Josh Hamilton doesn't start for Angels
By moneybags on MLB from feeds.latimes.com
Mike Scioscia calls it a 'recharge day' for the slumping outfielder, who comes into the game in the seventh inning and hits a single and scores.
Stan Musial, Cardinals Hall of Famer, dies at 92
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The outfielder and first baseman played his entire 22-year career with St. Louis, hitting .331 with 475 home runs.The outfielder and first baseman played his entire 22-year career with St. Louis, hitting .331 with 475 home runs.
Angels' weaknesses might be exposed
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Loss of ace Jered Weaver is one of several issues afflicting the Angels, who are off to a slow start again.Jered Weaver jogged out of the dugout, serenaded with applause from every corner of the stadium. This was a happy time, or at least it was supposed to be.
Yasiel Puig probably will start season in minor leagues for Dodgers
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The 22-year-old Cuban defector has had a strong spring, batting .412, but Manager Don Mattingly says it's unlikely he will be on the opening-day roster.PHOENIX — If Carl Crawford isn't ready to play in left field when the Dodgers start their season, top prospect Yasiel Puig won't be taking his place.
Dodger Adrian Gonzalez's fitness regimen gives him fighting chance
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Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez uses boxing as the core of a rigorous off-season conditioning program. Former heavyweight champ Chris Byrd works with him.LA JOLLA -- The more punches Adrian Gonzalez throws, the louder the former boxing champion's voice becomes.
They said it: Quotes from baseball
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Toronto Blue Jays Manager John Gibbons jokes about his trade value."Four years from now, if I'm able to sit up and take nourishment, I would."
Spring training: Chicago Cubs 8, Dodgers 1
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Chris Capuano gives up five runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings.Chicago Cubs 8, Dodgers 1
Take heart, Dodgers and Angels fans: Others are suffering too
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As disappointing as the Dodgers and Angels have been, they're hardly alone. Ask fans in Toronto and Chicago, or Roy Halladay, or B.J. Upton . . . The Dodgers — and their world-record payroll — have sunk to the bottom of the National League West. The Angels — and their collection of superstar hitters — are flailing in the depths of the American League West.
Josh Hamilton is the definition of a streak hitter
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Angels' new slugger can carry a team, but he was a drag during the second half for Rangers last season. Hamilton says chewing tobacco and caffeine issues are behind him.ARLINGTON, Texas — Josh Hamilton squeezed a solid month of production into one week last May, hitting .467 with nine homers, 18 runs batted in and 43 total bases in seven games for the Texas Rangers, including an epic four-homer night at Baltimore's Camden Yards on May 8.
Baseball quotes: They said it
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Major league baseball quotes from Walt Weiss, Ned Yost and Adam Wainwright."I think he's too old for rehab assignments."
Angels reliever Ryan Madson suffers setback
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Club's projected closer, who had ligament-replacement surgery in right elbow in April, felt soreness in the elbow after a bullpen session in February and probably won't be ready for start of the regular season. TEMPE, Ariz. — Ryan Madson felt soreness in his surgically repaired right elbow after a Feb. 1 bullpen session and hasn't thrown since, a setback that will probably prevent the reliever from being ready by the April 1 regular-season opener.
Yankees lose pitcher Nova and catcher Cervelli
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Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli suffers a broken hand and will miss at least six weeks, and starter Ivan Nova leaves his start because of elbow pain.New York Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli broke his right hand on Ivan Nova's fifth pitch the game against Toronto on Friday night, and two innings later Nova walked off the mound with pain in his right elbow. The Yankees said Cervelli needs surgery and will miss at least six weeks. Nova was to have an MRI exam later Friday.
Adam Jones, Eric Hosmer lead U.S. over Canada, 9-4
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Baltimore center fielder hits a two-run double in the eighth inning and Kansas City first baseman hits a three-run double in the ninth to rally the U.S., which advances to the second round of World Baseball Classic.— Baseball fans and journalists have complained that many of the United States' top players don't represent their country in the World Baseball Classic.
