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Press Clips

(June 26, 2018)

June 26, 2018 Page 2 of 16

CLIPS CONTENT

FROM THE OC REGISTER (PAGE 3)

Angels’ Tyler Skaggs adds more good memories of pitching in Kansas City

Angels go quietly in makeup game against Royals

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (PAGE 6)

Mike Trout has homered in every AL ballpark except this one

Cold streak continues for Angels in 2-0 loss to Royals

FROM ANGELS.COM (PAGE 9)

Skaggs outdueled as Angels’ bats go quiet

Halos honor No. 42 with KC; Trout to start throwing

FROM ESPN.COM (PAGE 11)

Angels face unique challenge in trying to get Shohei Ohtani right

FROM THE BOSTON GLOBE (PAGE 13)

Get ready for Mike Trout’s return to Fenway

FROM THE BOSTON HERALD (PAGE 15)

Buckley: The Betts-Trout Show arrives at Fenway for a three-night stand

June 26, 2018 Page 3 of 16

FROM THE OC REGISTER

Angels’ Tyler Skaggs adds more good memories of pitching in Kansas City

By Jeff Fletcher

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It took nearly two years for Tyler Skaggs to make it back to the majors after undergoing Tommy John surgery. When he finally did, his return was at Kauffman Stadium.

Skaggs pitched seven scoreless innings that night in July 2016, and since then he’s continued adding to his positive highlight reel from this ballpark.

“This place has good memories for me, coming back from Tommy John,” Skaggs said after another solid game on Monday. “I love pitching here.”

Skaggs had a scoreless seven-inning outing in Kansas City in 2017. On Monday he gave up one run in seven innings. Add it up, and he’s allowed one run in 21 innings in three starts at Kaufmann Stadium.

This one didn’t have the drama of a comeback from a two-year battle with elbow and shoulder problems, but there were some questions after he’d had his previous scheduled turn pushed back because of hamstring tightness.

Skaggs said he now feels “100 percent,” adding that he is “happy I took the extra few days.”

With 10 days off since his previous start, he said he was a little ragged at the beginning of the game, but he settled into a groove and got through 110 pitches.

The Royals had seven hits against Skaggs, including four to lead off innings, so he was pitching under pressure most of the afternoon. He escaped with the help of a double play and three baserunners being erased. Skaggs picked one off, and catcher Martín Maldonado picked off two and caught one stealing.

“I thought Tyler was on his game,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “He pitched a great game. He used all his pitches.”

INJURY UPDATES

Mike Trout was at DH for the sixth straight game because of a sprained right index finger that affects his throwing. Trout said he’s going to try to throw on Tuesday in Boston, but Scioscia said it might take longer for him to be ready to play outfield in a game.

“He’s not going to play center field tomorrow,” Scioscia said. “We’ll see how it progresses when he starts to throw.”

Garrett Richards (hamstring) was scheduled to throw off a mound for the first time since going on the disabled list on Monday. Scioscia said it’s just a light bullpen session, so he will need at least one more before he can be ready to make a rehab assignment.

June 26, 2018 Page 4 of 16

Zack Cozart (shoulder) has begun baseball activities, but the Angels “don’t have any idea yet when he’s going to be able to take the next step,” Scioscia said.

ALSO

Because Monday’s game was originally scheduled for April 15, which is Jackie Robinson Day, the players for both teams all wore No. 42, as they would have in April. …

David Fletcher has now played outfield three times in the majors, even though he hadn’t played it at all in the minors. Trout’s temporary inability to play center has created some difficult roster situations for the Angels, resulting in Fletcher playing right field. “He’s athletic, he’s got good foot speed,” Scioscia said. “We figured he could handle it for an inning or two in a dire situation.”

UP NEXT

Angels (John Lamb, 0-0, 5.40) at Red Sox (David Price, 8-5, 3.81), Tuesday, 4 p.m., Fox Sports West, KLAA (830 AM)

Angels go quietly in makeup game against Royals

By Jeff Fletcher

KANSAS CITY — When the Angels were trying to complete their series at Kauffman Stadium in April, their bats were hot but the weather was too cold.

