April 25, 2017 Page 1 of 21

Clips

(April 25, 2017)

April 25, 2017 Page 2 of 21

Today’s Clips Contents

FROM LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3)

Jesse Chavez gets it done for Angels

Desperate for depth, Angels acquire right-hander David Hernandez from Atlanta

Angels mailbag: Where to go from here?

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER (Page 9)

Angels’ Jesse Chavez gets just enough run support to beat Blue Jays, 2-1

Angels Notes: David Hernandez added to supplement bullpen depth

FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 13)

Angels slide into split with Blue Jays

Chavez finds redemption with 7-K gem

Angels acquire reliever Hernandez from Braves

Ramirez steps in to start vs. A’s

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 17)

Angels edge Blue Jays, 2-1

FROM UPI (Page 19)

Short memory helps Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jesse Chavez come back to beat

Toronto Blue Jays

April 25, 2017 Page 3 of 21

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Jesse Chavez gets it done for Angels

By Pedro Moura

As Friday night morphed into Saturday morning, Angels right-hander Jesse Chavez jogged from the

dugout to the bullpen at Angel Stadium to warm up.

After exhausting its standard configuration of relievers, his team needed him late in an extra-innings loss

to the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Angels needed him again Monday, this time to start against the Blue Jays, who last year deemed

him unfit to start a single game.

Motivated to redeem himself after giving up a three-run home run to Jose Bautista three nights earlier,

he held them down for six innings in a 2-1 Angels victory.

“The couple mistakes I made the other night that let that inning elongate, I put them in the memory

bank and reminded myself to not let that happen again,” Chavez said. “Tonight, my mentality was,

anytime I get an out, there’s always another one.”

He got 18 outs, struck out seven, walked four and fired 101 pitches, his most since Aug. 19, 2015.

“It’s obviously a weird situation to come in and pitch against a team in the 13th inning, like he did, and

then come in and start against them a couple days later,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “But that’s

where we are.”

Where they are is in survival mode while the foundation of their projected pitching staff recovers from

injury. The four men who pitched for them Monday were Chavez, Yusmeiro Petit, David

Hernandez and Bud Norris. All veterans, they were acquired, in order, in November, in January, in

February and on Monday.

Exemplars of the organization’s player-development process, they are not. But they helped secure the

Angels’ ninth victory in 21 games and a series split.

Chavez likes to sit silently in the dugout before his starts, his head shrouded in a hood, and observe his

teammates go through infield drills and batting practice.

“I just like to watch them work,” he says.

The 33-year-old believes it offers him perspective about how to handle pressure-packed situations later

in the evening. His fellow players deserve his best effort. On Monday night, at least, he continuously

pitched out of trouble.

April 25, 2017 Page 4 of 21

Chavez worked through two first-inning walks, aided by catcher Martin Maldonado’s throwing out Kevin

Pillar trying to steal second. He allowed baserunners in every inning but survived unscathed until the

fourth, when Russell Martin clobbered a fastball over the wall in left-center field.

The Angels responded in the bottom half of the inning, when Mike Trout knocked a pitch down the

right-field line and Bautista mishandled the ball, turning a likely double into a triple. Albert Pujols then

singled Trout home.

In the fifth, Scioscia orchestrated the manufacturing of the winning run.

Cameron Maybin singled, Danny Espinosa walked, Maldonado laid down a sacrifice bunt and Maybin,

with a tricky slide, scored on a sharp grounder to second base by Yunel Escobar.

In the sixth, the Angels loaded the bases with one out but netted no runs.

To conclude Toronto’s half of the sixth, Martin was called out on strikes on a pitch that did not cross the

plate. He complained to home-plate umpire Toby Basner. In the middle of the inning, Basner ejected

Jays manager John Gibbons for shouting something from the dugout.

Overall, Basner’s performance confounded. Television replays showed his strike zone included pitches

that definitively did not catch any part of the plate. He repeatedly angered both teams.

In the late innings, “Let’s go Blue Jays” chants drowned out Angels-centric cheering. Few fans remained.

The Angels announced a crowd of just 25,304, their least-attended game since April 23, 2015.

Norris handled the ninth inning for his second career save. After the first two batters reached base, he

notched a strikeout and induced a game-ending double play.

“That's the style we need,” Scioscia said. “We did a pretty good job of that this series.”

Desperate for depth, Angels aquire right-hander David Hernandez from Atlanta

By Pedro Moura

The state of the Angels’ pitching staff is beginning to resemble last season’s. Desperate for depth to

handle the inevitable innings, Angels general manager Billy Eppler struck a deal with Atlanta to acquire

right-hander David Hernandez and immediately inserted the veteran into the bullpen.

A year ago, Eppler made a similar trade with the same team when he acquired right-hander Jhoulys

Chacin, who soon joined the Angels’ rotation.

The motivation for the moves is similar. The Angels need cover while their injured pitchers heal. Their

top three relievers are on the disabled list. Garrett Richards, their top starter, is too. Their opening-day

starter, Ricky Nolasco, is experiencing mechanical issues.

Hernandez, 31, was traded while attending a country-music concert Sunday night in Atlanta. Monday

was an off day for the Braves’ triple-A affiliate in nearby Gwinnett, where Hernandez had spent the

April 25, 2017 Page 5 of 21

season’s first three weeks. He went home after the show, awoke before 3 a.m. Pacific time, steered to

the stadium to collect his gear, and then to Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport for a cross-country

flight.

