April 22, 2017 Page 1 of 21

Clips

(April 22, 2017)

April 22, 2017 Page 2 of 21

Today’s Clips Contents

FROM LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3)

In a game of give and take, Blue Jays get 8-7 victory over Angels in 13th inning

Angels can't seem to shake scoring funk

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER (Page 6)

Angels lose 13-inning marathon to Blue Jays

Angels Notes: Huston Street targeting a ‘full spring training,’ then June 1 return

Miller: Angels summon superpowers in lieu of actual power

FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 11)

Meyer's short start costly to pitching staff

Angels' rally falls short vs. Toronto in 13th

Escobar shaken up on wild pitch, exits game

Morin (neck) placed on DL; Meyer called up

Skaggs faces Blue Jays coming off 9-K gem

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 17)

Bautista homers in 13th, Blue Jays escape jam to beat Angels

Jays' Lawrence makes first MLB start vs. Angels

April 22, 2017 Page 3 of 21

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

In a game of give and take, Blue Jays get 8-7 victory over Angels in 13th inning

By Steve Dilbeck

Two disappointing teams kept pushing and pulling Friday, trying to find some way to make sense of a

game that seemed determined not to end.

Finally it was the Toronto Blue Jays, a team that had begun their season with the worst start in club

history (3-12) and the worst start for any team that had played in the postseason the previous year, who

pulled it out.

And it was their one player who was struggling most of all, Jose Bautista, drilling a three-run homer in

the 13th inning that held up for an 8-7 Toronto victory.

For Bautista, who started the night batting .109, it was his first home run of the year.

The loss left the sinking Angels as losers in nine of their last 10 games.

Having exhausted their bullpen, they called on Jesse Chavez to pitch the 13th inning. Chavez was

scheduled to start Sunday.

But after getting the first two outs of the inning, he gave up singles to Kevin Pillar and Ezequiel to set up

Bautista for his blast to center.

The Angels still made in interesting, scoring two runs in the bottom of the 13th. They loaded the bases

with no outs on a walk and two Toronto errors. The Blue Jays called on reliever Joe Biagini, who struck

out Cliff Pennington for the first out.

Kole Calhoun singled in one run and Mike Trout walked to force in a second. But Biagini struck out Albert

Pujols and got C.J. Cron to line out to center to end it. It was Biagini’s first save of the season and only

the second of his career.

Earlier in the night, the Angels lost third baseman Yunel Escobar. He left after the fifth inning when he

ducked his head quickly to avoid being hit by a pitch. The Angels said he left because of dizziness.

The Angels looked like they’d given the game away in the eighth inning. Leading 4-3, Bud Norris walked

two and gave way to almost-closer Cam Bedrosian, who promptly wild pitched the runners up a base

and gave up a two-run double to Justin Smoak.

Toronto’s lead was brief. With two outs in the bottom of the inning, Danny Espinoza walked. That’s a

rare occurrence. It was only the second time he’s walked this season. It must have shaken reliever

Dominic Leone, who gave up a high drive to pinch-hitter Jefry Marte.

April 22, 2017 Page 4 of 21

The ball started to fall near the left-field foul pole as Ezequiel Carrera mistimed his jump and went past

the ball. It caromed back onto the field for a run-scoring double. It appeared the ball may have

ricocheted off the bottom of the foul pole, but after a review it was ruled a double.

The game began with two starters making their 2017 debuts. One a veritable puppy, the Angels’ Alex

Meyer, appearing in his seventh career start. The other a grizzled veteran, Toronto’s Mat Latos, who

somehow remains only 29.

Meyer is the former No.1 draft pick of the Washington Nationals who ultimately made his way to the

Angels last season along with Ricky Nolasco as part of the Hector Santiago trade.

Meyer throws in the mid-to-high 90s, but struggled with control issues during the spring and failed to

win a spot in the rotation. He was brought up Friday to give the starters an extra day of rest, though it

hardly worked that way for the relievers. Or for Chavez.

The Angels have struggled to get length from their rotation and Meyer lasted only 3 2/3 innings. He gave

up two runs on two hits, but walked four — two that scored, the last on a wild pitch in the third.

The Angels, however, came back with three runs in the bottom of the inning. A Martin Maldonado single

and two walks loaded the bases for Pujols, who doubled hard down the third-base line to clear the

bases.

After Trout hit a solo home run in the fifth, the Blue Jays got one back in the sixth on errors by Escobar

(dropped pop up) and Andrelton Simmons (throwing miscue).

The game took 5 hours 36 minutes. The Angels exhausted all their position players and relievers.

Angels can't seem to shake scoring funk

By Steve Dilbeck

Baseball is always trying to proclaim it’s a team sport, about the name on the back of the jersey, rising to

the top as a group.

Except when things are going the wrong direction.

The Angels have been struggling to score for more than a week, an offense that appeared so productive

during a 6-2 start suddenly battling nightly ineptitude.

“It’s too easy sometimes to think of them as a group,” said Angels Manager Mike Scioscia. “In a starting

lineup there are nine individuals and they all have different symptoms that are going to cause them to

be nonproductive. You have to evaluate those and hopefully get the adjustments made where you don’t

stay in funk very long.”

