(May 16, 2016) - MLB.commlb.mlb.com/documents/4/7/4/178455474/May_16_2016... · May 16, 2016 Page 4 of 26 Left-hander Tyler Skaggs is scheduled to undergo a strength test Monday at

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Clips

(May 16, 2016)

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Today’s Clips Contents

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3)

Albert Pujols says he’s found a key to fixing his swing, but he won’t say

what it is

Hector Santiago holds off Mariners to help Angels win, 3-0, and complete

three-game sweep

L.A. sports teams’ Class of 2015-16 gets a failing grade

FROM THE OC REGISTER (Page 8)

Freeway Series no longer a novelty for Angels and Dodgers

Hector Santiago eases Angels’ concerns in 3-0 win over Mariners

Final: With velocity back, Hector Santiago pitches Angels to sweep of

Mariners

Angels Tyler Skaggs, C.J. Wilson to have tests on Monday

Angels Notes: Daniel Nava finding his swing

Angels Mike Scioscia didn’t want to put Jhoulys Chacin ‘at risk’ on

Saturday

Freeway Series: Historic moments in the Angels/Dodgers rivalry

FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 17)

Santiago’s 2-hit gem secures sweep in Seattle

Santiago gives rotation much-needed boost

Pujols a blast from past for radio broadcaster

Shoemaker looking to improve in Freeway Series opener

FROM THE ASSSOCIATED PRESS (Page 24)

Santiago, Angels complete sweep of Mariners with 3-0 win

May 16, 2016 Page 3 of 26

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES Albert Pujols says he’s found a key to fixing his swing, but he won’t say what it is Pedro Moura

He won't say what, but Albert Pujols insists he found something in his swing three weeks ago, upon the Angels' return from a 10-game trip.

He was hitting .132 then, mired in a massive, 0-for-26 slump that led him to a video session, where he says he recognized the issue that must not be named. Since then, the 36-year-old slugger had hit .271 with six home runs and more walks than strikeouts entering Sunday's game. He ripped a game-winning three-run home run Saturday, arguably his biggest hit in five seasons as an Angel.

"The best thing is that I'm taking my walks and I'm not striking out," Pujols said. "When I strike out and I'm not taking walks, then there's something to look for. But if I'm hitting the ball hard . . ."

Pujols paused to mention he has repeatedly told first-base coach Gary DiSarcina that he feels like there are 15 defenders in front of him when he's batting.

"You have to stay positive, man," he said.

Pujols chuckled in recalling the go-ahead home run in the ninth inning. He had wanted mostly to elevate the ball, to ensure he would not hit into his eighth double play of the season.

"I hit those quite a bit," he said.

Pujols said he is happy with his hitting, despite his .197 average. He just wants to keep his front leg down more often. Occasionally, it'll lift itself as he tracks a pitch.

"I don't try to do it," he said. "It just comes naturally to me. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it makes me a little jumpy."

Short hops

Left-hander C.J. Wilson will throw a three-inning simulated game Monday at Dodger Stadium, another step on his road to a potential mid-June return. . . .

Outfielder Craig Gentry, on the disabled list with a lumbar strain, will rejoin the team at Dodger Stadium, but is not on the verge of being activated. . . .

May 16, 2016 Page 4 of 26

Left-hander Tyler Skaggs is scheduled to undergo a strength test Monday at the Angels' Arizona facility. If he passes, Manager Mike Scioscia said, he will resume throwing this week. He has not pitched since April 20 while working his way back from Tommy John surgery. . . .

Former All-Star pitcher and big league pitching coach Sammy Ellis died Friday. He pitched for the then-California Angels in 1968.

Hector Santiago holds off Mariners to help Angels win, 3-0, and complete three-game sweep

Pedro Moura

Kole Calhoun sprinted in vain to the right-field wall in pursuit of a foul ball off Nelson Cruz's bat. Hector Santiago wanted to give him a moment to catch his breath in Sunday's seventh inning at Safeco Field, so he called out his catcher, Geovany Soto, and made conversation: What should we do here?

Soto said to throw a fastball inside in the 1-and-2 count. Santiago said he suspected Cruz would cheat on it, swinging early, and pound it somewhere. So he threw a curveball, and Cruz fouled it off. Soto ran out to the mound, this time on his own volition. Throw the fastball inside, he said, this time more forcefully.

Santiago did it, and Cruz hit it hard to right field, 361 feet. Calhoun snared it on the warning track, and Santiago locked eyes with Soto, grinning. He had just come the closest he'd be all game to allowing a run and escaped unscathed — one of the only suspenseful moments in the Angels' 3-0 victory over Seattle.

"I told you," Santiago told Soto when the inning ended two minutes later. "He almost got it."

Santiago had carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning of his dominant outing without knowing it. He said he only realized following the sixth, after he failed to field ex-Angel Shawn O'Malley's bunt down the first base line.

"It sucks the way I lost it," Santiago said. "Those are the plays where I'm like, 'Thank you very much. You're out.' "

The Mariners had only one more hit, a seventh-inning single through to center from fellow ex-Angel Chris Iannetta. They had entered the weekend series against the Angels as the American League West's leader, winners of 21 of 34 games in 2016.

The Angels had been losers of 21 of 34, the same number, but they swept Seattle and dropped the Mariners out of the division lead.

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"We didn't play a perfect series, obviously," Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. "But we did enough right."

Yunel Escobar and Calhoun each got on base to begin Sunday's game, for the second straight day. But, again, the next three Angels stranded them. They would not get to Seattle starter Felix Hernandez until the fifth, when Calhoun singled in Johnny Giavotella, who had doubled. Daniel Nava tacked on a two-run single in the eighth.

