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Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (64-54) @ Toronto Blue Jays (59-58) 

Pitching Probables: LAA -- Ervin Santana (8-8, 3.21 ERA) TOR -- Brandon Morrow (8-8, 4.51)

Game Info: 4:07 PM PT; TV - Fox Sports West; Radio - KLAA 830 AM

After three rather frustrating days in the big apple, the Halos take their traveling road show North of the Border to Toronto. I have no facutal data to back this ascertion up, but my memories of the Angels playing in Toronto are usually filled with pain and misery. Toronto seems to be a place the Angels tend to lose a lot of weird games in. With Texas heading Oakland before next week's first big showdown, it would be a good idea for the Angels to pick up at least two of three over the weekend.

The August 12th, 2011 edition of daily news for the LA Angels including Trumbo could move to third in 2012, the Angels want Pineiro back in the rotation, Scioscia talks up Trumbo for Rookie of the Year and much more...

The Story: The Angels might ask Mark Trumbo to move to third base or the outfield in 2012.

The Monkey Says: It is worth a shot since Trumbo was drafted as a third baseman, but I recall a story about him trying to play there during winter ball last year and it being a total trainwreck, and even he says he isn't a very good third basemen either.  As such, I doubt they'd move him their full-time, but if they can make him a passable fielder, they could maybe sneak in 20 or 30 starts for him at third in 2012 when the Angels might have a hard time finding him playing time should Morales return healthy.

The Story: The Angels do want to get Pineiro back into the rotation before the season is over.

The Monkey Says: This sounds like more of a pipe dream than anything as I can't imagine he is going to magically solve his issues in a handful of mop-up appearances over the next few weeks.  I'm sure this is just the team being positive to the media in order to help Joel save face and thank him for being such a good soldier throughout all this.

Why, Maicer?  Why?!?!  I know Jeff Mathis channeled his 2009 ALCS form by ripping a clutch double in the first game, but that doesn't mean you also had to channel your 2009 form by making another brutal error in Yankee Stadium to cost the Angels the game.

Yankees 6, Angels 5

Just when you thought it was safe for the Angels to compete with the Yankees, they go and shoot themselves in the foot again.  Instead of one of the usual suspects like Mathis or Wells or Rodney (oh, wait, oops) screwing it up, it was Scioscia's most loyal soldier Maicer Izturis booting a routine bouncer that should have allowed them to escape the seventh inning unscathed.  That error, of course, set up the Yankees to not only take the lead the very next batter, but to take it in dramatic fashion via a grand slam from Robinson Cano.  A big blow that would loom large since the Angels improbably tagged Mo Rivera for three runs in the ninth.

What's the take away from this?  I'd hope the Angels try and take it just like any other loss, but to lose in such a fashion to a contending team that they could well face in the playoffs, that could end up being the sort of thing that sticks in the back of their minds for the next two months.

Jeff Mathis has been historically awful his entire career and the Angel fan base has responded with an appropriate amount of loathing all along.  Unfortunately, Mike Scioscia still can't seem to quit Mathis, no matter how loud the public outcry is.  With Hank Conger destroying Triple-A and the Angels in the heat of the playoff hunt, that desire to finally see Scioscia get rid of Mathis for good appears to be at an all-time high.  Clearly logic and rationale have not convinced Scioscia to part ways with his favorite backstop yet, so if we are really going to put our long nightmare to an end, we are doing to have to resort to some extreme measures.

Don't you yell at me!  You're the one who sucks!!!

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Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (64-53) @ New York Yankees (70-45)

Pitching Probables: LAA – Tyler Chatwood (6-8, 4.10 ERA)  NYY – Bartolo Colon (8-6, 3.33 ERA)

Game Info: 10:05 AM PT; TV - Fox Sports West, ESPN; Radio - KLAA 830 AM

Oh, great, just what the Angels needed, another rookie starting pitcher facing the Yankees.  Yeah, that should work out well.

Wait, what's that you say?  Big Fat Bartolo Colon is pitching for the Yankees?  Maybe this won't be so bad after all.

I don't care how good Colon's ERA is this year, I don't trust him as far as I can throw him, which is probably only about three centimeters.  As for Chatwood?  He's much smaller, so I trust him for maybe about three feet.  What?  You think you could do better?  Have you ever tried throwing a full-grown man?  It isn't easy.

Anyway, given the rough patch Chatwood has been going through lately, the Angels best be ready to jump all over Colon the first chance they get, because there is no guarantee Chatwood is going to be any better than Richards was last night.

The August 11th, 2011 edition of daily news for the LA Angels including fired scouting director Eddie Bane calls out Tony Reagins, the folly of Scioscia's reliance on Mathis, was Vernon Wells' 2010 success really a by-product of the Blue Jays allegedly stealing signs and much more...

The Story: Over a year after being fired, Eddie Bane voices his intense dislike for Tony Reagins.

The Monkey Says: When Bane got let go, it was a big surprise and led to a lot of speculation, but speculate no more, he and Reagins just plain didn't get along.  Bane's drafting record may not have been as bad as Reagins claimed, but if these two guys had a mutual disdain for each other, then I can't say I really blame Reagins for letting Bane go.  But what did Eddie really expect Reagins to tell him, he has to give a legit business reason for letting him go.  You can't just walk in to a guy's office and fire him because you think he's a dick, even if that is really why you are firing him.

The Story: The folly of Mike Scioscia's continued reliance on Jeff Mathis.

The Monkey Says: There isn't anything groundbreaking here for Angel fans as they know most of this already, but anytime the Mathis situation gets national attention, I am all for it.

Thanks for coming out, Garrett Richards.  You gave it your best shot and we appreciate the effort, but it doesn't look like this is going work out at the present time.

Yankees 9, Angels 3

It was a longshot for Garrett Richards to step in and become an effective member of the rotation, so it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that Richards' MLB debut didn't go so well tonight.  In the kid's defense, he didn't get shelled like so many other recaps have suggested.  Remove his rough first inning (which is pretty fair since any kid making their MLB debut is going to be a mess of nerves in their first inning) and his performance wasn't that bad.  He didn't issue any walks after the first two batters and allowed just four hits in the final four innings.  Granted, all but one hit he allowed tonight was an extra-base hit, but there is promise there that he could become a quality starting pitcher in good time.

The problem is the Angels don't have any time.  The next time this spot in the rotation comes up again, it will be against the Texas Rangers, and the Angels can't risk running Richards out there for such a big game when all they have to rely upon is the hope that he learned a lot from this one start.  They'll have to find someone else, I find him fast so that they have a fighting chance against the Rangers.

As for Garrett, better luck next year.