clips (september 12, 2015) - mlb.com...background check, examining the player's medical history...

September 12, 2015 of 22

Clips

(September 12, 2015)


Today’s Clips Contents

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3)

Angels make a run for it in 3-2 victory over Astros

Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney joins a new financial world

FROM THE OC REGISTER (Page 5)

Angels rookie Andrew Heaney soon could be for sale, but closer Huston Street says he's selling himself short

Angels Notes: Mike Scioscia says Mike Trout is pressing on the bases

A little bit of luck goes long way for Angels in Jered Weaver's win over Astros' Dallas Kuechel

On deck: Astros at Angels, Saturday, 6 p.m.

FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 10)

Santiago recalls vivid memories of 9/11

Scioscia: Trout being more selective with SBs

Angels edge Astros to keep pace in WC race

'Firecracker' Calhoun keeps sparking Angels

Weaver rises up, matches Ryan in Angels wins

Santiago, McCullers meet in key AL West clash

FROM LA DAILY NEWS (Page 18)

Kole Calhoun proving to be money player for LA Angels

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 19)

Angels creep up on Astros in AL West with 3-2 win

Astros-Angels Preview


FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Angels make a run for it in 3-2 victory over Astros BY ZACH HELFAND The single was to shallow left field, and Houston's Colby Rasmus was coming up throwing, but Angels third base coach Gary DiSarcina jumped down the line, windmilling his arm: go. Taylor Featherston barreled toward home. Manager Mike Scioscia had talked about situations like this before Friday's game. The Angels have been uncharacteristically slow this season. They rank second to last in the major leagues in steals, worse even than the no-go Dodgers. And yet Scioscia claimed, "I think in some smaller departments of manufacturing runs, our baserunning has done very well." Here was the aggressiveness. Featherston said he was going on anything to the outfield. The throw tailed toward first base. Featherston assumed a Superman pose, diving headfirst. He just beat the swiping tag. In the second inning, the Angels had just manufactured three runs, and they needed all of them to beat the first-place Astros, 3-2. With 22 games remaining, the Angels stayed three games behind the Texas Rangers in the wild-card race and moved within 41/2 games of the Astros in the division. "Every game's big now," said Kole Calhoun, who had the Angels' only two RBIs. "Any win we can pull out is huge." Earlier in the inning, Erick Aybar advanced on an error and scampered home on a wild pitch. Then Calhoun knocked in Carlos Perez and the hustling Featherston. Astros ace Dallas Keuchel (17-7) didn't give up an earned run but took the loss. Right-hander Jered Weaver, as usual, preyed on the Astros' impatience. He gave up two runs in six innings and struck out seven, mostly baiting batters into swinging as though they were trying to launch the baseball into orbit. In the sixth inning, on a 75-mph changeup, Carlos Gomez took a hack so overdone that he actually fouled the ball into his own helmet, which came tumbling off as he dropped to a knee and his other leg twirled into the air. Then, he showed what happens when one of those swings connects, sending a home run 429 feet to score two runs to make the score 3-2. The win moved Weaver (7-10) to second on the Angels all-time win list with 138, tied with Nolan Ryan. "It's kind of weird to hear your name with a guy like that," Weaver said. "But I think it just means I've been a part of some great teams here."


Mike Trout was 0 for 2 and walked twice. In the morning before the game, Trout and Nike held an event to unveil Trout's new "Lunar Trout 2" cleat. The Angels work to limit Trout's commitments during the season, and the timing of this game-day event wasn't ideal, with the Astros in town. Trout appeared unaffected, and Scioscia said the timing didn't matter. "He's ready to play baseball every day," Scioscia said. "Whenever it happens, it happens." Up next Left-hander Hector Santiago (8-9, 3.24 earned-run average) will oppose Astros right-hander Lance McCullers (5-5, 3.07) at Angel Stadium on Saturday at 6 p.m. TV: FS West; Radio: 830, 1330.

Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney joins a new financial world BY ZACH HELFAND Soon, there will be a need to distinguish between angel investors and Angels investors. The latter would refer to a new stock that could soon hit the market. His name is Andrew Heaney, and he pitches for the Angels. On Thursday, Heaney became the first Major League Baseball player to sign a contract with the company Fantex. The company will pay Heaney $3.34 million in exchange for a 10% stake in Heaney's "brand income," and investors can soon buy shares of a stock linked to his earnings. Heaney confirmed the deal Friday and declined further comment, citing Securities and Exchange Commission regulations. The deal is pending Fantex's acquiring the necessary financing. Investors can buy and sell Heaney's stock on Fantex's exchange. The company will issue regular earnings reports. It is a novel concept, one players are still figuring out. Heaney evidently thought it was a sound financial decision, while a teammate, closer Huston Street, thought it was "the dumbest deal I've ever heard." For players, the appeal is a guaranteed source of income to hedge against an uncertain future. The Fantex contract offers security similar to an insurance policy, but it doesn't require an upfront payment, and it helps protect against risks like underperformance as well. "A bird in the hand vs. two in the bush," explained Buck French, Fantex's CEO. Fantex also touts its ability to help players earn more money overall by serving as an advisor. French said they can offer something most agencies cannot: a team of analysts that can evaluate financial decisions and account for risk. Major League Baseball and the players' union agreed to Heaney's deal, and other players could soon follow.