Santiago nailed Nori Aoki with a 93-mph sinker in the ribs to begin the Mariners' half inning of play. He proceeded to retire the next 11 men he faced, until he walked Robinson Cano in the fourth inning and plunked Cruz with a cut fastball.

Again, he settled to retire the next four men he faced, aided by a wonderful play into the hole by Gregorio Petit to end the fifth. Petit would make another superb play to end the seventh, ranging right from his shifted position to nab Kyle Seager's up-the-middle grounder.

Through seven, Santiago had thrown 105 pitches. He expected his day to be done. When he arrived in the dugout, Scioscia told him to go right back out.

Santiago finished the eighth with ease, needing only 10 pitches, and Joe Smith struck out two in the ninth to secure the unlikely sweep — after Santiago gave Scioscia a "little look," like a smirk, a tacit request to handle one last inning. It did not work.

"If you fight with him," Santiago said, "you're gonna lose no matter what you say. He's gonna make the final call."

Santiago worked with far more velocity than he had in his previous start, regaining almost 4 mph he had lost. He even reared back to hit 96 mph in the second inning, after averaging less than 90 the last time out.

"You guys doubted me," Santiago told reporters afterward.

He claimed it was all a result of his intent to throw more sinkers the last time out. The sinking motion, he said, ended up imparting itself on many of his pitches, taking away their pace.

Soto said the fastball Santiago wielded Sunday was a "weapon."

"When he's on his game, that's what you're gonna get," the catcher said. "He's gonna come after you with everything he's got."

May 16, 2016 Page 6 of 26

L.A. sports teams’ Class of 2015-16 gets a failing grade Bill Plaschke

Spring is waning, summer is coming, nine grueling months in a classroom are ending, and the annual questions have arrived.

So, how was your school year?

Pass some big tests? Take some cool field trips? Make some new friends? Learn anything?

For Los Angeles sports teams, providing those answers while racing out of the classroom is the verbal equivalent of face-planting on the playground asphalt.

Their school year stunk. The worst school year ever. From September to May, it was a two-semester study in madness.

After extensive computing, it appears the Los Angeles sports teams finished the school year with a GPA of 1.0, and not because that matches Nick Young's career assist average.

Pass some big tests? Flunked them all, from a National League division series, to the Holiday Bowl, to the Foster Farms Bowl, to the Stanley Cup playoffs, to basically the entire NBA season.

Take some cool field trips? Created an ugly scene everywhere, collapsing in Queens, croaking in Raleigh, crumbling in Portland.

Make some new friends? Um, no, but said goodbye to plenty of old ones, from Steve Sarkisian to Don Mattingly to Bruce Boudreau to Byron Scott.

Learn anything? Yeah, it was learned the Lakers could manage to say goodbye to one of the greatest players in franchise history with the worst record in franchise history. It was learned the Clippers curse still lives. It was learned that the Angels' Arte Moreno will never learn.

What a edumacation.

There was a time when this town was the valedictorian of the sports world, the school year filled with Lakers championships, USC title pushes, Kings and Ducks spring awakenings, deep Dodgers dives into October.

During a 16-year period from 1999 to 2014, from the beginning of the Phil Jackson era to the most recent Kings' Stanley Cup championship, every school year featured a season that landed at least one Los Angeles team in either a championship setting or a couple of victories from that championship setting.

May 16, 2016 Page 7 of 26

But during that period, big money began fluttering across the local sports landscape, billions of dollars for teams and talent and television, and strange happenings have followed. The Dodgers became too smart, the Lakers became too dumb, the Clippers became too combative, college football programs grew more distracted, college basketball programs began throwing bad money after bad, and even the Kings are now going through the growing pains of joining hockey's elite.

Los Angeles sports has basically gotten too big for its britches, resulting in a school year spent squirming under a tight desk in the back row while producing mostly exaggerated sighs and spitballs.

A dunce cap for the Lakers rookie who taped his teammate's romantic revelations. A suspension, literally, for Blake Griffin and his fist. An expulsion from the NCAA basketball tournament for a UCLA basketball team that once ran the joint.

Los Angeles sports flunked the tough classes, like geometry, the Dodgers choosing the biggest moment of their season to forget the existence of one corner of a diamond.

Los Angeles sports flunked the basic classes, like geography, both USC and UCLA football teams attending welcoming California bowl games only to both blow leads to Midwestern strangers.

Los Angeles sports even flunked media studies, and how do you flunk media studies? Oh yeah, when one of your biggest teams signs a television deal that leads to 60% of Los Angeles households being unable to watch your games.

Give a tardy slip to the USC basketball team for being late in covering Providence's Rodney Bullock on an inbounds play in the final seconds of the Trojans' opening-round NCAA tournament loss. Put the Galaxy in detention for failing to defend their MLS championship with a defensive lapse in the final 20 minutes in a playoff game against Seattle.

As the Los Angeles sports teams clean out their lockers, one can see wads of crumpled hopes, layers of wrinkled opportunities, and only one item carefully folded and sealed for possible reuse next year — a banner containing the name of Steve Alford.

The honor roll is a short and weird one.

The biggest game was essentially an exhibition game, Kobe Bryant scoring 60 points in his final professional moments against the Utah Jazz.

The most valuable player is a guy whose franchise has so quickly disintegrated that folks are saying he should be traded, the Angels' Mike Trout.

The most valuable team was one that didn't even show up until the middle of the school year and hasn't even played a game here yet, the Los Angeles Rams.

May 16, 2016 Page 8 of 26

The biggest victory, well, has there truly been a major victory in this town since the Kings defeated the New York Rangers in a 3-2 overtime classic to win the Stanley Cup in June 2014?

Maybe next year will be better. Yeah, next year will be better. That's what you always say while driving off to vacation, right?