Mike Trout, Andrelton Simmons and Yunel Escobar have all hit as expected early this season, but the

rest of the Angels have suffered through various levels of disappointment.

April 22, 2017 Page 5 of 21

“Some are doing exactly as we expected and having really good starts,” Scioscia said. “Too many guys

right now had a tough eight or nine games. That can happen in June, it can happen in August. Right now

for some of these guys, it’s happening in April.”

The Angels entered Friday night having lost eight of nine, scoring more than three runs only once — the

lone victory.

Scioscia said he doesn’t believe fatigue or frustration is the culprit.

“I don’t think that’s part of the equation,” he said. “Sometimes you get guys who are just a little out of

sync.”

Morin to the disabled list

The Angels placed right-handed reliever Mike Morin on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to April 20

because of neck stiffness to make roster room for Friday starter Alex Meyer.

Scioscia said Morin first felt the issue a week ago but it began to improve before the stiffness returned.

He said Morin was scheduled to undergo unspecified tests Friday.

Morin has thrown 6 1/3 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits. He struck out three and did not walk a

batter.

Hamilton released, still owed

The Rangers released outfielder Josh Hamilton on Friday, not that it impacted the $22 million the Angels

still owe him this season. Hamilton signed a five-year, $125 million contract with the Angels prior to the

2013 season, a deal which will go down as one of the worst in baseball history.

The oft-injured Hamilton, who turns 36 next month, is scheduled to undergo another knee surgery. The

Rangers said he injured his right knee while recuperating from recent reconstructive left-knee surgery.

SHORT HOPS: Infielder Luis Valbuena (strained right hamstring) ran the bases Friday and Scioscia said he

could be five to seven days away from a rehab assignment. Valbuena has yet to appear in a game. …

Little news on the Garrett Richards (right-biceps strain) front. Scioscia said he was “making progress” but

was still only working with weights and it was uncertain when he would begin to throw. Richards, the

Angels’ hoped-for ace, came out in the fifth inning of his only start April 5 when the injury flared up.

April 22, 2017 Page 6 of 21

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER .

Angels lose 13-inning marathon to Blue Jays

By J.P. HOORNSTRA

ANAHEIM — For an Angels team that placed one relief pitcher on the disabled list when the day began, a

13-inning game was not what the doctor ordered.

They didn’t even win. Jose Bautista’s three-run home run off Jesse Chavez was the crushing blow in the

Toronto Blue Jays’ 8-7 victory at Angel Stadium.

The sheer duration of the game — 5 hours, 36 minutes — dwarfed its details. By the time Friday turned to

Saturday in the 12th inning, the Angels were already coping with the effects of a short start by Alex Meyer.

The Angels used six relief pitchers. Chavez (1-3), Sunday’s scheduled starter, was forced to take over in the

13th. By then, the Angels had surpassed the Houston Astros for the most innings pitched by a bullpen in

the American League this season.

“You still have to do your job out there and throw strikes,” Chavez said. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to

throw enough quality ones to keep us in the ballgame.”

Bautista’s first home run of the season spoiled a resilient effort by the Angels. Twice, they fell behind the

Blue Jays in the top of an inning, only to tie or take the lead in the bottom.

Even after Bautista’s home run sent much of the crowd home after midnight, the Angels managed to load

the bases in the bottom of the 13th. Kole Calhoun delivered an RBI single. Mike Trout was clipped on the

arm by a Joe Biagini fastball, forcing in another run.

But Biagini came back to strike out Pujols on three pitches and retire C.J. Cron on a fly ball to end the

game.

Trout’s fifth home run of the season and a bases-clearing double by Pujols highlighted the Angels’ 11-hit

attack.

Meyer was his usual self in his 2017 debut: flashes of brilliance interspersed with flashes of frustration.

In 3 ⅔ innings, the towering right-hander walked four batters and struck out three. It continued a trend

that was dormant since spring training, when Meyer walked 10 batters and struck out nine.

“I just felt like I lost control on the release point of my breaking ball,” he said. “That led me to kind of lose

my fastball also in the third and fourth inning.”

Meyer cruised through the first two innings, beginning every batter with a strike. He began Chris Coghlan

with a strike to lead off the third inning too, but ultimately walked him on a 3-and-2 count. The next

batter, Ryan Goins, drew a walk on the last of nine pitches. Coghlan and Goins came around to score,

respectively, on an RBI groundout and a wild pitch.

April 22, 2017 Page 7 of 21

Leading 2-0, Blue Jays starter Mat Latos gave the lead right back in the bottom of the third inning.

A single by Martin Maldonado, followed by walks to Yunel Escobar and Calhoun, loaded the bases for

Trout. Latos got Trout to fly out to right field before Pujols made him pay, stroking a double inside the left-

field line. All three runners scored and the Angels led, 3-2.

It was Pujols’ 604th career double, passing Cal Ripken and matching Paul Waner for 13th on baseball’s all-

time list. Pujols’ three RBIs gave him 1,831 for his career, tied with Manny Ramirez for 18th all-time.

