May 10, 2016 Page 1 of 22

Clips

(May 10, 2016)

May 10, 2016 Page 2 of 22

Today’s Clips Contents

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3) Angels lose shortstop Andrelton Simmons until July, the latest blow to the

struggling, injury riddled team

Angels are in desperate times but determined to resist desperate

measures, like trading Mike Trout

Angels mailbag: Questions to follow a tough week for the team

FROM THE OC REGISTER (Page 11)

Angels' Andrelton Simmons to undergo thumb surgery, be placed on DL

On deck: Cardinals at Angels, Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Kyle Kendrick trying to rebuild his career as a starting pitcher with Salt

Lake

FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 15)

Simmons needs thumb surgery, will miss 2 months

FROM ESPN.COM (Page 17)

Angels' Andrelton Simmons needs surgery to repair UCL in left thumb

FROM FOX SPORTS (Page 18)

Cardinals head west to take on struggling Pujols, Angels

FROM YAHOO SPORTS (Page 20) The ‘Devil’s disease’ gives Mother’s Day new meaning for Joe Smith

May 10, 2016 Page 3 of 22

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES Angels lose shortstop Andrelton Simmons until July, the latest blow to the struggling, injury riddled team

Pedro Moura

The last time Cliff Pennington batted 300 times in a season was four years ago. The Dodgers

contacted his agent this off-season asking if he'd be interested in a hybrid role in which he

would both hit and pitch.

Now, with Andrelton Simmons probably out until July, the Angels will ask Pennington to

become the everyday shortstop on their reeling roster.

Simmons will soon undergo surgery to repair a full tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his

left thumb, the Angels announced Monday. He suffered the injury in the third inning of

Sunday's loss to Tampa Bay and immediately exited the game.

After diving to his right to field a grounder hit by Evan Longoria, Simmons rolled onto his thumb

and grimaced with pain as he threw the ball late to first. A MRI exam Monday showed a "full

thickness tear." He will require at least six weeks to recover from the surgery, and, based on

recent precedent, potentially longer.

A torn thumb UCL kept Houston infielder Jed Lowrie out for three months last season.

Washington's Bryce Harper missed more than nine weeks with the injury in 2014.

Maicer Izturis missed the final six weeks of the season with the injury in 2008, and current

Angels first-base coach Gary DiSarcina missed seven weeks after surgery in August 1995, but

wished he had waited longer to return. As in Simmons' case, the initial diagnosis regarding

DiSarcina was a thumb sprain, suffered sliding into second base to break up a double play.

Pennington, a utilityman signed for two years and $3.75 million, figures to take on the majority

of shortstop starts in Simmons' absence. Third baseman Yunel Escobar, a former shortstop, is

not considered an option.

The only other player on the Angels' 40-man roster who has played the position recently is Rey

Navarro. He could be called up from triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday.

May 10, 2016 Page 4 of 22

The Angels hoped for significant offensive contributions from the 26-year-old Simmons, but he

had not hit well since they traded their top two pitching prospects to acquire him from Atlanta

in November.

He put the ball into play often — 108 times in 118 plate appearances — but notched only five

extra-base hits. His average was .219, his on-base percentage .246, and his slugging percentage

.281, all below his career averages.

But his defense has been typically superb, with several highlight-quality plays, and Pennington's

offense has not been noticeably better. In 47 plate appearances, he has hit .175, with a .267 on-

base mark and .325 slugging. Simmons' career OPS is .658; Pennington's is .656.

Simmons will join the Angels' top two starting pitchers, Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney,

on the disabled list, as well as their closer, Huston Street, another starter, C.J. Wilson, and a

member of their left-field platoon, Craig Gentry.

The Angels are 13-18, fourth in the American League West. They were five games behind

division-leading Seattle before Monday. Widely considered to be on the fringes of potential

contention before this rash of injuries, they will now face a significant uphill climb to remain

relevant into the season's second half.

General Manager Billy Eppler said he is confident the roster he has assembled is up to the

prodigious task.

"You deal with the adversity as it comes," Eppler said Monday. "That is what I believe mental

toughness is. It's being your best in all circumstances and persisting in the face of adversity. This

group has been mentally tough. Historically, they've shown that. I expect them to keep fighting

because I know they will, I know these guys."

Angels are in desperate times but determined to resist desperate measures, like trading Mike Trout

Mike DiGiovanna

The "fire Mike Scioscia" campaign has already begun on social media, as if the Angels'

dismissing their manager would magically heal Andrelton Simmons' thumb and the elbows of

Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney and Tyler Skaggs.

May 10, 2016 Page 5 of 22

Another option that has actually been floated in the mainstream media: trade Mike Trout, one

of the best players in baseball, for a haul of talent that could replenish the big league roster and

a depleted farm system.