When they returned to make up that postponed series finale Monday, the weather was perfect, but the Angels’ bats were cold.

The Angels lost 2-0 to the Kansas City Royals on Monday afternoon in a makeup game of a postponement from a bitter cold day in April.

Back then, the Angels had won seven in a row, firing on all cylinders to get off to a club record 13-3 start.

Ever since, it’s been one long slog, marked by injuries and inconsistent performances from throughout the lineup, resulting in the Angels being seven games under .500 in the last 65 games.

“The mojo will come back,” said Tyler Skaggs, who was the tough-luck losing pitcher after allowing one run in seven innings on Monday. “Don’t worry. It’s still a long season. … We’re working with half our team, if you look at the opening-day roster till now. There’s a lot of injuries going on. Once we get everybody back, we’ll start clicking on all cylinders.”

Of the 25 players on the active roster when the Angels were here in April, only 15 were still there on Monday. The rest are on the disabled list – except for Luke Bard, a Rule 5 pick who was sent back to the Minnesota Twins.

June 26, 2018 Page 5 of 16

The starters, relievers and hitters have each had spells of ineffectiveness, but it was mostly the hitters who were responsible for this one.

Facing rookie right-hander Brad Keller, the Angels managed just two singles in seven innings, one of them was an infield single.

“He kept the ball down pretty good,” shortstop Andrelton Simmons said. “He mixed his pitches well. He had good location. I don’t know. He pitched good. I don’t know what he did right.”

A 22-year-old former eighth-round pick, Keller began the season in the Royals’ bullpen. He moved into the rotation shortly before a start at Angel Stadium earlier this month. Keller gave up one run in 4-1/3 innings in that game, which was enough to lose on a night when Andrew Heaney pitched a one-hitter.

“He’s got a good arm,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “He has good run on his fastball and he used both sides of the plate. He threw more breaking balls this afternoon. Obviously we didn’t get too many good looks at him. He pitched a good game.”

The Angels didn’t get a runner into scoring position until the eighth when they wasted a chance to at least tie the score.

David Fletcher pinch-hit against lefty Tim Hill and got hit by a pitch. Fletcher then stole second and took third when Martín Maldonado grounded out.

With one out at the tying run at third, Chris Young could have tied the score with a fly ball, but Kevin McCarthy struck him out. Ian Kinsler then grounded out.

“A game like this, you aren’t going to hang your hat on one situation,” Scioscia said. “We didn’t do enough offensively. We were fortunate our pitching kept it close and gave us a chance, but on the offensive side, it was a tough day for us.”

The Angels have had a lot of tough days this season, although there have been just enough scattered good days to keep them optimistic that they can hit their stride, with just more than half a season to go.

“It is a little frustrating, because we know what we can do and we haven’t been playing up to those expectations,” Simmons said. “All we can do is keep on going, show up tomorrow and try to be prepared and try to put some runs on the board. The pitchers are doing good for the most part. We’ve got to score more runs. We’re an offense that’s capable of doing that. We’ve been lacking in that department. I feel like we’ve got to do a better job.”

June 26, 2018 Page 6 of 16

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Mike Trout has homered in every AL ballpark except this one

By Jeff Miller

Mike Trout has triumphed over most of baseball during the stellar start to his career. But one of the few

things Trout hasn’t conquered is one of the game’s most iconic structures: the Green Monster.

The Boston Red Sox’s ballpark is the only American League stadium in which Trout has not homered. He

has at least four home runs at every other AL park.

He is batting .371 with a .957 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 79 plate appearances at Fenway Park.

Yet, the player who began Monday tied for the major league lead in home runs has been unable to clear

Boston’s 37-foot high left-field wall.

The Angels start a three-game series in Boston on Tuesday. The last time the teams met, in Anaheim in

April, the Red Sox swept three straight by the score of 27-3.