Dodgers' Aaron Harang tries to maintain mind-set of a starting pitcher
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Harang, in a five-man race for one of the final two spots in the rotation, says there are many scenarios where he could start for the Dodgers or even another team. He is roughed up in his first inning of the spring.MESA, Ariz. — Aaron Harang's first start of the spring didn't go his way. The right-hander gave up four runs, five hits and a walk — and that was just the first inning — in the Dodgers' 11-7 win over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday.
Working the count works out well for Dodgers
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Dodgers make Giants ace Matt Cain throw 92 pitches in six innings, leading to his removal, then score all their runs against relievers in 4-0 opening-day victory.Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants matched the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw zero for zero through the first six innings.
Mike Trout's fame leads to quite a few claims in south New Jersey
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Angels' Mike Trout, the AL rookie of the year, is from Millville, N.J., and those from the area with even a remote connection to him are keen to talk about it.Around south New Jersey, there are plenty of people proud of their connection to Angels star Mike Trout — no matter how tenuous the relationship.
J.A. Happ's injury revives a personal anguish for this baseball dad
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An L.A. Times writer whose son was twice struck by line drives to the head fears a player will be killed on the mound before protective equipment for pitchers makes it to the field. Somebody is going to get killed out there.
There's no need for a designated hitter in the National League — ever
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Watching Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw hit a home run on opening day is a special moment that can never be enjoyed in the American League. The memories could last a lifetime. You could tell the kids, and the grandkids, about the tingles in the Dodgers' season opener.
Angels' Mike Trout should be fine despite lofty expectations
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Outfielder is coming off a marvelous rookie season and people will be watching for the 'sophomore jinx,' but Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire doesn't believe it'll happen to Trout. CINCINNATI — Mark McGwire hit 49 home runs as a rookie. It took him nine years to do it again.
Angels' Andrew Romine won't be switch-hitting anymore
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The 27-year-old Romine, who believes the move will help his chances of earning a utility infield job this spring, says the choice is about improving his average and lessening his stress. — Andrew Romine was raised by his father, Kevin , a former Boston Red Sox outfielder, to be a switch-hitter. The thinking was that it would improve his chances of reaching the big leagues.
Mike Trout moves from leadoff to second in Angels' batting order
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Alberto Callaspo hits first Thursday. Trout says he likes Manager Mike Scioscia's attempt to 'change stuff up.'Mike Scioscia insisted Thursday that his decision to move Mike Trout from leadoff to the second spot was part of a broader plan for Trout to migrate toward the middle of the order and not a panic move in reaction to the team's 2-6 start.
It's back to reality for Dodgers in 6-2 loss to Nationals
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With the lowly Marlins no longer in town, the Dodgers have to play another team above .500 and the result is predictable. Josh Beckett falls to 0-5.Having finished their season's business at home with the Miami Marlins, the Dodgers returned to the major league portion of their schedule Monday against the Washington Nationals.
Two more in a wave of Dodgers losses
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Make it six in a row after Saturday's doubleheader in Baltimore as players and manager express frustration.BALTIMORE -- This is starting to look familiar.
Angels hit four homers in 6-2 win over Royals
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The Angels' lineup looks as potent as hoped. Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, Mike Trout and Howie Kendrick hit solo homers.There are issues in the starting rotation, in the bullpen, on the bench. For the Angels, those are minor issues.
Angels pitcher Tommy Hanson won't miss first-and-third pickoff move
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Eliminated by MLB, the move involved a fake throw to third to deceive runner at first, which Hanson says confused fans saw as a balk. Manager Mike Scioscia sees advantage to teams with good speed. TEMPE, Ariz. — Tommy Hanson did not shed a tear this winter when Major League Baseball eliminated the first-and-third pickoff move in which the pitcher fakes a throw to third and either throws or fakes a throw to first.
Umpire, three Rays pitchers are fined
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The fines against Tom Hallion and Tampa Bay's David Price, Jeremy Hellickson and Matt Moore are the result of a dustup in Chicago last weekend.Major League Baseball fined umpire Tom Hallion and Tampa Bay pitchers David Price , Jeremy Hellickson and Matt Moore for their dustup last weekend.