General Manager Billy Eppler wisely shot down that speculation when, in the wake of Richards'

season-ending elbow injury, he said there was "no chance" he would trade Trout, adding, "You

do not move superstar players."

But fans are frustrated, and rightfully so. The Angels have a $165-million payroll — one of the

highest in baseball — and a roster that lacks the talent and depth to contend for a division title,

let alone a World Series. They could very well be wasting the prime years of Trout's career.

Their cleanup hitter, Albert Pujols, is a shadow of the slugger who terrorized the National

League for 11 years. He can still pop the ball out of the park, but he enters Tuesday's opener of

a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals with a .190 average, .269 on-base

percentage and .362 slugging percentage.

Pujols is also 36, he's been reduced to a designated hitter, and there are five years and $140

million left on his contract — after this season.

The Angels have three reliable hitters: Trout, third baseman Yunel Escobar and right fielder Kole

Calhoun. First baseman C.J. Cron has shown power potential but not the consistency to provide

it in the big leagues.

Owner Arte Moreno's reluctance to incur a payroll luxury tax prevented Eppler from signing a

premier free-agent left fielder last winter, leaving the Angels with a less-than-desirable platoon

of Daniel Nava and Craig Gentry, who hasn't played since April 25 because of a back injury.

Simmons, the shortstop who sustained a torn ligament in his left thumb Sunday and faces

surgery that will sideline him for at least two months, is spectacular defensively but has never

been a true offensive threat.

Second baseman Johnny Giavotella is a gamer who gets the most out of his abilities, but

Robinson Cano, he is not. Carlos Perez is a fine young defensive catcher with limited offensive

upside.

Oh, and the Angels are paying Josh Hamilton, Moreno's $125-million vanity free-agent

signing/disaster, $46 million through next season to play for Texas. Hamilton, on the Rangers'

60-day disabled list with a knee injury, is the Angels' third-biggest investment behind Pujols and

Trout.

May 10, 2016 Page 6 of 22

Scioscia is right when he says there is more offense than this struggling group has shown so far,

but does anyone really believe this is a championship-caliber lineup?

The Angels rotation is in tatters, the 2016 season turning into a farewell to arms. Richards, their

ace, and possibly Heaney are headed for ligament-replacement surgery. Skaggs has been slow

to return from elbow surgery. C.J. Wilson is on the shelf until at least June with shoulder

inflammation.

About the only bright spot has been a bullpen that, buoyed by the young arms of Mike Morin,

Cam Bedrosian and Greg Mahle, ranks fourth in the American League with a 2.68 earned-run

average and third with a .206 batting average against. But even that is accompanied by a

downside: closer Huston Street is on the DL with an oblique strain.

It's a fine mess the Angels have gotten themselves into, and there is no quick or easy fix. A

dearth of quality prospects makes it almost impossible to trade for an impact pitcher or fill

holes on the big league roster from within.

Next winter's free-agent class is one of the worst in recent history, especially for starting

pitchers. Stephen Strasburg topped the list until he agreed to a seven-year, $175-million

extension with Washington on Monday. That leaves Andrew Cashner and little else.

The Angels (13-18) have lost seven of nine and were five games off the American League West

lead on Monday. Eppler, citing the resiliency the Angels showed in crawling back into

contention last September, is not ready to give up and begin a fire sale. "We're going to fight,"

he said.

But if the Angels continue to slide as June and July approach, Eppler should take advantage of a

seller's market and begin trading big leaguers for prospects.

He could start with Street and setup man Joe Smith, who would be valuable to contenders

needing bullpen help (hello, Dodgers?). Escobar has value, and if Eppler can turn Calhoun into

two potential big league starters, like Oakland has done so often, he would have to consider

trading him.

"I'm not even going to go there," Eppler said Monday, when asked what he would do if the

Angels were out of contention at the All-Star break. "I refuse to give up on this year. . . . We'll

get some pitching back, guys will return and recover, and we will compete."

Some $40 million will come off the books with the expected departures of Jered Weaver and

Wilson after this season, but the Angels still have about $90 million committed to four players

plus Hamilton in 2017.

May 10, 2016 Page 7 of 22

Moreno, whose misguided spending helped cause the current predicament — the Angels also

lost two first-round picks for signing Pujols and Hamilton — may have no choice but to take a

luxury tax hit if the Angels are to sign high-end free-agents next winter.

"We have some money clearing off at the end of this year, and we'll allocate that with an eye

toward our club year in and year out, and with an eye toward continuing to build," Eppler said.

"This is a team with financial might, and when you have that, you can continue to compete,

contend and play into October while also continuing to be mindful of the farm system and the

growth and investment of amateur players, as well."