Fantex has taken steps to address concerns over their potential to influence a player or the sense that individuals are being bought and sold. French said players retain full control of their own decisions. "We basically have a seat at the table," French said. The company acts as a "trusted advisor," he said but, "the athlete has all the say." An investor won't be able to purchase a player directly, but instead a share of each player's stock buys a piece of Fantex, which uses the player's income to issue dividends. Fantex cannot legally discuss Heaney's stock. French said they offer contracts after conducting a background check, examining the player's medical history and performing quantitative analysis to find a player's value, adjusted for risk. Their contract with Heaney puts his market value, for his contract, endorsements and other brand-related income, at about $33 million. As a rookie, Heaney will also earn close to the league minimum. He is not eligible for arbitration until the 2018 season and will not be a free agent until the 2021 season. But if he reaches that point without a major injury or significant regression, the payoff could be far more lucrative than the valuation. For that reason, upon learning of the contract, Street was highly critical of Heaney's decision. "A starting pitcher that's left-handed and throws 95?" Street said. "No chance I'd do that deal." "I'm gonna own Heaney before the day's over!" he laughed. "That's the easiest investment of my life." Short hops Right-hander Matt Shoemaker, who has been nursing a forearm strain, threw on flat ground Friday and hopes to throw a bullpen over the weekend. Manager Mike Scioscia said he will not be ready by his scheduled start Tuesday. … Albert Pujols, who has an injured right foot, was the designated hitter Friday, and his running appeared significantly hampered.

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Angels rookie Andrew Heaney soon could be for sale, but closer Huston Street says he's selling himself short BY JEFF FLETCHER

ANAHEIM – Andrew Heaney is something of a pioneer, but at least one of his teammates is hardly a fan of what he’s doing. Heaney has agreed to become the first major league baseball player to sell a portion of his future earnings to Fantex, the company announced this week. Fantex, a publicly traded company, will in turn sell investors stock in Heaney.


Heaney will receive $3.34 million in exchange for 10 percent of his baseball-related earnings for the rest of his life. Shares of Heaney aren’t yet for sale because the deal isn’t finalized, so he said he could not comment, but Huston Street wasn’t shy about giving his opinion. “Seems like a bad deal,” Street said. “I wouldn’t do it. A starting pitcher that’s left-handed and throws 95? No chance I’d do that deal. ... Three million to me is pretty low.” Heaney, 24, is 6-3 with a 3.52 ERA this season, his first with the Angels after being traded by the Miami Marlins last year. Heaney is making a little more than the major league minimum of $500,000 this year. Since he’s only been up for half the year, he’ll actually make about half that, plus half a year of minor league salary. He will make around $500,000 each of the next two seasons, and then once he’s eligible for arbitration, his salaries will jump. He could make around $4million, followed by around $6million and around $9million. Obviously those numbers could vary widely based on how well he pitches. Essentially, Heaney would be making the deal as a hedge in case he winds up making less than $33million, which is the point at which he’d be losing money. However, Heaney gets cash up front, which he can theoretically invest and make more than he would have if he’d waited to earn the money. It’s also like an insurance policy in case he gets hurt. Street, however, suggested that Heaney would have been better just buying insurance, which costs less and is fixed, rather than potential costing millions down the road. If Heaney has five more years as even an average starting pitcher, his next contract could easily be worth well over $50 million, in addition to whatever he earned before then in arbitration. Fantex also gets money that Heaney earns in endorsements or appearances fees, or money he makes in a post-baseball career, as a coach or broadcaster. The player retains all decision-making power for his career. Fantex has already signed several NFL players to similar deals, including San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis. As for the investors, they would buy a tracking stock through Fantex’s private marketplace. The value of the stock would fluctuate based on the player’s performance and earnings. Street joked that Heaney undersold himself by so much that he ought to invest. “I’m going to own Heaney before the day is over,” Street said. “It’s the easiest investment in my life.”


Angels Notes: Mike Scioscia says Mike Trout is pressing on the bases BY JEFF FLETCHER

ANAHEIM – Mike Trout drew criticism for not attempting enough stolen bases last year, and this year he may have attempted too many. Trout has stolen just 10 bases this season, continuing a dramatic decrease over his four years in the majors, from 49 to 33 to 16 in the previous three years. While his steal numbers went down last year, his success rate of 90 percent was consistent with previous seasons. This year, though, Trout has been successful just 59 percent of the time, an indication that he’s going too much. “Trying to get things going and trying to do what he can do, there are a handful he’s forced, no doubt about it,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. Scioscia also said – as he has repeatedly since the stolen bases began declining last year – that opposing teams are paying more attention to him and pitchers and delivering the ball to the plate more quickly than against other players. “Nobody I’ve seen here, even Chone Figgins, has been paid as much attention to by pitchers,” Scioscia said. “We’re seeing 1.05s and 1.1s.” One of the key numbers teams use to decide when to steal is a pitcher’s time to the plate. An average time is about 1.4 seconds, so pitchers who can cut that to 1.1 or better will make stealing significantly tougher. That puts more of a premium on reading pitchers and getting a perfect jump, which Trout apparently hasn’t done. “I think that component of his game will continue to evolve,” Scioscia said. “I definitely think he’s more than a 10-stolen base guy. We’ll eventually see that. I think Mike is as aggressive as the opposition lets him be aggressive.” ALSO Matt Shoemaker will not be ready to start on Tuesday, the next time his turn will come up in the Angels rotation, Scioscia said. Shoemaker has been out with forearm tightness. Scioscia said it’s possible he could pitch next weekend in Minnesota. Scioscia didn’t say who would start Tuesday. Nick Tropeano took the last turn in Shoemaker’s place. The Angels also could start someone like Cory Rasmus in a bullpen game, which they could do because of expanded rosters.