Maybe the Dodgers make a move at the trading deadline to give them an exciting September. Maybe the Lakers get a top draft pick and a couple of free agents to join the Luke Walton revival. Maybe the Clippers make their last ride a memorable one. Maybe Clay Helton can be the answer, and Alford can stop the questions, and Josh Rosen really is the chosen one.

For now, when pulling out your 20015-16 yearbook for your favorite Los Angeles sports teams to sign, one bit of advice.

Leave it blank. They did.

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER Freeway Series no longer a novelty for Angels and Dodgers By JOEY KAUFMAN / STAFF WRITER

Gary DiSarcina remembered the buzz.

DiSarcina was the shortstop for the Angels in 1997 when they welcomed the San Diego Padres

on a mid-June night for their first interleague game, a stretch of matchups against the National

League West that included San Francisco as well as the Dodgers. It felt like opening day. There

was the anticipation. For many on the roster, it was the first time they would face a Hall of

Famer named Tony Gwynn, too.

“Everyone was a little curious how long this was going to go,” DiSarcina said. “We thought it

might have been like a gimmick, almost like when the wild card was introduced. We didn't

know if it was going to be long lasting.”

It has been. The two-decade mark is here.

When the Angels and the Dodgers commence the latest edition of the Freeway Series this

week with a pair of games at their respective ballparks, it will mark the 20th season since the

May 16, 2016 Page 9 of 26

teams began meeting in the regular season, a product of the now long-established interleague

play.

Since its 1997 debut, interleague play has become increasingly common. The Angels opened

their season against a National League team, the Cubs, and the Dodgers already traveled

earlier this month to Tampa Bay and Toronto. Houston moved to the American League West in

2013, leaving both leagues to carry 15 teams. The odd number means there is at least one

interleague series throughout the season.

“The novelty’s worn off, it’s more commonplace,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “But I

think, for me, if I had to do it all over again, I’m in favor of it. I like it. I like seeing the different

ballparks. I like seeing the different styles of baseball. For a National League team, to go into a

park and give a guy a day off as a DH is nice. So, it’s amazing it has been 20 years. I do still love

that format.”

Each year, different divisions match up. The NL West meets the AL East this year. The AL West

is paired with the NL Central.

The Angels and Dodgers, as a regional rivalry, have met each season, either over four

consecutive games or two separate three-game series.

Over 106 games, the Angels have the upper hand with 58 wins, but back in 1997, the Dodgers

won the first game.

That came in front of 41,428 at Dodger Stadium when Todd Zeile hit a walk-off, two-run home

run off Troy Percival in a 4-3 victory.

“There was definitely from, fan’s perspective, a lot of electricity,” said Mike Scioscia who was

then the Dodgers’ bench coach.

There may be less now.

“A lot of these guys are 21, 22, 23, 24, 25,” said DiSarcina, now the Angels’ first base coach.

“They don't know any better. It’s always been around. … It’s all they’ve known.”

The Angels and Dodgers each have six players on their 25-man rosters who are 25 years or

younger.

May 16, 2016 Page 10 of 26

If there’s intrigue among the players, it’s typically among the American League’s starting

pitchers who get the rare chance to bat.

“You hit as a kid, in high school, so it brings back those memories,” said the Angels’ Matt

Shoemaker, who starts Monday night at Dodger Stadium.

The 29-year-old Shoemaker has just four plate appearances. He reached base on a walk last

season, but is still waiting for his first career hit.

Hector Santiago likes hitting enough that he put a batting cage in his house and routinely takes

swings in the offseason. He singled at Milwaukee a couple weeks ago.

“I love hitting,” he said.

There’s little pressure, though.

“We just hope they don't get hurt and get their bunt down,” DiSarcina said.

This will be the first Freeway Series as a manager for Roberts, who was with the club as an

outfielder from 2002-04. The Dodgers were 10-8 against the Angels during those years.

Roberts on Sunday called the Angels “a very, very formidable organization and franchise.”

“I know when I played, they were very good,” Roberts said. “I look forward to playing the

Angels. I know our guys do. We always play each other very tough.”

Thanks to interleague play, they have become familiar foes.

“The novelty has been replaced by some good rivalries,” Scioscia said, “rivalries across town or whoever you play in interleague.”

Hector Santiago eases Angels’ concerns in 3-0 win over Mariners By JEFF FLETCHER / STAFF WRITER

SEATTLE – In baseball, five days can be a lifetime.

May 16, 2016 Page 11 of 26

The Angels and Hector Santiago demonstrated that Sunday when a 3-0 victory over the Seattle

Mariners left the team and the pitcher with vastly different perspectives than they had a few

days earlier.

Last Tuesday, when Santiago made his previous start, the Angels were mired in what would

become a six-game losing streak and Santiago was pitching with theoretical flashing red lights

over his head.

The Angels, perhaps feeling edgy because of so many health issues with their starters, were

admittedly concerned because Santiago’s velocity had been steadily dropping over about

three weeks.

Santiago, whose fastball had dropped from 93-95 mph to 89-91, insisted he was not hurt.

On Sunday he proved it.

The fastball was back, and so was effectiveness that had gone the way of the velocity. He

pitched eight innings of two-hit ball, leading the Angels to their third straight victory.

“You guys doubted me,” Santiago said with mock incredulity.

It was clear from the outset of Sunday’s game that he had his stuff back, as his fastballs hit 95

mph.

How did it happen?

Manager Mike Scioscia said Santiago had worked on his mechanics between starts and with

the training staff to add some range of motion.

Santiago said a few starts ago he had chosen to throw more sinkers, instead of two-seam

fastballs. As he threw more and more sinkers, which have a slightly different finish with his

fingers, he lost some of the steam on his four-seam fastball.

Also, throwing 95 mph requires a certain degree of aggression, with less attention to

mechanics and precision.

On Sunday, he let it go.

