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Clips

(August 2, 2017)

August 2, 2017 Page 2 of 29

Today’s Clips Contents

FROM LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3)

Pujols carries Angels’ offense in 7-1 win over Phillies

Angels reliever Huston Street is trying to salvage what's left of season

Angels mailbag: What's left this season?

FROM ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER (Page 8)

Resurgent Albert Pujols drives in five runs in Angels’ 7-1 victory over Phillies

Angels Notes: Cameron Maybin nearly ready to return

Angels’ Huston Street shut down with rotator cuff injury FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 12)

Halos finish Phils on Pujols' 608th HR, 5 RBIs

Pujols catches fire, nears another HR milestone

Street shut down with rotator cuff strain

Ramirez to face former team vs. Phillies

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 17)

Pujols' 608th homer, 5 RBIs power Angels past Phillies, 7-1

FROM ESPN.COM (Page 19)

Olney: Grading the 2017 trade deadline

FROM SB NATION (Page 24)

Angels of Death: Angels 7, Phillies 1

FROM CSN PHILLY (Page 25)

Phillies-Angels 5 things: First look at Mike Trout since 2014

FROM PHILLY.COM (Page 28)

Albert Pujols batters Phillies, spoils Aaron Nola's night

August 2, 2017 Page 3 of 29

FROM LOS ANGELES TIMES

Pujols carries Angels’ offense in 7-1 win over Phillies

By Mike DiGiovanna

No matter how good Mike Trout is — and the center fielder has been transcendent since he reached the

big leagues for good in 2012, with two American League most valuable player awards and three runner-

up finishes — he alone cannot lead the Angels to a World Series.

That’s been proved over the last five years, when the Angels have had the best player in baseball and

zero playoff victories to show for it.

Trout needs help, and though it will take numerous impact players to push the Angels toward pennant

contention, a late-career revival by Albert Pujols would be a good start.

The 37-year-old slugger entered Tuesday with a .233 average, .280 on-base percentage and .385

slugging percentage, all career lows on his Hall-of-Fame resume, but he is beginning to stir.

Pujols gave his team a lead with a two-out, two-run double in the fifth inning Tuesday night, and he put

the game out of reach with a three-run homer in the seventh, driving in five runs of a 7-1 victory over

the Philadelphia Phillies in Angel Stadium.

This came on the heels of Sunday’s two-homer game in Toronto, a power surge that ended an 0-for-24

skid and, combined with Tuesday night’s shot, gave Pujols 608 career homers, one shy of Sammy Sosa

for eighth place on baseball’s all-time list.

“I don’t think about the struggles, it’s as simple as that,” Pujols said. “I don’t care what you guys say or

write, I play for God, family and friends.”

Pujols’ big night — he has six hits and nine RBIs in his last two games — pushed the Angels to within four

games of Kansas City for the second wild-card spot and gave him a team-high 68 RBIs on the season.

“This is what Albert can do,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “When he gets locked in and is on some

pitches, he can put a team on his shoulders and carry it.”

Pujols’ power ensured that Ricky Nolasco, who allowed one run and six hits in six somewhat shaky

innings, striking out five and walking two, would earn the win to improve to 5-12.

Nolasco escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the first after he committed an error that led to Philadelphia’s

run, and he escaped a two-on, no-out jam in the sixth to preserve a 2-1 lead, getting Maikel Franco and

Nick Williams to fly out and striking out Hyun-Soo Kim with a split-fingered fastball.

“Ricky improvised, and he pitched,” Scioscia said. “He didn’t have his best stuff, but when he needed to

make a pitch, he did, whether it was a fastball he located or spinning the ball with a good split. He

scratched and clawed and got through six innings. He got some big outs.”

August 2, 2017 Page 4 of 29

So did rookie reliever Keynan Middleton in the seventh, after Andrew Knapp led off with a double to left

and speedy leadoff man Cesar Hernandez reached on an infield single, a grounder Andrelton Simmons

fielded, pumped a throw to second and threw late to first on.

Freddy Galvis flied to center, advancing Knapp to third, but Middleton struck out No. 3 hitter Aaron

Altherr swinging at a 98-mph four-seam fastball and cleanup man Tommy Joseph looking at a 93-mph

two-seam fastball to snuff out the rally and preserve a 2-1 lead.

Kaleb Cowart led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, Trout singled with one out, and Pujols,

facing reliever Mark Leiter, curled his 17th homer of the season around the left-field foul pole for a 5-1

lead. The Angels tacked on two more runs in the eighth.

The Angels put together a quick-strike, two-out rally in the fifth that Yunel Escobar, who departed in the

eighth because of upper back tightness, sparked with a single to center. Trout walked, and Pujols sliced

a double to right to score both runners for a 2-1 Angels lead.

Asked if he was looking for something outside, Pujols said, “No, I just closed my eyes and hit it the other

way.”

Hernandez opened the game with an infield single, and Galvis flied to center. Altherr tapped a grounder

between the mound and first base, an easy play for Nolasco. The ball squirted out of the pitcher’s glove

for an error. Joseph grounded an RBI single to left to give Philadelphia a 1-0 lead.

Angels reliever Huston Street is trying to salvage what's left of season

By Mike DiGiovanna

A right lat strain sidelined Huston Street for the first 2 1/2 months of the season. Two weeks after

returning from that injury, the Angels reliever suffered a right groin strain that sent him to the disabled

list July 5.

While rehabilitating from that injury, Street was diagnosed with a mild rotator cuff strain, an injury

general manager Billy Eppler confirmed Tuesday and that could put the veteran right-hander’s season in

jeopardy.

“I absolutely want to play, I’m doing everything I can, but the body is not cooperating,” Street, 34, said.

“This has been an unfortunate year of setbacks, of new injury after new injury. You have to get your

body in a rhythm, and it’s hard to do when it’s one thing after another.”

Street, motivated to rebound from a career-worst 2016 in which he was 3-2 with a 6.45 ERA in 26 games

and sat out three months because of a rib-cage strain and a knee injury, lost 15 pounds and lowered his

body fat from 18% to 12% last offseason.

His improved condition did not prevent injury. Street, who has 324 saves, injured his lat in early March.

After returning in late June and throwing four scoreless innings, he tried to pitch through discomfort and

suffered a more severe groin strain July 2.

August 2, 2017 Page 5 of 29

A recent MRI test revealed the rotator cuff strain. Street will not be cleared to throw until his symptoms

resolve.

“I’m still in a holding pattern,” Street said. “You’re always frustrated when you can’t play. The only thing

that’s more of a waste of time than losing is not playing.”

Street is in the final year of a two-year, $18-million contract that includes a $10-million option for 2018

that the Angels can buy out for $1 million. As frustrating as the last two seasons have been, he is not

ready to give up on 2017.

“I do plan on pitching again this year,” Street said. “That will happen.”

Rehab report

There was more encouraging news for four starting pitchers rehabilitating from injuries.

Tyler Skaggs, out since April 29 because of a rib-cage strain, gave up three earned runs and five hits,

struck out five and walked three in 4 2/3 innings for triple-A Salt Lake on Monday. Of his 85 pitches, 57

were strikes.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia said the left-hander will make one more triple-A start or pitch for the

Angels on Saturday against Oakland.

Garrett Richards, limited to one April start because of a right biceps strain, has extended his long toss to

150 to 200 feet and could begin throwing off a mound within a week.

Matt Shoemaker, out since June 15 because of a right forearm extensor strain, has extended his long

toss to 150 to 200 feet. The right-hander could throw off a mound Wednesday or Thursday and begin a

minor league rehab stint next week.

Andrew Heaney, 13 months removed from elbow ligament-replacement surgery, gave up three earned

runs and five hits, struck out seven and didn’t walk anyone for Salt Lake against Nashville on Tuesday.