Dodgers' Hanley Ramirez plays in a rehab game
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Shortstop, out for the last five weeks after surgery for a torn ligament in right thumb, plays with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. There's no timetable for his return to the majors. Hanley Ramirez moved a big step closer to rejoining the Dodgers when he started at shortstop Saturday for the team's Class-A affiliate in Rancho Cucamonga. And Ramirez, who hasn't played since tearing a ligament in his right thumb during the World Baseball Classic five weeks ago, made an immediate contribution finishing one for three with two runs batted in and handling eighth chances, including three double plays, in six innings.
Dodgers get past Marlins, 5-3, for second victory in a row
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Scott Van Slyke's hitting, including a home run, and defense and Chris Capuano's pitching help L.A. win three-game series.
Dodgers should not be leaving Don Mattingly in limbo
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Manager says his request for the team to pick up an option year in his contract beyond this season was turned down, so his job could be in jeopardy if the club with the $200-million payroll struggles. On the third Saturday in January, the thermostats in the quaint river city of Evansville, Ind., read 53 degrees. But in the winter home of Don Mattingly, thetemperature was the same as it has been throughout the off-season, that being quietly boiling.
Vernon Wells homers in Angels' 7-4 exhibition win over Padres
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Vernon Wells hits his fourth home run of the spring, tops on the team, and Howie Kendrick raises his Cactus League average to .513 as Angels beat San Diego.Angels 7, San Diego 4
Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson hasn't eradicated erratic tendencies
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C.J. Wilson's 2012 season was wildly inconsistent—great first half, poor second half—and many of his individual starts are too. He's trying not to overthink it.C.J. Wilson seems amused by reporters who try to analyze him, or, as he puts it, "get inside my head." Approached after a loss to Cincinnati in his first start, the Angels left-hander quipped, "Here come the sports psychologists."
Several Dodgers have used platelet-rich plasma therapy
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Zack Greinke received the treatment this week for his sore right elbow. PRP uses injections of one's own plasma to promote healing.PHOENIX — When Zack Greinke visited Los Angeles this week to get his sore right elbow examined, Dodgers physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache prescribed him treatment the team has used for the last five seasons: platelet-rich plasma therapy.
Not just a Dodgers fan, but a true jeer leader
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Hilda Chester heckled at Ebbets Field in the team's Brooklyn days. By comparison, today's crowd can seem a tame lot. Out at the old ballyard exploring the status of that 1st Amendment staple, the baseball heckler, because it's a cool ambivalence that will do us in, not the screamy passions of the borderline insane.
Angels beat Astros to complete a redemptive weekend
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Josh Hamilton and Mike Trout hit home runs to again spark a revived offense as Angels win their second in a row, 4-1, to rebound from 2-8 start.The Angels are 14 days into a schedule that will stretch to the final weekend of September, so it's far too early to take anything other than a wild guess as to how the season will turn out.
Angels' high-wire pitching act ends badly in 9-5 loss to Oakland
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C.J. Wilson wobbles but has Angels positioned to win after six innings. Then Kevin Jepsen gets shelled in the seventh.The optimism associated with the home opener was tempered Tuesday for the Angels, who lost Jered Weaver for four to six weeks after the right-hander was diagnosed with a broken bone in his left elbow, a huge blow for a team that was lacking in pitching depth before its ace got hurt.
Yankees' Kevin Youkilis might be headed to disabled list
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He was out of the lineup Monday for the eighth time in nine games because of a bad back.Kevin Youkilis was out of the New York Yankees' lineup for the eighth time in nine games because of a bad back and he could be headed to the disabled list.
Angels' Mike Trout is a man about his town, and vice versa
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AL rookie of the year Mike Trout stays grounded with small-town values of Millville, N.J., his hometown. And the struggling burg identifies with its favorite son.MILLVILLE, N.J. — Norman Rockwell never visited this small south New Jersey town, but he rendered its likeness in hundreds of paintings, from the low-slung brick storefronts along Main Street to the snow-covered banks of the Maurice River.
Rockies' Todd Helton is sentenced to a year of probation
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All-Star first baseman also is ordered to perform 24 hours of community service after pleading guilty to driving while ability impaired.Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton has been sentenced to a year of probation and 24 hours of community service after pleading guilty to driving while ability impaired.
