hits. The Marlins clubbed 14 in all. None was longer

than Stanton’s, who remains baseball’s distance king far and away.

He’s clubbed 25 career homers of at least 460 feet, 11 more than next-closest team’s total (the Colorado

Rockies) since he entered the majors in 2010 according to ESPN Stats & Info. The next three players on

the list – Edwin Encarnacion, Justin Upton and Nelson Cruz – each have six.

“It’s just a treat – that’s just the best way to put it,” Bour said of Stanton’s bombs. “If he had aimed it a

little bit further to the right he probably would have hit that Monster sign and won a Bentley. He’s got to

work on that.”

Said Stanton: “I need to get that damn Bentley.”

The Marlins, though, wouldn’t have won without Bour’s homer. He came to the plate only after the

Angels opted to intentionally walk Marcell Ozuna with a runner on second. After fouling off a pitch that

May 27, 2017 Page 20 of 20

bounced high off the wall and just to the right of the foul pole, Bour crushed his MLB-leading ninth

homer in the month of May. He’s now homered in nine of his last 14 games.

“For me, it’s just a little frustrating when [Marcell] Ozuna gets intentionally walked there,” said Bour,

who blasted the homer off Angels left-hander Jose Alvarez, the fourth lefty he’s homered off of this

season.

“I take it as like I want him to be swinging, get a chance to hit and I want to make the most out of that

opportunity so it doesn’t happen.”

The Angels, playing in South Florida for the first time since 2011, have dropped three in a row counting

Friday’s loss.

In addition to being Trout’s first game in South Florida, Friday’s game was the second in the majors this

season to be streamed live on Facebook.

Trout, who finished 0 for 3 with a pair of walks, walked and scored to put L.A. (25-26) ahead 1-0 in the

first when Luis Valbuena doubled off the glove off Ozuna, who was trying to make a tough catch against

the wall in left-center field.

The Marlins, though, quickly responded.

Gordon singled hard to right. Stanton homered on a 3-2 pitch. Yelich doubled to right, advanced to third

on an error and then scored when he beat a throw to the plate on an Ozuna grounder to shortstop.

Two batters later, J.T. Realmuto slugged his fourth home run of the season, a 368-foot solo shot to right

field moments after Ozuna was caught stealing second.

That was enough for Straily, who was lifted when he gave up a two-run home run to Martin Maldonado

on a 1-2 pitch in the sixth.

David Phelps, who returned from the bereavement list on Friday, pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief

of Straily. Then, the Angels brought the tying run to the on-deck circle in the ninth when they scored a

pair off runs off Kyle Barraclough.

Closer A.J. Ramos came in picked up his fifth save of the season on one pitch when he got Trout to end

the game with a fly out to the warning track in center field.