His fastball was clocked between 88 mph and 92 mph, and of his 81 pitches, 60 were strikes.

“We got a glowing report from Keith Johnson and Erik Bennett,” Scioscia said, referring to the triple-A

manager and pitching coach. “He pitched five strong innings. He’s moving closer … but we’re gonna be

very conservative on how he moves forward.”

Short hops

Ramon Flores started in right field for the injured Kole Calhoun on Tuesday night after being called up

from Salt Lake. The Angels also recalled reliever Eduardo Paredes and optioned right-hander Brook

Pounders to Salt Lake. … Left fielder Cameron Maybin (right-knee sprain) ran the bases aggressively

Monday and hit on the field Tuesday. Maybin, out since July 19, could begin a minor league stint this

week and return to the Angels during this homestand. … Reliever Andrew Bailey, out since April 10

August 2, 2017 Page 6 of 29

because of a shoulder injury, threw bullpen sessions Saturday and Monday and is scheduled to resume a

rehab stint at Salt Lake on Thursday.

Angels mailbag: What's left this season?

By Pedro Moura

Hey, Angels fans. The team is 51-55 right now, five games out of an American League wild-card spot,

twice as far as last week. They struggled some in Cleveland and Toronto. Multiple walk-off grand slams

were involved.

At Monday’s trade deadline, they did little. Let’s get to some questions about that, and the team. As

always, you can submit what’s on your mind through my Twitter handle or email address, which are

both listed below.

Why didn't the Angels push to make more impact-ful moves? Front office still trying to compete or

calling it a year?

I’m not sure why you assume they did not push to make more impactful moves. Do you think only the

teams that made impactful moves pushed to make them? Obviously, that is not the case. A minute

fraction of trades discussed actually happen.

The Angels are not calling it a year. They are also not really going for it. It’s like 12:30 at the party. Some

of their friends already went home. Others are getting involved. They are just sitting there, letting it flow

around them, not taking any big chances, hoping they’ll run into some luck.

They did not have the assets to really reap pronounced benefits if they called it a night at midnight.

WTF was billy thinking in that David trade?

Of course, I received angry tweets about the Angels trading David Hernandez, and angry tweets about

the Angels not trading Bud Norris, two 32-year-old relievers they acquired earlier this year for nothing.

The simplest way to respond, I suppose, is this: Very likely, it won’t matter either way. Not in, like, a

grand-scheme-of-the-universe scope. Like, to the Angels.

Luis Madero, their return for Hernandez, is unlikely to succeed in the major leagues. And I say that

confidently, having never seen him pitch. Based solely on his age, current affiliate, and his exclusion

from all Diamondbacks’ top prospects lists, he is a long shot to reach the majors.

And it’s not as if they passed up a better return elsewhere. Ex-Angel Joe Smith owns an impressive track

record of consistency, as he is the only reliever in the sport to log a sub-4.00 ERA in each of the last 11

seasons. And he netted Toronto two prospects of similar stature to Madero.

You can look at the market for rental relievers this year: Good prospects were not traded to acquire

them. Even good prospects are gambles. Not-good prospects are like lottery tickets, and lottery tickets

are generally a waste.

August 2, 2017 Page 7 of 29

By trading one of their veteran relievers and not the others, the Angels hedged a bit. If they somehow

mount a real run for the playoffs, their bullpen won’t be decimated. And they still received one lottery

ticket, in exchange for a guy they bought from Atlanta in April.

Is the fact that we've underperformed the last 3 years mean that there's a threat of Trout ending up

somewhere else

There has always been a threat that Trout would choose to go elsewhere come free agency. That is the

point of free agency. How these years have directly affected that likelihood is difficult to say. Also, the

Angels are playing essentially exactly how projections foretold, with another significant spate of injuries,

so I don’t think they’re necessarily underperforming in 2017.

you’ll probably be getting this a lot, but what next? Any indication this offseason will be busier (louder)

than the past couple years?

I would expect the Angels to make a high-profile move or two this winter, yes. Again, to correct the

record a bit, two years ago they did swing a pretty prominent trade that has proved massive to their

long-term hopes. They traded for shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who is under contract through 2020 at

a rate far, far below his market value. Simmons is a tremendous defender, and, over the past calendar

year, he has hit .295 with a .349 on-base percentage and .432 slugging percentage.

That is, essentially, a superstar. By fangraphs.com’s Wins Above Replacement calculations, Simmons is

tied with Nolan Arenadoand Bryce Harper over the last year. All three men have been worth 5.9 WAR.

The list of the 12 men who have been worth more is a who’s who of the best position players alive.

With Skaggs and Heaney pitching today/Tomorrow in AAA when could we see them back with Angels?

Barring setbacks of course

Tyler Skaggs is now on schedule to start Saturday, whether in triple-A or Anaheim. If it’s in triple-A and it

goes well, it should be the last of his outings there. Andrew Heaney will pitch Tuesday and should

require a few more starts before he is activated. Sometime in August looks likely.

Is the front office waiting for the pitching rotation to get healthy to truly evaluate the team and move

forward?

Of course it will be helpful if all the Angels’ pitchers are healthy, but pitching injuries are always going to

happen. It’s rare across the sport for a team’s 10 or 12 best starting pitchers to all be healthy at the

same time. It’s also rare for five of them to be hurt at once. Angels executives are always evaluating

their own club. It’s not like they have no idea what to expect if the injured pitchers get healthy.

Who has the power to move Pujols down in the lineup? Is that just Albert's decision?

Mike Scioscia does. As the manager of the team, he makes the lineup. I understand that Albert Pujols is

not having a good season and should not be hitting third at his current clip, but it’s not as if the Angels

have some big bopper hitting sixth and losing out on chances. Also, batting-order position just doesn’t

August 2, 2017 Page 8 of 29

matter that much. Furthermore, Pujols has still been better than the average major-league hitter at

getting baserunners home. As I wrote in June, that may be because he alters his approach in such

situations.

Should Mike Scioscia be fired?

I interpret this question as asking if he is responsible for the club’s current standing, four games below

.500, with only a small chance at playoff qualification. My answer to that is no. I can certainly think of

questionable decisions he’s made this season, but it’s not as if the team has an incredible mass of talent

on the roster. He’s not the primary reason the Angels are under .500. I’m sure I’ve written it in this space

many times before: I see no evidence that managers have massive impacts on major league seasons.

Do you think there are any QO candidates on this year's team? I mean, MAYBE Maybin?

The qualifying offer is going to be something like $18 million next season, which would represent a

doubling of Cameron Maybin’s 2017 salary. That is an extremely steep raise. That’s probably not going

to happen.

FROM ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Resurgent Albert Pujols drives in five runs in Angels’ 7-1 victory over Phillies

By Jeff Fletcher

ANAHEIM — Albert Pujols and Ricky Nolasco, who have had vastly different careers, have one significant

thing in common.

Experience.

That’s why both players have been able to remain positive, despite performances not always up to their

expectations, knowing that better days were ahead.

Pujols drove in five runs in his second consecutive big game, helping Nolasco and the Angels to a 7-1

victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night,.

“This game is not easy,” said Pujols, a 37-year-old veteran of 17 seasons. “We go through some struggles,

but at the end of the day, we know what we’re capable of doing.”

Nolasco, a 34-year-old in his 12th season, persevered without his best stuff, through six innings, allowing

just one run. It was his fifth quality start in his last seven outings, a stretch that has helped him gradually

turn around what had been a frustrating season.

When Nolasco left after 101 pitches on an unusually humid Southern California night, the Angels were

clinging to just a 2-1 lead.

August 2, 2017 Page 9 of 29

Pujols took care of that. He yanked a three-run homer down the left-field line in the seventh, padding the

lead. It was his third hit of the game, following a three-hit, two-homer game on Sunday.