He said being in a big-league clubhouse again provided him energy.

Hernandez has a 4.10 career earned-run average over 487 major league innings, mostly out of the

bullpen. With Gwinnett, he logged a 1.12 ERA over eight innings.

“It’s definitely coming along,” he said. “I’m throwing strikes, and that’s what I struggled with last year. I

added a slider and it’s come along rather quickly, so hopefully it translates here.”

Hernandez will become the 14th man to appear out of the bullpen for the Angels this season. They

began the season with seven relievers. He could be a long-term option, or a short-term fix.

“He still has a very lively fastball, a good breaking ball, and experience pitching in the back end of

games,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “So we’ll see how he fits in.”

Some of the Angels’ injury troubles can be attributed to poor luck. Some might be best attributed to the

Angels’ response to said luck.

Right-hander Cam Bedrosian said he first began to feel the groin strain that forced him to the 10-day

disabled list when walking into the visiting dugout at Minute Maid Park after the Angels’ Tuesday

victory.

Earlier that night, he had thrown two innings for the first time as a reliever, exerting himself beyond his

norm. He said Monday he hopes to resume throwing in about one week.

Short hops

To make room for Hernandez, the Angels optioned right-hander Daniel Wright back to triple-A Salt Lake.

… Nolasco was once scheduled to start Monday against Toronto, but now will not pitch until Thursday

against Oakland, receiving nine days of rest in between starts. Right-handers JC Ramirez and Matt

Shoemaker will start Tuesday and Wednesday. … Luis Valbuena began his rehab assignment Monday at

Class-A Inland Empire. He played first base, not the third base that Scioscia had said. The manager said

the change was based on Valbuena’s input. “He’s going to play more first base up here, and he wants to

get a little more work there,” Scioscia said.

Angels mailbag: Where to go from here?

By Pedro Moura

Hello, Angels fans. As of today, your favorite baseball team is 8-12, on a 65-win pace, and its best

starting pitcher is not going to pitch at least until June. The outlook is not great. So let’s answer some

questions about the state of the team. As always, please submit mailbag questions through my Twitter

account (@pedromoura) or via email at pedro.moura@latimes.com.

April 25, 2017 Page 6 of 21

@pedromoura How many games below .500 do you think they will finish this year?

This is a tremendously difficult question to answer at this stage in the season because, as I’ve stated in

this space in previous weeks, so much of it depends on Garrett Richards’ health. Without him, a below-

.500 season seems certain. If he returns as soon as he’s eligible in June and pitches as he’s capable, the

outlook for the season looks much different than if he cannot pitch. With him, it’s conceivable they

could catch a hot streak and be in wild-card contention come the deadline. At that point, it’s partly a

matter of how badly the organization wants to contend and is willing to sacrifice the future. Would they

acquire someone? It’s hard to say right now.

TLDR: I’ll guess three.

The Angels under Arte Moreno have been about as transparent as the Kremlin. Swooping in to sign Torii

Hunter, Albert [Pujols] and Josh Hamilton.

They continue to be secretive about their front office. For example, starting this year, the Angels list just

the top front office positions on the team site at MLB.com.

I read that Arte fired about 40 front office personnel in the [Tony] Reagins firing purge. But I also

remember reading Mike DiGiovanna writing that [Jerry] Dipoto filled most if not all of those positions

with more sabremetric friendly hires.

Do you have any sense of the size of the Angels front office compared to other big market teams at or

near the salary cap? Has Eppler been able to convince Arte of the competitive advantage to be gained by

a large and savvy front office, or at least has [Billy] Eppler been given a big enough budget to create

one?

Thanks.

Bob (via vpbob1@charter.net)

Yes, it is interesting that the Angels now list no baseball-operations personnel on their online front-

office directory. The New York teams are famously secretive about who they list online, and even they

are more forthcoming.

When I asked General Manager Billy Eppler about that in February, he said he had no idea about it, and

nothing to do with the removal of dozens of names. They are all listed in the media guide that is publicly

available.

As far as the relative size of their front office, it’s hard to say, because not every team lists every person

who’s working for them. We know that the Angels’ baseball operations department, as listed in the

media guide, includes 20-30 employees, depending on what qualifies as baseball operations. Nine of

them are new hires under Eppler who work in data-focused roles. And we know that’s not the biggest

data department. The Dodgers, for example, list twice as many employees in research-and-development

positions.

April 25, 2017 Page 7 of 21

@pedromoura What's Valbuena's role when he makes his debut? How does it affect Cron/Marte?

I’m not under the impression anything has changed from the Angels’ original plan, which was to play

Valbuena at first base against right-handed pitching. Barring an injury to another infielder, his activation

will likely push either Cron or Marte to triple-A or to another team via a trade. There aren’t enough

roster spots for four men whose primary defensive position is first base.

Valbuena is still about a week away from a return. There is time.

@pedromoura Who on the team has the best and worst walk up music? What would would be your

walk up music and why would it be Motion City Soundtrack?

Danny Espinosa walks up to “In The Air Tonight” like a third of the time. That’s pretty good. I’m not sure

about the worst. There are several contenders.

