Do you realize that the much maligned Angels' starting rotation has thrown quality starts in 7 of their last 8 games? Is it really possible that the Halo rotation isn't as bad as it seems? Could pitching be the thing that gets the Angels moving up the standings rather than the vaunted offense? I know I might be getting carried away a bit, but the starters are doing what we hoped they would and more. The rotation has been so good that management thought Garrett Richards, who has the best stuff of the staff, should be sent to the pen to shore up that mess. Of course, this could all be some sick dream that will turn into a nightmare at any moment, but for now let us all dream this sweet dream...

Angels 4 Orioles 0

Welcome to the first edition of Monkeying Around of the 2013 season. If you're new here, this is a post in which I compile random thoughts because they are either not fully formed or I am too lazy properly research them. Enjoy my half-assery!

--It appears that I might be the final holdout for the Angels turning this season around. I'm not sure if that makes me a shining beacon of hope or a massive dunce. I just know that I refuse to give up on a team in May and by that I mean I refusing to give into panic notions on firing the coaching staff or engaging in a fire sale, both of which are articles I saw today... MAY 3RD! I'm not stupid, I see this team's flaws and know how hard it is to dig out of a 10-18 hole, but I don't see the point in writing a eulogy for a team with 134 games left to go.

--One thing I keep hearing about is the team's lack of "fire." This, of course, is something we merely assume based on demeanor and body language. None of us are in the dugout or clubhouse but infer how the team is playing based on what we see on TV. This might be my biggest pet peeve, especially when it devolves into statements like "Look at these guys, they don't even care about winning!" Unless you are a psychic, shut the hell up.

The May 2nd, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Madson has scar tissue removed, the Angel bullpen is a disaster and much more...

The Story: Ryan Madson had scar tissue removed from his elbow.

The Monkey Says: He played catch yesterday for the first time in over two weeks, so this obviously wasn't a major procedure, but it sure as hell isn't one that fills me with optimism that he would be back before the end of the month.

The Story: The Angel bullpen is a disaster.

The Monkey Says: Just in case you somehow weren't aware.

Joe Blanton showed up tonight.  The rest of the Angels? Nope.  Joe came in and threw 8 strong innings (an Angels first) giving up 2 earned runs.  Chris Tillman, the Fountain Valley High kid, just wanted it more.  He came in and shutdown the Halos through 8 innings, giving up only 3 hits.  The Big Four combined to go 2- 14, with Pujols’ homer coming too little too late in the 9^th inning.

Angel fans expected big things with the Orioles coming into town.  Maybe Josh would hit four homers again, maybe Trout would miraculously rob another homerun.  But then, we were reminded that all happened in Baltimore, not Anaheim.

Angels 1, Orioles 5

This past weekend, I decided to attend a couple AAA games for the Angels, mostly due to the convenience of only having to travel two hours to see them play in Sacramento, but also to get a better idea as to what they have to offer in terms of pitching and hitting.  I can’t say I was terribly surprised by the results, but they were considerably less optimistic than even I could have imagined.  Let’s start with offense:

Catcher – Chris Snyder.  So far, the newly acquired Snyder (and since dealt) has been the best offensive player for the Angels AAA affiliate.  But one look at his swing and it is painfully obvious that Snyder had pre-tailored his swing to succeed in this environment.  He was swinging for the fences and even when he didn’t great contact, the light air compensated and helped him accumulate extra base hits. Quite a bit more likely was a strikeout and infield pop-up.

Outfielder – Brad Hawpe.  Hawpe used to have a quirky pre-pitch timing and loading mechanism that allowed him to hit the long ball in Colorado.  But comparing his swing now to what it was then, it almost looks like he’s completely overdoing it.  His hands are all over the place and the only pitch he can do anything with is the inside fastball.  Granted, he can murder that pitch, but I don’t see any reason why pitchers would ever give that pitch to him.

Infielder – Bill Hall.  I really liked what I saw from Hall this Spring, but after seeing him in Sacramento this weekend, it’s clear he’s either not 100% healthy or he isn’t playing at 100%.  He made some fine defensive grabs at third base, but his quickness and range of motion made it all but impossible for him to play second base or shortstop as he did earlier in his career.  He looked strong, but slow.  At the plate, his timing isn’t back yet like it was in Spring Training, but it seems like he’ll get there.  He’s doing a very good job at keeping his weight back on the pitch and isn’t fooled by much.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following  is a guest post from Michael Pina. Michael Pina is a writer for ESPN’s TrueHoop Network. His work has been published at The Classical and ScoreBig.com. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelVPina.

There were many rational reasons why the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim signed Albert Pujols to a 10-year, $240 million contract five weeks before his 32^nd birthday.

Most of them, unfortunately, are vaguely related to winning baseball games. Paying him $30 million in 2021, when Pujols would be 41 years old, has almost nothing to do with that.

Similar to just about every player in professional sports history who ever signed an outrageous nine figure contract at the age of 32, it’s nearly impossible for Pujols to live up to the public’s expectations.

Albert Pujols is no longer Albert Pujols. Let’s get that out of the way before going any further. Excusing the very real possibility that he isn’t a human being, the natural aging process will prevent him from ever scraping at the ceiling of another 50 homerun season again. Those days are long gone.

The May 2nd, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Trumbo tells how he worked to improve, Downs hurt, Maronde demoted and much more...

The Story: Mark Trumbo talks about how he has gone about improving himself.

The Monkey Says: This piggybacks on comments Trumbo made last week, but it once again goes to show how he has worked himself into a better hitter by learning and making adjustments. Perhaps he should take Josh Hamilton under his wing.

The Story: Scott Downs left last night's game with a side injury.

The Monkey Says: He is probably headed for the DL if only because Downs never has just a day-to-day injury. Surely this has nothing to do with Scioscia wildly overworking the 37-year old the last few weeks.