That followed an 0-for-24 streak, during which Pujols at one point tersely answered questions about the

slump. Now that it seems over, he was no more inclined to talk about it.

“I don’t think about it like you guys,” he said. “It’s as simple as that.”

Manager Mike Scioscia, who had said Pujols seemed “out of sync” in the middle of the oh-fer, said he’s not

now.

“He had a tough beginning to the road trip,” Scioscia said. “He hit some balls hard and not much to show

for it, but this was what Albert can do. When he gets locked in and not missing pitches, he can put a team

on his shoulders and carry them.”

In the fifth inning, he went the other way with a double into right field, driving in two to put the Angels

ahead, 2-1. His seventh-inning homer was the 608th of his career. He is within one of tying Sammy Sosa for

the most homers hit by a player born outside the United States.

Pujols is also now up to 68 RBI, on pace for his third 100-RBI season with the Angels.

“He’s proven it his whole career,” said Nolasco, who faced Pujols before he became his teammate. “He just

has good at-bats when guys are in scoring position. That’s how he drives in so many runs. At the end of the

year, you look up and he has 120 RBIs. That’s what he does.”

Nolasco also did what he has traditionally done, which is chew up innings and give his team a chance to

win.

Pitching on the one-year anniversary of the trade that brought him to the Angels, Nolasco has a 4.27 ERA

over 198 innings in 33 starts in the past 12 months. He has far outperformed Hector Santiago, who has a

5.61 ERA in 131-2/3 innings with the Minnesota Twins. Alex Meyer, the other pitcher the Angels got in that

deal, has a 3.94 ERA in 89 innings with the Angels.

For much of the first half of this season, Nolasco was scuffling, but he’s turned it around over the last

seven starts. This one was a grind, as he danced around trouble all night to get through an unfamiliar

Phillies lineup.

“A lot of traffic basically every inning,” he said. “A lot of working out of the stretch. The split kind of saved

me tonight. I threw a ton of them and it worked out.”

Nolasco left nine outs for the bullpen, and Keynan Middleton got the biggest three, while the game was

still 2-1.

Andrew Knapp led off the seventh by getting a double when Ben Revere misjudged the ball in left. Cesar

Hernandez then hit a grounder to shortstop, and Andrelton Simmons took too long looking Knapp back to

first — Kaleb Cowart was too far in the hole to get to second to make a play. Simmons’ throw to first was

August 2, 2017 Page 10 of 29

then late. Middleton responded by getting the next three, including strikeouts of Aaron Altherr and

Tommy Joseph, the 3-4 hitters.

By the time Blake Parker pitched the eighth, Pujols had padded the lead, allowing the Angels to finish off a

comfortable victory.

The only potential issue for the Angels on the night was Yunel Escobar, who came out of the game in the

eighth. Scioscia said he’d felt some tightness in his back midway through the game, and he aggravated it

while striking out in the seventh. Scioscia said he’s day to day.

Angels Notes: Cameron Maybin nearly ready to return

By Jeff Fletcher

ANAHEIM — Outfielder Cameron Maybin is just about ready to return to the Angels.

Maybin said he went through an aggressive workout running the bases on Monday, and will do so again on

Wednesday. If that goes well, he could be out for what figures to be just a couple games in the minors.

“I just have to make sure my knee is safe and feeling good,” he said Tuesday. “My swing feels great. I

haven’t lost much.”

Maybin has been out just two weeks with a sprained knee, an injury that was initially diagnosed with a

two- to four-week rehab time.

“I’ve been known to kind of push myself,” Maybin said. “I feel pretty good right now. I feel like I’m pretty

close. Yesterday went really, really well.”

STARTERS HEALING

Tyler Skaggs (strained oblique) will return to Southern California to be evaluated after his rehab outing on

Monday night for Triple-A Salt Lake City. He threw 85 pitches, but gave up four runs in 4-2/3 innings. The

Angels will decide if he’s ready to rejoin their rotation or if he needs to go back to Triple-A for another

outing.

“He got to the pitch count we need to see,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “His command was a little bit off.”

Andrew Heaney (Tommy John surgery) pitched five innings at Triple-A on Tuesday, his first outing above

rookie league since his last major league game, in April 2016. He gave up three runs, but he stuck out

seven. Scioscia said the reports were “glowing.” Heaney got his velocity up to 93 mph. He will pitch again

at Triple-A.

Garrett Richards and Matt Shoemaker, who are both out with nerve issues, have played long toss at a

distance of about 200 feet. Shoemaker said he’s hoping to get on a mound in the next couple days. He said

he’s symptom-free, but he’s cautious because the last time he felt fine until he pitched in a minor league

game.

August 2, 2017 Page 11 of 29

Richards, who has been out for longer, said he’s hoping to get on a mound in the next couple weeks.

“To be honest, everything kind of feels better than I expected it would,” he said.

Richards still has plenty of steps ahead of him. He didn’t throw at all for three months, so he essentially

had an extra offseason and is now not even to the stage he’d be at the start of spring training.

Alex Meyer (shoulder inflammation) said he played catch on Monday and expects to do so again on

Wednesday. He said he is still “hoping” he won’t be out long.

ALSO

Kole Calhoun, who hurt his right hamstring on Sunday, was back on the field doing some running and

hitting on Tuesday. He is hoping to be able to play in the next couple days. …

The Angels called up outfielder Ramon Flores, who started in right field. Flores, 25, had spent parts of the

previous two seasons in the majors, with the New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers. He hit .311 with

an .822 OPS at Triple-A. …

The Angels swapped relievers, bringing up right-handed Eduardo Paredes and sending down Brooks

Pounders. They could call up two players and send out one because they traded David Hernandez on

Monday. …

Andrew Bailey, who had returned from his rehab assignment last weekend, said he’s throwing bullpen

sessions and is planning to pitch again on Thursday at Triple-A. Bailey said he “just needed a couple days.”

Scioscia had said he was having some strength issues in his shoulder. …

After Bud Norris’ gave up two grand slams last week, Scioscia said Tuesday his status in the bullpen has not

changed. He is still part of the late-inning mix, which is as much as Scioscia ever committed to before

Norris’ bad week.

Angels’ Huston Street shut down with rotator cuff injury

By Jeff Fletcher

ANAHEIM — Add another injury to Huston Street’s frustrating season.

Street, who is on the disabled list because of a strained groin, is now bothered by a mild rotator cuff strain,

General Manager Billy Eppler said Tuesday.

Eppler said Street recently underwent an MRI that showed the injury. He’s now shut down from throwing

until the symptoms resolve.

In the meantime, Street is clearly feeling the frustration of another season spoiled by injuries.

August 2, 2017 Page 12 of 29

“This year has been an unfortunate year of setback after setback, new injury after new injury,” Street said.

“Sometimes you’ve just got to get your body in a rhythm and you can’t get in a rhythm when it’s one thing

after another.”

Street, 33, has pitched in just four games this season. He missed nearly four months, including a month of

spring training, with a strained lat. He then returned and hurt his groin. That injury wasn’t serious, but

while he was out, the shoulder issue cropped up.

Street is in the final year of his deal with the Angels, making $9 million. He has a $1 million buyout or a $10

million option for next year.

FROM ANGELS.COM

Halos finish Phils on Pujols' 608th HR, 5 RBIs

By Maria Guardado and Todd Zolecki / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- Albert Pujols continued to put his extended slump in the rearview mirror on Tuesday night,

launching a three-run home run and knocking in five runs to halt the Phillies' five-game win streak and

power the Angels to a 7-1 series-opening win at Angel Stadium.

Pujols gave the Angels their first lead of the night with a two-run double in the fifth and then added

some cushion in the seventh with his 17th home run of the season, a three-run blast off Phillies

reliever Mark Leiter that put the Halos ahead, 5-1. Pujols now has three home runs and nine RBIs in his

last two games after snapping an 0-for-24 drought on Sunday.