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“Today I felt like I was throwing elbows and heads and arms everywhere and just let it eat,”

Santiago said.

Perhaps that’s why it took him 80 pitches to get through five innings, a total that made it

impossible for him to complete the no-hitter he was working on at the time.

That question was eliminated with Shawn O’Malley’s bunt single leading off the sixth, a play

Santiago bobbled.

Santiago then changed his approach somewhat as he got through the Seattle order a third

time. He threw more changeups and got more quick outs, using the Mariners’ aggression

against them.

The Mariners seemed to have Santiago measured in the seventh, hitting two balls to the

warning track. Scioscia, whose bullpen has been overworked, nonetheless sent him back to the

mound in the eighth with 105 pitches.

“When I went after the seventh, I thought for sure it was over, and he said ‘Go back out there,’

and I was like ‘Yes!’” Santiago said.

He rewarded his manager with a perfect eighth, on 10 pitches. Santiago became the first

Angels starter this season to finish eight. He had already been the only starter to get a single

out past the seventh, doing it once.

The Angels are desperate for starting pitching that can keep them in games, struggling

with Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney on the disabled list.

Suddenly, they can feel more confident in their rotation, following Jhoulys Chacin’s seven

innings on Saturday and Santiago’s outing on Sunday.

“We need all these guys to get to 18 outs, 20 quality outs, to where they’re keeping us on the game on a consistent basis,” Scioscia said. “If these last two games are any indication, those are two very well-pitched ballgames by Chacin and now Hector … Our goal is to control it on the defensive end, pitch well, get some runs on the board and hold the lead. That’s the way we need to set up games.”

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Final: With velocity back, Hector Santiago pitches Angels to sweep of Mariners JEFF FLETCHER/ STAFF WRITER

SEATTLE – Whatever Hector Santiago found in the last four days, the Angels need him to keep it.

Santiago gave up just two hits in eight innings in the Angels' 3-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.

The Angels, who brought a six-game losing streak to Seattle, swept three games from the first-place Mariners.

Santiago, whose velocity had mysteriously dipped over his past four starts, was back throwing 93-95 mph on Sunday. In his previous outing, he was mostly at 89-91, and he fended off questions about his health.

Santiago insisted he was fine, and he proved it this time out.

The Mariners didn’t get a hit off Santiago until the sixth. Santiago became the first Angels pitcher to finish eight innings this season.

Santiago helped himself by making two nice plays, one on a comebacker and one sliding to field a bunt. Shortstop Gregorio Petit made a diving stop in the hole to get the final out of the fifth.

Santiago’s no-hit big ended on Shawn O’Malley’s bunt single to lead off the sixth, although it was unlikely that he was going to get a chance at it anyway because of his pitch count.

Santiago outdueled ace Felix Hernandez, who was charged with all three runs in 7 1/3 innings.

Kole Calhoun poked an opposite field single into left to drive in a run in the fifth and Daniel Nava did the same in the eighth, knocking in two.

Angels Tyler Skaggs, C.J. Wilson to have tests on Monday By JEFF FLETCHER / STAFF WRITER

SEATTLE – Tyler Skaggs and C.J. Wilson are taking steps on Monday that could bring them closer to the Angels rotation.

May 16, 2016 Page 14 of 26

Skaggs, who has not pitched in three weeks because of what has been diagnosed at biceps tendinitis, will have a strength test on Monday, after which the Angels are hoping he can resume his throwing program.

Skaggs has been rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He started the season at Triple-A Salt Lake City, where he has made three starts.

Skaggs has not pitched more than 3 2/3 innings in a game so far, and now he’s missed three weeks. It likely that he’ll need at least three or four weeks once he resumes throwing before he could be a candidate for the Angels rotation.

Wilson is set for a three-inning simulated game on Monday before the Angels play at Dodger Stadium.

If Wilson comes through that without any problems, he would likely begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A next. Wilson would likely need at least four starts before he could be a candidate for the Angels rotation.

Wilson had elbow surgery last year, but he’s been battling shoulder trouble since the start of spring training.

Angels Notes: Daniel Nava finding his swing JEFF FLETCHER/ STAFF WRITER

SEATTLE – Daniel Nava is heating up, and staying put.

Nava, whose two-run single provided some insurance in the Angels’ 3-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, has five hits in his last 16 at-bats.

The Angels left fielder slumped initially when coming off the disabled list earlier this month, so Manager Mike Scioscia took him out of the No. 2 spot and moved him down to No. 5.

Scioscia put Kole Calhoun in the No. 2 spot. Now, both players are hitting well. Calhoun, who drove in the other run on Sunday, has 21 hits in his last 55 at-bats.

Theoretically, if both are going well, it makes sense to have Nava at the top and Calhoun in the middle, since Calhoun has more power. However, Scioscia doesn’t want to mess with it now.

“I think we’re OK right now,” Scioscia said. “If Daniel keeps swinging the bat, he’s fine in the fifth slot.”

May 16, 2016 Page 15 of 26

WHO’S ON FIRST?

If there was any doubt who would be playing first base this week when the Angels are at Dodger Stadium, Scioscia defused it.

“If Albert feels good, he’s going to play first base,” the Angels manager said Sunday.

Cron, who had been one of the Angels most productive hitters for a few weeks, went hitless in his final eight at-bats in Seattle. It is likely that, even if Cron continued to be hot, Scioscia would still have opted for Pujols for the two games.

The only reason he wouldn’t play Pujols is because of Pujols’ health. He had foot surgery last winter that has limited him to DH most of this season.

ALSO

Mike Trout was 2 for 4 against Felix Hernandez, improving to 27 for 72 (.375) against the Seattle ace in his career…

On Saturday night the Angels’ Triple-A team lost an 18-inning game. Outfielder Quintin Berry was the losing pitcher.