I would switch mine often. Right now, I’d probably use the opening riff of Tycho’s “Awake.” I’d also use

“Until We Can’t (Let’s Go)” by Passion Pit. And “Shelter” by Porter Robinson and Madeon. And

“Cannons” by Youth Lagoon. And a lot of others. I think walk-up songs are under-utilized.

@pedromoura Does anyone have Flo Rida walk up music?

No, thankfully.

@pedromoura Why is Angels by Chance The Rapper not being played? (Instant win streak guaranteed

right after)

It’s weird. Browsing the list of songs played at the stadium, I’m not sure there’s anything released in the

last few years. Maybe that has to do with it, and I agree that it should be played. It’s an upbeat song,

catchy, and with a positive message, just the kind of track that could conceivably replace “Calling All

Angels” by Train before games or “Build Me Up Buttercup” in the seventh inning.

Yes....how much did @Angels overpay for Pujols and will it wind up costing them Trout?

I’m not sure if you’re looking for a literal answer here, but I’ve been (rightfully) criticized a time or two in

my life for taking things too literally, and I’ll do that here. Albert Pujols will be paid $240 million over 10

seasons, not counting that personal-services contract that kicks in afterward, which we’ll ignore for the

purposes of this exercise.

He’s just over halfway through it and has thus far provided the team between nine and 10 Wins Above

Replacement. At a going rate of like $8 million per win, that’s roughly $80 million to $90 million in value

to date, at a total cost of $100 million, plus a couple million this season.

That’s not bad at all, really. There are worse free-agent contracts signed every off-season. It’s the future

that gets tough, because Pujols is 37 and has exhibited significant signs of decline. His salary is only

going up. Various sources project him to be worth less than one win this year, and presumably less than

that going forward. To not get too complicated, let’s just call it one win each year and say he’ll provide

April 25, 2017 Page 8 of 21

$40 million in on-field value from now until the end of the 2021 season. That would make him overpaid

by $60 million, not counting off-the-field considerations, which are vast.

As far as whether it will end up costing them Trout, Trout’s not going to be a free agent until late

October or November 2020. Let’s play a little thought experiment here. Think about the events of late

October or November 2016. Which of them do you think you could have correctly predicted in April

2013? It’s too early to say.

@pedromoura What do you think the plans are for Escobar? Still productive. Like to see them sign him

for another couple of years.

Let’s see how this season goes first. Yunel Escobar can clearly hit singles as well as about anyone, but

he’s a 34-year-old third baseman whose effort in the field and on the bases waned last year. He tends to

suffer legions of little injuries. That’s probably not going to improve as he ages.

@pedromoura what went right for the Angels during their win streak that is going wrong for them now?

Their win streak lasted four games. Their losing streak lasted six games. Literally no team in baseball

history has ever experienced any combination of outcomes over stretches of those lengths that should

have been surprising. It is baseball. Randomness is ever-present.

@pedromoura What are the starting pitching possibilities that the team could trade for?

We’ll start to get a better sense of who will occupy the trade market in another month or so. A lot of

people across baseball are curious to see if Toronto will make their starters, like Marcus Stroman, J.A.

Happ and Marco Estrada, available. Right now, it’s too early to say. As far as who the Angels specifically

could acquire, that’s much more limited. As readers of this mailbag have surely heard before, the club

does not have a wide base of prospects from which they can deal.

That is part of a series of tweets Chad sent asking about the Angels’ farm system, and why it hasn’t been

rebuilt since it was torn apart.

My answer is that it has been rebuilt a little. Some evaluators consider outfielder Jahmai Jones a

legitimate top-100 prospect. Right-handed pitching prospect Jaime Barria, excelling in the California

League at 20, is a nice guy to have in your system.

I’m not going to revisit the Pujols and Josh Hamilton signings or the disregard of the international

market, but it also hasn’t been four or five years since the future was mortgaged. I’m not a homeowner,

and I’m probably using this term wrong, but trading pitching prospects Sean Newcomb and Chris Ellis for

Andrelton Simmons qualifies as at least a refinancing. Now, it was a sensible trade. Simmons is a good

player with a timeline in lock-step with Trout. But the system would look different now if Newcomb and

Ellis were knocking on the door.

Former general manager Jerry Dipoto also made some lower-key trades in recent off-seasons that

proved to hamper them long-term. The Angels dealt right-hander Tyler Chatwood to Colorado and

April 25, 2017 Page 9 of 21

outfielder Randal Grichuk to St. Louis, for catcher Chris Iannetta and third baseman David Freese. Both

veterans are long gone from the Angels, while the younger players continue to provide surplus value for

the Rockies and Cardinals.

@pedromoura I got few questions. What happened to Nate Smith?Why isn't he playing in Triple-A? Do

you prefer Maybin or Revere in left?

As I wrote in a recent mailbag, Smith has not pitched because of a forearm strain, but Eppler said last

week he could get back into games this week.

@pedromoura will any starter accrue more WAR than bedrosian and if so, on what date will that

overtaking occur ?

hat’s an interesting question, complicated by Cam Bedrosian heading to the disabled list since it was

posed. I think the answer is yes, even if he was healthy. While I buy Bedrosian as an elite reliever

because the scouts and evaluators I speak to largely do, I don't think he’s a top-five reliever in the sport.

So, two wins above replacement in a season seems to be about his ceiling. I think Ricky Nolasco, Tyler

Skaggs and Matt Shoemaker all could exceed that mark.