Pujols had only three hits in 17 career plate appearances against Latos prior to Friday. He finished 3 for 7,

raising his batting average to .203.

Meyer did not allow another run, but he continued to labor in the fourth inning. With two outs, Coghlan

drew a walk on Meyer’s 75th pitch. That loaded the bases. Angels manager Mike Scioscia decided he’d

seen enough, and Jose Alvarez came in from the bullpen to record the final out of the inning.

The Angels took a 4-2 lead in the fifth inning on a solo home run by Trout, his fifth of the season. The Blue

Jays scored an unearned run against Yusmeiro Petit in the sixth inning to draw within 4-3.

Escobar was batting in the bottom of the sixth inning when a strange incident occurred. The fourth pitch

he saw from Toronto pitcher Danny Barnes was a 91-mph fastball high and tight. The ball didn’t touch him,

but Escobar spun out of the way to avoid getting hit.

After visiting with an Angels trainer, Escobar returned to the batter’s box and grounded out two pitches

later. But Cliff Pennington took over at third base in the top of the seventh inning, and the Angels said

Escobar was forced to leave due to dizziness.

“I think trying to jerk out of the way (of the pitch) he just felt like he got a little dizzy,” Scioscia said.

Toronto shortstop Troy Tulowitzki would leave the game with an injury of his own. After he advanced from

second to third on a Cam Bedrosian wild pitch in the eighth inning, Tulowitzki was immediately replaced by

a pinch runner. The Blue Jays said he had tightness in his right hamstring.

On Bedrosian’s next pitch, Justin Smoak lined a double into right field that scored two runs. Both runs were

charged to Angels reliever Bud Norris, who began the inning with a 4-3 lead but recorded only one out.

Down 5-4, the Angels got even against right-hander Dominic Leone with a two-out rally in the bottom of

the eighth.

Danny Espinosa walked. The next batter, Jefry Marte, doubled off the left-field wall — a foot short of a

home run and inches inside the yellow foul line. A video replay confirmed the ball was fair, and Espinosa

scored from first base to tie the game 5-5.

If Chavez is unavailable, Daniel Wright seems the most likely candidate to start Sunday’s game. The right-

hander was lined up to pitch that night for Triple-A Salt Lake and has already made one appearance for the

Angels this season.

April 22, 2017 Page 8 of 21

Wright allowed three runs in four innings for the Angels on April 13. He was 1-1 with a 10.80 earned-run

average in two starts for Salt Lake, and made a pair of starts for the Cincinnati Reds last season.

Scioscia wouldn’t rule out Chavez starting Sunday, saying only that “we’re going to sort some things out.

We’re going to see how everything lines up and see how he feels.”

As the Angels’ locker room emptied in the wee hours, Chavez said, “it’s the last thing on my mind right

now.”

Angels Notes: Huston Street targeting a ‘full spring training,’ then June 1 return

By J.P. HOORNSTRA

ANAHEIM — When the Angels transferred Huston Street to the 60-day disabled list on Monday, he was

assured of not pitching in a major league game before May 29.

For Street, who hasn’t pitched since straining a muscle near his armpit in spring training, the move was

disappointing but justified.

“I think my timeline was somewhere around middle, late, end of May,” Street said. “Individually, it goes

back to that ideal: do you want to get five innings or eight innings (of rehab)? How long do you want the

‘spring training’ to be? Now, putting me back to June 1, it allows you to get kind of that full spring training

in rehab, which probably will be beneficial to me.”

Scioscia said the decision was only made “over the last week or so.” Street still hasn’t thrown off a mound,

though he’s getting close. The pitcher said he is planning to throw from flat ground four straight days, then

taking a day off Tuesday.

Street might get his first mound work in when the Angels travel to Texas for a three-game series with the

Rangers beginning next Friday. Even that hasn’t been determined yet, but being pain-free and on track is

encouragement enough for the 33-year-old right-hander.

“You never like being put on the 60-day, but I should be ready by June 1,” he said.

MORE INJURY UPDATES

Garrett Richards still hasn’t picked up a baseball since his last start, and Scioscia said there’s no timetable

for Richards to begin a throwing program. The right-hander has been on the 10-day disabled list since April

6 with a right biceps injury.

J.C. Ramirez has gone 0-2 in Richards’ stead, allowing eight runs in 11-1/3 innings over two starts. On

Friday, Alex Meyer became the seventh pitcher to start a game for the Angels this season.

To make room for Meyer on the 25-man roster, the Angels placed reliever Mike Morin on the 10-day DL

with neck tightness.

April 22, 2017 Page 9 of 21

Morin was scheduled to undergo tests on his neck Friday. Scioscia said the problem had been simmering

for a week, then flared up on the Angels’ recent trip to Houston. The DL move is retroactive to Thursday,

so Morin is eligible to be activated April 30.

Luis Valbuena (hamstring) began running the bases Friday. The infielder could head out on a rehab

assignment “within 5 to 7 days, depending on when he comes out of the workouts,” Scioscia said.

Pitcher Andrew Bailey, on the 10-day DL since April 10 with right shoulder inflammation, began a throwing

program Friday.