Chase Headley might not be long for San Diego
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Padres third baseman probably would be in high demand and end up traded to a pennant contender. The Dodgers could certainly use him.The Dodgers have gotten more offense out of their pitchers than their third basemen. That makes any news about Chase Headley pertinent to the Dodgers.
Angels earn first home win with ninth-inning rally
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Luis Jimenez begins the comeback that is capped by Albert Pujols' game-winning, two-run double for a 5-4 victory over the Houston Astros.Luis Jimenez began the season in the minor leagues, and two days ago J.B. Shuck was headed there. Andrew Romine, meanwhile, started the season on the Angels' bench, while Garrett Richards had one of the last seats in their bullpen.
Angels open camp with familiar script
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With pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training Monday, the Angels start preparing for the 2013 season with expectations as high as last year, but that didn't quite turn out too well.TEMPE, Ariz. -- There is high anticipation surrounding the Angels as pitchers and catchers report to spring training Monday, the team's surprising December addition of baseball's top free-agent slugger boosting its World Series hopes.
The Times' Major League Baseball rankings
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Washington tops the list, but Dodgers and Angels are among the contenders.THE CONTENDERS
New year, same old Angels and Dodgers
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Neither team has done much winning the last few seasons, but their fans believe every season that a championship is in the making, only to be disappointed. When I think of our local baseball teams and their supporters, I envision my wife in a bathing suit.
Fantasy baseball: This season's biggest surprises
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Several players have seemingly come out of nowhere to post big numbers in the season's first month. Here's a look at four of them.With one month in the books, staff writer Tim Hubbard looks at some of this season's biggest surprises:
Luis Jimenez still in the hunt for Angels roster spot
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Angels would like to see more versatility from the minor league veteran, who has shown he can swing the bat. Jered Weaver has a tough outing.— Luis Jimenez sat in front of his corner locker in the Angels' clubhouse Saturday morning, pounding a wooden mallet into the pocket of a new first baseman's glove to soften the stiff leather.
Letters: Zack Greinke, Padres' Carlos Quentin heat up fans
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The fight between the Dodgers pitcher and San Diego batter stirs a battle among backers of each player.San Diego Padres' player Carlos Quentin breaks Zack Greinke's collarbone after being hit by a pitch.
Alex Rodriguez might retire, report says
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Third baseman is recovering from hip surgery that could spell the end of his playing career. Alex Rodriguez is unlikely to ever play for the New York Yankees again, people familiar with the Yankees' situation with their troubled third baseman told the New York Daily News, no matter what happens regarding new allegations that he is again involved with performance-enhancing drugs.
Dodgers' new owners see winning business model; others see trouble
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Guggenheim Baseball paid $2 billion for the team and has since invested nearly $1 billion more. Owners insist they'll turn a profit, but industry analysts wonder how.Guggenheim Baseball bought the Dodgers this year for $2 billion, more than twice the amount ever spent on a baseball team. The new owners have not stopped spending.
Big-spending Dodgers, Angels could still be big disappointments
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The Dodgers have replaced the New York Yankees as the MLB team with the highest payroll. The Angels aren't far behind. Expectations are huge. So is the potential for letdown.For $400 million, you could produce two Hollywood blockbusters. The Dodgers and Angels are betting they have.
Padres 8, Dodgers 7; Dodgers 8, Royals 1
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Yasiel Puig goes three for three with a home run to raise his spring average to .459.AT THE PLATE: A day after Manager Don Mattingly said Yasiel Puig would start the season in the minor leagues, the 22-year-old Cuban outfielder was three for three with a home run to raise his spring average to .459. Puig's two-run home run in the first inning against the Royals was a line-drive missile to right-center field. His third-inning single reached right field so quickly that it nearly resulted in his being thrown out at first base. He almost decapitated Royals pitcher Everett Teaford with his single to center in the fifth inning. Later that inning, Puig stole second base and reached third on a bloop single by Alfredo Amezaga that fell between three players in left field. When the players were slow to pick up the ball, Puig dashed home and scored.