A little bit of luck goes long way for Angels in Jered Weaver's win over Astros' Dallas Kuechel BY JEFF FLETCHER

ANAHEIM – It turns out the Angels can catch a break. Thanks to a combination of strong work by the pitching staff, one clutch hit and – to be honest – a little luck, the Angels pulled out a 3-2 victory over the first-place Houston Astros on Friday night. The Angels remain three games behind the Texas Rangers for the final wild card spot, but they pulled 4-1/2 games behind the Astros. The Angels’ second straight victory came on a night that the pitching matchup didn’t look good. Inconsistent veteran Jered Weaver was facing Dallas Keuchel, the leading candidate for the Cy Young award. Weaver gave up two runs in six innings. Keuchel, however, gave up three unearned runs in the second inning, and that was the difference in the game. With runners at first and second and two outs, Angels No. 9 hitter Taylor Featherston hit a ball back to the mound. Keuchel, the Gold Glove winner last year, couldn’t make the play and was charged with an error. Keuchel then threw a wild pitch, pushing home the first run of the game. Kole Calhoun, the team’s hottest hitter in September, then poked an opposite-field single into left, driving in two runs. Featherston narrowly beat the play at the plate, a call upheld after a replay review. Staked to a 3-0 lead, Weaver continued his strong recent work against the Astros. In his first three starts against the Astros in Anaheim this year, Weaver gave up just four runs in 21 innings. His last time he pitched a six-hit shutout, on May 8. The Astros are a good matchup for Weaver because they are an all-or-nothing team. They lead the league in homers and strikeouts. "We swing hard, we're very aggressive,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “You can always look back and wish that he had to work a little bit more, but that's revisionist history. Our guys are competing. “This guy's been tough on us. He's a difficult style for us to match up against. He pitches to the corners, he slows the game down. He's got as slow a breaking ball as anybody in the league. He's a pitcher, and he was tough on us.” Weaver, who was throwing his normal assortment of 83 mph fastballs, changeups and tantalizing curves, kept them off balance all night.


In the fifth inning, Weaver struck out all three hitters while throwing just one pitch as hard as 81 mph. The rest were in the 70s, or 60s. Weaver carried a shutout into the sixth, before the Astros got to him. Rookie sensation Carlos Correa drew a walk. Carlos Gomez then cranked a two-run homer, just a few pitches after he had swung so hard he fell down. Weaver was finished after the sixth, leaving relievers Fernando Salas, Joe Smith and Huston Street to blank the Astros over the final three innings so he could pick up a milestone victory. With 138 victories, Weaver tied Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan for second on the Angels’ all-time list. Chuck Finley is first with 165 victories. “It’s kind of weird to hear your name with a guy like (Ryan),” Weaver said. “It just means I’ve been a part of some great teams here. It means I’ve stayed with one organization, which you don’t see too much anymore. It’s something I’ll look back on when I get done with this game, but right now I’m not really into personal accolades.”

On deck: Astros at Angels, Saturday, 6 p.m. BY JEFF FLETCHER

Where: Angel Stadium TV: Fox Sports West, 6 p.m. Did you know: Since the Astros have been in the American League, the Angels have hit .263 against them in Anaheim and .237 against them in Houston. THE PITCHERS LHP HECTOR SANTIAGO (8-9, 3.24) At 1581/3 innings, Santiago is nearing the career high of 168 he reached last season. He has already surpassed his high for major league innings, 149 last year. Santiago won his first game since the All-Star break in his last time out, allowing one hit and six walks in six scoreless innings against the Texas Rangers. In two starts against Houston this year, Santiago has allowed one run and three hits in 121/3 innings. He hasn’t beaten them, though. Vs. Astros: 0-2, 4.50 At Angel Stadium: 6-7, 3.28 Loves to face: Jose Altuve, 2 for 11 (.182) Hates to face: Chris Carter, 4 for 12 (.333)


LHP LANCE McCULLERS (5-5, 3.07) McCullers took a no-hitter into the seventh in his last outing, and he didn’t even end up with a victory. He gave up one run and three hits in seven innings, but the Astros lost to the Minnesota Twins. The Astros sent McCullers back to Triple-A for a month to control his workload in his first big league season. They also skipped him for a few weeks. He’s back in the rotation for three weeks, posting a 2.70 ERA in three outings. Vs. Angels: 1-0, 1.38 At Angel Stadium: 0-0, 1.50 Loves to face: None Hates to face: Erick Aybar, 3 for 6 (.500)

FROM ANGELS.COM

Santiago recalls vivid memories of 9/11 BY ALDEN GONZALEZ / MLB.COM ANAHEIM -- Angels starter Hector Santiago didn't have to go far to witness the horrors of what took place in New York City exactly 14 years ago on Friday. All he had to do was look out the window of his middle-school classroom. "You could see the Twin Towers from our school, right across the water," Santiago said. "You look across the street and you can see the buildings up in smoke." Santiago was born and raised in Newark, N.J., roughly 10 miles from Ground Zero, where two passenger airlines -- American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 -- crashed into the North and South towers of the World Trade Center complex in Manhattan on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. The death total for that day, which included two other plane crashes, was 2,996, including the 19 terrorists who hijacked the planes. But one survivor sticks out in Santiago's mind. It was the son of his teacher that day. He worked at the World Trade Center, and that morning, he fell asleep on the train and didn't make it to his stop. He never went in to work. "She called it the luckiest she's ever felt," Santiago said, smiling. "It's the only day he's ever been late to work, and it was that day. I thought that was nuts."