"He had a tough beginning of that road trip," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He hit some balls

hard, and not much to show for it, but this is what Albert can do. When he gets locked in, he's not

missing pitches. He can put a team on his shoulders and carry them."

With the win, the Angels (51-55) pulled within four games of the Royals for the second American League

Wild Card spot. The Halos gained some ground following Kansas City's 7-2 loss to the Orioles on

Tuesday.

Angels right-hander Ricky Nolasco yielded just one run on six hits over six innings, delivering his fifth

quality start in his last seven games. Tommy Joseph produced the Phillies' lone run of the night with an

RBI single in the first.

"It was one of those days where it was a grind," Nolasco said. "Lot of working out of the stretch. Splitty

kind of saved me tonight, kind of the only good pitch going for me tonight. Threw a ton of them and it

worked out."

Right-hander Aaron Nola was charged with the tough-luck loss despite pitching six strong innings for the

Phillies. The 24-year-old surrendered two runs on eight hits while walking one and striking out three.

August 2, 2017 Page 13 of 29

"I got myself in jams with two outs and two strikes," Nola said. "They capitalized on them."

Phillies reliever Drew Anderson, who was recalled from Double-A Reading ahead of Tuesday's game,

made his Major League debut in the eighth and gave up two runs (one earned), allowing the Angels to

extend their lead to 7-1. Anderson's stint with the Phillies was short-lived, as he was optioned shortly

thereafter.

"It was a rush," Anderson said. "It was fun. I mean, I'm glad I got in and struck out Mike Trout."

Angels third baseman Yunel Escobar departed the game after seven innings with tightness in his upper

back. He is day to day, according to Scioscia.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Nolasco escapes trouble: After Pujols gave the Angels a 2-1 lead, the Phillies mounted a scoring

opportunity against Nolasco in the sixth. Joseph drew a leadoff walk, and Odubel Herrera reached on a

bunt single to put runners on first and second with no outs. Still, Nolasco worked out of the jam by

retiring Maikel Francoand Nick Williams on flyouts and striking out Hyun Soo Kim to end the inning,

preserving the Angels' slim lead.

"Big out with Kim with a couple guys on," Scioscia said. "He scratched and clawed and got through six

tonight without his best stuff."

Phillies threaten again: The Phillies also had a chance to take advantage of a pair of defensive miscues

by the Angels after putting a pair of baserunners on to start the seventh. Keynan Middleton relieved

Nolasco and induced a fly ball to left field from Andrew Knapp to start the inning, but Ben

Revere misplayed it, allowing it to sail over his head for a leadoff double. Cesar Hernandez followed by

hitting a grounder to Andrelton Simmons, who did a pump fake to hold Knapp at second before firing to

first, which gave Hernandez enough time to beat out his throw. Still, Middleton escaped the jam by

coaxing a lineout from Freddy Galvis and striking out Aaron Altherr and Joseph, killing the Phillies' rally.

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

With 608 career home runs, Pujols is one shy of matching fellow Dominican Sammy Sosa for eighth on

the all-time list and first by a foreign-born player.

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

In the third, Escobar tried to score from second base on Pujols' two-out single to left field, but he was

thrown out at the plate by Williams, ending the inning and keeping the Phillies' 1-0 lead intact. The

Angels challenged the call, but it was upheld following a lengthy replay review.

Hernandez was initially called out at first after hitting a grounder to Simmons in the seventh, but the

Phillies issued a challenge after replay showed that Hernandez had appeared to beat out Simmons'

throw. The call was overturned, and Hernandez was credited with an infield single.

WHAT'S NEXT

Phillies: Right-hander Jake Thompson (1-0, 4.50 ERA) makes his second start this season in the second

August 2, 2017 Page 14 of 29

game of a three-game series at 10:07 p.m. ET Wednesday against the Angels at Angel Stadium.

Thompson replaced Jeremy HellicksonFriday night against the Braves, throwing five scoreless innings.

Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said Thompson earned a longer look as a result.

Angels: Right-hander JC Ramirez (9-9, 4.29 ERA) will take the mound on Wednesday as the Angels play

the second game of their three-game series against the Phillies at 7:07 p.m. PT at Angel Stadium.

Ramirez, a former Phillie, has made four career relief appearances against his old club, allowing one run

over 3 1/3 innings.

Pujols catches fire, nears another HR milestone

Angels slugger hits 608th homer, 1 shy of 8th all-time

By Maria Guardado / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- After seeing Albert Pujols go hitless over the Angels' three-game series against the Indians

last week, manager Mike Scioscia said he thought the 37-year-old slugger was "a little out of sync at the

plate."

Pujols, however, rejected that notion.

"Why, because I went 0-for?" Pujols said Thursday. "I'm not out of sync. Just a tough series."

Three days later, Pujols put an emphatic end to his 0-for-24 slump -- one of the longest of his career --

by blasting two home runs and collecting three hits against the Blue Jays. He continued his surge on

Tuesday night, homering and collecting five RBIs to power the Angels to a 7-1 win over the Phillies at

Angel Stadium.

"He had a tough beginning of that road trip," Scioscia said. "He hit some balls hard, and not much to

show for it, but this is what Albert can do. When he gets locked in, he's not missing pitches. He can put a

team on his shoulders and carry them."

With 608 career home runs, Pujols is one away from tying Sammy Sosa for eighth on the all-time list and

first by a foreign-born player, though he deflected talk of the upcoming milestone, as has been his

custom.

"I don't think about it," Pujols said. "My goal every day is to come here, and if I do it, I do it. If I don't, I'm

great. There's going to be another day. I can't control that stuff."

Entering Tuesday, Pujols was hitting .233 with a .280 on-base percentage and a .365 slugging

percentage, all of which are career lows. Since snapping his skid on Sunday, however, Pujols is 6-for-9

with three home runs and nine RBIs over his last two games.

"I don't think about it like you guys do," Pujols said. "It's as simple as that. I don't care about what you

guys write, what you guys say. I don't play here for you guys. I play here for God, my family and my

friends."

August 2, 2017 Page 15 of 29

Pujols gave the Angels their first lead of the night in the fifth. After Yunel Escobar's two-out single

and Mike Trout's walk, Pujols delivered a two-run, opposite-field double to put the Halos ahead, 2-1. He

then extended the Angels' lead to 5-1 in the seventh by launching a three-run homer to left field.

"I wish that Scioscia gave Pujols the day off today," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He did some

damage."

Street shut down with rotator cuff strain

Angels pitcher sidelined since July 5 with groin injury

By Maria Guardado / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- Huston Street has been sidelined with a right groin injury since July 5, but an MRI exam also

revealed a mild rotator cuff strain in his right shoulder, Angels general manager Billy Eppler said

Tuesday.

Street, who will be cleared to throw once his symptoms subside, has been undergoing treatment and

said he hopes to pitch again this season. Still, Eppler refrained from offering a timeline for his return,

citing a lack of information.

"Right now, I'm not at a point where we're kind of assessing the end point," Eppler said, "Still just

gathering some information. As more information comes in, I'll probably be able to give you a better

estimate on that."

Injuries have limited Street to only four innings this year, as he also missed nearly three months with a

lat strain. The 33-year-old veteran is a potential free agent at the end of the year, with a $10 million

team option for 2018 or a $1 million buyout.

Skaggs, Heaney take steps forward

Left-hander Tyler Skaggs made his fourth rehab start on Monday, allowing three runs on five hits while

walking three and striking out five over 4 2/3 innings with Triple-A Salt Lake.

Skagg's next outing is scheduled for Saturday, though the Angels have not yet determined if he will

continue his rehab assignment with Salt Lake or return to Anaheim to fill the void in the Halos' rotation

left by the injured Alex Meyer.