ALSO

Angels center fielder Mike Trout has the 10th-most popular jersey among active players, based on sales

from MLBshop.com of Majestic jerseys since the 2016 World Series. Two Chicago Cubs, Kris Bryant and

Anthony Rizzo, topped the list. … No other Angels cracked the top 20. … Right-hander Vicente Campos

(forearm) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Sunday with Single-A Inland Empire. … Outfielder Josh

Hamilton was released from his minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers. The Rangers said Hamilton,

whom the Angels will pay $26.4 million this year, injured his right knee during his injury rehab and will

undergo surgery. Hamilton is actually the Angels’ highest-paid player this season. Albert Pujols makes $26

million and Mike Trout is third at $20.08 million.

Miller: Angels summon superpowers in lieu of actual power

By JEFF MILLER

ANAHEIM – The Angels distributed promotional superhero capes to the fans on Friday.

They did not, just to be clear, distribute promotional superhero masks to the players, even if some of them

might have preferred to sneak back into town unnoticed.

This team, which opened its latest homestand having dropped eight of nine overall, just lost six of seven on

a trip during which it batted .181 and had 65 strikeouts compared to 40 hits.

Forget Superman, the Angels didn’t bat well enough to even be considered adequate, man.

“Hitting is probably the biggest wild card we have (in baseball),” Manager Mike Scioscia said Friday before

his team faced Toronto. “Sometimes, there’s no rhyme or reason why a team might not be seeing the ball

well as a group.”

On the road, whatever ball the Angels were seeing must have appeared to be the size of a Titleist. They

scored five runs in the game they won and five total in the other six they lost.

So, that was 10 runs total in the span of a week. During that same stretch, there were nine instances of a

team scoring at least 10 runs in one game alone.

April 22, 2017 Page 10 of 21

Heck, the San Jose Sharks just scored seven times in a game, and that was during the Stanley Cup playoffs,

which traditionally offer as much wiggle room as a pair of promotional superhero tights.

“Too many guys right now had a tough eight or nine games,” Scioscia said. “That can happen in June. That

can happen in August. Right now, with some of these guys, it’s happening in April.”

And it’s happening again with Albert Pujols. The first two months of the season always have been the

slowest offensively for Pujols, going back to the days when hitting merely .300 was considered slow for

him.

In his first month as an Angel, in 2012, Pujols didn’t homer and had only four RBI. He had decent starts the

next two seasons, before going flatter than home plate the past three years.

Starting with 2015, Pujols, in March/April regular-season games, has batted .208, .176 and, going into

Friday’s series opener against the Blue Jays, .177.

“Historically, he’s a little bit of a slow starter,” Scioscia admitted. “But once he finds it, he usually keeps it

for a long time.”

It is true that Pujols has remained productive this month, his bases-loaded double in the third inning Friday

giving him more RBI (14) than hits (13).

It also is true, history says, that he’ll heat up and finish with numbers vastly presentable, if not overly

inspiring.

Yet, it’s worth wondering how much anyone’s statistics will mean if the Angels are again accumulating

them all summer while too buried in the standings for the rest of baseball to care.

Nobody’s expecting this team to contend for much more this season than the occasional Mike Trout

national highlight. Almost as much as “Angels,” this group has “also ran” written across its chest.

But pitching – specifically starting pitching – was supposed to be the issue. Instead, the Angels just failed to

take advantage of what probably will be one of their most consistent stretches of starting pitching all

season.

“You know you’re not going to play your optimum game 162 times a year,” Scioscia said. “There are going

to be times when maybe the matchup is such that you just don’t hit.”

What the Angels really could use is another slugger, perhaps a left fielder, maybe a former MVP even.

And, what do you know! Just by coincidence, Josh Hamilton is available again, having been released Friday

by Texas.

Don’t laugh. The Angels already are paying him $26.4 million this season, so why not make him earn that

money?

April 22, 2017 Page 11 of 21

OK, do laugh. Hard. Hamilton needs another surgery, and I’m guessing there’s a better chance of owner

Arte Moreno agreeing to sign and play, rather than Hamilton, a pelican in left field.

Still, only three American League teams had scored fewer runs than the Angels entering the weekend, and

those three were already a combined 10 games below .500.

The encouraging news for the Angels was that Toronto arrived here in even worse shape, the Blue Jays

having lost 12 of their first 15 games.

They came into Friday’s game 7-1/2 back in the AL East and fully aware – if they’ve read any of the

coverage of their misfortunes – that no team ever has started a season so poorly and gone on to win the

World Series.

In other words, with more than a week still to go in April, Toronto already has been eliminated, if not

mathematically at least semantically.

That makes this the first spring in recorded history in which the Blue Jays have been bounced sooner than

the Maple Leafs.

As for all those superhero capes, the Angels were attempting to set a Guinness World Record for the most

people wearing them at one time.

I’m not sure why anyone would actually want that record. But a stadium full of people pretending to have

superpowers can’t hurt, especially when the home team came in swinging clubs made of kryptonite.