Angels Mike Scioscia didn’t want to put Jhoulys Chacin ‘at risk’ on Saturday JEFF FLETCHER/ STAFF WRITER

SEATTLE – A day after Mike Scioscia gave Jhoulys Chacin what many perceived as a quick hook, he reaffirmed his decision not to let his newest pitcher be “at risk.”

“We’ve seen how many starters have gone down and how many starters might have trouble bouncing back,” Scioscia said Sunday morning. “With Jhoulys, we want to look at a little bit of history and map things out, see where his end point might be.

“Until we see where he is, we don’t want to overextend him. He has a history with his shoulder. We want to make sure he’s where he needs to be for the long haul.”

Making his first start after the Angels acquired him from the Atlanta Braves, Chacin had allowed two runs in seven innings on Saturday night. Scioscia pulled him then, after he’d thrown 90 pitches. The Angels bullpen then gave up five runs, although they still won the game.

May 16, 2016 Page 16 of 26

Although most major league starters are typically allowed to throw 100 to 110, Chacin had not thrown more than 91 in a major league start this season. He had dealt with shoulder trouble for much of the last two years.

Scioscia said the Angels talked to the Braves about Chacin, and they used that for guidance on how to use him.

With four of his other starters out with injuries, Scioscia said he’ll play it safe with Chacin while they are getting to know him.

“We’ll continue to monitor him to see if he can get into a little deeper range,” he said.

Freeway Series: Historic moments in the Angels/Dodgers rivalry By JOEY KAUFMAN / STAFF WRITER

This is the 20th season of interleague play, beginning in 1997 when teams from the American League began facing teams from the National League. The Angels and Dodgers play four games this week as part of their now annual regular-season series. Here is a look back at some of the iconic moments of the past two decades. The Angels lead the all-time series, 58-48.

• Inaugural edition: In the teams’ first regular-season game on June 17, 1997 at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers won, 4-3, when Todd Zeile hit a walk-off, two-run home run off Troy Percival.

• Light up that scoreboard: The Dodgers scored 16 runs on 25 hits in a win over the Angels on May 19, 2006, the most runs in a game either team has scored in the series. Four players had at least three RBI, including then-rookie Andre Ethier, who was 5 for 5 with a home run.

• No-hitter but no win: Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo combined on a no-hitter through eight innings, but the Angels became only the fifth team in the modern era to lose a game despite not giving up a hit. They lost, 1-0, on June 28, 2008. Matt Kemp, who reached base on an error, stole second and third before scoring on a sacrifice fly. “A little weird outcome,” Weaver said after the game.

• Fight club: The series’ most infamous dustup came on June 5, 1999 when a bench-clearing brawl ensued after Chan Ho Park kicked Angels pitcher Tim Belcher. Park dropped a sacrifice bunt, but was tagged out by Belcher, who then appeared to mutter a few words to him. Park took exception, elbowed him with his forearm and then gave a kick.

• Brother versus Brother: Jeff Weaver and Jered Weaver made baseball history on June 21, 2009, becoming the 21st pair of brothers to start against each other in a major-league game.

May 16, 2016 Page 17 of 26

Neither pitched through the sixth inning, but Jeff got the win after surrendering two runs over five innings. Jered gave up six earned over 51/3 innings.

• Extra! Extra! Six times the teams have played extra innings. Their longest game was their seventh meeting, on June 24, 1998, when the Dodgers won, 6-5, in the 11th inning. Trent Hubbard brought in the winning run on a walk-off single.

• Switching colors: Mike Scioscia was a catcher for the Dodgers from 1980-92 before spending five years within the organization as a minor-league coordinator, bench coach and Triple-A manager. He faced his old team as the manager of the Angels for the first time on June 2, 2000. The Angels won, 12-5. Garret Anderson, a left fielder for the Angels for 15 seasons, joined the Dodgers as a reserve outfielder for one season in 2010. Against his former team, Anderson had three hits in nine at-bats over four games.

FROM ANGELS.COM Santiago’s 2-hit gem secures sweep in Seattle By Alden Gonzalez and Doug Miller / MLB.com | May 15th, 2016

SEATTLE -- The Angels came into Seattle and flipped the script on the Mariners, with a 3-0 victory on Sunday sealing a surprising three-game series sweep.

Safeco Field was buzzing with 40,852 fans and hoping that the home team, which held first place in the American League West, would salvage one game from the sub-.500 visitors. But the Angels got a terrific start from left-hander Hector Santiago, who gave up only two hits over eight shutout innings, and continued to peck away at the Mariners on the offensive side of the ball.

"We just came from six straight losses," Santiago said. "We needed just one win. We needed one win, go on from there, and we wound up taking three, which hopefully gets us on a good run here."

Santiago didn't allow a hit until Mariners utility man Shawn O'Malley bunted for a hit to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning. By then, the Angels had scratched out a run in the fifth inning off Mariners ace Felix Hernandez on a Kole Calhoun RBI single, and the way Santiago was pitching, it turned out to be enough. Santiago finished with five strikeouts, one walk and two hit batters. He threw 115 pitches and gave way to closer Joe Smith, who pitched a scoreless ninth for the save.

May 16, 2016 Page 18 of 26

"That's the way he was throwing the ball earlier in the year," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of Santiago. "That's a terrific game."

Hernandez was pretty good, too. He made it into the eighth inning, striking out nine batters, but his 1-0 deficit became 3-0 when he walked Calhoun and allowed a single to Mike Trout, paving the way for Daniel Nava, who singled in the two insurance runs off Mariners reliever Nick Vincent. The loss put the Mariners back into second place in the division behind the Rangers.