The thrashing came at the end of a season-opening stretch in which Boston went 17-2.

Since that series, the Angels have struggled to maintain any sort of consistency while falling into third

place in the AL West. The Red Sox began the week tied atop the AL East.

In the opener, the Angels will face David Price, a pitcher against whom Trout has never homered. In 23

at-bats, Trout has four singles.

Have glove, will travel

He worked for parts of four seasons to reach the big leagues, a natural middle infielder willing to play

third base to help make it happen.

Then David Fletcher joined the Angels and soon found himself standing in right field, a position he had

never played before at any level.

Because a sprained index finger has prevented Trout from playing in the field, Fletcher has twice moved

to the outfield late in games. He has appeared there for a total of four innings.

“He’s athletic,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “He’s got really good foot speed. We figured he could

handle it for an inning or two in dire situations.”

Before moving from third base to right field in the eighth inning last week against Arizona, Fletcher’s

only action in the outfield had come during batting practice.

He caught his first fly ball Saturday against Toronto, a play that forced him to retreat toward the warning

track. Afterward, cameras caught him smiling in the direction of Kole Calhoun.

June 26, 2018 Page 7 of 16

“Guess I was relieved,” Fletcher explained.

Said Scioscia: “He was in between the ball and the ground. That’s good.”

Short hop

Garrett Richards (hamstring) was scheduled to throw lightly off a mound Monday for the first time since

he went on the disabled list June 15. Richards, who isn’t traveling with the team, is attempting to ramp

up toward a rehabilitation start.

Cold streak continues for Angels in 2-0 loss to Royals

By Jeff Miller

When the Angels last visited Kauffman Stadium, the fountains were icing over.

This time, their bats were, an 84-degree temperature for the first pitch Monday unable to provide any

thaw in what would become a chilling 2-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals, who began the day with the

worst record in baseball.

Playing a makeup game under conditions 66 degrees warmer than during their mid-April visit, the Angels

managed three singles and advanced one runner beyond second base.

“It’s hard to win ballgames when we don’t have two or three guys swinging the bat well that day,”

shortstop Andrelton Simmons said. “We gotta score more runs.”

The Angels were 13-3 back when their game against the Royals was postponed because of the brutal

cold.

They are 28-35 since and ended Monday with the same 41-38 record as the Oakland Athletics, who no

one consider serious threats to make the playoffs.

“It is a little frustrating,” Simmons said. “We know what we can do. We haven’t been playing up to those

expectations.”

The Angels won 11 of their first 12 road games. They’ve won only 10 of 26 since.

Against the Royals, they squandered the latest strong start by Tyler Skaggs, who gave up one run in

seven innings to drop his ERA to 2.69, among the top 10 in the American League.

“We have a lot of injuries right now,” said Skaggs, who was scratched from his previous start because of

a tight hamstring. “Once we get all our guys back … the mojo will come back. Don’t worry about it.”

Mojo? The Angels’ offense Monday was a no-show. They went down 1-2-3 in the first inning. And the

third. And the fifth. And the seventh.

June 26, 2018 Page 8 of 16

They didn’t go down in order in any of the other innings. But they did go down meekly against a reeling

opponent and a rookie.

The Royals entered Monday with losses in 11 of their previous 12 games and only three victories in June.

The Angels were facing a first-year pitcher making his fifth start and still looking for his first victory as a

starter.

Still, they could muster nothing against Brad Keller. Simmons had a two-out infield single in the second

and Mike Trout a two-out single in the sixth. That was it for hits against the right-hander.

Keller gifted the Angels two walks in the fourth. But Justin Upton hit into a double play to spoil the

opportunity.

“Our guys were ready to play," manager Mike Scioscia said. "On the offensive side, we just didn’t get it

done.”

The Angels’ best chance came immediately after Keller was lifted and, fittingly, without a hit.