Santiago was 13 at the time. Right next to his parents' house was a little hill. And from that hill, he could see where the Twin Towers used to be. That day, Santiago and five others stood on that hill and only saw smoke. His mother began to weep. "It was just crazy," Santiago said. "We were so young. You see all the high-sky smoke and you're like, 'What is going on?' And everybody's just crying. At that time, you didn't really know what was going on. You couldn't process it. We were 12, 13 years old."

Scioscia: Trout being more selective with SBs BY ALDEN GONZALEZ / MLB.COM ANAHEIM -- Mike Trout may have struggled since the start of August, but he's still on pace to improve on almost every statistical category from his 2014 season, when he unanimously won the American League Most Valuable Player Award. That includes batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, homers, strikeouts and walks. But it doesn't include stolen bases. The 24-year-old stole 49 bases as a rookie in 2012 and 33 in 2013, then picked up only 16 in 2014 and entered Friday's series opener against the Astros with just 10 in 2015. His attempts have gone from 54 to 40 to 18 to 17, his success rate only 59 percent this year. Angels manager Mike Scioscia has often said Trout's diminishing attempts have nothing to do with Albert Pujols batting behind him and stated Friday that it also isn't because of the wear and tear that comes with repeatedly stealing bases. "He's 24 and his motor is full-go anyway," Scioscia said. "Whether he's hitting a triple or he's going first to third, or he's sliding and breaking up a double play, he's going to play baseball." So why isn't Trout stealing as many bases then? "He's been on his own, and he's picking his spots," Scioscia said. "As we talked about before, there's nobody in our team that's seeing the 1.15 slide steps like Mike Trout does when he gets on. And I think that's a big part of it. At times, when he has forced it, it hasn't been successful." That "1.15" Scioscia referenced is the amount of seconds from the time a pitcher makes his first move to the time the baseball hits his catcher's mitt. It's fast. Others have come in at 1.1 and even 1.05 seconds with Trout on first. Scioscia, whose team has stolen the second-fewest bases in the Major Leagues, said, "There's nobody I've seen here, even Chone Figgins, that has been paid as much attention to." But all of the burners are closely monitored. And guys like Dee Gordon and Jose Altuve rack up a high amount of stolen bases in spite of that.


Why not Trout? "I think that component of his game will continue to evolve," Scioscia said. "I definitely think he's more than a 10-stolen-base guy a year. I think he'll eventually see that. And again, I think Mike is as aggressive as the opportunity lets him be aggressive." Worth noting • Trout unveiled his new shoe on Friday morning, the Nike Lunar Trout 2. It's the second signature shoe that Nike has made for Trout, who is the only baseball player since Ken Griffey Jr. to have his own Nike shoe. Asked about the pressures of that, Trout said: "I just keep playing my game and respecting it, trying to be the best role model and staying out of trouble. That's all I can do." • Albert Pujols said his right foot, which has been bothering him for two weeks, is still really sore. He's tried some anti-inflammatories, "but it's not helping," Pujols said. The 35-year-old had held out hope that he could play first base this weekend, but now believes he'll probably have to remain at designated hitter for the rest of the year. • Matt Shoemaker played catch from 120 to 150 feet on Friday and said he hasn't felt any pain in his right forearm, which forced him to be scratched from his start on Monday. Shoemaker hopes to throw this weekend, but Scioscia said he would not start Tuesday, the next time the Angels need a fifth starter. It could be Nick Tropeano, or perhaps a bullpen game. • Angels second baseman Johnny Giavotella is hopeful of taking batting practice on Monday, a significant step in his return from fourth nerve palsy. Giavotella has had the condition, which causes him to see blurry every time he looks downward or to his left, since Aug. 21. He's currently able to take groundballs, hit off a tee and take soft toss.

Angels edge Astros to keep pace in WC race BY DAVID ADLER AND BRIAN MCTAGGART / MLB.COM ANAHEIM -- The Angels got to Astros ace Dallas Keuchel for three early runs, and Jered Weaver and the bullpen made them hold up to take Friday's series opener, 3-2, at Angel Stadium. The Angels remained three games behind the Rangers -- who also won Friday -- in the American League Wild Card standings, and they now trail Houston by 4 1/2 games in the AL West. The Astros' lead over the Rangers is now 1 1/2 games. Kole Calhoun drove in two runs with a two-out single off Keuchel in the second inning, giving the Angels a 3-0 lead after Keuchel had extended the inning with a fielding error and a wild pitch with the bases loaded to bring home the game's first run. Keuchel went six innings, allowing the three runs while striking out seven.