"We're going to evaluate him," manager Mike Scioscia. "Either he pitches down there and gets little

more fine-tuned, or he's with us. We're going to wait until we get some more information, see how he

feels and see what's happening."

Fellow southpaw Andrew Heaney, who is now 13 months removed from Tommy John surgery, made his

first rehab start with Salt Lake on Tuesday and surrendered three runs on five hits while walking none

and striking out seven over five innings.

August 2, 2017 Page 16 of 29

"He got a glowing report from [Triple-A pitching coach] Erik Bennett and [Triple-A manager] Keith

Johnson on how he looked this afternoon," Scioscia said. "Velocity touched 93, but he was in the range

you're looking at. Pitched five strong innings. I think out of the 15 outs he got, he struck out seven guys.

He did well."

Barring any setbacks, Skaggs and Heaney are both on track to rejoin the Angels' rotation by the end of

the month.

Calhoun day to day

Right fielder Kole Calhoun remains day to day with a sore right hamstring, as an MRI exam on Monday

revealed "between a spasm and a Grade-1 strain," according to Eppler. Calhoun injured his hamstring

while running the bases in the Angels' loss to the Blue Jays on Sunday and exited the game, though he

said he felt better and has already resumed hitting.

With Calhoun likely to miss a few days, the Angels called up outfielder Ramon Flores from Triple-A Salt

Lake and had him start in right field on Tuesday against the Phillies. Flores, 25, was batting .311 with five

home runs and 55 RBIs in 88 games with Salt Lake this season.

Worth noting

• Cameron Maybin (sprained right knee) ran the bases on Monday and is getting closer to beginning a

rehab assignment.

"Being positive, I think things are definitely looking up," Maybin said.

• Garrett Richards (biceps strain) and Matt Shoemaker (forearm strain) have progressed to throwing

from 200 feet in their long-toss programs. Both are hoping to begin mound work soon. Meyer (right

shoulder inflammation) was also cleared to resume throwing.

• The Angels optioned Brooks Pounders to Triple-A and recalled Eduardo Paredesfrom Triple-A Salt Lake

ahead of Tuesday's series opener against the Phillies.

Ramirez to face former team vs. Phillies

By Todd Zolecki / MLB.com

Two pitchers involved in two of the biggest trades in recent Phillies history face each other Wednesday

night at Angel Stadium.

Angels right-hander JC Ramirez (9-9, 4.29 ERA) faces Phillies right-hander Jake Thompson (1-0, 4.50 ERA)

in the second game of the three-game series. The Phillies acquired Ramirez and two other prospects

from the Mariners in a December 2010 trade that sent Cliff Lee to Seattle. The Phillies acquired

Thompson and four other prospects from the Rangers in July 2015 for Cole Hamels.

August 2, 2017 Page 17 of 29

The Phillies let Ramirez walk following the 2013 season. He bounced from the Indians to the D-Backs to

the Mariners to the Reds before joining the Angels in June 2016. He pitched well out of the bullpen

before moving into the rotation this season. Thompson just rejoined the Phillies' rotation, taking the

place of Jeremy Hellickson, who was traded.

Things to know about this game

• Among pitchers with at least 1,500 total pitches thrown this season, only Clayton Kershaw has gone to

a breaking ball (curve/slider) more often than Ramirez, according to Statcast. The righty has used his

breaking stuff 50.2 percent of the time in 2017.

• The Phillies entered the series as the youngest team in baseball, following trades in the past week that

dealt Pat Neshek, Hellickson, Howie Kendrick and Joaquin Benoit to postseason hopefuls. The Phillies

are an average age of 26 years, 238 days old.

• Thompson earned a second start after pitching five scoreless innings on Friday against the Braves.

Thompson struck out five and walked two on 74 pitches.

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Pujols' 608th homer, 5 RBIs power Angels past Phillies, 7-1

Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- After 17 seasons in the big leagues, Albert Pujols already knows how to navigate

every peak and valley a hitter can encounter.

When he followed up an ugly five-game hitless stretch with six hits and three homers in the past two

games, nobody around the Los Angeles Angels was remotely surprised their slugger found his way back.

Pujols hit a three-run homer and a two-run double, and the Angels snapped the Philadelphia Phillies'

five-game winning streak with a 7-1 victory Tuesday night.

Pujols followed up his go-ahead double off Aaron Nola (8-7) in the fifth inning with his 608th career

homer in the seventh off reliever Mark Leiter. The slugger is one homer behind Sammy Sosa for eighth

place in baseball history.

"This game gives to you and takes away, too," Pujols said. "If you go out there and get a base hit every

time or get a zero every time, I don't think this game would be fun. The thing about this game is it

challenges you, and you get mentally stronger."

Pujols went 3 for 28 on the Angels' road trip last week, and his first of two homers last Sunday in

Toronto snapped a season-worst hitless drought of 24 at-bats. The three-time NL MVP was right back on

track against Philadelphia in the Halos' return for a nine-game homestand.

August 2, 2017 Page 18 of 29

"He had a tough beginning of that road trip, but this is what Albert can do," Angels manager Mike

Scioscia said. "When he gets locked in and he's not missing pitches, he can put a team on his shoulders

and carry them."

Pujols went 3 for 4 in his 23rd career game with at least five RBI. That's the 11th-most in history, tied

with Barry Bonds and Cecil Fielder.

"I wish that Scioscia gave Pujols the night off, because he did some damage," Phillies manager Pete

Mackanin said.

Tommy Joseph drove in the only run in the first inning for the Phillies, who failed to match their longest

winning streak of the season in the opener of an eight-game road trip.

BIG FAN

Mike Trout went 2 for 4 and scored two runs in his fifth career game against the team that was his

favorite while growing up in southern New Jersey. The two-time AL MVP doubled his career hit total

against the Phillies, improving to 4 for 21.

STRONG STARTS

A rare summer rainstorm in Orange County wiped out batting practice, but the skies were dry when

Nola and Ricky Nolasco (5-12) went to work.

Nolasco pitched six innings of one-run ball for the Angels, earning his first victory in a month.

"It was one of those days when it was a grind," Nolasco said.

Nola yielded eight hits over six innings in just his second loss since mid-June. He didn't give up a run until

he walked Trout and gave up Pujols' double to the opposite field.

"It was a mistake," said Nola, who also gave up a third-inning single to Pujols. "He's a veteran guy. He's

going to hit mistakes. I didn't make my pitches to him."

The Angels got two-out singles in four consecutive innings against Nola, but couldn't score until Pujols'

big hit.

Pujols then volleyed his 17th homer of the season to left after Kaleb Cowart and Trout singled.

NEW GUY

Right-hander Drew Anderson became the 11th player to make his big-league debut for Philadelphia this

season when he pitched the eighth inning. He yielded two hits and two runs, but also struck out Trout.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Angels: Escobar left in the eighth inning with tightness in his back. He'll be re-evaluated Wednesday.

... Huston Street has a mild rotator cuff strain in his right shoulder, and he won't throw until he feels

August 2, 2017 Page 19 of 29

better. He has been out for four weeks with a groin injury and has pitched only four innings this season.

... RF Kole Calhoun sat out with a sore right hamstring after getting hurt while running the bases Sunday.

The injury isn't thought to be serious. ... LF Cameron Maybin is running the bases. He hasn't started a

rehab assignment for his sprained knee.

UP NEXT

Phillies: RHP Jake Thompson (1-0, 4.50 ERA) takes traded Jeremy Hellickson's spot in the rotation. He

pitched five scoreless innings against Atlanta last week in his season debut.

Angels: Former Phillies right-hander J.C. Ramirez (9-9, 4.29 ERA) struggled in his last start at Cleveland.

He pitched 24 games for Philadelphia in 2013.