Instead, David Fletcher was struck by an 0-and-2 pitch from reliever Tim Hill. Fletcher, a rookie, then had

his first career stolen base and advanced to third on Martin Maldonado’s groundout.

With the infield playing in and a chance to tie the score, Chris Young struck out. Ian Kinsler then

grounded out.

The three at-bats after Fletcher’s steal were the only ones for the Angels with a runner in scoring

position.

“In a game like this, you’re not going to hang your hat on just one situation,” Scioscia said. “We just

didn’t do enough offensively.”

Skaggs performed nothing like a pitcher who was limited, yielding a few hard-hit balls early but little else

throughout. He said his hamstring was not an issue.

“Beginning of the game, I was kind of all over the place,” Skaggs said. “By about the third or fourth

inning, things started progressing. Toward the very end, I thought I was throwing the ball really well.”

In four June starts, he has given up two earned runs in 27 innings. That’s an ERA of 0.67, and only two

starters in franchise history have had better months.

Unfortunately for the Angels, even the heat brought by Skaggs wasn’t enough to kill the chill.

June 26, 2018 Page 9 of 16

FROM ANGELS.COM

Skaggs outdueled as Angels’ bats go quiet

Lefty returns from hamstring injury with 7 innings of 1-run ball

By Robert Falkoff

KANSAS CITY -- Tyler Skaggs returned with a flourish, but it wasn't enough as the Angels' bats went silent

Monday afternoon in a 2-0 loss to the Royals.

Skaggs, who had to be scratched from last Thursday's start because of right hamstring tightness,

scattered seven hits in seven innings. He has now allowed two or fewer runs in 12 of his 15 starts this

year.

But Hunter Dozier's leadoff double in the fourth was followed by an RBI single from Lucas Duda, and

that proved to be all the offense Kansas City would need.

The Angels managed three hits overall and just two through seven innings against Royals starter Brad

Keller. Andrelton Simmons had an infield single in the second, and Mike Trout singled up the middle in

the sixth.

"I thought Tyler pitched a great game and used all of his pitches," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.

"We were fortunate that our pitcher kept it close and gave us a chance. But on the offensive side, it was

a tough day for us."

Skaggs said there were no lingering effects from the hamstring issue that prompted the club to give him

three extra days between starts.

"It was 100 percent," Skaggs said of his right hamstring. "Happy I took the extra few days."

The Angels (41-38) were hoping for a season sweep over the Royals. But they had to settle for 6-1 vs.

Kansas City as the 22-year-old Keller picked up his first Major League win as a starter.

"We have a lot of injuries right now," Skaggs said. "Once we get everybody back, we'll start clicking on

all cylinders. The mojo will come back. It's a long season."

Skaggs has a 0.67 ERA in June after his 110-pitch outing.

"At the beginning of the game, I was kind of all over the place," Skaggs said. "But around the fourth

inning, I thought I was throwing the ball really well."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

The Angels had a golden opportunity to tie the game in the eighth. Pinch-hitter David Fletcher was hit by

a Tim Hill pitch and stole second. Martin Maldonado advanced the runner with a ground ball. But with a

June 26, 2018 Page 10 of 16

runner at third and one out, Kevin McCarthy struck out Chris Young. Then Ian Kinsler grounded to

shortstop, and Kansas City had protected its 1-0 lead.

"He made some good pitches on C.Y.," Scioscia said. "That's it, and then he got Kins to roll over."

SOUND SMART

With his 0.67 ERA in June, Skaggs has the third-lowest ERA for an Angels pitcher in a calendar month

with a minimum of four starts. He trails only Mike Witt (0.21 ERA) in August 1986 and Jim McGlothlin

(0.66 ERA) in May 1967.

HE SAID IT

"It's difficult. A lot of traveling, but nobody is feeling sorry for us. We're all professionals." -- Skaggs, on

the Angels having to play three games in three cities because of Monday's makeup against the Royals

UP NEXT

The Angels will continue to monitor the development of John Lamb (0-0, 5.40 ERA) on Tuesday, when

the left-hander makes his third start this season in the series opener against Boston at 4:10 p.m. PT.