With any luck, Richards, Heaney and Skaggs will all be healthy by the end of 2017. Combined

with some shrewd trades, free-agent signings and a few high draft picks, the Angels could be in

a position to contend by 2018 or 2019.

If not? Only then should they consider trading Trout, whose six-year, $144.5-million contract

expires after 2020. The Angels could net a bundle of young big leaguers and prospects for the

star center fielder.

Perhaps, as a condition of a deal, they could ask the team acquiring Trout to take the final two

or three years of Pujols' 10-year, $240-million contract.

But those decisions are years away, and Eppler, the first-year GM who signed a four-year deal

last fall, will have plenty of time to figure them out.

A more immediate concern for Eppler and the injury ravaged Angels: finding starting pitchers

for Wednesday and Saturday night.

Angels mailbag: Questions to follow a tough week for the team Pedro Moura That was not a good week for the Angels. They are 13-18 after losing five times in six tries last

week. And they also suffered an additional defeat by losing Garrett Richards for the rest of this

season and much of next season.

Here’s the place to ask about their future. This weekly feature on Mondays is the forum to get

responses to any queries regarding the Angels or any topic at all, submitted through my email

(pedro.moura@latimes.com) and Twitter accounts (@pedromoura). Let us get started.

@andrewwhalen: Have you written the Angels' 2016 autopsy yet? Checked farm system &

winter FA class, might want to include 2017 in your report.

May 10, 2016 Page 8 of 22

With Richards on the shelf with a blown out right elbow and Andrew Heaney’s return this

season not a guarantee, it will be exceptionally difficult for the 2016 Angels to qualify for the

playoffs. The way I see it, they do not have enough good, healthy players on their roster.

Who is their best starting pitcher? Their rotation later this season figures to include Hector

Santiago, Jered Weaver and some combination of Nick Tropeano, Matt Shoemaker, C.J. Wilson,

Tyler Skaggs, Nate Smith, Kyle Kendrick and a free-agent signing like Tim Lincecum or Kyle Lohse

— more on those guys later. That group is clearly lacking a stopper. Even with Richards, it was

bottom-heavy, and now it is exceptionally so.

If they are indeed dead, the cause of the death should not be hard to figure out: The team itself

is top-heavy, and the organization as well, as a result of decisions going back many years. We

can talk about this later.

@ettinone: What does this do to Richards arb. time? He only had 2 years after 2016

remaining? Does 60-day DL stop it?

It does nothing to it. Richards will still accumulate service time, and he will actually get a raise

next season in arbitration, because of the way arbitration works. He will become a free agent

after the 2018 World Series.

@SantaCruzDad: Why in the world would Trout stay beyond 2020? My guess is they trade him

in his walk year.

You’re assuming here that you or I understand how Mike Trout thinks, which of course is a

sizable leap. He is 24, and for the last four years, he has been the best baseball player in the

world, despite enormous pressures. He is probably different than you, @SantaCruzDad, and

much different than me, for sure.

That’s not to say he will obviously want to stay an Angel, just that we really have no idea. He

doesn’t even know, at this point, 4½ years from free agency.

But, to skip ahead: If you are going to plan to trade him during his walk year, why not trade him

the off-season before, to obtain more value in return? And if you’re going to trade him then,

why not do so earlier, to get even more?

I’ve said for awhile that trading Trout is almost unfathomable. Angels officials have continually

said they have absolutely no plans to do so. But, at this point, with the Richards injury that will

impact not only 2016 but 2017, I think they should alter their stance some.

Of course they cannot shop Trout, and of course commensurate value is nearly impossible to

obtain. Of course there are consequences that could come with any leak of Trout trade

May 10, 2016 Page 9 of 22

conversations. But they are probably not going to win this season or next, and if trading Trout

can effectively push some of the remaining 2016 value toward 2018 and beyond, then it starts

to make sense.

@jaydieguez: Do they stay in Anaheim?

I believe Occam’s Razor applies here, so, sure.

@bshah79: How many years before Angels are contenders?

That depends on how they approach the coming years. If they do not trade away their better

players this season, you can imagine a path to success in 2018, with Trout still 26 and leading

the way, Josh Hamilton’s obligations off the books, and a rotation fronted by Richards, Heaney

and Skaggs having success. A potential issue: Albert Pujols will be 38 then and will make $27

million. The Angels will pay more than $61 million to Pujols and Trout.

If they do make trades, it depends on the type of return they require. Hector Santiago, Joe

Smith and Huston Street are not under contract beyond 2017, and could attract talented

prospects in return. Would the Angels ask for more immediate help or be OK with longer-term

prospects?

@vpbob2000: The Angels need to make some moves, do you know exactly how far below the

tax threshold the team is? Where do you find out?

It is not a publicly available figure, but from what I understand they are something like $5

million below the threshold. It is not confirmed until the winter, as it’s also dependent on

earned bonuses their players may make this season.