FROM ESPN.COM

Olney: Grading the 2017 trade deadline

By Buster Olney / ESPN Senior Writer

The other day, an evaluator talking about the landscape of the trade market cited the essential purpose

for the trade deadline: Either you advance and attack your weaknesses, or you retreat strategically. As

best they can within their context, teams should either work to improve their playoff hopes or they

should improve their chances of winning in future seasons by trading players whose value is about to

expire. This is the standard on which the following grades are based. A "C" grade is perfectly average (as

I established in my college experience).

Washington Nationals: A-plus

Their window to win is now and they would’ve had no shot at beating their best National League

opponents -- the Dodgers and Cubs, most notably -- without upgrading the back of their bullpen. The

Nationals rectified their mistake from last offseason by trading for relievers Sean Doolittle, Ryan

Madson and Brandon Kintzler, and they patched over a hole in their outfield depth by trading for Howie

Kendrick. They are better for the work done by president of baseball operations and general manager

Mike Rizzo.

Arizona Diamondbacks: A

They don’t have a lot of resources to work with, and it may be that the team’s success surprised the

front office a little this year. Either way, the Diamondbacks set aside any plans for retooling or flipping

talent and traded for lefty-killer J.D. Martinez to bolster the lineup -- knowing they could face the left-

hander-laden Dodgers in the division series -- and then added shortstop Adam Rosales and

reliever David Hernandez in the final hours before the trade deadline. Within the Diamondbacks’

context, in a year in which they have a chance to win, these moves were solid and exactly what was

needed, when they were needed.

August 2, 2017 Page 20 of 29

Chicago Cubs: A

Their time to win is now, and the Cubs’ executives are acting on it, while also setting up the team for the

future. The newly acquired Justin Wilson could help close out games in 2018, after Wade Davis departs

as a free agent. And Jose Quintana will be a rotation anchor for at least three more seasons.

Chicago White Sox: A

They did what they needed to do, trading veterans Quintana, Tommy Kahnle, Todd Frazier, Melky

Cabrera and David Robertson. They filled their organization with even more talent, beyond what they

acquired by selling Chris Sale and Adam Eaton last winter. By the time the Royals and then the Indians

face downward cycles, the White Sox may have progressed enough to take advantage.

New York Yankees: A

Sonny Gray can be a rotation anchor for the rest of 2017, as well as 2018 and 2019, and the Yankees also

added two high-end relievers in Robertson and Kahnle to create a bullpen that may be as deep as any

other in the American League. In the trades the Yankees made, they gave up some of their prospect

depth, but managed to hang onto their best guys, outfielder Clint Frazier and infielder Gleyber Torres.

Through their moves, the Yankees can now contend for the AL title in 2017, probably a year ahead of

schedule.

Tampa Bay Rays: A

They took on the salary of Adeiny Hechavarria to play shortstop and improved their power with Lucas

Duda -- again absorbing salary. They also took on two relievers, Steve Cishek and Dan Jennings. It may

not be good enough in the end, but the Rays worked aggressively to get better.

Kansas City Royals: A-minus

Kansas City didn’t necessarily add stars the way it did in the 2015 pennant race, when the Royals

swapped for Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist. Rather, the Royals added Cabrera and a trio of pitchers in a

deal with San Diego. But the Royals’ efforts to get better provided a jolt of adrenaline for a team

competing for a postseason spot, before Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, Alcides

Escobar and Jason Vargas become free agents. It was the perfect response to the team’s improving play,

because nobody knows when the Royals will be in position to win again.

Los Angeles Dodgers: A-minus

The L.A. front office stepped up and surrendered prospects to get an All-Star starting pitcher. But this

grade is potentially mitigated by the concerns of evaluators about Darvish, who was awful recently. Are

the Dodgers getting the great Darvish who dominates right-handed hitters? Or are the Dodgers getting

the Darvish who had a 5.81 ERA in his past eight starts and seemed to be putting a lot of pressure on

himself with scouts watching him the past couple of weeks? Now no player faces more pressure in the

next two months than Darvish, who has been added with the expectation that he can augment the best

August 2, 2017 Page 21 of 29

team in baseball -- and must also try to prove himself as a pending free agent. The Dodgers also added

left-handers Tony Watson and Tony Cingrani.

Philadelphia Phillies: B-plus

During the Cubs’ rebuilding process, Chicago flipped veterans into the market like Scott

Feldman and Ryan Dempster, and landed pieces such as Jake Arrietaand Kyle Hendricks. And the Phillies

worked from the same blueprint this year. The Phillies landed prospects for Pat Neshek, they got some

international money and a Class AA bullpen prospect for Jeremy Hellickson despite Hellickson’s struggles

this year, and they paid down some of Kendrick's remaining salary to land McKenzie Mills, a left-hander

who is getting great results with good command in Class A. Overall, it has been a really rough year for

the Phillies, but their trade deadline work turned out well.

Oakland Athletics: B-plus

Over time, the prospects added in the Gray deal will have to prove themselves. Some rival evaluators

love Jorge Mateo and think he could be a star. There’s no doubt that this was the right time to trade

Gray, because if they had waited, they would’ve risked the possibility of injury and a complete collapse

of his market value. The Athletics were open to talking about Yonder Alonso, but the demand for

position players was tepid and Alonso slumped in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline.

Colorado Rockies: B

Colorado spent big in the offseason and then added arguably the best right-handed reliever in the

market in Neshek and traded for veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy. The effort has been there from the

front office.

Texas Rangers: B

President of baseball operations and general manager Jon Daniels recognized the futility of the Rangers’

situation in the standings and acted appropriately, trading Darvish and Lucroy for prospects. The return

wasn’t overwhelming, but it was certainly more than what Texas would’ve gotten if Darvish and Lucroy

walked out as free agents.

Detroit Tigers: B

Their return in the J.D. Martinez trade is regarded within the industry as too thin, but the Tigers seemed

to make out fine in their prospect haul for Wilson and Alex Avila.

New York Mets: B-minus

The Mets flipped Duda and Addison Reed for young players and salary relief, and they made a nice

under-the-radar deal for AJ Ramos, who can be an important part of the team’s bullpen next season.

August 2, 2017 Page 22 of 29

Boston Red Sox: B-minus

Boston made big moves the past couple of years, with trades for Craig Kimbrel, Drew Pomeranz and Sale

and the record-setting signing of David Price. So the Red Sox didn’t have the same kind of resources

available to compete in the market this summer, and wound up adding Reed to their bullpen

and Eduardo Nunez at third base. These weren’t earth-shifting moves, but they may have been what the

Red Sox can afford at this time.

Cleveland Indians: B-minus

They added Joe Smith, who they know well from his previous tenure with the team, to an already really

good bullpen.

Minnesota Twins: B-minus

They had good intentions with their swap for Jaime Garcia, but within a few days it was clear Garcia had

been added to a sinking ship. So the Twins got prospects from the Yankees for the left-hander, then

traded Kintzler to the Nationals -- decent return for a reliever in his early 30s. Minnesota’s front office

can now face the Twins’ players and fans and say, with a good conscience, Hey, we earnestly tried to

improve.

Atlanta Braves: C-plus

Atlanta managed to get the Twins to pick up Garcia's contract for the last 10 weeks of the season, a

positive in what is a lost season; saving money is a good thing. The Braves talked to other teams

about Julio Teheran, but couldn’t find a match.

Los Angeles Angels: C-plus

Mike Scioscia's team has overachieved in the face of devastating injuries to Mike Trout and Garrett

Richards. With the Astros far out of reach atop the AL West, the Angels made the right move in

capitalizing on Hernandez's value now by flipping him to Arizona. The veteran reliever was making only

$535,000 and would’ve never cleared waivers, so the Angels had to move him now.

Seattle Mariners: C-plus

General manager Jerry Dipoto loves to make moves, but the hard reality is that Seattle has expended a

lot of resources and wasn’t in position to make big additions this summer.

