Los Angeles Angels

Jeff Passan is on his failed prospect kick this week it seems. He has two pieces up today covering the subject, and here is an excellent breakdown of one of my fav's ...

Brandon Wood is on plenty of lips again, as the Angels try to back into the Roy Halladay(notes) and Cliff Lee(notes) sweepstakes. Only it’s different this time. He isn’t the headliner. Wood is the complementary piece, the extra guy, the one who is certainly replaceable, the antithesis of what he once was: untouchable. He’s a prime example of a player a team held onto for too long because an honest evaluation of his ability was clouded by excess hype.

“Teams love their prospects,” Wood said. “But I realized very quickly that being a prospect doesn’t make you a major leaguer. A lot of prospects don’t pan out. A prospect is a label for a talented minor leaguer who hasn’t proven a thing in the big leagues.”

Wood is halfway right. Teams do love their prospects. But it’s not a normal sort of love. It is irrational. It is tainted. It is downright incestuous. Executives who pride themselves on objective analysis lose their wits because of homegrown prospects. The team drafted the player. It developed him. It watched him grow. He is the team’s kid, and he should wear their uniform, no matter what, right?

Yahoo! Sports

Remember back in the day, when Santana used to only win at home?

Ervin Santana seemed like he might be ready to step up as a reliable No. 3 starter until Sunday's short outing snapped a modest two-game winning streak. Santana (3-6, 7.29 ERA) has gone from a 2008 All-Star to a 2009 enigma.

The fans certainly haven't seen his better side. He is 0-4 with a 12.91 ERA at Angel Stadium after he couldn't get out of the fourth inning Sunday. "He can get people out throwing 91 (mph)," catcher Mike Napoli said. "I wish he was still at 97 like he was last year, but I just feel he was unlucky today."

Santana's struggles have combined with Joe Saunders' to push the Angels into a hard search for pitching help before Friday's trade deadline. Manager Mike Scioscia said before Sunday's game that it wouldn't necessarily have to be a top-of-the-rotation starter to pique the Angels' interest.

OCRegister.com

Anybody remember when the Angels got laughed at for giving Sarge Jr got a five year deal? Anybody remember when Mathis was the next big thing? How does this team make so many mistakes, but constantly keep their head above water?

Matthews has started the last 13 games in center field. The Angels have won 11 of those. In Thursday night's 6-5 win over the Minnesota Twins, Matthews battled Twins closer Joe Nathan in the ninth, got him to a 3-2 count and then slapped a pitch to center field that cut the Twins' lead to 5-4. The Komeback Kids were on their way again. When Mike Napoli drove across the winner in the 10th, it marked the 31st time this season that the Angels had spotted the other team a lead and gone on to win. If the Angels were a racehorse, they'd be Seabiscuit. Opposing teams think of their relief pitchers as firemen. The Angels consider them gasoline

Los Angeles Times

sell high

"That's the talent, the ceiling that everybody saw," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of Aybar's recent play after he went 7 for 9 with two doubles, a triple, five runs scored and four driven in during Tuesday's doubleheader sweep of the Royals. "It's great to see a young player get comfortable and show the talent he showed in the minor leagues. "He's a talented kid. I don't want to say he's elevating his game. He's just bringing it onto the field. He's really playing at a high level."

Scioscia has praised Aybar's defense for some time now. But the switch-hitter is now the hottest hitter in baseball this month. He is batting .491 (26 for 53) with 13 runs scored and 15 RBI in 14 games in July plus multi-hit games in nine of his past 11.

"In the big leagues? No," Aybar said through an interpreter when asked if he'd a run like this before. "In winter ball? Every year."

OCRegister.com

The Angels plan to restrict Vladimir Guerrero to designated hitter for the rest of the season, raising the possibility that Angels fans have seen him play in right field for the last time. Guerrero has started two games in right field this season, most recently on July 7, when he suffered a strained muscle behind his left knee and a strained hamstring. He has been on the disabled list since then. The Angels hope he can return in two to three weeks.

"He'll be DHing when he gets back," Manager Mike Scioscia said. "We'll keep him in that role. If he has another setback and gets pushed back another three or four weeks, you're looking at September."

Los Angeles Times

It blows my mind that Mike Scioscia can't find this kid some at bats. I am going to start a Brandon Wood Watch. Sooner or later, this kid is going to force his way into the lineup, and I plan on being all over it. This is beyond disturbing.

Maicer Izturis is at second base today with Erick Aybar at shortstop. Last night, it was Aybar and Howie Kendrick. Since Kendrick returned from his demotion to the minors, Angels manager Mike Scioscia has used a three-man rotation in the two middle infield spots with Aybar, Izturis and Kendrick getting starts based on matchups and defensive need.

Don’t look for Brandon Wood to break into that group. Before today’s game, I asked Scioscia if Wood would get any starts at shortstop without an injury breaking up the current Aybar-Izturis tandem there. He made it clear that “the way Erick is playing right now and the way Izzy has been playing” it was unlikely Wood would show up at shortstop. “This stuff changes quickly,” Scioscia said. “But the way these guys have played there is depth over there.”

OCRegister.com

The A's did get one interruption to their usual programming. Matt Holliday hit his first home run since June 5, a blast to center that ended a string of 33 games and 121 at-bats without one. Teams interested in acquiring him before the deadline will note that he's batting .310 over his past 16 games.

Angels starter Ervin Santana continued his domination of the A's, despite his 1-5 record and 7.81 ERA coming into the night. He allowed one run and three hits in seven innings, and he's 10-1 with a 1.35 ERA against Oakland lifetime. A's manager Bob Geren noted Santana's recent struggles and the fact that his velocity was down, and he said he'd thought his club would do better against Santana than usual.

sfchron

This will of course only increase his value, if .. if and when, he ever gets playing time.

The Angels' prime prospect, Brandon Wood, got a start at first base today against the Yankees, and it may not be an isolated incident. Wood, whose previous professional experience has been on the left side of the infield, played five games at first base for Salt Lake earlier this season and seemed to take to it.

"There's a lot of learning, a lot of things I'm not used to," he said. "Normally (with a middle-infielder's glove) you catch a ball and flick it into your hand. You know exactly what's going on. It took me about three ground balls before I figured out that there's too much letter, and if you try that the ball could end up in right field.

"One thing I didn't realize is that it's a lot of work over at first base. After a game you feel it more in your legs playing first than you do up the middle -- squattin' down, pickoffs, holding guys on, breaking off the bag. You're always moving."

PE.com

We have waited, and waited, and waited some more. We have anticipated a Freeway Series in October for 49 years now, for the Dodgers and Angels to challenge each other in the World Series.

What we have not anticipated is something just as delicious, perhaps more so: The Dodgers against the San Francisco Giants, for the right to play in the World Series.

Can you imagine?

Los Angeles Times

The injuries that sent Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero to the 15-day disabled list Friday could sideline the two outfielders for a month, leaving a huge void in the middle of the lineup. "We're looking at possibly three to four weeks for both players," Manager Mike Scioscia said. "The injuries are significant. They're not little 10-day things. It's going to take a little more time."

Hunter's injury -- an adductor strain on his right side -- cost the center fielder a spot on the American League All-Star team. He was replaced for Tuesday's game in St. Louis by Texas' Nelson Cruz, who had the next-highest number of outfield votes from players, coaches and managers. "I really wanted to go to the All-Star game," Hunter said. "All those fans voted for me. I'm from Arkansas, and the Cardinals mean everything to people there. I had friends and family members going. I hate that I won't be there. I may have to stay here for treatment."

Los Angeles Times