It does not stand to reason that the tax threshold would hold the Angels back from spending

money. If they surpass it this season, they would owe a 17.5% tax on the overage— or about $1

million for every $6 million they spend above the $189-million threshold.

The real power of the tax lies in its compounding. A second straight season of going over

requires a 30% payment on the overage, and then 40% the third year and 50% thereafter. But it

resets after any season under the threshold, and the threshold is likely to rise next season.

@justknox: Doesn’t Lincecum become a huge priority today?

The Angels are in on Lincecum, from what I understand. He reportedly looked pretty good in his

Arizona showcase last week. We will see how much he requires to sign; the previous question

may apply here.

May 10, 2016 Page 10 of 22

The Angels are also in on Kyle Lohse, according to CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman. For four

consecutive seasons, 2011-2014, Lohse was quite good. He fell off dramatically in 2015 and is

37 now, but it’s not crazy to think he could be a better bet than Lincecum.

@JaredKFan: Do you think Mike Butcher may have been partially responsible for Garrett

Richards now needing TJ surgery (and possibly Heaney?)

I think that is a very hard thing to say. If you read Jeff Passan’s new book, “The Arm,” which you

should do, I think you will come away with the impression that Tommy John surgery is not often

the result of one game or one month, or even one season. It is a build-up over time, from these

men throwing near-maximum effort for years. Everyone who pitches is susceptible. It is not

confined to any specific type of pitcher, or any specific type of delivery. We don’t know when

Richards’ ulnar collateral ligament tore, necessitating the Tommy John surgery. We only know

that it tore.

One day this spring, I talked with Richards about his days at the University of Oklahoma, when

he was used irregularly and generally not treated like a pitcher who’d later approach the

precipice of major league stardom. He said it was frustrating, of course. But he also said he was

grateful, because the Sooners coaches essentially forced him to “save bullets” at a time when

he otherwise would not have.

There is a thought among most major league pitchers that there is a point where each of them

will blow out — or require surgery. You can’t pitch and not recognize that, I don’t think.

But, bullets saved and all, Richards still succumbed. One thing is clear, though: an increase in

velocity is correlated to an increase in elbow surgeries. Richards throws exceptionally hard.

That is obviously not the fault of the Angels’ former pitching coach.

About Heaney, he was throwing across his body when the Angels acquired him from the

Marlins. I wrote about that last year. Butcher actually fixed it back to the less-concerning way

Heaney had once thrown, according to both parties.

That’s it for this week’s Angels mailbag. Send in your questions to the below addresses at any

time, and check back each Monday for answers.

May 10, 2016 Page 11 of 22

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER Angels' Andrelton Simmons to undergo thumb surgery, be placed on DL By JOEY KAUFMAN / STAFF WRITER

Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons has a full thickness tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in

his left thumb and is scheduled to undergo surgery Tuesday.

He will be placed on the disabled list and is expected to miss six to eight weeks, General

Manager Billy Eppler said.

“You roll with the punches,” Eppler said. “Every team goes through injuries. Every team has

adversity. The schedule keeps coming. You keep playing and keep fighting.”

Simmons, 26, left in the third inning of Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays when he

stretched to reach a hard-hit ground ball by Evan Longoria. As Simmons extended his body in

shallow left field, he rolled his left wrist. He made the transfer and completed the throw to first

base, but it was not in time.

Trainers came out to evaluate him, and he left the game at that point.

Washington's Bryce Harper also suffered a UCL tear in his left thumb in 2014 and spent more

than nine weeks on the disabled list.

Cliff Pennington moved over from second base to play shortstop in Simmons’ place for the rest

of the game Sunday. Johnny Giavotella came off the bench for Pennington at second.

Simmons is considered the best defensive shortstop in the major leagues and is a two-time

Gold Glove winner, flashing both range and a strong arm. But he has struggled at the plate

during the early part of the season, hitting .210/.246/.281 with one home run and eight RBIs

through 31 games. He snapped an 0-for-21 slump Friday, but it appeared like he might have

bottomed out after he bounced back with a two-run single on Saturday.

Asked after the game Sunday about replacing Simmons, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said,

“We might have to piecemeal it, but there’s no doubt Penny is going to be a part of that

solution.”

May 10, 2016 Page 12 of 22

Pennington, 31, has started more than 500 games at shortstop, including 16 with the Arizona

Diamondbacks during the first half of last season.

Either Rey Navarro or Gregorio Petit is a candidate to be called up from Triple-A Salt Lake.

Navarro is already on the 40-man roster and was reportedly a late scratch for a game against

Reno on Monday Night.

The Angels, who are 13-18 and in fourth place in the American League West, begin a three-

game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday in Anaheim.