But because Bedrosian is the leader right now, it’ll take at least another month for the overtaking to

occur.

@pedromoura Why does Trout have a Twitter account if the only thing he tweet is "[Insert city]

!!!"

People like those tweets. Why not give the people what they want?

@pedromoura Why am i a angel fan

I don’t know you, but probably because you grew up in Orange County or its surrounding area and/or

one of your close relatives was a fan and a sports enthusiast.

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER .

Angels’ Jesse Chavez gets just enough run support to beat Blue Jays, 2-1

By Jeff Fletcher

ANAHEIM — The Angels can wait for the offense as long as they can pitch like this.

The Angels squeaked out a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night, the first time this

season they won a game without scoring at least four runs.

April 25, 2017 Page 10 of 21

“When push came to shove, we held the lead,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “I’m not going to focus too

much on the offense. Our offense will be fine. For us to reach our goal, we definitely have to control the

defense like we did tonight.”

Jesse Chavez pitched six strong innings and then Yusmeiro Petit, newcomer David Hernandez and Bud

Norris collaborated on the final three to lock up the victory.

Norris picked up his second save in as many tries, since Cam Bedrosian’s injury left him as a presumptive

closer. He gave up a single and a walk to start the inning, but then escaped with a strikeout and a double

play.

“Although it was a little rocky, I think hopefully he’s growing in the confidence to pitch the ninth the same

way he pitched the sixth,” Scioscia said. “If he does that, he’ll be very successful.”

There was plenty to be happy about when the Angels were in the field. Besides the pitching, the Angels

turned two double plays, picked a runner off and caught another runner stealing.

That all helped Chavez work around four walks. The only run he allowed was on a Russell Martin homer in

the fourth.

“When he needed to make pitches, he did,” Scioscia said. “He got some big strikeouts. He pitched a good

game. That’s a tough lineup.”

Chavez has now pitched well in three of his four starts, with a 3.13 ERA as a starter. He had one relief

appearance in the 13th inning on Friday, when he allowed a three-run homer.

Chavez had spent most of his career as a reliever, but he signed with the Angels because they offered

them a chance to start. So far, he seems to be happy with his performance.

“I feel OK,” he said. “It took a little bit to get going. When the lights come on, it’s a little different trying to

control the adrenaline. But we’re heading in the right direction, a lot of us. We just keep at the task at

hand, giving our offense a chance to win.”

The Angels offense ranks 12th in the league in runs, and is the primary reason that the club is languishing

at 9-12. Their runs on Monday night came on an an Albert Pujols RBI single, following a Mike Trout triple,

and a manufactured run in the fifth.

They turned a single, a stolen base, a walk, a sacrifice and a perfectly executed contact-play into a run-

scoring grounder.

Otherwise, there were more missed opportunities than converted ones.

General Manager Billy Eppler said before the game that he’s optimistic the hitters will heat up, and help

turn the team around.

April 25, 2017 Page 11 of 21

“At this point, we’ve seen things offensively go well and then we’ve seen games where we haven’t been

able to put up crooked numbers we want to,” Eppler said. “But it’s early in the season. In a lot of cases you

have to trust the back of the guy’s baseball card that these are absolutely realistic expectations.”

Angels Notes: David Hernandez added to supplement bullpen depth

By Jeff Fletcher

ANAHEIM — It took the Angels only three weeks of baseball to get to the point that their bullpen depth

needed to be supplemented.

Hours after they lost a game on Sunday, in part because they didn’t have enough fresh relievers, the

Angels swung a deal to get another candidate for the bullpen, veteran right-hander David Hernandez.

“We’ve had to peel some layers down on the depth chart,” General Manager Billy Eppler said. “That’s just

our circumstance now. It made us look around and look outside the organization.”

The Angels agreed late Sunday to acquire Hernandez from the Atlanta Braves, in exchange for cash

considerations or a player to be named. Hernandez, who was with the Braves’ Triple-A team in suburban

Atlanta, got the news around midnight in Georgia, after he’d been at a concert.

A few hours later, he was packing for a flight to Southern California. A few hours after that, he was

standing in the Angels’ clubhouse.

“It’s been a pretty hectic 12 hours,” he said Monday. “But I’m happy I finally made it. Being here at the

ballpark has definitely energized me.”

Hernandez, a 31-year-old veteran of parts of seven big league seasons, was no doubt thrilled to be back in

the majors after a rough spring. The San Francisco Giants brought him to spring training, but they released

him and he signed with the Braves. His contract allowed him to opt out on May 1 if he was not in the

majors.

He began the season in Atlanta’s farm system, where he’d allowed one earned run in eight innings, with

nine strikeouts.

“I was throwing strikes,” he said. “That’s what I struggled with last year. I was throwing strikes consistently.

I added a slider and it’s come along quickly.”

Manager Mike Scioscia said he “will see how he fits in” to the bullpen mix. Hernandez has pitched in a

variety of roles, including as a closer.

He has a career 4.10 ERA, pitching in the majors with the Baltimore Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks and

Philadelphia Phillies. Angels pitching coach Charlie Nagy had him in Arizona in 2012, the year Hernandez

posted a 2.50 ERA in 72 games. Last season in Philadelphia, Hernandez had a 3.84 ERA in 70 games.

