Now that Kendrys Morales is off to see another doctor and get a second opinion on his ankle, his return has never been more in doubt.  There are so few details available to us, but every Angel fan has to be wondering exactly when the slugger will finally make his return to the lineup.  I know most of you aren't doctors and don't play one on TV, but you all have a voice, so speak up and let us know when you think Morales will make his season debut.

Time to vote!

1. End of May.  Because I believe in the power of faith-healing and expect a miracle from God.
2. June.  This new doctor will get him on track and back in uniform.
3. July.  The second opinion may or may not help, but he will break through this wall if we are all patient.
4. August. Better late than never.
5. April... of next season... after a second surgery.

To place your vote, simply find the Poll of the Week in the gray sidebar to the right.

Daily Links for the LA Angels including Morales seeking a second opinion on his ankle, Walden now has a changeup, Bulger clears waivers and heads to Triple-A and much more...

The Story: Kendrys Morales is headed to Colorado to get a second opinion on his slow-healing ankle.

The Monkey Says: The Angels are trying to spin this as part of the process, but make no mistake, this is a big, scary deal.  Buried in the article is even mention that a second surgery is a possibilty for K-Mo.  In light of this news, the Angels would be best-advised to approach the rest of the season as if Morales will not be back.  Oh, and in case you still believed the Angel PR staff isn't full of crap when it comes to Kendrys, please take note that they are no longer pretending like he is just having some foot problems that are slowing him down.  This article specifically says he is having problems with the ankle now.  No more pretending like this is part of the normal recovery, he is having issues and they could be major.

The Story: Jordan Walden has introduced a changeup into his arsenal.

The Monkey Says: For him to have a third pitch, especially if he can make the changeup a good one, could be HUGE for him.  However, he did blow the first game in which he used it as a result of the pitch, so he better be smart about when to pull it out or he is going to just holster it until he can refine it some more.

The Story: Jason Bulger has cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake.

The Monkey Says: Not a big deal, but Bulger does have talent and could be nice depth for later in the season.  Pitching in Triple-A will let him work out his command issues and maybe get back to being a solid middle reliever again.

I thought I was watching a pitchers' duel today, as expected, but then a game of "any lead you can blow, I can blow better" broke out.  By the final innings of the game, it didn't even seem like anyone wanted to win.  Alas, the Angels proved victorious and won their second series of the season against the best team in baseball.

Angels 6, Indians 5

I'm going to try not to get off on too much of a diatribe here, but if Scioscia lost patience so quickly with Rodney's rough start to the season as a closer, how long will it be before he loses patience with him as set-up man?

For those of you not keeping score at home, Fraudney has now allowed runs in five of his last seven appearances and he was lucky to not end up the Halo A-Hole tonight.  To put it mildly, he has been awful and probably doesn't even deserve to be on the active roster, much less pitching in the late innings of close games, yet it doesn't sound as if Scioscia is even considering a switch.

I can see why that is, but I don't like it.  When Fraudney got fired from the closer job, it was done so quickly because Walden was waiting in the wings.  Now though, there is no heir apparent to the righty-setup man role.  It should be Kevin Jepsen, but he still is getting knocked around in Triple-A.  It could have been Michael Kohn, but he's still in the minors (though looking pretty good) and has a long road ahead of him to earn back Scioscia's trust, much less get promoted again.  That really just leaves Rich Thompson, who I like very much, but it is probably too much too soon for him in the eyes of Sosh.

If Fraudney continues to let leads slip away, Scioscia might just have to bit the bullet and make a change though, even if he doesn't like his alternatives.

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Cleveland Indians (22-10) @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (19-15)

Pitching Probables: CLE – Fausto Carmona (3-3, 4.43 ERA)  LAA – Dan Haren (4-2, 1.76 ERA)

Game Info: 12:35 PM PT; TV - Fox Sports West; Radio - KLAA 830 AM

Alright, let's try this whole 1000th win for Scioscia thing again.  The Angels gave it a good shot yesterday, but Weaver just didn't have his good stuff and the offense, well, they was its usual iffy self.  Alas, we are bloodied but unbowed, so the Halos will hand it over to ace #1B and see if that will work a little bit better.

Alright so maybe I went a little overboard with my belief in Jered Weaver. Apparently, he is human and is not the invincible cyborg I thought he was. More importantly, I was dead wrong about this game as the Angels let unknown Alex White get his first major league win. I can't help but feel a little responsible since I basically wrote an entire column of bulletin board material, which I am sure the Indians read. This got them all fired up and they put together and inspired enough effort to take down the might Weave. Oh yeah, and the Angels still can't hit.

Angels 3 Indians 4

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Cleveland Indians (21-10) @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (19-14)

Pitching Probables: CLE -- Alex White (0-0, 3.00 ERA) LAA -- Jared Weaver (6-1, 1.69 ERA)

Game Info: 6:05PM PT; TV - Fox Sports West; Radio - KLAA 830 AM

The Angels are in first place!! I'm sorry but given the way the season has gone that is nothing short of a miracle. They can't hit, the bullpen has been a work in progress and their fifth starter is barely legal to drink, but they are still two games ahead of the A's and the Rangers. How have they done it? Because of the greatness of Jared Weaver. There was a time not long ago when people wondered what the Angels were going to do without a legitimate #1 starter to anchor the staff. Well those days are long gone my friends. Weaver has been one of the game's elite and is currently the Cy Young frontrunner. The only thing that has slowed him down this year was a case of the stomach flu that caused him to lose 8 pounds. Even then he battled the Red Sox in his last start. So all hail the Weave, may we sign him to a long term contract extension before Lucifer Boras talks to the Yankees.

I don't know why this team seems to feel the need to play more innings than they are required but at least this one they decided to end with a victory. What's even more shocking is that they are in first place! How did that happen? Nevermind, I don't care how they are doing it as long as they keep it up.  

Angels 2 Indians 1