They also recently lost their ace Garrett Richards, likely for the season, after he was placed on

the disabled list Friday and is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery. Other starters, Andrew

Heaney and C.J. Wilson, closer Huston Street and left fielder Craig Gentry also remain on the

DL.

On deck: Cardinals at Angels, Tuesday, 7 p.m.

By JEFF FLETCHER / STAFF WRITER

Cardinals at Angels

Where: Angel Stadium

TV: Fox Sports West

Did you know? The Cardinals are the only one of the 30 major league teams against which

Albert Pujols has not hit a home run. There are six active players who have homered against all

30.

THE PITCHERS

ANGELS LHP HECTOR SANTIAGO (2-1, 3.58)

Vs Cardinals: First game

At Angel Stadium: 7-7, 3.28

CARDINALS RHP MIKE LEAKE (0-3, 6.03)

May 10, 2016 Page 13 of 22

Vs Angels: First game

At Angel Stadium: First game

UPCOMING GAMES

Wednesday: Angels TBA vs Cardinals LHP Jaime Garcia (0-2, 3.05), 7 p.m., FSW

Thursday: Angels RHP Jered Weaver (3-1, 4.72) vs. Cardinals RHP Carlos Martinez (4-2, 2.61), 7

p.m., FSW

Kyle Kendrick trying to rebuild his career as a starting pitcher with Salt Lake

BUBBA BROWN/ STAFF WRITER

SALT LAKE CITY – All winter, Kyle Kendrick envisioned a return to form.

The worst season of his career was behind him, and he imagined himself back on a major

league mound, pitching deep into ballgames and serving as a veteran leader for a rebuilding

team with a young pitching staff.

But in the middle of March, he found himself nowhere near spring training. It was the fifth day

since the Atlanta Braves had released him, and he needed to get in his work. A friend from his

gym offered to let him pitch in his 18-and-over amateur league, so Kendrick made his third

appearance of the season against former college has-beens who long ago traded in dreams of

baseball superstardom for the nine-to-five grind.

“It was fun,” he said. “The guys were great. I enjoyed it.”

If Kendrick was to again become a reliable major league starter, good for 175 innings and a

decent ERA, though, it wasn’t going to happen there. Now, nearly two months later, he is

thinking it may happen in Anaheim.

The Angels signed the veteran right-hander in late April, and Kendrick believes he is on his way

to again becoming the pitcher he once was, when he started 185 games for the Phillies and had

three seasons with a sub-4.00 ERA before his career unraveled with Colorado last year.

May 10, 2016 Page 14 of 22

Kendrick has pitched in three games for the Salt Lake Bees after getting back in game shape in

extended spring training following a long layoff. He has given up 12 runs in 18 2/3 innings, but

began feeling like his old self during his outing Wednesday, when he went seven innings and

struck out seven batters.

“Even my first two starts here I felt pretty good,” he said. “But my last start was really a jump

toward that, where I felt stronger as the game went on and my stuff was sharper. I could feel

my stuff kind of coming back.”

He is unlikely, though, to complete the journey overnight, not after what he went through last

year. The 6.32 ERA tells the story succinctly enough, but it was more than that. For the first

time in his career, Kendrick could not reach back and find the stuff he had always relied on, the

ingredient that made him the pitcher he was.

The thin Denver air – the elevation of 5,883 feet above sea level is more than 1,500 feet higher

than even Salt Lake – robbed it from him. For eight years with Philadelphia, he had pitched in a

notorious hitter’s park. So the problem wasn’t the propensity for balls to travel long distances

at Coors Field – it was that his sinkerball was no longer true to its name.

“The ball doesn’t move as much and that’s what I need,” he said. “The ball just didn’t sink for

me and stuff just stayed in the zone a lot.”

Kendrick is well aware of how the stat sheet describes his 2016. He lived it. He does not spout

excuses, but still he remains convinced the numbers do not encapsulate the pitcher he is. The

right-hander is eager to regain the feel for his sinker, start commanding his repertoire like the

old days and start pitching seven deep every time out.

“Obviously it was a tough year, but in the past I’ve had good years in a hitter’s ballpark in

Philadelphia,” he said. “It was a tough year but I’m over it. I feel good, feel healthy. And

hopefully I’ll be back in the big leagues somewhere soon.”

The confidence does not make the situation any easier, though. Kendrick was released this

spring by a team that, a little more than a month into the season, appears to be a sure bet to

lose 100 games. And he is pitching in Triple-A for the first time since 2009, when he was 24

years old. He readily admits playing in Salt Lake is not how he ever imagined spending the early

part of this season.

May 10, 2016 Page 15 of 22

“That made it difficult at first,” he said. “But you come to accept it. It’s baseball. And I know I’m

a big league pitcher. When I came down here, mentally I just told myself to get work in and I’ll

be back where I need to be.”