April 25, 2017 Page 12 of 21

The Angels’ bullpen is currently without four of its projected top pitchers. Cam Bedrosian, Huston Street

and Andrew Bailey are all on the disabled list, and J.C. Ramirez went into the rotation to take Garrett

Richards spot. Mike Morin is also on the disabled list.

On Sunday, the Angels were burned by their lack of bullpen depth. They had only six active relievers

because Daniel Wright, who made a spot start, took one slot. Two of those six — Bud Norris and Yusmeiro

Petit — were unavailable because of their recent workload. Deolis Guerra and Brooks Pounders gave up six

runs in the final two innings and the Angels lost.

ALSO

Ricky Nolasco will rejoin the Angels rotation on Thursday, which will give him eight days off since his last

start. The Angels pushed Nolasco back because he wanted to work on some mechanical issues in an extra

bullpen session between starts, Scioscia said. …

Cam Bedrosian (groin) said he is hoping to be able to throw in about a week and return to the active roster

in about two weeks. …

Andrew Bailey (shoulder) threw for the third time in four days on Monday. He said he feels “way better

than before,” but he doesn’t have a timetable for a return. He said he’s throwing at a distance of 80 feet

now, and he needs to get stretched out to 120 before he can throw a bullpen session. After a couple

bullpens, he would need one or two innings in the minors. …

Luis Valbuena, who has been out with a hamstring injury, went 1 for 3 with a double in the first game of his

rehab assignment at Class-A Inland Empire. He played first base. He is also expected to play some third

during his rehab assignment, which will be five to seven days. …

Daniel Wright was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Hernandez. Wright went down a day after

pitching five scoreless innings in a spot start. …

Vicente Campos, who was hurt for much of spring training, was activated from the disabled list and

optioned to Triple-A. Campos will start for Salt Lake City and go into the mix for when the Angels need a

starter. …

Left-hander Nate Smith, one of the Angels’ top pitching prospects, threw two innings at extended spring

on Monday. Smith had been battling a forearm issue since early in spring training. …

Michael Hermosillo, one of the Angels’ top prospects, was promoted from Class-A Inland Empire to

Double-A Mobile (Ala.). Hermosillo hit .321 with a .438 on-base percentage in the season’s first two weeks.

April 25, 2017 Page 13 of 21

FROM ANGELS.COM

Angels slide into split with Blue Jays

By Maria Guardado and Chad Thornburg / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- Thanks to a solid start by Jesse Chavez and a crafty slide by Cameron Maybin, the Angels

secured a split of their four-game series with the Blue Jays after holding on for a 2-1 victory in Monday

night's finale at Angel Stadium.

Chavez held Toronto to one run on four hits while walking four and striking out seven over six innings

against his former club. Chavez had been slated to start on Sunday, but his outing was pushed back one

day after he was pressed into relief action and allowed the game-winning home run during the Angels'

13-inning loss to the Blue Jays on Friday.

"You never want to end with an 'L,' and tonight [the goal] was not let that happen, not make that one

pitch a mistake," Chavez said. "Because the other night, I got two quick outs, and it kind of unraveled.

Tonight, my mentality was every time I get an out, there's always another one. That was kind of what

worked out tonight."

Chavez's lone mistake came in the fourth, when he surrendered a home run to Russell Martin that

briefly gave the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead.

The Angels' bullpen, which had faltered in their two losses to Toronto over the weekend, sealed the win

with Yusmeiro Petit, David Hernandez and Bud Norris combining for three scoreless innings. Hernandez,

acquired in a trade with the Braves earlier in the day, worked two-thirds of an inning in his Angels debut,

while Norris picked up his second career save.

The Blue Jays threatened in the ninth, putting the tying run on second and the go-ahead run on first with

no outs, but Norris worked out of the jam by striking out Chris Coghlan and inducing a game-ending 4-6-

3 double play.

"It's kind of a new neighborhood for him just being in the bullpen, let alone being pushed to the back

end," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of Norris. "Not that he's necessarily going to close every game,

but the way it's worked out, he's pitched the ninth inning and done a good job the last couple

opportunities he had. I think he's fine."

Blue Jays left-hander Francisco Liriano yielded two runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings, walking four and

striking out two. Liriano has rebounded from a rough season debut -- in which he surrendered five runs

and recorded just one out -- to post a 2.08 ERA across his last three outings, yielding only four earned

runs through 17 1/3 innings.

"I just try to keep the team in the ballgame," Liriano said. "We're just having a tough time winning

games, but I think we've just got to keep playing hard and put this one behind us and come ready to play

tomorrow."

April 25, 2017 Page 14 of 21

Toronto manager John Gibbons was ejected for a second consecutive game after arguing balls and

strikes in the sixth. Gibbons was upset after Martin took a called third strike from Chavez to end the

inning, as the ball appeared to be well outside the zone.

"I was sitting over there [in the dugout]. We can tell up and down, but you can't tell in and out," Gibbons

said. "And I thought it was kind of a moving zone. Liriano, his ball-to-strike ratio wasn't good, but it

didn't look like he was scattering it everywhere, you know. I defend my guys. I've always done that. I

always will."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Pujols ties it: After Martin homered to give Toronto a 1-0 lead in the fourth, Mike Trout led off the

bottom of the inning by tripling to right field after Jose Bautista slipped while trying to field the ball.