Lamb, seeking his first Major League win since June 1, 2016, for the Reds, took a no-decision last

Thursday against Toronto while working 3 1/3 innings and allowing three runs on six hits. The Red Sox

will counter with veteran lefty David Price (8-5, 3.81).

Halos honor No. 42 with KC; Trout to start throwing

By Robert Falkoff

KANSAS CITY -- More than two months have passed since the official Jackie Robinson Day on April 15,

but the Angels and Royals were finally able to offer their No. 42 tributes on Monday afternoon at

Kauffman Stadium.

After their scheduled April 15 game was postponed because of frigid weather, the clubs had to wait until

Monday's makeup date to don their No. 42 uniforms.

"We're all obviously very proud to do it," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "I think it's cool. We missed

it [on April 15] and the guys had been looking forward to it. They were like, 'Oh, man.' It's kind of nice

because we're the only two teams doing it today. We're happy about that, for sure."

Trout cleared to begin throwing

Scioscia said Mike Trout has reached the point where he can begin a throwing evaluation process. As

Trout tests his right arm, the Angels will have a better feel for when Trout might be able to play in center

field again.

"After a week, he was going to throw and evaluate it," Scioscia said of Trout, who has been limited to

playing designated hitter since last Tuesday. "We're kind of there now. We'll see. He's not going to play

center field [Tuesday]. It's how he progresses when he starts to throw."

June 26, 2018 Page 11 of 16

FROM ESPN.COM

Angels face unique challenge in trying to get Shohei Ohtani right

By Alden Gonzalez

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Shohei Ohtani's situation isn't just complex, it's unprecedented.

One hundred years had passed since a major league player simultaneously handled pitching and hitting the way Ohtani did during his first 10 weeks with the Los Angeles Angels. Now Ohtani is nursing a tender elbow that saps his ability to pitch without actually affecting his ability to hit, igniting a recovery process for which there are no parallels.

In other words, the Angels have unintentionally taken on the responsibility of crafting the blueprint for rehabilitating two-way players.

They don't seem to mind.

"It actually kind of fits the way that we prefer to operate here," Angels general manager Billy Eppler said. "It pushes us more into a mindset of staying present rather than trying to worry about the future or trying to obsess over the past and things like that. It keeps us, really, present-focused."

That present, from which Eppler refuses to stray, looks like this: Ohtani has a Grade 2 sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament of his right elbow, which basically constitutes a partial tear. In hopes of avoiding Tommy John surgery, the Angels -- specifically Steve Yoon, an expert in the field of orthobiology -- injected Ohtani's ligament with platelet-rich plasma and stem cells, part of a low-risk, conservative treatment plan that uses a patient's own blood to accelerate regeneration.

The Angels plan to re-evaluate Ohtani on Thursday, three weeks after the procedure. But a detailed plan for his recovery may take even longer to map out.

Staying flexible, Eppler said, is "critical" in this circumstance.

Ohtani, with a .907 OPS and a 3.10 ERA as a rookie, could conceivably help as a hitter while recovering as a pitcher, a concept the Angels seem to be open-minded about. But the possibility of Tommy John surgery, which typically knocks pitchers out for at least 14 months, complicates everything.

"I think that's kind of jumping," Eppler said, "and the only reason why is because nobody has said 'surgery' to me. So I'm not going to think about it until somebody who's a qualified M.D. tells me to think about it."

For now, the Angels seem to at least be thinking about giving Ohtani a chance to hit. The 23-year-old has spent more than a week swinging a bat with his left arm in order to keep his hips active. On Friday, he stood in for Felix Pena's bullpen session to track pitches and maintain some semblance of timing.

Eppler claims he has not yet spoken to Ohtani about the possibility of hitting while he recovers as a pitcher.