If Kendrick can, in fact, find his old form, it might come at a fortuitous time, for both him and

the Angels. He could be in line for a promotion faster than anticipated as Anaheim’s rotation

has been devastated by injuries. And while he’s unhappy to see any pitcher get hurt, he is

paying attention. The possibility gives him motivation.

“I’ve just got to keep doing my work,” he said.

And after spending most of his career in a bandbox in Philadelphia, and the torture last year of

Coors Field, getting a chance to revive his career in the relatively pitcher-friendly Angel Stadium

of Anaheim would be a welcome respite.

“It’s a good place to pitch,” he said with a smile.

Not that he’ll be picky. After beginning the season against a lineup that featured Jimmy who

works at the local credit union as its clean-up hitter, standing on any major league mound and

showing he still has what it takes would be good enough.

FROM ANGELS.COM Simmons needs thumb surgery, will miss 2 months

By Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- The Angels, already dealing with an unfathomable rash of injuries to a perceivably

thin roster, received more grim news Monday when it was revealed that their game-changing

shortstop, Andrelton Simmons, will undergo surgery on his left thumb that will probably keep

him out at least two months.

Simmons injured the thumb while sprawling to his right to snare a hard grounder off the bat of

Evan Longoria in the third inning of Sunday's eventual 3-1 loss to the Rays and immediately

came out of the game. An MRI on Monday revealed a "full thickness tear of the ulnar collateral

ligament of his left thumb," the Angels announced.

May 10, 2016 Page 16 of 22

The surgery, which will take place later this week, typically requires six weeks of immobilization

and keeps players out two to three months.

The news comes four days after the Angels' best starting pitcher, Garrett Richards, was

diagnosed with a high-grade tear of his UCL that will likely require season-ending Tommy John

surgery. Richards is the third Angels starting pitcher on the disabled list, along with Andrew

Heaney, who is trying to rehab his own damaged UCL, and C.J. Wilson, who won't return from

shoulder woes until the middle of June, at the earliest.

Then there's Tyler Skaggs, hoping to come back from August 2014 Tommy John surgery but

dealing with biceps tendinitis that has kept him off a mound for more than two weeks. And

their veteran closer, Huston Street, has been nursing an oblique strain for the last 16 days.

"Every team deals with this stuff," Angels general manager Billy Eppler said. "Sometimes they

come at once; sometimes they spread themselves out over the course of a season. But every

team deals with loss. It's that ability to manage that. It's one of the reasons we go after Minor

League free agents aggressively and so on and so forth. If you just rely on trades to fill voids,

good luck. That's not going to happen."

With Simmons out, utility infielder Cliff Pennington is expected to get most of the playing time

at shortstop.The Angels will probably call up middle infielder Rey Navarro, already on the 40-

man roster, to take Simmons' spot on the active roster when he's officially placed on the DL.

Eppler said the Angels will not move third baseman Yunel Escobar back to shortstop, even

though such a move would allow them to add more power by calling up third basemen Kaleb

Cowart, Kyle Kubitza or Jefry Marte.

"Yunel is our third baseman," Eppler said. "He will remain there."

Simmons came over in the highly scrutinized November trade that sent the Angels' two best

pitching prospects, Sean Newcomb and Chris Ellis, to the Braves. Simmons was batting only

.219/.246/.281 and recently underwent a 21-at-bat hitless streak. But he was already starting to

make a major impact with his renowned defense.

May 10, 2016 Page 17 of 22

"It's a sizable loss," said Eppler, whose team has dropped seven of its last nine games to move

to 13-18. "He's an impactful player, has an impact on the clubhouse. You're losing a key

member, but like I said, every team goes through these things. We have some guys on the

bench that can absorb more of the playing time and are very savvy and accomplished enough

players to be able to do it."

The five aforementioned players on the Angels' DL combined to post a FanGraphs Wins Above

Replacement score of 9.0 last year. And that doesn't include Skaggs, who was expected to be a

big contributor with more than 18 months separating surgery.

The Angels, getting set to host the Cardinals for a three-game series that starts Tuesday, need

reinforcements from the outside. But they have the consensus worst farm system in the game,

and it's too early in the year to pull off a major trade.

Somehow, they'll just need to figure it out.

"This team's used to fighting," said Eppler, who has raved about how the Angels remained in

the playoff race until the final day last season. "They'll respond the way they've historically

responded."

FROM ESPN.COM

Angels' Andrelton Simmons needs surgery to repair UCL in left thumb Los Angeles Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons will require surgery for what the team

described Monday as a full thickness tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb.

The Angels said they would have an update on Simmons following the surgery. He will be

placed on the disabled list.