Trout's triple, which had a 79.4-mph exit velocity and a 35-degree launch angle, had a hit probability of

only 3 percent, according to Statcast™.

Trout subsequently scored on Albert Pujols' single to tie the game at 1. Pujols collected his 1,833rd

career RBI on the play, tying him with Dave Winfield for 17th on the all-time list. On Sunday, Pujols

passed Manny Ramirez to become the all-time leader among Dominican players, and he is MLB's active

leader.

Angels' small ball: The Angels took a 2-1 lead after manufacturing the go-ahead run in the fifth. Maybin

singled, stole second and advanced to third on Martin Maldonado's sacrifice bunt before scoring

on Yunel Escobar's RBI fielder's-choice grounder to second base. The Blue Jays challenged whether

Maybin was safe after beating second baseman Devon Travis' short-hopped throw home, and the ruling

was allowed to stand following a replay review.

The play was close, and it wasn't clear Maybin caught the plate as he leaned away from the tag and

reached for home.

"I didn't think I touched the plate at first, that's why I went right back to it," Maybin said. "I knew I was

pretty close, but the good [catchers], even with the new rule, they find a way to kind of still block the

plate a little bit. It was one of those things where you've got to slide a little bit later and use your

athleticism. I was fortunate to get in there."

QUOTABLE

"It probably kept me in the game. If he didn't do that, maybe I was the one who was going to be thrown

out of the game there. So I definitely appreciate the manager doing that for me." -- Martin, on Gibbons

arguing the called third strike that led to his ejection

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Toronto outfielder Kevin Pillar's 0-for-3 night brought an end to his career-high-tying 11-game hitting

streak. He hit .362 (17-for-47) with eight extra-base hits in those 11 games.

WHAT'S NEXT

Blue Jays: The Blue Jays will head east to St. Louis for a three-game Interleague series against the

April 25, 2017 Page 15 of 21

Cardinals that marks the first meeting between the clubs since 2014. Right-hander Marco Estrada will

start Tuesday's opener at 8:15 p.m. ET, facing an opponent he's very familiar with from his five seasons

in Milwaukee.

Angels: The Angels continue their seven-game homestand by opening a three-game series with the A's

at 7:07 PT on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. Right-hander JC Ramirez, who has logged a 6.46 ERA this

season, will start the opener for the Halos.

Chavez finds redemption with 7-K gem

By Maria Guardado / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- On Friday night, right-hander Jesse Chavez was forced to make his first relief appearance of

the season after the Angels exhausted their entire bullpen during their 13-inning series opener against

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

winning hit in the Angels' 8-7 loss.

Three days later, Chavez reverted to starting and took the mound against Toronto for the second time

this series and earned some redemption, tossing six innings of one-run ball to lead the Angels to a 2-1

win in Monday's finale and clinch a series split.

"You never want to end with an 'L,' and tonight [the goal] was not let that happen, not make that one

pitch a mistake," Chavez said. "Because the other night, I got two quick outs, and it kind of unraveled.

Tonight, my mentality was every time I get an out, there's always another one. That was kind of what

worked out."

Chavez issued four walks but held the Blue Jays to four hits and struck out seven in the 101-pitch

effort. Russell Martin produced the Blue Jays' lone run of the evening in the fourth after hammering an

0-1 fastball over the left-center-field fence for his second homer of the season.

"I think the four walks were a little uncharacteristic of the way Jesse usually goes about his business, but

when he needed to make pitches, he did," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He got some big

strikeouts, got a double-play ball that helped him, He pitched a good game. That's a tough lineup."

Chavez, 33, worked exclusively out of the bullpen last year and has not started regularly since 2015, but

he's performed well in three of his four starts for the Angels this season. He is now 2-3 with a 4.13 ERA

across 24 innings in 2017.

"I feel OK," Chavez said. "It took a little bit to get going. When the lights come on, it's a little different

trying to control the adrenaline, as far as that goes. But we're heading in the right direction, a lot of us.

We just keep at the task at hand, giving our offense a chance to win."

April 25, 2017 Page 16 of 21

Angels aquire reliever Hernandez from Braves

By Maria Guardado / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- David Hernandez was attending a Faith Hill and Tim McGraw concert in Atlanta on Sunday

night when he learned that the Braves had traded him to the Angels in exchange for cash considerations

or a player to be named.

Hernandez, who has been with the Braves' Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett since the start of the season,

gathered as many belongings as he could and threw them in suitcases. On Monday morning, he woke up

at 5:30 a.m. ET, made a stop in Gwinnett to pick up his baseball gear and then headed to the airport for

his 10 a.m. flight to Southern California.

"It's just been kind of a heck of a day," Hernandez said before the Angels' series finale with the Blue Jays

at Angel Stadium. "But I think just being here at the ballpark is definitely energizing."

Hernandez, who pitched a scoreless two-thirds of an inning in Monday's 2-1 win, should help restore

some of the Angels' bullpen depth, which has significantly thinned following injuries to Huston

Street, Andrew Bailey, Cam Bedrosian and Mike Morin. The Halos' bullpen entered Monday with a 4.50

ERA through 20 games, which ranks 21st in the Majors.

"He still has a very lively fastball, good breaking ball," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He has

experience pitching in the back end of games. We'll see how he fits in."