FROM ANGELS.COM

Meyer's short start costly to pitching staff

Angels used seven relievers in loss

By Maria Guardado / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- The Angels called up right-hander Alex Meyer from Triple-A Salt Lake to make a spot start

against the Blue Jays on Friday with the hope of giving the rest of their rotation an extra day of rest.

But things didn't exactly go as planned after Meyer was chased early and the Halos were left to play a

13-inning marathon that overtaxed their pitching staff and ended with an 8-7 loss to the Blue Jays at

Angel Stadium.

Full Game Coverage

Meyer, 27, lasted only 3 2/3 innings in his season debut, allowing two runs on two hits while walking

four and striking out three. His premature exit forced the Angels to use seven relievers in the game.

April 22, 2017 Page 12 of 21

When they ran out of bullpen options, the Angels turned to Jesse Chavez, who was slated to start

Sunday, but was thrust into action when both clubs remained in a 5-5 deadlock in the 13th.

Chavez subsequently surrendered a three-run home run to Jose Bautista, which held up as the game-

winning hit after the Angels' own rally in the bottom of the 13th fell short.

"You've still got to go out there and do your job and throw strikes," Chavez said. "Unfortunately, I wasn't

able to throw enough quality ones to keep us in the ballgame."

Meyer, ranked as the Angels' No. 8 prospect by MLBPipeline.com, breezed through the first two innings,

but then battled command issues in the latter half of his outing. He opened the third by issuing back-to-

back nine-pitch walks to Chris Coghlan and Ryan Goins, which led to two runs for the Blue Jays. Ezequiel

Carrera put Toronto on the board by knocking in Coghlan with an RBI groundout, and Goins later scored

on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.

Meyer stumbled into more trouble in the fourth, surrendering a leadoff single followed by a pair of two-

out walks to load the bases for the Blue Jays. With the Angels clinging to a 3-2 lead, manager Mike

Scioscia decided to lift Meyer and bring in Jose Alvarez, who induced a flyout to end the inning.

"I just felt like I lost the release point on my breaking ball and that led me to kind of lose it with my

fastball there in the third and fourth inning," said Meyer, who threw 75 pitches. "I think that's the

biggest thing. In the first two innings, I felt my command was good. Then I kind of lost it there a little bit

and had a hard time getting it back."

Yusmeiro Petit, Bud Norris, Cam Bedrosian, Blake Parker and Deolis Guerra all saw action Friday, leading

to Chavez's first relief appearance of the season. Chavez threw 25 pitches in the 13th and said he thinks

he can still start Sunday, though manager Mike Scioscia said the Angels would wait to "sort some things

out."

Since Meyer's start pushed the rest of the rotation back, one option would be to have Ricky

Nolasco pitch Sunday on normal rest and move Chavez to Monday. Chavez said he has not been

informed of the Angels' potential rotation plans.

"That's the last thing on my mind right now," Chavez said.

Angels' rally falls short vs. Toronto in 13th

By Maria Guardado and Austin Laymance / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- Jose Bautista blasted a three-run home run off Jesse Chavez to break a tie in the 13th

inning, and the Blue Jays held on for an 8-7 comeback win in Friday night's series opener at Angel

Stadium.

Kevin Pillar ignited the rally with a two-out single and advanced to third on Ezequiel Carrera's

subsequent base hit to left. Bautista followed by crushing a 1-1 offspeed pitch to left-center for his first

home run of the season.

April 22, 2017 Page 13 of 21

Full Game Coverage

Chavez, who was slated to start on Sunday, was forced into action after the Angels used all of their

relievers.

"It was a real battle out there," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "Tough win. Guys are tired, it

ended so late."

While it's still April and the season is young, the Blue Jays (4-12) felt like Friday's marathon win could be

the start of a turnaround.

"It's important," said Bautista, who snapped a streak of 67 regular-season at-bats without a homer.

"We're off to a slow start and a game like this, if you lose, it could be demoralizing. The win is very

important."

The Angels showed some life in the bottom of the 13th, loading the bases with no outs after Cameron

Maybin and Juan Graterol both reached via fielding errors and Danny Espinosa walked. Kole Calhoun's

RBI single cut the deficit to two, and Mike Trout's hit-by-pitch brought the Halos within one, but Joe

Biagini struck out Albert Pujols and coaxed a lineout from C.J. Cron to end the game, which lasted 5

hours and 36 minutes.

"We put together a good inning in the 13th, obviously loading the bases, we just couldn't get that hit,"

Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "But we had lost this game in a lot of ways earlier. We not only had

some opportunities on the offensive side, but we cracked the door for them on the defensive side, and

that hurt us more than anything."

Justin Smoak's two-run double briefly gave the Blue Jays a 5-4 lead in the eighth, but Jefry Marte tied

the game with a pinch-hit double off the left-field wall in the bottom half of the inning, scoring Espinosa

from second.

The Angels had built a 4-2 advantage on Pujols' bases-clearing double in the third and Trout's solo home

run in the fifth, but they committed two costly errors in the sixth that allowed Toronto to cut the deficit

to one.