"It's a tough place to play and Weaver has our number, so I knew going in I was going to have to be pretty good," Keuchel said. "I was pretty good except for that one error, and that's what cost us. I have to be a little bit better next time." The Astros got to within a run on Carlos Gomez's sixth-inning two-run homer off Weaver, who had held Houston scoreless for the first five innings. But that was all the veteran right-hander gave up, and Weaver also struck out seven in six innings, tying his season high, while keeping the Astros off-balance. Huston Street closed out the game in the ninth for his 34th save. "There's a couple of guys on their team that are free swingers, and I know that," Weaver said. "I hate to say you use their aggressiveness against them -- at the same time you need to locate pitches and do things to limit those guys' aggressive swings." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Calhoun again: Calhoun came up with two hits in his first two at-bats against Keuchel despite the lefty-lefty matchup against the AL Cy Young contender. Calhoun is up to 75 RBIs on the season, only one less than Mike Trout. In the Angels' last four games, Calhoun now has a two-run single against Keuchel and home runs against National League Cy Young candidates Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. "All the things that we talk about on the offensive side, sometimes Kole's overlooked, but he's having a terrific season," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "Kole's a gamer. He's one of the guys in that clubhouse that keeps things together." Rare gaffe sinks Keuchel: Keuchel, the reigning American League Gold Glove winner at pitcher, made his first error in more than a year when he couldn't field a Taylor Featherston grounder in the second inning, leading to the Angels scoring three unearned runs. It was only the fourth error of Keuchel's career and first since May 25, 2014. "It was just a bad play by me," Keuchel said. "That's it. One play. Routine play that I missed, and that was the difference. It's frustrating. It doesn't sit very well." Smith bounces back: Angels setup man Joe Smith had been going through a rocky stretch, posting a 14.21 ERA in his last eight games prior to Friday while allowing 17 hits in 6 1/3 innings. Entering the opener against the Astros in the eighth inning, with the Angels holding a one-run lead, Smith hit the first batter he faced, but induced a double play from Jose Altuve and struck out Carlos Correa looking to finish a scoreless frame. "Honestly, I think everybody expects that out of Joe -- what you saw tonight," said Street. "He's one of the best relievers of the last five years. He's going to continue to be. That's why Sosh sticks with him. … He's one of the truest professionals I've ever been around in the bullpen." Altuve's historic hit: Altuve became the fastest Astros player to reach 800 hits with a first-inning double off Weaver. The hit came in his 647th career game, besting the 707 games it took Cesar Cedeno to reach 800. Jeff Bagwell needed 708 games to reach 800 hits.


QUOTABLE "There's not a man in that clubhouse that doesn't respect how hard Kole plays the game. He's earning that leadership through example. Most guys have to grow into that. Certainly Kole did. Mike is. Albert did when he first came up in St. Louis." -- Scioscia, on Calhoun's leadership role on the Angels alongside Trout and Albert Pujols "He pitches to the corners, he slows the game down. He's got as slow of a breaking ball as anybody in the league. He's a pitcher and he was tough on us." -- Astros manager A.J. Hinch on Weaver REPLAY REVIEW Hinch unsuccessfully challenged a play at the plate in the second inning Friday. Featherston slid home ahead of a swipe tag by Hank Conger and was called safe. The call was on the field stood. SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Weaver earned his 138th career win on Friday, and they've all come with the Angels. That mark is tied with Nolan Ryan for second-most in franchise history, trailing only Chuck Finley, who had 165 wins for the Halos. "Jered's been there, he's been our lead dog for a long time, and some of the names that he's catching puts into perspective how good of a pitcher he's been for us," Scioscia said. When Erick Aybar crossed home plate in Friday's second inning to put the Angels on the board, it marked the 18th time this season that the Angels had scored a run on a wild pitch, a mark that easily leads the Majors. The Nationals, Yankees and Rangers are tied for second, with nine. WHAT'S NEXT Astros: Right-hander Lance McCullers will make his 18th start of the season when the Astros face the Angels at 8:05 p.m. CT Saturday at Angel Stadium. McCullers (5-5, 3.07 ERA) is looking for his first win since July 29. He's 0-2 with a 5.31 ERA in his last four starts. Angels: Left-hander Hector Santiago takes the mound for the Angels in the second game of the series at 6:05 p.m. PT. In his last start against the Rangers, Santiago walked six batters but only allowed one hit, keeping Texas scoreless over six innings while leading the Angels to a big win against a team they need to catch in the Wild Card race.

'Firecracker' Calhoun keeps sparking Angels BY ALDEN GONZALEZ / MLB.COM ANAHEIM -- There was one night earlier this season when Kole Calhoun took off his helmet and slammed it against one of the cubby-holes in the home dugout of Angel Stadium. Now that cubby-hole is