Hernandez, who will turn 32 next month, has a career 4.10 ERA over seven Major League seasons with

the Orioles, D-backs and Phillies. After not making the Braves' bullpen out of Spring Training, the right-

hander opened the season in Gwinnett, where he logged a 1.13 ERA with nine strikeouts and two walks

over eight innings.

"Throwing strikes, I think that's what with I struggled with last year," Hernandez said. "I felt like I was

pounding the strike zone. I added a slider, and it's coming along rather quickly, so hopefully it translates

up here. … It's definitely a blessing in disguise, starting at Triple-A. It afforded me to be able to work on

some things."

The Angels cleared a spot on their 25-man roster for Hernandez after optioning right-hander Daniel

Wright to Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday. Wright started the Angels' 6-2 loss to the Blue Jays on Sunday,

pitching five scoreless innings.

Worth noting

• Right-hander Vicente Campos (right elbow median nerve irritation) was reinstated from the disabled

list on Monday after completing a rehab assignment and was optioned to Salt Lake.

• Infielder Luis Valbuena (right hamstring strain) was slated to begin a rehab assignment on Monday and

play first base at Class A Advanced Inland Empire.

April 25, 2017 Page 17 of 21

Ramirez steps in to start vs. A’s

By Alex Espinosa / Special to MLB.com

The A's and Angels will meet for their second series this season, beginning Tuesday night in Anaheim

when right-handers Jesse Hahn and JC Ramirez are set to go head-to-head.

Oakland has been getting familiar with its AL West foes to begin the season, as the club is in the middle

of a 15-game stretch against division competition. The A's hosted the Angels for a four-game set to open

the season, with the two teams splitting the series. While the Angels started out the year hot and have

cooled off lately, Oakland has responded nicely, putting together a five-game winning streak before

Sunday's loss.

Tuesday's starters have shared similar paths to begin 2017.

Ramirez opened the season in the Angels bullpen, but was inserted into the rotation once Garrett

Richards went out with an injury. The 28-year-old has been knocked around for eight earned runs in 10

1/3 innings in two starts, but has also racked up 12 strikeouts while walking just three.

Hahn, 27, began the year with Oakland's Triple-A affiliate in Nashville, but was called up before the

Minor League season started to be an A's long-relief man. He's since bumped Raul Alcantara out of the

rotation as the No. 5 starter, posting a 3.00 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 18 innings of work with 14 strikeouts.

Things to know about this game

• Veteran right-hander Ricky Nolasco was slated to start Tuesday, but has been pushed back to work on

a mechanical issue, according to Angels manager Mike Scioscia.

• A's outfielder Rajai Davis (hamstring) has missed three straight starts, but is expected to be available

for the series opener in Anaheim.

• Ramirez faced the A's twice as a reliever in the first series, earning a win on April 5 after tossing 2 2/3

scoreless innings.

• A's first baseman Yonder Alonso has been showing more thump early this season, batting

.292/.370/.563 with three home runs. While his 88.2-mph average exit velocity is identical to what he

posted last year, his average launch angle has increased from 10.3 to 18.5 degrees, allowing Alonso to

drive the ball in the air more.

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Angels edge Blue Jays, 2-1

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Cameron Maybin stood at third base in the tie game, eyed the infield playing in and

then immediately broke on contact.

April 25, 2017 Page 18 of 21

He dove head-first into home, slid his out-stretched left hand around catcher Russell Martin's tag and

scored what proved the final run Monday night in the Los Angeles Angels' 2-1 victory over the Toronto

Blue Jays.

"It's just a matter of using my size and athleticism, stretch as long as I can," Maybin said. "I have about a

6-8, 6-9 wing span. That's something you learn from playing basketball -- how long your arms are."

Right-hander Jesse Chavez, who came in relief to take the loss in Friday's 13-inning loss to Toronto, went

six innings for the Angels, holding the Blue Jays to one run on four hits. Chavez (2-3) walked four but

struck out seven.

"Today was just a normal day," Chavez said. "I felt good, felt normal."

Bud Norris pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his second save.

Martin's solo home run in the fourth accounted for Toronto's only run. It was his second of the season.

The Blue Jays have scored four runs or less in 14 of their 18 games this season.

"We're not clicking as a unit," said Blue Jays manager John Gibbons. "That's the bottom line."

The Angels tied the score in the bottom of the fourth when a Mike Trout double turned into a triple

after right-fielder Jose Bautista slipped. Albert Pujols singled to score Trout. The Angels' winning rally in

the fifth came against Francisco Liriano (1-2) after Maybin's leadoff single. A walk and sacrifice bunt put

runners at second and third.

The Blue Jays played the infield in and Yunel Escobar hit a bouncer to second baseman Devon Travis. He

fired home, but Maybin avoided the tag by Martin.

"I wasn't sure if I got the plate or not right away, so I just went back and touched it," Maybin said.

"(Martin) never touch me."

Liriano went 5 1/3 innings, allowing the two runs on five hits and four walks, with two strikeouts.

"His stuff was good, but his balls-to-strikes ratio wasn't," Gibbons said. "But he held them down and

gave us a shot."

The victory allowed the Angels to split the four-game series against Toronto.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Blue Jays: Josh Donaldson (right calf strain) was eligible to come off the disabled list Monday, but

remains out with an uncertain return. Gibbons said he did speak to his third baseman from Anaheim

Monday and Donaldson said from the team's training facility he was feeling better.