Halos starter Alex Meyer, who was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake to make a spot start and give the

rest of the Halos' rotation an extra day of rest, lasted only 3 2/3 innings in his season debut, giving up

two runs on two hits while walking four and striking out three.

Blue Jays starter Mat Latos went five innings in his club debut, yielding four runs on six hits. The right-

hander struck out one against three walks. Latos, who signed a Minor League deal in the offseason, is a

candidate to remain in the rotation in the short-term as the team navigates injuries to J.A.

Happ and Aaron Sanchez.

April 22, 2017 Page 14 of 21

Toronto's bullpen did an admirable job with six relievers combining for eight innings of one-run

ball. Danny Barnes fired two shutout innings, Ryan Tepera tossed three scoreless frames, Joe Smith got

two key outs and Biagini earned the save on a night he wasn't even supposed to pitch.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Tepera escapes trouble: The Angels threatened in the 10th when Maybin blooped a one-out single to

center and advanced to second after Tepera hit Espinosa on the knee. That brought up Graterol, who

was re-acquired by the Angels after being designated for assignment by the Blue Jays earlier this week.

Still, Graterol could not come through, as Tepera promptly induced an inning-ending double play to

leave the runners stranded. Tepera pitched three scoreless innings for Toronto, allowing one hit and

striking out three.

Angels' sloppy sixth: The Angels saw their 4-2 lead shrink to one after Yunel Escobar and Andrelton

Simmons committed a pair of costly defensive miscues in the sixth. Escobar dropped an easy popper,

allowing Tulowitzki to reach with one out. Troy Tulowitzki advanced to second on Russell Martin's single

and scored after Simmons

QUOTABLE

"When you hit the field in the last inning, you don't feel like you win those games very often. Make an

error, make another error and it's like, 'Oh my gosh.' When you're able to gut it out and get the victory

when it seems like the momentum completely shifted and you're still able to get that win, it's character

building for sure." -- Blue Jays catcher Martin

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Pujols' bases-clearing knock was his 604th career double, tying him with Paul Waner for 13th on the all-

time list. He now has 1,831 RBIs, which is tied with Manny Ramirez for 18th among all-time RBI leaders.

threw away a double-play relay throw to first.

UNDER FURTHER REVIEW

The Blue Jays challenged whether Marte's run-scoring double in the eighth was fair or foul, and the call

on the field of a hit was upheld. The ball hit the wall in left field just inside the foul line, scoring a run

and tying the game at 5.

WHAT'S NEXT

Blue Jays: Casey Lawrence will make his first career Major League start when the Blue Jays take on the

Angels on Saturday night. The right-hander has made two relief appearances with the Jays. First pitch is

scheduled for 9:07 p.m. ET.

Angels: Left-hander Tyler Skaggs will make his fourth start of the season on an extra day of rest on

Saturday when the Angels continue their four-game series with the Blue Jays. Skaggs struck out nine

over seven scoreless innings in his last start against the Royals, lowering his ERA to 5.19 this season. First

pitch is scheduled for 6:07 p.m. PT at Angel Stadium.

April 22, 2017 Page 15 of 21

Escobar shaken up on wild pitch, exits game

By Maria Guardado / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- Angels third baseman Yunel Escobar departed Friday night's 8-7 loss to the Blue Jays after

six innings with dizziness, the club announced.

Escobar, 34, appeared shaken up after getting out of the way of a 1-2 pitch up and in during an at-bat

against Danny Barnes in the bottom of the sixth. Escobar had turned away quickly from the pitch,

prompting a team trainer to come out and check on him.

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"I think he tried to jerk out of the way," manager Mike Scioscia said afterward. "He just felt like he got a

little dizzy."

Escobar managed to complete his at-bat, grounding out to first to end the inning, but he was replaced at

third by Cliff Pennington in the top of the seventh.

Escobar, who did not speak to reporters after the game, is batting .296 after going 1-for-3 with a single

and a walk Friday. He also committed an error in the sixth after dropping Troy Tulowitzki's popout,

which led to an unearned run for the Blue Jays.

Morin (neck) placed on DL; Meyer called up

By Maria Guardado / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- The Angels placed right-handed reliever Mike Morin on the 10-day disabled list Friday with

neck tightness, clearing a roster spot for right-hander Alex Meyer, who was recalled from Triple-A Salt

Lake and started the club's series opener with the Blue Jays.

Manager Mike Scioscia said Morin first complained of neck soreness a week ago, though the issue flared

up in Houston. The move is retroactive to Thursday, meaning Morin is eligible to be activated on April 30

at the earliest.

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"We hope [it's] not very serious," Scioscia said. "But it set him back enough to where he needs to take a

step back and go on the disabled list. He's having some tests and we'll get him evaluated."

Morin, 25, has logged an 8.10 ERA over 6 2/3 innings this year. He is the third Angels reliever to hit the

disabled list this season, following right-handers Huston Street and Andrew Bailey.

Bailey, who has been sidelined since April 10 with right shoulder inflammation, threw on Friday for the

first time since being diagnosed. Street, meanwhile, will be out until at least June 1 after being

transferred to the 60-day disabled list earlier this week.