Simmons, 26, was hurt when he landed awkwardly on his glove hand while diving to stop a

grounder hit by Evan Longoria in the third inning of Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. He

immediately left the game.

May 10, 2016 Page 18 of 22

Simmons is one of the majors' best fielders. He won two Gold Glove awards with the Braves

before they traded him to Los Angeles in the offseason. He has been a strong fielder in his first

season with the Angels, though he made a throwing error in a loss Saturday.

Simmons has struggled at the plate this season, batting .219 with eight RBIs. He had a hit

Saturday to end an 0-for-21 skid.

The Angels entered Monday fourth in the AL West at 13-18.

FROM FOX SPORTS Cardinals head west to take on struggling Pujols, Angels By Scott Garbarini STATS, Inc.

Albert Pujols' former team has yet to perform to its usual expectations, and his current one is literally in a world of hurt.

The St. Louis Cardinals and the injury-plagued Los Angeles Angels both attempt to regroup from disappointing weekends in Tuesday night's opener of a three-game series.

As the Cardinals (16-16) head west off a frustrating 4-6 homestand, the Angels' season is beginning to go south with losses in seven of the last nine games and staff ace Garrett Richards headed for Tommy John surgery.

Though injuries to Richards, C.J. Wilson, Andrew Heaney and closer Huston Street have left the pitching depth near bare, the offense has been the bigger culprit behind Los Angeles' 13-18 start. The Angels generated little in their series with visiting Tampa Bay, scoring a mere five runs and going 2 for 20 with runners in scoring position in losing all three games.

"We've got to stay positive," outfielder Mike Trout said following Sunday's 3-1 defeat. "We're just going through a funk right now, but things will turn. It's a long season, so that's the only thing you look at. You can't look at what happened the last few weeks. Obviously, it's not the start we wanted coming out of spring training, but we've got to turn the page."

May 10, 2016 Page 19 of 22

Trout hasn't been the problem. He's hitting .385 with six home runs and 19 RBIs over a 17-game stretch despite little protection from Pujols, whose average dropped to .190 following Sunday's 0-for-3 effort.

Los Angeles, hitting .222 and averaging 3.1 runs at home, could be dealing with another extended absence from a key player after shortstop Andrelton Simmons exited Sunday's game with a sprained left thumb.

"We have some guys that are banged up, but you can't hang your head and feel sorry for yourself," manager Mike Scioscia said. "We still have a core group in there that can win games, and that's what we're going to focus on."

The Angels get to face a struggling Mike Leake (0-3, 6.03 ERA) in the opener. The free-agent addition remained winless in six starts after allowing four runs on a pair of homers in Wednesday's five-inning no-decision against Philadelphia.

Leake has served up six home runs in his last four outings, though Los Angeles ranks near the bottom of the AL with 25 homers. He also hasn't done well in interleague play of late, compiling a 1-5 record and 7.44 ERA in his past eight starts (including an 0-4 mark on the road).

Counterpart Hector Santiago (2-1, 3.58) is 0-3 with a 5.47 ERA in his last five interleague starts and wasn't sharp in Wednesday's outing in Milwaukee, surrendering three runs and eight hits while walking four in 5 1/3 innings in a 7-3 Angels win.

The left-hander could fare better in a return to Angel Stadium, where he's 5-2 with a 2.69 ERA in 19 starts since the start of last season. Los Angeles has won each of his last five home assignments.

Santiago takes on a St. Louis offense that ranks among the MLB leaders with 44 home runs and features a red-hot Stephen Piscotty, who finished 4 for 5 in Sunday's 10-5 loss to Pittsburgh to raise his average to .323. The California native is hitting .448 with six RBIs over his last seven games.

"Stephen is a good hitter," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "He had a nice day (Sunday) and took advantage of what they were giving him."

May 10, 2016 Page 20 of 22

The teams are meeting for the first time since the Angels won two of three at home from July 2-4, 2013.

FROM YAHOO SPORTS The ‘Devil’s disease’ gives Mother’s Day new meaning for Joe Smith By Tim Brown May 7, 2016

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – In the worst of it, Joe Smith believes his mother is in there

somewhere, behind her vacant eyes, a spark of the woman lost in a mutated gene at the end of

a chromosome that could be coming for him too.

. Her name is Lee. She is 57 years old. She married Joe’s father, Mike, 35 years ago. They had a son, Joseph, and a daughter, Megan, two years later. Joe went off to be a ballplayer for the Los Angeles Angels. Megan is raising a family of her own. Mike and Lee had plans for these years. Now Mike reminds her to keep a good grip on the handrail and sometimes helps her dress. Lee has her bucket list, all written out. She wants to go on a helicopter ride. She wants to try

one of those zip lines. She hopes to see Joe and his wife, Allie, have children.