June 26, 2018 Page 12 of 16

"Right now it's rest mode," Eppler said. "And when it moves out of rest mode and into action mode, then we'll talk about those things."

What, specifically, would "action mode" entail for baseball's most captivating player?

We speculated on the divergent paths Ohtani's recovery might take, starting with the most ideal.

Hit now, return as a starter later this season: Eppler was the Angels' GM when Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney used stem-cell therapy in hopes of avoiding Tommy John surgery in 2016, and he was the Yankees' assistant GM when Masahiro Tanaka used PRP for the same reason in 2014. What did he learn from those experiences? "Every player's different," Eppler said. "That's all I know."

Tanaka made it back to the Yankees rotation in about 10 weeks. Heaney's elbow swelled up like a balloon following his injection, and he underwent Tommy John surgery eight weeks later. Richards' elbow responded just fine. He avoided surgery, but he also spent the final five months of that season rehabbing. Pitchers typically start throwing six weeks after PRP and stem-cell treatment, but that can vary drastically based on the nature of the tear and the player involved.

This much is certain: The Angels will be very, very careful with Ohtani's progress as a pitcher.

Hit now, return as a reliever later this season: Imagine Ohtani's triple-digit fastball and wipe-out splitter coming out of the bullpen to close out a game in the ninth inning. The Angels are in desperate need of help in the back end of their bullpen, and a healthy Ohtani could solve that (though we should note that only three of Ohtani's 85 appearances in Japan came as a reliever). If his arm feels good, and it's September, and the Angels are in the hunt, and Ohtani isn't stretched out to be a starting pitcher, perhaps we see this. But the Angels have some ground to make up first.

Hit now, pitch in 2019: We'll get into the hitting component here. Ohtani pitches right-handed and bats left-handed, which means his injured elbow is the "lead" elbow when he bats. Part of Stephania Bell's thorough breakdown of this subject stated that the stress on Ohtani's elbow would thus be "minimal when he is swinging the bat." Very specific motions put UCLs under stress, and the act of guiding a swing with your lead elbow is not necessarily among them.

That's why Angels manager Mike Scioscia recently described Ohtani as "two different players," adding that "one does not necessarily impact the other."

But Eppler brought up other concerns -- that of an awkward swing, a bad headfirst slide or an errant throw that causes a collision.

"Just events that happen on a baseball field," Eppler said. "Those types of incidents, even though they have a low probability, could affect him in this time period. At least in the early stages. So that's why we needed to give him this time off."

Here's something to consider about the pitching aspect: To rule out surgery, the Angels will want to be certain it's not necessary. And the only way to get that clarity is to ramp up Ohtani's throwing program to the point that he tests his UCL by throwing hard, even if he ultimately doesn't have enough time to

June 26, 2018 Page 13 of 16

return to pitch this season. Imaging can't paint a clear enough picture for a ligament that is so complex. And the last thing the Angels want is to find out Ohtani needs surgery during spring training.

Hit now, be a full-time DH in 2019, pitch in 2020: This, of course, would mean he needs Tommy John surgery. But there's an important point to consider here: Regardless of whether Ohtani undergoes surgery now or in the offseason, his estimated return to pitching would probably be the start of the 2020 season. In terms of pitching, the Angels don't seem to lose anything in the calendar by waiting. But they do gain the possibility of him helping their lineup in the interim.

Hit now, play the outfield in 2019, pitch in 2020: This is an interesting one. Ohtani played 54 games in the outfield for the Nippon Ham Fighters in 2013, but only eight in 2014 and none from 2015 to 2017. Offseason Tommy John surgery should give Ohtani enough time to serve as a DH early in -- if not for the start of -- the 2019 season. But he could be available to play the field shortly thereafter, with position players typically needing six to eight months to recover from elbow-ligament replacement surgery.

Ohtani DHing means Albert Pujols playing first base. And Pujols will be 39 next year, with a litany of lower-body ailments in his recent past. It's a lot to ask of Pujols to play the field every day so that Ohtani gets in the lineup, which is why putting Ohtani in the outfield -- at least occasionally -- seems so tantalizing.