completely beat up, the white, plastic lining all gone and the edge of the wood plank crumbling after too many, um, outward displays of frustration. "There might be a few dings from me there," Calhoun said, a sly grin emerging. "You try not to, but sometimes that emotion just comes out." On an Angels team composed of veterans who stay even keel and young players who keep quiet, Calhoun is, as closer Huston Street put it, "a little firecracker, a stick of dynamite." As the Angels navigated through a 19-loss August, Calhoun perpetually wore the exasperation on his face. And now that they're making a push, he is at the center of it all, the key two-run single in Friday's 3-2 win over the first-place Astros only the latest example. "He might not get the recognition, because he's on the team with Mike Trout and he's on the team with Albert Pujols," Street said of Calhoun. "But I think he's one of the best baseball players, not just in this game, not just in this division, but in the entire game of baseball." Calhoun ranks second on the Angels in Wins Above Replacement, his FanGraphs score of 4.0 trailing only Trout (7.0) and topping Pujols (1.9). Since the start of September, as the Angels have won six of nine to give themselves a shot, Calhoun has batted .410 with three home runs and eight RBIs. "We have to make a run here," Calhoun said, his team 4 1/2 games back in the American League West and three back for the second Wild Card spot. "August was tough for all of us, everybody in here didn't play well. Just a bad month. So right when we turn the calendar, man, we gotta go." On Monday and Tuesday, Calhoun became the only player this season to homer off both Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw. On Friday, against potential AL Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel, Calhoun led off the game with a single and delivered what ended up being the decisive blow in the second inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, the 28-year-old right fielder fell behind, 0-2, then worked the count full, kept his hands in on a 91-mph fastball and drove it to left, plating two runs, the second one just barely. "Sometimes Kole is overlooked, but he's having a terrific season," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of Calhoun, batting .271 with a career-high 23 homers and 75 RBIs. "He's getting on base for the big boys, and he's a big boy himself." When the Angels clinched the division title last September, Pujols called Calhoun up to the front of the room to pop the first bottle of champagne. In their lineup, he is the leadoff man. Within their clubhouse, he is the fiery, impassioned ball of energy who balances it all out. "He's very animated," Street said, "but a team needs those guys. You need the guys that just rattle off the clichés, and those are usually your more veteran guys that lead by example. But then you also need some guys like Kole, who are just kind of rough around the edges, tough dudes that everybody in the clubhouse knows is going to show up and play hard, and be loud about it and be good about it and be tough about it."


Weaver rises up, matches Ryan in Angels wins BY LYLE SPENCER / MLB.COM ANAHEIM -- If Nolan Ryan was The Express, Jered Weaver is The Local. Weaver's fastball in the second half of his career comes in about 15 mph slower than Ryan's in his prime, but the right-handers with contrasting styles share something in common today: 138 wins in an Angels uniform. They trail only Chuck Finley, with 165 victories, in franchise history. Weaver matched Ryan on Friday night at Angel Stadium in a game that was more important in his mind than any milestone. Turning away Dallas Keuchel and his Astros, 3-2, with three innings of aid from Fernando Salas, Joe Smith and Huston Street did wonders for Weaver's psyche in a season full of bruises. "Right now, I'm not into personal accolades -- if anyone knows me," Weaver said. "I've played for some outstanding teams here and been able to pitch for one organization for a long time. But the time to think about things like [milestones] is later. "I'm looking forward to getting some more [wins] and to us making a push here at the end of the year." Weaver is 7-10 with a 4.71 ERA. His career numbers are 138-79, his ERA 3.39. It has not been smooth sailing at age 32. The Angels needed a towering effort from their big man, and he delivered across six strong innings. The lone glitch was a changeup Carlos Gomez lifted over the wall in left center in the sixth after a one-out walk to Carlos Correa. Facing Keuchel, an AL Cy Young Award candidate in pursuit of his 18th win, the Angels needed a break and got that too. The Astros' bearded wonder -- a 2014 NL Gold Glove Award winner -- made a rare error leading to three unearned runs in the second inning. The Astros' AL West lead was shaved to 1 1/2 games over the Rangers, who blanked the A's to retain their three-game cushion over the Angels and one-game edge over the Twins for the second AL Wild Card. Teams that win down the stretch do it with quality pitching, airtight defense and timely hitting. The Angels had all three. Kole Calhoun, the warmest Angels hitter, drove a two-run single in the second after Keuchel was unable to handle Taylor Featherston's two-out hopper, loading the bases. Erick Aybar already had doubled and scored on a wild pitch. "Kole did a great job taking what Keuchel was giving him, going the other way," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "And we got a break on the ball Keuchel couldn't field." It wasn't exactly an explosion, but it was enough with Weaver reaching back to his peak years and the bullpen getting nine outs without allowing a hit.


Keuchel, who reduced his ERA to 2.22 with seven strikeouts in six innings, still has a shot at 20 wins with his 17-7 record. But this was one that got away from him, literally. "Against a pitcher like that," Weaver said, "you know you have to limit baserunners and runs. We were able to scratch together three in the second and hold them down." Scioscia always has maintained that a team's foundation is its rotation. Fronted by Garrett Richards, back in top form, and big-game Jered with Hector Santiago, Andrew Heaney and Matt Shoemaker filling it out, the Angels have the arms to hold their ground in the 22 games left. Lefties Santiago and Heaney engage Astros right-handers Lance McCullers and Mike Fiers on Saturday night and Sunday, respectively. "It's obviously an important series," Weaver said. "Hopefully, we can get the next two and make things interesting." In classic Weaver fashion, he used his mid-80s fastball and wide assortment of off-speed stuff to keep hitters off balance. Seven strikeouts in six innings is no easy task for a guy who has lost more than 10 mph off his heater, but Weaver became a pitcher long ago. He has a deep bag of tricks to reach into. Weaver's seven punch-outs came on third strikes ranging from 67 mph to 84 mph, on fastballs, curves, sliders, changeups. He was putting guys away with some stuff that might not have popped a balloon. "I just use what I have," Weaver said, grinning. Scioscia has watched the 6-foot-7 Weaver rise up in big moments since 2006. Seeing hm linked with the Hall of Fame legend who holds all-time records for strikeouts and no-hitters underscored Weaver's place in the franchise's hierarchy, in Scioscia's mind. "When a guy's been there for a while, sometimes you overlook him," Scioscia said. "Some of the names he's catching, that puts perspective on what he's done for us."