April 25, 2017 Page 19 of 21

Angels: The team reinstated right-hander Vicente Campos from the disabled list and optioned him to

Triple-A Salt Lake City. The Angels hope he has better luck there than at Single-A Inland Empire, where

Sunday he gave up three runs on two homers in 1 2/3 innings.

RETURN ENGAGEMENT

Chavez coming back three days as a starter after appearing as a reliever against the same team is an

oddity, but Angels manager Mike Scioscia said his right-hander handled it well. Said Scioscia: "The four

walks were a little uncharacteristic of the way Jesse normally goes about things. But he made pitches

when he had to."

DOUBLE EJECTION

Gibbons was ejected for the second time this season, and in two games, unhappy about the strike zone

on Liriano and a strike three called against Martin. Said Gibbons: "I thought it was kind of a moving zone.

It didn't look like (Liriano) was moving it everywhere."

UP NEXT

Blue Jays: Marco Estrada, who has the lowest ERA (2.63) in the Toronto rotation, will start Tuesday in St.

Louis. He has not allowed an earned run in the combined 13 innings of his last two starts.

Angels: JC Ramirez (0-2) is scheduled to make his third start for the Angels Tuesday at home against the

A's. The converted reliever has struggled in his first two starts (6.97 ERA) but will be pitching with an

extra day's rest.

FROM UPI

Short memory helps Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jesse Chavez come back to beat Toronto Blue

Jays

By Joe Haakenson / The Sports Xchange

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Jesse Chavez made the most of his do-over.

The Los Angeles pitcher was called upon Friday in the first game of a series with the Toronto Blue

Jays after the Angels had gone through their entire bullpen entering the 13th inning.

So Chavez, who pitched in 39 games as a reliever for the Blue Jays last season, obliged. He got the first

two outs of the inning before finding trouble, eventually giving up a game-deciding, three-run homer

to Jose Bautista.

On Monday, he got the opportunity to start fresh, and responded with six strong innings as the Angels

held on for a 2-1 win at Angel Stadium.

April 25, 2017 Page 20 of 21

"There were a couple mistakes I made the other night that made that inning elongate," said Chavez,

who gave up only a solo homer to Russell Martin on Monday. "I took my memory bank and just

reminded myself of not letting the same thing happen again."

He certainly didn't let Bautista get him again, walking the Toronto right fielder the first two times he

faced him before getting him on a flyout in Bautista's third at-bat. In all, Chavez (2-3) gave up four hits

and walked four while striking out seven.

David Hernandez, acquired earlier in the day in a trade with the Atlanta Braves, got two outs in the

eighth inning in his Angels debut. Bud Norris pitched the ninth for his second save.

The Angels' defense was solid in support of the pitchers, something manager Mike Scioscia said is a must

if his team is going to contend.

"I want to talk about the defense and what we did on the mound because that's the style we need,"

Scioscia said. "We need to control the game on the defensive end, and we did a pretty good job in this

series. Not just making plays in the field, but our pitcher-catcher relationship, making sure we're hitting

our spots, all the things that are going to be important for our first line of defense, which is your pitcher

on the mound."

The Angels' offense couldn't muster much against Toronto starter Francisco Liriano but was able to do

enough. Mike Trout tripled and scored on an Albert Pujols single in the fourth, and an RBI groundout

by Yunel Escobar in the fifth provided the Angels with the winning margin.

The Blue Jays had a potential rally snuffed out in the seventh inning after Chris Coghlan led off with a

single against Angels reliever Yusmeiro Petit. Coghlan appeared to steal second on a pitch to Devon

Travis, but plate umpire Toby Basner ruled batter's interference on Travis.

Replays showed that Travis hit Angels catcher Martin Maldonado in the back with the follow-through on

his swing. That meant Travis was ruled out and Coghlan had to return to first base.

Blue Jays bench coach DeMarlo Hale, running the game for Toronto after manager John Gibbons was

ejected one inning earlier, came out to argue to no avail. The inning fizzled from there.

Gibbons was ejected after arguing balls and strikes with Basner when Martin was called out on strikes to

end the sixth inning. It was the second ejection for Gibbons in two days. He was booted from the Sunday

game for arguing a quick-pitch call on Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman.

After the game, Gibbons seemed to indicate his ejection was warranted.

"We can tell up and down, but you can't tell in and out," Gibbons said of pitch location. "I thought it was

kind of a moving zone. ... You know, I defend my guys, I always will. It's frustrating."

Liriano (1-2) got the loss despite giving up just two runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings.

April 25, 2017 Page 21 of 21

"His stuff was good, but ball-strike ratio, he put himself in some jams," Gibbons said. "But he could

throw his slider when he was behind in the count, and he held them in check and gave us a shot."

NOTES: The Angels acquired RHP David Hernandez from the Atlanta Braves in a trade for a player to be

named or cash considerations. In seven games with Triple-A Gwinnett this season, Hernandez had a 1.12

ERA with four saves in eight innings pitched, with two walks and nine strikeouts. To make room on the

roster for Hernandez, the Angels optioned RHP Daniel Wright to Triple-A Salt Lake. ... The Angels and

Blue Jays have played each other 410 times since Toronto first entered the league in 1977. Each team

has won 205 games.