Milwaukee Brewers: C-plus

It would’ve been interesting to see if Milwaukee would have been more aggressive if its lead over the

Cubs in the NL Central hadn’t quickly evaporated after the All-Star break. Maybe the Brewers would’ve

made a move on Gray if they were still four or five games up in first place.

August 2, 2017 Page 23 of 29

St. Louis Cardinals: C

St. Louis was too close to give up on its season and too far away to invest in improving the team to win

this year. The Cardinals did almost nothing, and that was appropriate.

Cincinnati Reds: C

The Reds pushed Zack Cozart to other teams, but a couple of factors have worked against them: There

isn’t really a need for shortstops among the contending teams, and Cozart got hurt. But short of

moving Joey Votto's massive contract, Cincinnati GM Dick Williams has already done the heavy lifting of

the Reds’ rebuilding, and given that Votto wants to stay and has a full no-trade clause, he’s probably

staying put.

San Francisco Giants: C

The problem for San Francisco is that it really doesn’t have attractive, tradable assets. So while other

teams were retooling and resetting for 2018 -- something the Giants need to do -- the club is stuck with

a roster of expensive, older players, many of whom have underperformed. This is why the Giants moved

only Nunez in a lost season.

San Diego Padres: C-minus

Rival executives assumed that San Diego would lower its asking price on Brad Hand before the trade

deadline, because relievers tend to have more value in the summer than in the offseason and Hand’s

value will never be higher than it is now. But San Diego never backed off, and Hand will presumably

finish out the season with the Padres. Two years ago, the Padres kept Kimbrel through the trade period

and got good return for him from the Red Sox during the offseason. Perhaps that’s what San Diego

anticipates, but Hand is not Kimbrel; he was a waiver claim 16 months ago. Executives around the sport

were incredibly surprised that the Padres didn’t move Hand.

Pittsburgh Pirates: C-minus

They flipped one reliever for value in dealing Watson to the Dodgers, and added another in Joaquin

Benoit. But just when it looked like the Pirates were starting to gain traction and beginning a week of

games against two of baseball’s worst teams, the Giants and Padres, they lost outfielder Gregory

Polanco. Did they take on some payroll and add the likes of Jay Bruce, Melky Cabrera or Kendrick? No.

Toronto Blue Jays: D-plus

They were just unlucky, because most of their potential free agents -- Marco Estrada, Jose

Bautista, Francisco Liriano -- have struggled this season, cutting their value. The Jays swapped Smith to

the Indians.

Miami Marlins: D

They dumped salary, moving veterans such as Hechavarria and Ramos, and that’s always ugly.

August 2, 2017 Page 24 of 29

Houston Astros: D-minus

After their spectacular start, they had months to find talent to bolster a rotation ground down by injury

and to upgrade the bullpen -- and they did neither. Every serious contender chasing the Astros in the AL

got better, and Houston added Liriano.

Baltimore Orioles: F

It’s impossible to find a consistent strain of logic in the Orioles’ actions before the trade deadline. As of

Sunday morning, Fangraphs pegged the Orioles’ chances at making the playoffs at 3 percent, and yet

they spent future assets to acquire Hellickson, a pitcher who will be a free agent at season’s end. And

the Orioles didn’t trade Zach Britton, whose trade value may never be higher than it was on Monday

afternoon, and never went through the process of weighing the market worth of Manny

Machado and Adam Jones. The instant the trade deadline passed, the potential return for Britton,

Machado, Jones and others may have dropped by 25 or 30 percent because now they can only impact

one pennant race for an interested contending team, rather than two. For the Orioles, this was a lost

opportunity to better position the team for 2019 and 2020 and beyond.

FROM SB NATION

Angels of Death: Angels 7, Phillies 1

Aaron Nola held them off as long as he could.

By Justin Klugh

After so many impressive starts in a row, and with the bullpen in need of a nap, everybody wanted

Aaron Nola to go seven strong against the Angels. Maybe even eight.

But anyone watching his pitch count tick upward could see that he didn’t have quite the efficiency to let

that happen last night, and in the end, two innings of this bullpen was enough for the Angels to break it

wide open after Nola had done his best to keep them at bay.

The broadcasters knew it. The bullpen knew it. When asked who was closing tonight, Mackanin said that

hopefully, it would be Nola. But as Nola neared 100 pitches in the top of the sixth, having given up two

runs the inning before, Mark Leiter, Jr. was warming up in the pen. Six innings sounds perfectly

serviceable for a Phillies starter in 2017, but unfortunately, Nola’s last few starts have set a higher bar,

as evidenced by his disposal of Albert Pujols in the first.

The Phillies spotted Nola a lead, irritating Ricky Nolasco early in the first. Cesar Hernandez singled his

way on base and made it to third when Nolasco hurled a wild pitch and the Angels infield committed the

first of two early errors on an Aaron Altherr dribbler. Tommy Joseph’s single scored Hernandez, his first

strike of an effective 2-for-3 night with a walk. Boy, that’s some appealing box scoring; right, other

teams? Sure it is.

August 2, 2017 Page 25 of 29

Well, the Phillies were done scoring at this point, and it was only the totally reasonable hour of about

11:15 when the Angels got their offense in gear. Nola finally buckled in the fifth after keeping a lid on

the Los Angeles offense, getting a further boost from Nick Williams nailing Yunel Escobar at the plate in

the third inning in a moment that left Mike Scioscia disgusted, when Albert Pujols tagged a two-run

double to give the Angels the lead. Mike Trout, having worked Nola’s only walk of the evening, scored

technically from “first base,” but was actually about two steps from third with a lead for the ages.

The Phillies got two runners on in the sixth, but failed to score - Nolasco was rolling through the lineup

at this point, now spotted a lead of his own. Nola came back out for the bottom of the inning, and an

eight-pitch battle with stubborn Martin Maldonado ensued that didn’t help matters. With a runner on

first base, everyone seemed to understand we’d be settling for six strong from Nola with each fouling off

of his pitches. Fine. Maldonado struck out and Nola left the game down 2-1. Still manageable.

But not for long.

Mark Leiter, Jr. was the first man out of the gate and the Angels got to him immediately with a pair of

singles and a three-run Pujols bomb. Trout, obviously discussed at length prior to the game, spent

tonight setting the table for Pujols, who feasted on any mistake he could find, and despite striking out

looking in his first at-bat on a nasty Nola offering, Pujols was responsible for all five Angels runs at this

point.

The Angels made a bunch of defensive changes to secure a 1-2-3 eighth and Drew Anderson’s 2017

debut from the Phillies pen as a fresh arm saw two more Angels sneak across the plate; one on a

throwing error by Andrew Knapp during a steal attempt, the other on a sacrifice fly.

It rained for what historians called “the first time ever,” prior to the game, sending the SoCal residents

into hysterics, and forcing the grounds crew to bring the “tarp” (Am I pronouncing that correctly?) out of

storage. Perhaps it was a sign that the home team would bring an end to the Phillies’ recent success.

But seeing as tonight also saw the Angels hand out free Mike Trout socks, perhaps that is a sign that

things are never all bad. And hey, Drew Anderson struck out Trout in his first appearance. That’s also

pretty good, considering where his first pitch went.

FROM CSN PHILLY

Phillies-Angels 5 things: First look at Mike Trout since 2014

By Corey Seidman / CSNPhilly.com

The non-waiver trade deadline has passed, ushering in a month of August in which trades can be made

but are more difficult.

The Phillies open the month with an eight-game, three-city road trip that begins with a three-game

series against the Los Angeles Angels.

August 2, 2017 Page 26 of 29

Here are five things to know for the opener on Tuesday:

1. Trout watch

The only other year the Phillies faced Mike Trout was 2014, when he went 2 for 17 with a triple and

seven strikeouts in four games.

