The Angels finally have, well, something going. I'm not sure what it is, but the lukewarm-to-hot streak is mostly being led by one man with some help from some unlikely sources....

RANK	PLAYER	CHANGE	COMMENTS
1		+1 Last Week: 2	Mike Trout - Does he earn extra MVP votes at season's end for saving his team from being the victim of a perfect game?
2		-1 Last Week: 1	Mark Trumbo - After ascending to number one and earning praise from many media outlets, Trumbo went and posted a .591 OPS last week. Welp.
3		+1 Last Week: 4	Howie Kendrick - Kendrick had another fine week, but once again that fine week was sullied by an untimely and back-breaking GIDP.
4		+7 Last Week: 11	Ernesto Frieri - Picking up three saves on three consecutive days, one of which was a five-out save, was absolutely heroic for the Angels.
5		+4 Last Week: 9	C.J. Wilson - Maybe I am just being naive, but he seems like he is inching closer and closer to breaking through. Or maybe he is just facing some really pathetic lineups right now.
6		-3 Last Week: 3	Albert Pujols - This is getting really depressing. There just doesn' look to be any real sign that Pujols will snap out of this any time soon. At least not without a leg transplant or two.
7		-1 Last Week: 6	Jason Vargas - It is never a good sign that your personal hot streak got interrupted by the Astros.
8		-- 0 Last Week: 8	Erick Aybar - Hooray! Aybar is back... aaaaaaand he's hurt again.
9		+9 Last Week: 18	Dane De La Rosa - A strong week for DDLR, but the best part was that he was only used twice. Seriously, I was about to report Scioscia to social services for his physical abuse of Dane's arm.
10		-3 Last Week: 7	Alberto Callaspo - I thought there might be some kind of controversy at the hot corner between Beto and Lucho, but it looks like it is more a controversy of picking from the lesser of two evils.
11		+2 Last Week: 13	Scott Downs - Let me just put it this way: I'm running out of jokes for how often Downs gets hurt on a routine fielding play.
12		+3 Last Week: 15	Michael Kohn - Kohn appeared in 4 games this week but for only 2.1 innings. Is he now a ROOGY?
13		+1 Last Week: 14	Garrett Richards - Maybe I am just reading into it too much, but Richards doesn't look like he is all that into this relief pitching thing right now.
14		+2 Last Week: 16	Joe Blanton - Blanton has been not terrible lately yet the Angels have been completely unable to take advantage.
15		+6 Last Week: 21	Josh Hamilton - For him, he had a great week, but he still only managed a .174 average and .762 OPS in two series against terrible teams. Really can't wait for him to keep on being more aggressive.
16		+1 Last Week: 17	Jerome Williams - A nice bounceback start for Williams as he continues to buy time for the Halos until Weaver returns from his broken non-throwing elbow and whatever injury to his throwing arm the Halos are pretending he doesn't have.
17		-5 Last Week: 12	Chris Iannetta - He is still drawing walks, but it feels like forever since Iannetta got a hit.
18		+1 Last Week: 19	Hank Conger - Not to make this all about me, but maybe you could've waited a week for that three-error game instead of doing it the same day I post something on how your defense should earn you more playing time.
19		+4 Last Week: 23	Brendan Harris - Two homers in a week? I love Brendan Harris all over again!
20		-- 0 Last Week: n/a	Mark Lowe - Hey, everyone! Mark Lowe is back!!! .... .... (crickets)
21		+1 Last Week: 22	Luis Jimenez - I like the idea of Lucho becoming a utilityman. I'd like it a lot better if he'd start hitting again.
22		-2 Last Week: 20	J.B. Shuck  - He had a 1.071 OPS before Bourjos got hurt and owns a .523 OPS since the injury. Way to make the most of an opportunity.
23		-- 0 Last Week: n/a	Robert Coello - I like to think I know just about everything about the Angels but I have no freaking idea what a Robert Coello is.
24		-- 0 Last Week: 24	Barry Enright - Some year the Angels will have good rotation depth. This is not that year.
25		-- 0 Last Week: n/a	Scott Cousins - Yet another reason why the Angels are hating that Kole Calhoun broke his hand at the absolute wrong time.

Dropped from rankings: Peter Bourjos (hamstrung), Tommy Hanson (restricted list), Ryan Brasier (back where he belongs)

Biggest Riser: De La Rosa, up nine spots

Biggest Dropper: Iannetta, down five spots

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There are several different adjectives that one could use to describe the season so far for the Los Angeles Angels, almost none of which are appropriate for anyone under the age of 16. It's been a rough start to the 2013 campaign for the Halos, with almost no exceptions.