"It was a well-pitched game on both sides," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "I thought Santiago was very good. Obviously he kept us off balance, and he can do that to you. Felix matched him. He gave up a few more hits, but Felix had very good stuff today and threw the ball very well. We were right there. Tight game, we didn't get much done offensively, but you've got to give Hector Santiago a lot of credit. He threw the ball very well today."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Sheer dominance: Santiago saw his velocity drop gradually in each of his last three starts, a stretch in which he gave up 11 runs and struck out only seven batters in 15 1/3 innings. But he ran his fastball consistently in the mid-90s once again Sunday and kept Seattle off the board for eight innings, becoming the first Angels starter to go that deep. Santiago allowed only two hits in a 115-pitch outing. The Mariners sent two balls to the warning track against him in the seventh, but both were caught.

"His fastball was there," Angels catcher Geovany Soto said. "His command was there, too. The changeup was down in the zone all day. Really he was commanding that inside part for righties with the heater, and the changeup was down. He had that nice balance going."

O'Malley breaks up no-no: The Mariners didn't make much noise with their bats on Sunday, but O'Malley at least made sure that Seattle wouldn't go down on the wrong side of history. The utility man, in his first game since being recalled from Triple-A Tacoma, led off the bottom of the sixth inning with his team having been no-hit through five by Santiago. He laid a bunt down the first-base line that Santiago couldn't handle and was ruled a base hit.

Kole and Daniel: Angels manager Mike Scioscia recently flip-flopped Calhoun and Nava in the batting order, with Calhoun batting in front of Trout and Nava situated behind Albert Pujols, and both came through with big two-out, opposite-field hits. Calhoun put the Angels on the board with a shift-beating single against Hernandez in the fifth, his fifth hit in 39 career at-bats against the Mariners' ace. Nava then extended the Angels' lead to three in the eighth with a line drive down the left-field line against Vincent, which scored two.

"I think I'm getting there," said Nava, who has five hits in his last four games. "I'm not feeling exactly how I'd like to feel; I've still got a ways to go. But I'm grateful for at least getting a couple of knocks here and there, especially in situations that can help the team."

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QUOTABLE "I think it's kind of cool that it takes everyone for us to win the game. We're not relying on one guy. You look through our lineup, and it was everyone contributing today - getting bunts down, moving runners. That's what we need to do." -- Nava, on the Angels coming together

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Santiago's outing marked the first time the Angels had received eight scoreless innings with two hits or fewer from a starting pitcher since Garrett Richards on July 28, 2015, against the Red Sox. Santiago's eight innings equaled a career high, achieved in 2013. He is now 9-2 with a 2.60 ERA in his last 22 starts against American League West opponents.

FLASHING THE LEATHER Santiago and the Angels' fill-in shortstop, Gregorio Petit, each turned in a couple of nice plays in the series finale. Santiago stabbed at a hard comebacker from Nelson Cruz in the second and made a nice sliding play on a tapper by Ketel Marte in the fourth. Petit ended the fifth with a diving play in the hole, nailing Franklin Gutierrez at first, then made a sliding play on a hard grounder deflected by Santiago to end the seventh, stranding the tying run.

WHAT'S NEXT Angels: The Angels begin a four-game series against the crosstown-rival Dodgers on Monday, with two games each at Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium. The series opener from Dodger Stadium begins at 7:10 p.m. PT, with Matt Shoemaker (1-5, 9.12 ERA) facing off against fellow righty Kenta Maeda (3-2, 2.30 ERA). The Dodgers won five of six against the Angels last season.

Mariners: The Mariners get Monday off before traveling to Baltimore for a three-game series against the Orioles in Camden Yards. Left-hander Wade Miley (3-2, 4.91 ERA) will get the start for Seattle, which will face Orioles righty Ubaldo Jimenez (2-3, 4.87 ERA). Miley will be making his fourth career start vs. the Orioles, his first as a Mariner. He's 0-2 with a 10.13 ERA against them in his career.

Santiago gives rotation much-needed boost

Lefty’s eight-inning outing is Angels’ longest start this season By Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com | May 15th, 2016

SEATTLE -- Angels starter Hector Santiago had already made two slick plays in Sunday's eventual 3-0 victory at Safeco Field, stabbing at a hard grounder from Nelson Cruz and converting an acrobatic sliding play on a dribbler from Ketel Marte. But when Shawn O'Malley pushed a bunt down the first-base line to start the sixth, Santiago attempted another slide and watched the ball bounce off his glove, giving the Mariners a baserunner.

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It wasn't until he retreated to the dugout that Santiago realized he had surrendered his first hit.

"Damn it, O'Malley," Santiago playfully recalled thinking. "You're my ex-teammate. Come on, bro. What are you doing? Swing the bat."

Every other Mariners hitter swung the bat against Santiago, but that didn't accomplish much, either.

Coming off back-to-back-to-back starts in which his velocity dwindled and the results wavered, Santiago provided the best outing by an Angels starter all season. He pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing only two hits, walking one batter, plunking a couple of others and striking out five in the Angels' uplifting sweep of the first-place Mariners.

Santiago got back to throwing his fastball consistently in the mid-90s, located his changeup down in the zone, mixed in some screwballs that he called "sick" and, as Angels catcher Geovany Soto said, "had that nice balance going."

"When he's on his game, that's what you're going to get -- he's going to come after you," Soto said. "He's going to come after you with everything he's got."

Santiago began the year with a 2.70 ERA through his first four starts, with 27 strikeouts and only eight walks over a span of 26 2/3 innings. Over his next three outings, though, he gave up 11 runs and recorded only seven punchouts in 15 1/3 innings, a span in which his average four-seam-fastball velocity went from 92.5 mph to 91.3 to 89.7.