April 22, 2017 Page 16 of 21

Street missed most of Spring Training after suffering a lat strain on March 3, so he said he's fine with

having more time to gradually build up his arm and eventually accrue enough innings in a rehab

assignment. He hopes to begin throwing off the mound at the end of next week.

"I think that was in large part the business of baseball roster decisions," Street said. "It doesn't really

move my timeline back. I think the timeline was somewhere around the middle, end of May, so it made

a lot of sense from a team perspective. For me individually, it goes back to that idea: 'Do you want to get

five innings or eight innings? How long do you want the Spring Training to be?' And now putting me back

to June 1, it allows you to get kind of that full Spring Training in a rehab, which probably will be

beneficial to me as a player."

Ace right-hander Garrett Richards, who has been out since April 6 with a biceps strain, is "making

progress" but still has not been cleared to throw, according to Scioscia.

"He's just doing his weight work and waiting until he gets the clearance to pick up a baseball," Scioscia

said. "We're not sure when that's going to be yet, but our medical department is obviously paying a lot

of attention to it."

Worth noting

• Infielder Luis Valbuena (strained hamstring) ran the bases Friday and is expected to begin a rehab

assignment within the next five to seven days.

• Right-hander Vicente Campos (elbow median nerve irritation) is scheduled to pitch in a rehab

assignment with Class A Inland Empire Sunday.

Skaggs faces Blue Jays coming off 9-K gem

By Austin Laymance / MLB.com

Tyler Skaggs will look to build on his best start of the season when he faces off with Toronto's Casey

Lawrence, who will make his first career Major League start on Saturday night at Angel Stadium in the

second of a four-game series.

It's been a long journey to this point for Lawrence, 29, a former non-drafted free agent who has toiled

through seven full seasons in the Minor Leagues.

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Skaggs, 25, has taken a much different route to the Majors as a first-round pick by the Angels in the

2009 Draft. Skaggs debuted in '12, though he's missed significant time over the past few years with

elbow issues.

Skaggs will be pitching on an extra day of rest. He fired seven scoreless innings and struck out nine

against the Royals in his last outing.

April 22, 2017 Page 17 of 21

Lawrence debuted with Toronto on April 8 and has made two relief appearances. In those games, both

against the Rays, Lawrence twice struck out Rays star Evan Longoria. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons

believes that experience will give Lawrence a boost of confidence heading into his first big league start.

"If that doesn't help his confidence, I don't know what does," Gibbons said. "We've been coming up

against Longoria for years and you always look back on numbers and we haven't been able to find many

guys that could get him out. Here, the kid comes up and punches him out twice."

Three things to know about this game

• In three career starts against the Blue Jays, Skaggs is 1-2 with a 4.34 ERA over 18 2/3 innings.

• Lawrence has averaged just 1.7 walks per nine innings through his Minor League career and he posted

a 51 percent ground-ball rate between Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Buffalo last year.

"If he's getting ground balls, that's a pretty good sign," Gibbons said.

• Angels star center fielder Mike Trout has homered in each of his last 2 games to tie Vladimir Guerrero

for fifth on the franchise's all-time list with 173.

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Bautista homers in 13th, Blue Jays escape jam to beat Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Even in a wild, 13-inning victory early Saturday morning, the Toronto Blue Jays looked

like a team struggling to get it together.

Jose Bautista hit a three-run homer in the 13th inning, but Joe Biagini had to escape a bases-loaded jam

in the bottom of the inning to preserve Toronto's 8-7 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

The Angels rallied after two Toronto errors in the 13th. Kole Calhoun drove in one run with a single, and

Biagini plunked Mike Trout with the bases loaded for another. Biagini then struck out Albert Pujols and

got C.J. Cron to line out to center field for his first save.

"When you get that feeling like the last inning, you don't feel like you win those games very often,"

Toronto catcher Russell Martin said. "You make an error. You make another error. Then it's like, `Oh my

gosh."

In the top of the inning, Bautista hit his first homer of the season after two-out singles from Kevin

Pillar and Ezequiel Carrera against Jesse Chavez (1-3). Bautista's homer came on a 1-1 pitch and soared

out to left-center. The slugger had two hits to bring his average up to .131 this season.

"The home run felt nice. It was good to contribute," Bautista said. "I think it's a work in a progress. It's a

challenge. Sometimes it comes in bunches. Sometimes it goes the wrong way. I've just got to be more

consistent."

April 22, 2017 Page 18 of 21

Ryan Tepera (1-0) pitched three scoreless innings in the game that lasted 5 hours, 36 minutes.

Eight Angels pitchers combined to allow seven walks and throw two wild pitches, and Los Angeles also

had two errors to waste offensive contributions from Trout and Pujols.

"We lost this game in a lot of ways earlier," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "We had some

opportunities on the offensive side, but there were some cracks on the defensive side. That really hurt

us more than anything."

Trout hit his fifth homer in the fifth inning and had two hits and two RBI. Pujols had a bases-loaded

double in the third, moving him into a tie with Manny Ramirez for 18th on baseball's RBI list at 1,831.

The double was the 604th of Pujols' career, tying him for 13th with Paul Waner.