Nothing this season: Nobody -- the Angels included -- really knows if Ohtani will actually be able to hit the rest of this season, let alone pitch.

Maybe Ohtani struggles at the plate and the Angels decide to shut him down so that he can focus on his pitching rehab (Ohtani was batting only .200 over his last 14 games before the injury). Maybe Pujols' lower half doesn't allow him to play first base regularly enough to free up the DH spot for Ohtani in the first place. Or maybe the Angels' place in the standings makes the risk, however small, seem unnecessary.

Ohtani hasn't spoken publicly about his injury, but chances are he would exhaust every option to contribute in some capacity. Asked what he has learned about Ohtani in his short time with him, Eppler said: "That this is his passion; this is his love."

"Not playing baseball, part of him is altered because he loves to play this game. It's hard for him, there's no doubt about it."

FROM THE BOSTON GLOBE

Get ready for Mike Trout’s return to Fenway

By Peter Abraham

The Los Angeles Angels make their only visit to Fenway Park starting Tuesday night and fans will be denied a chance to see Shohei Ohtani, the outstanding rookie pitcher and hitter from Japan.

June 26, 2018 Page 14 of 16

Ohtani has not played since June 4 because of a ligament sprain in his right elbow and it’s uncertain when, or if, he’ll play again this season.

But at least there’s Mike Trout.

The best player in baseball was on the disabled list when the Angels played at Fenway last June. Trout is injured again, having sprained his right index finger last week. But he has been able to DH.

Trout has not played at Fenway Park since July 3, 2016. He was 0 for 2 with two walks and one RBI that day.

Trout has hit .371 with a .957 OPS in 16 career games at Fenway but does not have a home run in 70 at-bats.

Trout has at least four home runs in every other American League park. He has not homered in six National League parks but has 21 or fewer at-bats in each of those stadia.

“I think he’s great for the game, very humble kid,” Sox manager Alex Cora said. “He just likes to play the game; he plays it the right way. I’ve been watching. He’s been outstanding the last two weeks, a month? I don’t know.”

With Trout, there are shades of outstanding.

Through Sunday, Trout led the majors with 23 home runs, 67 walks, a .461 on-base percentage, and a 1.121 OPS. He also has 13 stolen bases in 14 attempts and has played in every game this season.

Since June 1, he has hit .387 with a 1.145 OPS.

Casas injures thumb

In only his second professional game, Red Sox first-round draft pick Triston Casas injured his right thumb on Monday afternoon.

Casas was playing for the Gulf Coast League Red Sox in Fort Myers, Fla., when Orioles prospect Jose Montanez grounded to third base in the sixth inning. Casas dove for the ball and came out of the game with an injury.

Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said the team is still working toward determining the severity of the injury. More should be known in the coming days.

Casas was 0 for 1 with a walk in the game.

Casas was the 26th overall pick of the draft out of American Heritage High in Plantation, Fla. The Sox signed the 18-year-old to a $2.55 million bonus earlier this month.

One-sided series

June 26, 2018 Page 15 of 16

The Sox swept a three-game series at Anaheim from April 17-19 and outscored the Angels, 27-3 . . . David Price, who starts Tuesday, is 6-1 with a 2.68 ERA in his last eight games. He faced the Angels on April 17 and allowed one run over five innings. He left the game with a 9-1 lead . . . John Lamb, who starts the series opener for the Angels, is making his third start of the season since being called up from Triple A Salt Lake. He has given up five earned runs on nine hits and two walks over 8⅓ innings. Lamb has not faced the Red Sox before or any players on the roster.

FROM THE BOSTON HERALD

Buckley: The Betts-Trout Show arrives at Fenway for a three-night stand

Baseball’s top all-around players on display

By Steve Buckley

We can all agree that Mike Trout is easily baseball’s premier talent, a toolsy wunderkind who hits, who hits for power, who gets on base, who is just about the fastest big in big league history, and who . . .

