Let me pop open the hood on this clunker of an offense and see if I can't figure out what's wrong with the engine.  Well, there's your problem right there!  Too many strikeouts.  Take care of that and this old girl will be running like brand new.

Forgive my hacky impression of a mechanic, but this floundering Angel lineup really does need to figure out why it can't seem to get into top gear and stay there.  Mike Scioscia has already juggled the lineup every way he can dream of, but no permutation has had a lasting effect.  Clearly there is a deeper problem plaguing the bats and it appears to be that said bats just aren't actually making contact with the ball as much as they should.

Throughout Mike Scioscia's storied tenure with the Halos, his squad has always finished in the bottom third in the majors when it comes to strikeouts (with the exception of his first season when they had the 16th most).  Considering that Scioscia's offensive philosophy relies so heavily on situational hitting, and thus putting the ball in play, it should be no surprise that he has always crafted his lineup to avoid the K.  This year though, things are much different as the Angel batters lead the American League in strikeouts.  Clearly that is something the Halos are going to have to address, but the question is if they really can correct it enough to fix the offense?

Daily Links for the LA Angels including Weaver named AL Pitcher of the Month, Weaver's pitch to Varitek should've been a strike, Abreu's patience is no longer an influence and much more...

The Story: Jered Weaver was named the AL Pitcher of the Month.

The Monkey Says: The only way he wouldn't have won was if there was voter fraud of North Korean proportions.

The Story: The tide-turning non-strike call Weaver had against Jason Varitek sure appears to be a strike.

The Monkey Says: Buck Foston.

The Story: Bobby Abreu's patience is no longer having an influence on the rest of the Angel lineup.

The Monkey Says: I know his presence had a great effect on the Angels in 2009, but I actually think this is a good thing.  For the most part, the Angel regulars are action players similar to the ones Scioscia relied upon years ago.  Walks are never a bad thing, but with too many guys trying to do something that they aren't cut out for, the lineup loses its identity.

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Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim   (16-14) @ Boston Red Sox (14-15)

Pitching Probables: LAA – Ervin Santana (1-3, 4.89 ERA)  BOS – Josh Beckett (2-1, 2.65 ERA)

Game Info: 4:10 AM PT; TV - Fox Sports West; Radio - KLAA 830 AM

I really don't want to think about the Red Sox until the Angels leave Beantown, so for the sake of my sanity (and yours) let's pray they muster up a split.

What do you know?  The Angels lost to Boston again.  I am so frustrated right now, I really don't even want to talk about it.

Red Sox 7, Angels 3

OK, so, I'll just say this and then you can all leave me alone.  Consider this: Jered Weaver an Dan Haren have lost three games this year, all to the Red Sox.  THe Halos have lost 14 games this season, six of which were to Boston.  Now if you'll excuse me, I have to make a late run to Costco so that I can buy an economy pack of ice picks and shove them all in my eyes.

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Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim   (16-13) @ Boston Red Sox (13-15)

Pitching Probables: LAA – Dan Haren (4-1, 1.23 ERA)  BOS – Jon Lester (3-1, 2.52 ERA)

Game Info: 4:10 AM PT; TV - Fox Sports West; Radio - KLAA 830 AM

I hate that it is the first week of May and I am already all up in my head about the Boston Red Sox.  The sad part is that I know I am not alone.  Seeing as how the Angels have lost their first five games against the hated BoSox and 14 of their last 15 dating back to last season, this game is approaching "must-win" territory if only for the sanity of the roster and the fan base.  Now would be a really good time for the team's second ace to step up and do what the primary ace couldn't do.

If ever there was a time to rely on the Angels' starting pitching strength, it is now.  In an ideal world, having two ace caliber pitchers should mean that no team should really be able to beat them both on consecutive nights, or so says the general guideline of good pitching usually beating good hitting.  With Weaver already failing (not really his fault, but still), the Halos need Dan Haren to step up and show that he can be just as good and just as dominant as the other half of the Angels' dynamic duo.

It was another wet week for Mike Trout and the Travelers (is it just me or does that sound like the name of a pretty good rockabilly band?).  The Travs did manage to squeeze in three full games plus two seven-inning contests this week, so at least thing are progressing on that front.

As for our future savior, things continued to be a bit soggy for him. 

Mike seemed eager to finally get back on the field this Wednesday in Arkansas' first game in five days.  Trout ripped off a 3-for-4 game, including two doubles and a triple.  After that, it was all downhill.

In the four games following that strong performance, our hero has fallen into his first real slump of the season, going 1-for-14 with one walk and four strikeouts.  That little slide has brought Trout's numbers for the season down to .268/.342/.535.  That slash line is still very nice, so it really does speak to how well Trout had been playing before this skid.

Now, we must once again play the waiting game to see when Trout will get on the field again as Arkansas has had their last two games rained out.  The good news is that the Travs are headed out on the road all week long and the weather forecasts seem pretty promising.  Hopefully some dry weather can get Trout back on track for stardom.

That's it for this week, check back in next week to see what happens to our future hero.  Same Trout Time.  Same Trout Channel... err, blog.

Contrary to popular belief, the Angels do have other prospects in their system besides Mike Trout, but since Trout has garnered so much of our attention of late, I think it is only fair that we take a quick tour through the Angels farm system to see how the rest of the prospect crop is coming along so far this year.

Yes, we are going to talk minor league prospects without even mentioning Mike Trout.