Aaron Loup began pitching the 13th for Toronto, but Cameron Maybin reached on an error by first

baseman Justin Smoak, then advanced on a passed ball. Loup walked Danny Espinosa, and third

baseman Chris Coghlan booted Juan Graterol's grounder to end Loup's outing, replaced by Biagini.

Toronto went ahead 5-4 in the eighth on a two-run double by Justin Smoak, but Los Angeles tied it later

in the inning when Martin Maldonado's fly ball landed just inside the left field foul pole, beyond the

reach of a leaping Carrera for an RBI double.

Called up from the minors prior to the game, Toronto starter Mat Latos gave up four runs and six hits in

five innings.

Los Angeles starter Alex Meyer lasted 3 2/3 innings in his first start of the season. Called up from Triple-

A Buffalo prior to the game, he walked four batters while giving up two runs and two hits.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Blue Jays: According to Jays manager John Gibbons, RHP J.P. Howell "felt fine" after his one-inning

appearance for Class A Dunedin on Thursday, striking out two and allowing one hit. Howell is scheduled

to throw another inning on Saturday, and if he comes out of that appearance with no setbacks "he'll be

good to go in St. Louis," Gibbons said.

Angels: RHP Mike Morin was placed on the 10-day DL with neck tightness. ... Reliever Andrew Bailey,

sidelined since April 10 with right shoulder stiffness, resumed throwing. ... Yunel Escobar left the game

after six innings complaining of dizziness.

POSTSEASON HANGOVER

Toronto's 3-12 record entering Friday was the worst 15-game start ever for a team that reached the

playoffs the year before, besting the 4-11 mark set by the 1998 Florida Marlins, who were coming off a

World Series championship.

"I like some of the things we're seeing," Gibbons said. "We're just not getting the wins, which is the

bottom line, and we need to start getting those quick."

April 22, 2017 Page 19 of 21

UP NEXT

Blue Jays: Rookie RHP Casey Lawrence (0-0, 13.50) is expected to be called up from Triple-A Buffalo to

make the start Saturday. Lawrence gave up three runs and three hits and walked five (two intentional) in

two innings of relief earlier this month.

Angels: LHP Tyler Skaggs (0-1, 5.19) comes off a start versus Kansas City in which he pitched seven

scoreless innings, allowing just four hits while matching his career high of nine strikeouts.

Jays' Lawrence makes first MLB start vs. Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- It's been a long and winding road for Casey Lawrence, but one that will take him to

the mound at Angel Stadium on Saturday night for his first career major league start.

Lawrence will make the start for the Toronto Blue Jays against the Los Angeles Angels at the age of 29

after spending eight seasons in the minors, as well as three seasons of winter ball in Venezuela playing

for the Bravos de Margarita.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons, however, is hoping that Lawrence will be free of any significant jitters,

considering he has already made two appearances for the Blue Jays this season out of the bullpen.

In his major league debut, he entered a tie game against Tampa Bay in the bottom of the 11th. He gave

up a leadoff double to Mallex Smith, who was sacrificed to third. After two intentional walks to load the

bases, Lawrence struck out Evan Longoria.

Lawrence, however, then walked Brad Miller to force home a run, ending the game in a Blue Jays loss.

His debut ultimately didn't turn out great for him and the team, but Gibbons said he saw some good

things out of the right-hander.

"Overall I actually thought he looked pretty good," Gibbons told sportsnet.ca. "He looked confident

doing what he does. A lot of times you see those guys, first time opportunity and they're too juiced up

and they come out there and overthrow balls up. For the most part, I thought his pitches were doing

what they do. He looked like he belonged."

At 4-12, the Blue Jays are off to a slow start and because of injuries to starters J.A. Happ and Aaron

Sanchez, needed to call up reinforcements. Mat Latos was called up to start Friday's game before

Lawrence got the call for Saturday, becoming the Blue Jays' seventh different starter this season. They

used only seven starters in all of last season.

Lawrence is matched up against the Angels' 25-year-old left-hander Tyler Skaggs, who is coming off his

best start of the season. Skaggs shut out Kansas City on four hits over seven innings while striking out

nine. The Angels lost the game 1-0 and Skaggs is still without a win this season.

April 22, 2017 Page 20 of 21

Skaggs is a big part of the Angels' future plans, but staying healthy will be vital. He missed all of 2015

while recovering from Tommy John surgery and was plagued by shoulder fatigue in spring training this

year.

The Angels actually drafted Skaggs in 2009 and traded him to the Diamondbacks, before re-acquiring

him in a three-way trade with the Diamondbacks and White Sox that cost the Angels slugger Mark

Trumbo.

Skaggs had his ups and downs last season, going 3-4 with a 4.17 ERA in 10 starts. He said he believes he

will be better going forward because last season he was so focused on his physical well-being and not as

much on the mental aspects of the game.

"Physically, I was ready to go," Skaggs told the Orange County Register this spring. "But mentally I let

that go by the wayside. I was so focused on getting stronger and throwing hard and being healthy, the

mental aspect of the game, I just wasn't ready for it. I was still thinking about mechanics."