Wait! Some of you out there do not agree that Trout is all that and more. Surely the hardball purists see the Los Angles Angels’ stellar center fielder as what Marvel Comics would come up with if they created a baseball-playing superhero — I’m thinking Captain Hardball and Diamondman as possible sobriquets — except that hardball purists, like the Sumatran elephant, are an endangered species.

Why doesn’t every kid in America dream of growing up to be Mike Trout? Stop me if you’ve heard this before: The Angels are a West Coast team, meaning by the time Trout has done the walk-off thing, most East Coast fans, kids especially, have long since dozed off. Postseason? He has made but one visit to the playoffs since arriving in the big leagues, and it would appear that Trout went fishing. In 2014, as the Kansas City Royals were registering a Division Series sweep, Trout was 1-for-12.

And there’s this: Major League Baseball perfected a process by which the game can be stopped for five minutes to see if a runner lifted his hand one-sixteenth-of-an-inch off the base after a slide, but they can’t figure out how to get Mike Trout a seat at the cool kids table at America’s junior-high cafeterias.

But help has arrived, and it’s not MLB’s marketing department.

It’s Mookie Betts.

With the Angels in town tonight to begin a three-game Fenway Park showdown against the Red Sox, two of baseball’s best players will share one stage. And there’s been lots of Trout-vs-Mookie talk going on this season. As in tons of Trout-vs-Mookie talk.

As great baseball rivalries go, this isn’t Carlton Fisk vs. Thurman Munson. Fisk and Munson brawled; tonight, we can expect a pleasant exchange between Betts and Trout behind the batting cage before the game.

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They have arrived at a special place and in a special time, each player applauded for across-the-board superior skills, each player planting seeds that, with continued success, a little luck and lots of sunshine, will grow into mature, ripe Hall of Fame inductions.

You’re probably saying, “Hey, wait a minute! Wasn’t there a lot of Trout-vs-Mookie talk in 2016 when they finished 1-2 in American League MVP balloting? Well, yes. But let’s consider what was going on with these two fellas in 2016. Trout had already captured his first MVP going into 2016 and placed second on three other occasions. As for Betts, the MVP race was all new and shiny to him in 2016. He did get some attention in 2015, but it was 19th place, which is playing the lounge.

Prior to this season, the only knock-down, drag-out Trout-vs-Anybody discussion to have taken place involved the 2012 MVP race. It was Trout’s rookie season and he was phenomenal, whether going by your grandparents’ stats, your parents’ stats or The New Baseball Math. He hit .326 with 30 home runs and 83 RBI, had a .399 on-base percentage, a .564 slugging percentage and a .963 OPS. His OPS-plus was 168 and his WAR 10.5, both league bests.

Ahhh, but the Detroit Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera did something we hadn’t seen since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967: He won the Triple Crown, leading the AL in batting average (.330), home runs (44) and RBI (139). The sniping between the Triple Crown stalwarts and the analytics brainiacs was intense. In the end, Cabrera and his Yaz-like season emerged victorious.

A year later, Cabrera again won the MVP award, again finishing ahead of Trout.

Trout captured his first MVP in 2014, garnering all 30 first-place votes as Cabrera fell to ninth. He won it again in 2016 with 19 first-place votes. Betts had a strong second place, earning nine first-place votes.

Betts had a fine 2017 season — 24 home runs, 102 RBI — but was a distant sixth in the balloting. Trout was fourth. It was a runaway for the Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve, as it should have been.

This year? We aren’t at the point to where it’s back to being a two-man race between Trout and Betts — Altuve and the Red Sox’ J.D. Martinez, among others, will have something to say about that — but we have arrived at a place where they will be among the top all-around players for several years and beyond.

Betts is 25. Trout turns 27 in August. For the next three nights these boys of summer will share an ultra-exclusive playground, and, thanks to each other, some of you out there will be noticing.