The 28-year-old left-hander chalked most of that up to relying more heavily on his two-seam fastball, which typically travels a little slower. Throwing so many of those two-seamers, Santiago said, got him into the habit of also staying inside the ball on his four-seamer, which prevented him from "driving through the zone" and ultimately affected the radar-gun readings.

On Sunday, Santiago's fastball -- identified by pitchF/X as a sinker -- averaged 93.3 mph and topped out at 96.

"That's the way he was throwing the ball earlier in the year," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "That's a terrific game."

Santiago became the first Angels starter to throw eight scoreless innings while allowing no more than two hits since Garrett Richards on July 28, 2015. It came one day after Jhoulys Chacin held the Mariners to seven innings of two-run ball, which marked only the second time in 15 games that an Angels starter had done so much as record 18 outs.

Four starting pitchers -- Richards, Andrew Heaney, C.J. Wilson and Tyler Skaggs -- are currently tending to injuries, and the Angels badly need Santiago to be on point.

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"I can only go up there and pitch one game," said Santiago, 9-2 with a 2.60 ERA in his last 22 starts against American League West opponents. "I can't fill the other two or three spots that we were missing. I just try to go up there and be as good as I can."

Santiago held the Mariners hitless through the first five innings and didn't come close to giving up a run until the seventh, when Cruz drove a fastball -- Santiago wanted to throw a curveball -- deep into the right-field warning track and into Kole Calhoun's glove.

Santiago retreated to the dugout with 105 pitches thinking his day was finished, but Scioscia clapped his hands and told him he'd pitch the eighth. He finished that eighth with 115 pitches, jogged back in again and gave Scioscia a smirk, pleading for three more outs, but the Angels' manager wouldn't budge.

Said Santiago: "I should've just run the other way so he wouldn't see me."

Pujols a blast from past for radio broadcaster

Klauke recalls veteran’s key homer in 2000 PCL championship By Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com | May 15th, 2016

SEATTLE -- AutoZone Park in Memphis, Tenn., home to the Memphis Redbirds team that has long served as the Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate, recently replaced its right-field seats with grass. But one chair remains, painted bright red and stationed in the middle of the new lawn-seating area, to commemorate the landing spot of the Albert Pujols home run that won the Pacific Coast League championship in 2000.

Steve Klauke, called up from Triple-A to serve as the Angels' radio play-by-play man in Seattle this weekend, was on the other side.

Klauke was calling games for the Redbirds' opponent, the Salt Lake Buzz. It would be their last year as the Twins' Triple-A affiliate, before spending the next 16 seasons, and counting, as the top affiliate for the Angels. Klauke's Buzz trailed that best-of-five series, 2-1, but scored three ninth-inning runs in Game 4 to force extra innings.

Then, in the bottom of the 13th, with one out and none on, a 20-year-old Pujols -- drafted in the 13th round the prior summer and crushing his way through the Cardinals' system in what would be his only Minor League season -- clinched the title with an opposite-field home run.

Klauke and his temporary color analyst on AM 830, Mark Langston, brought that up as Saturday's game unfolded.

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"I haven't gotten over that yet," Klauke told Langston, to which Langston responded: "We have people who can help."

Moments later, Klauke called the biggest home run of Pujols' Angels career. It came in the top of the ninth, with two on, one out and the Angels trailing by a run. Pujols turned on a sinker from Mariners closer Steve Cishek and sent it a projected 407 feet away, according to Statcast™, to give his team a win.

Klauke's call: "Deep drive to left, Aoki back, it's up there, it's out there, and it's gone! A laser, into Edgar's section in left! A three-run homer for Albert Pujols, and the Angels regain the lead at 9-7!"

Klauke knew very little about Pujols the last time he called his game-winning home run.

"Really," Klauke said, "we knew nothing about him because he was just brought up for the postseason from the Midwest League because of callups by St. Louis. They just needed to fill the roster. He was batting seventh and playing left field."

Klauke has spent the last 23 years calling games on the radio for the Minor League team in Salt Lake City. He's currently filling in for Terry Smith, who is in his 15th season doing play-by-play for the Angels' flagship radio station and is attending his godson's wedding on the East Coast. Friday marked the first time Smith had missed a game since June 25, 2013, snapping a 452-game streak.

Aside from helping out on a handful of innings for the Blue Jays in 2004, this weekend marked Klauke's first time calling Major League games.

He'll fly to Denver after Sunday's game, to meet back with the Salt Lake Bees in Colorado Springs.

"It's been a blast," Klauke said. "[Producer Darren Chan] and Mark have made it really easy for me; everybody's been so supportive. My Twitter account and my Facebook have blown up over the last three days. … It's just been a lot of fun, and I couldn't have asked for two better games to call, as far as excitement is concerned."

Worth noting

• Tyler Skaggs, a product of Tommy John surgery in August 2014, will have his strength re-evaluated on Monday and the Angels hope he can resume playing catch shortly thereafter. Skaggs hasn't thrown in more than three weeks due to a bout with biceps tendinitis, according to the team.

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• C.J. Wilson, battling shoulder issues since Spring Training, is set to throw a three-inning simulated game from Dodger Stadium on Monday. If it goes well, he'll probably start a rehab assignment. Wilson is aiming to return by mid-June.

• Angels manager Mike Scioscia has kept Kole Calhoun in front of Mike Trout and continues to hit Daniel Nava behind Pujols against righties, flip-flopping the two in the lineup. Gregorio Petit, a right-handed hitter, will seemingly continue to get starts at shortstop against righties.

• Asked about removing Jhoulys Chacin after only 90 pitches on Saturday, Scioscia reaffirmed his stance on not putting starters "at risk," saying: "Until we see where he is, we don't want to overextend him. He has a history with his shoulder."

Shoemaker looking to improve in Freeway Series opener

By Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com | 1:18 AM ET

Japanese sensation Kenta Maeda takes the ball opposite Matt Shoemaker when the Angels and Dodgers open up a four-game series, split between Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium. The Dodgers will host the first two from Los Angeles, starting with the series opener on Monday night...