Even Mike Trout, who went from rookie to legend in the span of only a few months in 2012, has had his struggles this season. Under the microscope after winning American League Rookie of the Year, and nearly (probably should have) taking home the Most Valuable Player award, Trout got off to the sophomore slump that many feared he would.

Good thing it's a 162-game season. It's almost impossible to judge anything off of what happens in April. In Major League Baseball, what happens in April, tends to stay in April. Just ask Chris Shelton. In recent weeks, the Angels have started to look like a real life baseball team. And it's no coincidence that Mike Trout is beginning to round into form over that same span as well.

Trout's April was certainly not what he was hoping for, nor was it anywhere near what the Angels were expecting, having come into the season as heavy favorites in the American League West. The Angels won just eight games in April, while Trout's numbers were largely unimpressive.

The May 13th, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Madson nearing a return, Umpires disciplined for pitching change fiasco and much more...

The Story: Ryan Madson will begin his rehab assignment at High-A Inland Empire today.

The Monkey Says: The speculation is that he will need one or two appearances before being activated. One can only assume that he'll be handled with kid gloves upon his activation, but at least our long national nightmare is coming to a close with Madson on track to finally join the Angels this week.

The Story: The crew chief for the umpires that allowed the illegal pitching change in the Astros-Angels game was suspended for two games.

The Monkey Says: The rest of the crew was fined. They offer no explanation for how the crew screwed this up, but at least they acknowledged that they did. What is really interesting is that the suspension was announced as it was previously believed that all umpire discipline measures were supposed to remain confidential. I guess MLB just couldn't do that in the face of such a fundamental rule being broken.

Well, so much for the Angels turning things around. Finally owning a three-game winning streak, the Halos ran into a buzzsaw. A buzzsaw with pipe cleaner arms and some pretty wicked stuff.

There really isn't any mystery here. Chris Sale was terrific, the Halos hitters were not. It is something we have seen all too often from a lineup that was supposed to be one of the best in the league. In fact, the only real mystery here is when the Angels are going to get no-hit. It just feels inevitable, even with all their supposed talent. The only reason it might not happen is because of Mike Trout and he, naturally, was the one who got the Angels' lone hit.

Losing was one thing, but losing like this really hurts as it has to kill a great deal of the already minimal momentum they just finished building. Such is the 2013 Angels.

Angels 3, White Sox 0

I'm sure that the mere fact Angel fans are celebrating three wins in a row on the road shoudl be an indicator about the state of affairs in and around this team. But tonight's win over the White Sox carries with it the air of a team righting the ship. The Angels are slowly starting to resemble the sqaud we all thought we were getting at the beginning of the season. The hitting is there, the defense is solid and the pitching is serviceable enough to get wins. I know its not much, but three wins in a row is still the best indicator that maybe this team isn't DOA.

Angels 3 White Sox 2

I have to admit that I only sort of paid attention to this game until late. This was due to three factors. 1) the Anaheim Ducks are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and playoff hockey is awesome. 2) My children were wild banshees due to the fact that I was immersed in two sporting events and not the latest episode of PHINEAS and FERB. 3) The Angels have kind of sucked for the first month and week of the season so I was a bit disheartened when the emergency starter for tonight's game gave up a lead off home run. But I did slowly come around to the game the same way the Angels slowly wore down the Sox on their way to a win.

Angels 7 White Sox 5

With the season in full gear, it’s time to face facts. The Angels are hurting and no one can quite put their finger on a diagnosis. Any and all suggestions are being considered as the team looks for ways to hit their stride and begin making a climb in the AL West. Trades, minor league assignments, even coaching changes are all on the table. Every idea, no matter how radical, is being considered as the Halos look for the spark to start racking up some wins.

Here then, are five good reasons to replace Josh Hamilton with a turtle.

1) A Turtle will get on base more often than Josh Hamilton.

Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtles are the largest turtles in the world. At their largest, they’re barely above the knee of a human being. Given that a normal strike zone is said to be between the numbers and the knees, even the largest turtle in the world has basically has no strike zone. Bat the turtle second between a lead off Peter Bourjos or Erick Aybar and before Mike Trout and you’ll have two men on for Mikey to blast three run homers all season! Just make sure Trout does some extra pushups at practice. We’ll need him to pick up and carry his turtle teammate on his way around the bases. Angel fans have sat through Bengie Molina’s base running, but even that patience has its limits.

2) There is no wage scale for non humans in the MLB.

This one may be taking advantage a bit, but if it brings wins, we must consider it. Rookie contracts and veteran minimums are all but set in stone, but turtle wages? There’s nothing on the books! Which means a turtle can be signed for whatever number he’ll take on a contract. Being that turtles live in their shells, he wouldn’t have many financial needs. We may be able to sign him for nothing but some beach land to retire on, a truckload of turtle chow, and an occasional trip to the zoo to get some turtle groupies.