Santiago, McCullers meet in key AL West clash BY DAVID ADLER / MLB.COM Angels left-hander Hector Santiago will face off against Astros righty Lance McCullers on Saturday in the second game of the series between the American League West opponents at Angel Stadium. In his last start, Santiago -- who came into the game with a 6.46 ERA in his previous eight outings -- held the Rangers scoreless on one hit in six innings, despite issuing six walks. The 2015 All-Star earned his first win in a month against a team the Angels are chasing in their division and the Wild Card standings. In his last outing, McCullers had his best start since returning from a stint in the Minors in mid-August. He held the Wild Card-contending Twins to one run on three hits in seven innings, striking out eight. Things to know about this game


• Albert Pujols had said he might return to first base against the Astros, but he said on Friday that the pain in his right foot is not getting better and he would likely remain at designated hitter for the rest of the season. • Astros left-hander Tony Sipp, who had been dealing with a back issue, rejoined the team in Anaheim on Friday and was available to pitch. Catcher Jason Castro (right quad strain) could be activated as early as Sunday. • The Angels and Astros' young stars, Mike Trout and Carlos Correa, are both hitless against the opposing Saturday starter. Trout has struck out in both of his at-bats against McCullers, and Correa is 0-for-3 against Santiago. FROM LA DAILY NEWS

Kole Calhoun proving to be money player for LA Angels BY ROBERT MORALES Need a clutch throw from the outfield? Kole Calhoun is the man for the job. Need a big hit? Go see Calhoun. The Angels’ right fielder is in the midst of his first full-time season. He played in 127 games in 2014, but has already played in 136 this season and is having a fine campaign. Sure, Calhoun — like teammates Mike Trout and Albert Pujols — had a poor August. But on the whole, he’s batting .270 with 23 home runs and 73 RBIs, with 22 doubles and 144 hits. He’s also hitting .300 with runners in scoring position, second only to Trout’s .338. Calhoun, owner of one of the strongest outfield arms in baseball, has nine assists. The recent series against the Dodgers told a story. Calhoun hit a game-tying, two-run home run off Zack Greinke in the fifth inning of the Dodgers’ 7-5 victory Monday. He hit a home run in the first inning off Clayton Kershaw in Tuesday’s 6-4 loss. He doubled leading off the bottom of the eighth inning and scored what proved to be the winning run in the Angels’ 3-2 victory on Wednesday. Calhoun was 5 for 13 in the Freeway Series with two home runs, four RBIs and three runs scored. Not that Calhoun will brag about it. “It’s not going to happen,” he said, laughing. Calhoun is one of those guys who just seems to thrive in big moments.


“You get to a point where you just want to help the team win and you want to be in big spots and you want to be the guy to get the big hit,” Calhoun said Friday before the series opener against the Houston Astros. “That’s everybody in here. There were spots in that series there where I could have helped the team a lot better, and struck out with the bases loaded and struck out to end the game, being the tying run with Trout behind me. “So there are spots that it shows up, spots that it doesn’t. But that’s kind of the beauty and the nature of the game.” Calhoun struck out for the final out Tuesday with a runner on third. He was struck out by Kershaw with the bases loaded in the seventh inning in that same game. As for his terrific arm, some of that is God-given, some not. “It’s something that I really wanted to be good at,” said Calhoun, 27. “Accuracy has improved over the years, and really knowing how to use my feet to improve my arm.” PUJOLS UPDATE Albert Pujols was back at designated hitter for the sixth consecutive game Friday, trying to stay off his sore right foot. Pujols expressed concern about how the foot is affecting his right knee, which was surgically repaired in 2012. “If this was the National League, I would do it,” he said of playing in the field. “But I’m more worried about my knee. I don’t want it to irritate my knee. I don’t know how long it’s going to be. Hopefully, the next couple of days here it gets settled. But who knows?” SHOEMAKER UPDATE Matt Shoemaker (right forearm strain) threw off flat ground Friday and should have a bullpen session Saturday or Sunday. Scioscia said Shoemaker might be ready to pitch in the four-game series at Minnesota, which begins Thursday. Shoemaker missed his most recent start, which would have been Monday.

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Angels creep up on Astros in AL West with 3-2 win ANAHEIM, Calif. -- At the moment, the Los Angeles Angels have their sights set on overtaking two teams in the race for the AL's second wild card berth.

But with the West-leading Houston Astros in town for a three-game series, and another three-game set at Minute Maid Park during the third week of September, the Angels don't mind giving the impression that they are aiming higher.


On Friday night, the Angels parlayed a fielding error by Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel into three unearned runs in the second inning and went on to beat Houston 3-2, putting them within 4 1-2 games of first place.

"It's obviously an important series, and the only way we get these guys where we need them is to beat them," winning pitcher Jered Weaver said. "We don't have to scoreboard watch when when they're on our field, so it's a big win. Hopefully we can take another two out of this series and make things pretty interesting."

Weaver (7-10) allowed two runs and five hits in six innings, struck out seven and walked two en route to his 138th career victory, which tied Nolan Ryan for second place on the Angels' career list behind Chuck Finley's 165.