Maeda (3-2, 2.30 ERA) began his stint in the U.S. with three dominant starts, giving up one run on 17 hits and five walks in 25 1/3 innings, striking out 23. Since then, though, the 28-year-old right-hander has gone winless in his last three starts, posting a 5.09 ERA. He gave up four runs on six hits and two walks in five innings to the Mets on Wednesday.

Shoemaker (1-5, 9.12 ERA) finished April with a 9.15 ERA, was sent down to Triple-A Salt Lake, came back up because the Angels have four injured starting pitchers and struggled against the Cardinals on Wednesday, allowing four second-inning runs and being unable to record an out in the fifth. The 29-year-old right-hander pitched six innings of two-run ball in his only other start against the Dodgers in 2014.

The Dodgers won five of six against the Angels last year and had notched eight consecutive victories until the Angels won the season finale.

"I look forward to playing the Angels, and I know our guys do, too," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "They've got some very good players. A lot of guys hurt, but we always play each other pretty tough."

Things to know about this game

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• Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Albert Pujols will start at first base in both Dodger Stadium games as long as he feels good. Pujols hasn't missed a game yet. He has started 27 of the Angels' 37 games at designated hitter, but played first base in all three games in a prior Interleague series against the Brewers at Miller Park.

• Pujols has batted .395/.429/.605 at Dodger Stadium since joining the Angels in 2012, but Mike Trout has slashed just .256/.289/.535 there. No current Dodgers player has more than three career plate appearances against Shoemaker. Maeda has never faced the Angels.

• The Dodgers' bullpen entered Sunday's contest without allowing an earned run since May 7, a stretch of seven games. In that stretch, Dodgers relievers have struck out 25 batters in 19 1/3 innings, allowing a .164 opponents' batting average and stranding all 12 of their inherited runners.

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Santiago, Angels complete sweep of Mariners with 3-0 win

SEATTLE -- The Los Angeles Angels are not in a position to be picky about the ways they pulled off an unlikely three-game sweep.

Whether it's putting together a ninth-inning rally or getting a dominant pitching performance like they did from Hector Santiago on Sunday, the Angels will take wins however they come after a turbulent first six weeks of the season.

Santiago pitched eight innings of two-hit ball and Daniel Nava's two-run, two-out single in the eighth inning gave the Angels the cushion they needed to beat the Seattle Mariners 3-0 to complete a three-game sweep.

The Angels were reeling when they arrived in Seattle, having lost six straight. They didn't even get into Seattle until after 4 a.m. on Friday morning after playing a nearly four-hour game the night before. But when the expectation was for the losing to continue, the Angels showed some resolve by rallying late to win the first two games of the series and completing the sweep behind Santiago's dominance.

"We didn't play a perfect series, obviously, but we got enough things done and were fortunate enough to hold some leads," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.

The left-hander outpitched Seattle ace Felix Hernandez, allowing just two hits overall and the first not coming until the sixth inning when Shawn O'Malley led off with a bunt single that

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Santiago mishandled on the transfer. Chris Iannetta had Seattle's only other hit with a line drive single in the seventh.

Santiago (3-2) struck out five, allowed only one base runner to reach second base and matched a career high in innings pitched in one of the more complete performances of his career. He said the thought of a no-hitter didn't enter his mind until after Seattle's first hit.

Joe Smith pitched the ninth for his fourth save of the season.

"I feel like if I'm in that situation then I'm pitching good and getting zeros," Santiago said. "If they get 10 hits and I put up six or seven zeros I'm happy just the same."

Santiago was helped by some nifty defensive plays by Gregorio Petit, Yunel Escobar and C.J. Cron to help take away potential hits. O'Malley led off the sixth with a bunt up the first base line that Santiago mishandled and was ruled a hit. Iannetta put an end to the debate about the ruling on the bunt hit with a solid single with two outs in the seventh inning, but that was it for offense against the left-hander.

Santiago said even if he hadn't given up the hit to Iannetta he would not have challenged the official scorer's ruling of a hit on O'Malley's bunt.

"I should have made the play. I'm more mad at myself I didn't make the play," Santiago said.

CLUTCH HITS

Even with Santiago's dominance, the Angels didn't have a cushion until Nava came through in the eighth inning. A walk to Kole Calhoun and base hit by Mike Trout ended Hernandez's day. Reliever Nick Vincent got Albert Pujols to ground out for the second out, but Nava guided a hard grounder into left field to score the pair and give the Angels a three-run lead.

Calhoun also had an RBI single in the fifth inning behind Seattle's defensive shift to score Johnny Giavotella after he led off with a double.

BEATING FELIX

Hernandez (3-3) was shaky early, dominant in the middle and managed his pitch count in the later innings. Hernandez had left runners in scoring position in the first two innings before starting on a dominant strikeout streak in the third inning. Hernandez recorded eight straight outs via strikeout. Hernandez finished with nine strikeouts but was responsible for all three runs.

"It was the best game I've thrown the whole year. I just got to continue doing that and I'll be fine," Hernandez said.

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TRAINERS ROOM

Angels: LHP C.J. Wilson is expected to throw a simulated game on Monday at Dodger Stadium and could be headed for a rehab assignment in the minors if there are no setbacks.

Mariners: RHP Joaquin Benoit (shoulder) will go with Seattle on its road trip but there is no set date on when he will be activated from the DL. Benoit hasn't pitched since April 22.

UP NEXT

Angels: Matt Shoemaker (1-5) gets the start Monday night in the first game of the Freeway Series against the Dodgers.

Mariners: Seattle is off on Monday before opening a six-game road trip on Tuesday in Baltimore.