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Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (14-11) @ Tampa Bay Rays (14-11)

Pitching Probables: LAA – Ervin Santana (0-3, 5.51 ERA)  TB -- David Price (3-2, 3.19 ERA)

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

What is up with this schedule? Wasn't it just a couple of weeks ago that the Angels played Tampa Bay in a two game set before having to fly all the way across country to have their home opener? Now they are back in the sun belt for a three game series before four more with the Red Sox? So by this time next week the Halos will have played more games against the AL East then the West and a total of 8 games vs. the Sox and 5 against the Rays. I feel like this sort of brutal opening to the season may have repurcussions later in the season. On top of that we now get the Rays as they are starting to hit and the pitching is starting to solidy as opposed to the last time we visitied when Tampa still had the two juicer Manny Ramirez and his below the Mendoza line batting average to take advantage of. No such luck this time out.

The Kendrys Morales injury saga took another dark twist yesterday when news broke that the Angels slugger was being sent off to see a foot/ankle specialist after suffering yet another setback in his rehabilitation from that devastating leg injury.  For a guy who we were originally promised would be more than ready to go to start this season, it sure seems like a lot has gone wrong and his return still seems so very far away.  It is hard not to think the worst for Kendrys right now, but until we learn more we all must find a way to NOT panic over this latest bump in the road.

I'm not going to press it.  I'm not going to press it.  I'm not going to press it.  Ahhhhhhh!  I want to press it so much!!!!!!!!!!

Daily Links for the LA Angels including Morales being sent to see a foot/ankle specialist (uh oh), Pineiro and Downs activated, Palmer demoted, Bulger put on waivers and much more...

The Story: Kendrys Morales is being sent to see a foot/ankle specialist.

The Monkey Says: The Angels are actually only calling him a foot specialist, but the guy is an ankle specialist too which is important since, you know, Morales broke his ankle.  I hate to sound like an alarmist about this, but given his slow rehab process and this bit of news, we should probably start bracing ourselves for some very bad news.

The Story: The Angels have activated Joel Pineiro and Scott Downs from the DL, demoted Matt Palmer to Triple-A and designated Jason Bulger for assignment.

The Monkey Says: All these moves were very much expected.  Palmer has been spotty in the rotation and doesn't have much upside, so it is no shocker to see him get sent down rather than Tyler Chatwood.  As for Bulger, this move was inevitable due to his struggles this season.  With his injury history and command issues, there is a pretty good chance he will clear waivers, but he may decide to try his luck in another organi.zation anyway.

The Story: Mark Trumbo is trying to find his way out of his slump.

The Monkey Says: What worries me about Trumbo is that he is falling into the same trap that Brandon Wood fell into, constantly falling behind in counts 0-2, never walking and getting punched out breaking balls.

Despite some major control issues from Haren, he still managed to turn in a quality start with 1 unearned run through 7 inning. Fuentes came back to Angel stadium, and us fans were treated to an oh-so familiar sight of a blown save and an extra innings debacle.

Angels 1 Athletics 2

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Oakland Athletics (11-13) @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim  (14-10)

Pitching Probables: OAK – Tyson Ross (1-2, 4.82 ERA)  LAA – Dan Haren (4-1, 1.46 ERA)

Game Info: 4:05 PM PT; TV - Fox Sports West/ESPN; Radio - KLAA 830 AM

Tonight the Angels get a real chance to show early season dominance in the AL West. We should all get together and thank our lucky stars the sweep is in the hands of Dan Haren. 

It seems like it was just yesterday when Angel fans were worrying themselves sick over whether or not Peter Bourjos was going to be able to hit enough to keep his stellar glove in the lineup this season.  Well, worry no more.  With a slash line of .321/.356/.556, Bourjos has not only proven he can hit "enough," but proven that he is a real offensive weapon.  The only problem now, and what a good problem it is to have, is for the Angels to figure out how to best utilize Bourjos' unique offensive talents.

The thing about Bourjos that made so many question his ability to hit at the big league level is that he has several flaws in his game.  What we have seen of him this year though is that he can be so good at the things he does do well that he can more than offset those flaws.  This puts Mike Scioscia in the delicate position of trying to get the most out of Speedy Petey's strengths without inadvertently exposing his weaknesses in the process.

Daily Links for the LA Angels including Weaver is both good and lucky, Pineiro aims to return on Saturday, Izturis not likely to play before Friday and much more...

The Story: Jered Weaver is both really good and really lucky.

The Monkey Says: This article drew the ire of Angel fans yesterday, but it really shouldn't.  Neyer isn't saying that Weaver isn't good, he is simply pointing out that nobody is that good without a fair amount of luck.  The real question is how much of Weaver's success is based on luck.  I see no reason he can't continue to best his career averages as he really looks to be a much smarter pitcher even compared to last year.  I can't find the link right now, but someone over at Halos Heaven pointed out how on Weaver's ten strikeouts last night, the velocities of the strikeout pitch were all over the map, showing how Weaver is beating guys by keeping them off-balance and guessing rather than dusting them with an "out" pitch like so many other pitchers.

The Story: Joel Pineiro aims to return to the rotation this Saturday.

The Monkey Says: Joel says he is ready to go but the Angel coaching staff is not going to sign off on his return until he has a clean between starts bullpen session.  That seems like an easy hurdle to clear, so expect Pineiro back on Saturday which will likely spell an end to either Matt Palmer's time in the rotation for now, though they could choose to demote Chatwood and simply push Palmer back a few days into Chatwood's spot.

The Story: The Angels are rallying around a former Strike Force team member stricken with breast cancer.

The Monkey Says: Ladies, get yourself checked out and Save the Boobies.