We all know Trout is unlikely to have another modest series. He was having yet another MVP-caliber

season when he went on the disabled list in May for the first time in his career. He underwent thumb

surgery on May 31, but because he's Mike Trout, he returned about three weeks earlier than expected.

Trout has picked up right where he left off, hitting .315/.422/.500 with three homers and nine RBIs in 14

games since returning. Overall this season, he's hit .332/.452/.682 — all three numbers are career

highs.

The book on Trout for several years was to attack him with high fastballs because his plate coverage on

low pitches is so, so good. But he's even fixed that relative weakness, making it even more impossible to

pitch to him.

From 2011-15, Trout hit .145 on pitches at the letters or above and .216 on high pitches in the strike

zone.

In 2016 and 2017, he's hit .203 on pitches at the letters or above and .268 on high pitches in the strike

zone.

As his plate coverage has improved, Trout's strikeout rate has dropped from 22.5 percent from 2011-15

to 20.2 percent the last two seasons. Meanwhile, his walk rate has increased from 12.5 percent to 17.0

percent.

Two tremendous months could potentially put Trout back ahead in the MVP race, but it looks like Jose

Altuve's award to lose at this point.

2. Nola becoming a must-watch

The evolution of Aaron Nola from mid-rotation piece to ace may be underway.

Nola has been utterly dominant his last seven starts, going 5-1 with a 1.49 ERA, .189 opponents' batting

average and 60 strikeouts in 48 1/3 innings.

All four of his pitches are plus-pitches at the moment. His four-seam fastball is maxing out at 95 mph.

His two-seam fastball has generated a .137 batting average the last seven starts. He struck out seven

Astros last week just on curveballs. And he's most excited about his changeup command, which he feels

is the best it's ever been.

Nola has two knee-buckling pitches in the two-seamer and curveball. Both pitches are capable of

freezing even the hitters who've seen him a lot. Thus, the Angels could be in for a rude awakening.

August 2, 2017 Page 27 of 29

Only three active Angels — Andrelton Simmons, Yunel Escobar and Ben Revere — have seen Nola and

they're a combined 4 for 22 with a double, no walks and three strikeouts.

3. Familiar foe in Nolasco

The Phillies faced Ricky Nolasco 22 times from 2006-13 when he was in the National League but have

seen him just once since 2014. Nolasco spent those first eight seasons with the Marlins before being

traded to the Dodgers midway through 2013 and then signing with the Twins in free agency.

Nolasco signed a big contract with Minnesota — four years, $49 million — but had a terrible run with

the Twins, going 15-22 with a 5.44 ERA in 57 games. The Twins then traded him to the Angels at last

year's deadline for starting pitcher Hector Santiago.

Nolasco pitched well late last season for the Angels but is struggling again this year, with a 4-12 record

and 5.07 ERA through 21 starts. Righties have hit .309 with a .907 OPS against him and lefties have hit

.262 with an .804 OPS.

Nolasco has allowed 27 home runs, tied with Masahiro Tanaka for the most in the majors.

Because the Phillies have faced Nolasco only once since 2014, not a lot of guys on this team have

extensive experience against him. Freddy Galvis is 2 for 7 with a double and triple. Cesar Hernandez is 3

for 3. Maikel Franco is 0 for 2 with two walks.

4. Red-hot Herrera

Controversy has swirled around Odubel Herrera recently because of all the bat flips and a few mental

mistakes, but his bat has remained hot through it all.

Herrera demolished a three-run homer to the second deck in right field Monday, his 11th home run of

the season. Since June 3, he's hit .339 with a .958 OPS, 20 doubles and eight home runs.

Since July 3, he's hit .383 with a 1.129 OPS, seven doubles and six homers.

In all three of his big-league seasons, Herrera has had one of these extended hot streaks.

5. This and that

• Albert Pujols is a shell of his former self but is still a dangerous power hitter. He went deep twice on

Sunday for his 15th and 16th homers of the year. He's hitting just .233 with a .280 OBP, though, and has

only 10 doubles because he can barely move these days.

• The Angels are not a good American League offense but they do have a few players other than Trout

who can hurt you. Simmons is enjoying his best offensive season, hitting .302 with an .812 OPS. Escobar,

another former Braves shortstop, is a .272 hitter but is typically a tough out. He leads off for the Halos.

• Cesar Hernandez has hit .333 with a .422 on-base percentage in 13 games since returning from the DL.

August 2, 2017 Page 28 of 29

FROM PHILLY.COM

Albert Pujols batters Phillies, spoils Aaron Nola's night

By Matt Gelb / Staff Writer

ANAHEIM, Calif. — He had thrown his 106th pitch, and it was a grind in the muggy Southern California

air. Aaron Nola sauntered to the visiting dugout at Angels Stadium, where he was greeted by Pete

Mackanin and Bob McClure. Their bullpen was compromised, but that was enough, they told Nola.

“I thought about it for about a second,” Mackanin, the Phillies manager, said. “I didn’t see any reason to

do that, even with a short bullpen. I didn’t want to take him up to 120 pitches.”

A game like Tuesday’s 7-1 Phillies loss will one day guide Nola. He did not have his sharpest stuff. The

Angels collected seven two-out hits in the game’s first five innings. They did not whiff at Nola’s pitches

like other teams have in the last five weeks.

But he escaped major damage. It was another lesson that success is possible even on difficult nights, a

lesson he can apply later when the games matter more. Nola departed with his team trailing by one; the

only runs he permitted were on an opposite-field double by Albert Pujols, a man who will one day be

enshrined at Cooperstown.

“It was a mistake,” Nola said. “He hit it. He’s a veteran guy. He will hit mistakes.”

Sixteen years ago, Pujols faced the Phillies for the first time. He singled against Amaury Telemaco inside

a stadium that has since been imploded. And, on Tuesday, he accounted for five of Los Angeles’ runs. He

mashed a hanging curveball thrown by Mark Leiter Jr. for career home run No. 608. That is the ninth

most homers in major-league history.

So the Phillies’ five-game winning streak died. They could not find a hit when it mattered; the Phillies put

a runner in scoring position with less than two outs five times and could not score each time.

Nola, with another quality start, lowered his ERA to 3.16. He has allowed two or fewer runs in eight

straight starts. That is the longest such streak for a Phillies pitcher since Cliff Lee in 2011. Nola owns a

1.66 ERA in his last eight starts. The Phillies are 5-3 in those games.

“He pitched well enough to win the game,” Mackanin said. “What else can I say? The bats were silent

tonight.”

The Angels pelted him all night with singles. They did not muster an extra-base hit until Pujols’ decisive

double in the fifth inning. But they slowly bled Nola. Martin Maldonado, the Angels catcher, forced Nola

to throw 23 pitches in three at-bats. Maldonado made an out each time, but he helped ensure that Nola

would not last beyond six innings.

“It was a battle, for sure,” Nola said. “I got myself in jams with two outs and two strikes.”

August 2, 2017 Page 29 of 29

That was significant because the Phillies, right now, lack a defined bullpen.

The immediate bullpen situation is muddled. Pat Neshek and Joaquin Benoit are gone. Hector Neris and

Luis Garcia had pitched in each of the previous three days, making them unavailable Tuesday. That

meant the available relievers were four rookies — Leiter, Drew Anderson, Hoby Milner and Jesen

Therrien — and a lefty, Adam Morgan.

Mackanin, in the seventh inning, handed the ball to Leiter. His last appearance had been a week earlier

in Allentown, as a starter with triple-A Lehigh Valley. Leiter surrendered two singles, including one to

fellow New Jersey native Mike Trout, before Pujols attacked the slow curveball.

Pujols, when he was a rookie with St. Louis in 2001, doubled against Leiter’s father as he pitched in the

majors for the 11th and final season of his career. Pujols is 37 now, in the midst of the worst season in

his distinguished career. But he can still hit.