"I'm just making strides to get back to where I know I can be, and I felt good tonight," Weaver said after his seventh start off the disabled list. "Obviously, going up against a guy like Dallas, you know runs are going to be scarce. So I just tried to bear down and limit runners. We were able to scratch out three runs in the second and were able to hold them off after that."

The last time Weaver faced Houston, he beat them 2-0 with a complete-game six-hitter on May 8 at the "Big A."

"This is a tough place to play and Weaver has our number. So I knew going in I was going to have be pretty good," Keuchel (17-7) said. "I thought I was pretty good -- except for that one play."

The left-hander, who last year became the first Astros pitcher ever to win a Gold Glove, committed his first error in 62 chances this season and the Angels turned it into a three-run second inning.

"With a guy like Keuchel, on the mound, there's not many mistakes that he's going to make," Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun said. "He's had an unbelievable season and they've been playing well, so we've got to go out and battle every pitch."

Keuchel jumped about a foot off the mound to field a comebacker by Taylor Featherston and misplayed it, loading the bases after a one-out double by Erick Aybar and a two-out walk to Carlos Perez.

"It's a routine play that I just botched. I mean I can't really say anything else," Keuchel said. "It had a lot of topspin. It's not like I haven't made that play before. That was the difference in the game -- a routine play that I missed and that was the difference. So it's frustrating and it doesn't sit very well. It's a tough one to swallow."

Aybar came home on a wild pitch -- the 17th run the Angels have scored that way this season -- and Calhoun followed with a two-run single that increased his career-high RBI total to 75.

The Astros closed to 3-2 in the sixth on Carlos Gomez's fourth homer, a towering drive to left-center after Weaver walked Carlos Correa with one out and got behind Gomez 2-0. Weaver struck out the next two batters before manager Mike Scioscia went to the bullpen.

Fernando Salas and Joe Smith each pitched a hitless inning and Huston Street retired the side in order in the ninth for his 34th save in 38 attempts. The Angels remained three games behind Texas and two behind Minnesota in the race for the second wild card spot.

Keuchel gave up five hits through six innings, struck out seven and walked two.


A SLICE OF HISTORY

Jose Altuve doubled in the first inning for his 800th hit in 647 big league games, making him the fastest to reach that figure in Astros' history. The previous mark was held by Cesar Cedeno (707), who needed one fewer game than Jeff Bagwell.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Astros: RHP Scott Feldman was diagnosed with a sprained right shoulder after undergoing an MRI in Houston on Thursday, and is done for the season. The 11-year veteran, in the second year of a three-year, $30 million deal, was 5-5 with a 3.90 ERA in 18 starts.

UP NEXT

Astros: Rookie RHP Lance McCullers (5-5) is 1/3 with a 4.15 ERA over his last eight starts. The only victory during that stretch was a 6-3 decision against the Angels.

Angels: LHP Hector Santiago (8-9) held Texas to one hit over six innings last Sunday in a 7-0 home win, following a stretch of eight starts in which he was 0-5 with a 6.46 ERA.

Astros-Angels Preview Lance McCullers has one lonely win since the beginning of July, but the Houston Astros' right-hander has the right opponent in front of him to change that.

McCullers' only victory in his last eight starts came against the Los Angeles Angels and he'll try to replicate that result Saturday night.

The Angels (71-69) pulled to within 4 1/2 games of the AL West-leading Astros (76-65) with Friday's 3-2 series-opening win. Texas is 1 1/2 back of Houston and three games ahead of Los Angeles for the second wild card.

Jered Weaver pitched six strong innings to beat Houston ace Dallas Keuchel.

"It's obviously an important series, and the only way we get these guys where we need them is to beat them," Weaver said. "We don't have to scoreboard watch when they're on our field, so it's a big win. Hopefully we can take another two out of this series and make things pretty interesting."

The teams finish the season series -- which the Astros lead 8-6 -- with three games in Houston from Sept. 21-23.

McCullers (5-5, 3.07 ERA) has had little luck helping the Astros lengthen their division lead with a 1/3 record and 4.15 ERA since July 5. His only win during the span came from a 6-3 victory over the Angels on July 29 in which the right-hander allowed one run in seven innings. He has a 1.38 ERA in two career starts against the division foe.

Since allowing six runs while recording just one out in a 12-9 loss at Texas on Aug. 3, McCullers has logged three straight quality starts. He has a 2.70 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 20 innings in those games.


Los Angeles counters with Hector Santiago (8-9, 3.24), who had lost five straight decisions before allowing one hit over six innings and working around a career high-tying six walks in a 7-0 win over the Rangers on Sunday.

He escaped jams with inning-ending double plays in the first two innings.

"For some reason, I pitch better with guys on base and I bear down," said Santiago, who made it through five innings for the first time since Aug. 16. "I needed this one for sure, where I can show that I can still get guys out even if I put them on base."

Santiago is 0-2 with a 4.38 ERA against the Astros in five career starts, but he has pitched well against them in two this year. He has limited Houston to three hits and one run -- a Domingo Santana home run -- in 12 1/3 innings.

Jose Altuve became the fastest player in Astros history to reach 800 hits with his first-inning double Friday, his 647th major league game. Cesar Cedeno held the previous mark at 707 games.

Los Angeles' Kole Calhoun is batting .410 with three homers, eight RBI and 10 runs in nine games this month.

Teammate Mike Trout, though, is batting .195 in 12 games this season against Houston.

clips (september 12, 2015) - mlb.com...background check, examining the player's medical history...

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