She showed her list to Joe last Mother’s Day, a few years after she’d been diagnosed with

Huntington’s disease, a curse that first incapacitated and then took her own mother. He saw

what was first on the list and grinned. Seriously, zip lining.

“The disease, the pills, and then the combination of those two, sometimes I see that in her

eyes,” he said. “It’s like, ‘Are you here?’ Or I can tell she’s not here. Then there’s other times

when her eyes just light up. She’s here. As it goes on, those times become less and less.”

He searches for a familiar gesture, studies her for a smile coming, for the laugh he remembers

when he was a boy and she spun a good number in Chutes and Ladders. He holds her and can

feel the disease in her muscles, how it has made her so rigid, fragile and rigid at the same time,

as though she were bracing against what it would bring next.

“It’s tough,” he said. “It’s just tough.”

He wiped his eyes.

.

May 10, 2016 Page 21 of 22

There is no cure for Huntington’s disease, a genetic disorder that afflicts some 30,000 people in the United States, that is carried by another two or three times as many yet to be diagnosed. There is only the irreversible trudge, a decline of muscular coordination, brain function and behavioral leanings. There is only helplessness. There is only as much time as it will allow. It decides. And Lee, and others like her, and their families, endure the day. They start again the

next day with a little less, and the following day with less than that, and there is no reprieve.

There is only less.

Joe – Lee has always called her son Joseph, and the telephone conversation that would confirm

her diagnosis began with a hollow, “Hi, Joseph,” and haunts him still – sat recently in a

restaurant near his home in Newport Beach, Calif. He was on his way to work. He is strong and

healthy and has a 50-50 chance of inheriting the days that get dimmer and more difficult and

frightening and, if you let it be, hopeless. He has not submitted to a test.

“What are you going to do?” he asked. “Right now, I mean, is there a benefit? Is somebody

going to cure me if I have it?”

Worse, perhaps, than not knowing if it is in you or not, is knowing for sure it is. At least that

way there are hours, maybe even days, without it, until the phone rings.

“Hi, Joseph.”

Huntington’s disease is described as a neurodegenerative genetic disorder. Of the symptoms,

Joe said, “The way I describe it to people is Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and dementia, bundle

them up and that’s what you get. It’s nicknamed the Devil’s Disease for that reason. It’s the bad

stuff from every disease you can think of, and you put it in one person.”

Only it’s less complicated than that in a house in Cincinnati, where Mike and Lee live. It’s not far

from the house in which Joe grew up, where Lee would call in her Joseph from outside to do his

homework, or wash up for dinner. Her specialty, Joe’s favorite, was meatballs. They loved that

house, but it was too big with the kids gone. Also, that house had two stories, and before long

that staircase was going to be too much.

In the new place, accounting for the disease that hounds Lee isn’t as important anymore.

Navigating the days is important. Getting one foot to follow the other is important. Getting

through a page of the latest John Grisham, and remembering that page before getting to the

next. Folding laundry. Packing to go visit her Joseph. Matching the pills with what is slipping.

Fighting off the fear that it’s coming too fast. It’s all coming too fast now.

The disease’s genetic marker was discovered only 33 years ago. The Huntington’s gene was found 10 years after that. So Joe and Allie have started a website called helpcurehd.com they

May 10, 2016 Page 22 of 22

hope will help fund progress toward a better understanding of the disease and, maybe, eventually, a cure. Maybe for Lee.

Sunday’s Mother’s Day is the fifth since she was diagnosed. The fifth that Joe will wake up and

remember it is a special day on the calendar, that there are flowers in a vase near Lee, that

there is a colorful card that assures her again – in writing – that she is loved and appreciated.

He’ll go to a ballpark where pink is splashed to honor moms sick and healthy, and there’ll be

families in the crowd, and Joe will love all of that. He will think of his mom and everyone else’s

too, and know he is lucky to have her, all of her, down to every last chromosome.

“I think it’s good,” he said. “She’s still my mom. She still took care of me and raised me and my

sister. I don’t think Mother’s Day is necessarily about what you are right now, you know what I

mean? It’s more about what you’ve been, what my mom has been through for you, for me, for

them. I don’t look at her any differently because of what she’s going through now. That’s not

what it’s about. I’ll be happy. I’ll be proud that she’s my mom.

“And I’ll think it’s cool. I’ll get texts. I’ll get people to walk up to me that know me and met my

mom, that kind of know what’s going on, and they’ll be like, ‘Hey, make sure you tell your mom

I said hello. Tell her happy Mother’s Day.’ I don’t know, maybe they tell everybody else they see

the same thing. I feel like they don’t. ‘Hey, how’s your mom? Is she all right?’ Little stuff like

that. It’s nice to hear.”

Joe will say today she is OK. Today she is good. Today she is in there, fighting so hard for

tomorrow.