Angels, Yankees set to butt heads
Mike Scioscia's Angels is the only team with an edge over the Yankees (53-44) since the start of the new millennium and they have not dropped a season series to the Bombers since going 3-6 in 2003.
However, counting the 2009 postseason, the Angels are 2-8 at new Yankee Stadium.
Angels' pitcher Scott Kazmir had been hoping to recapture his swagger and confidence, with a history of post-All-Star Game success. Instead, the left-hander is headed to the disabled list, leaving a yet-to-be-recalled pitcher to take his scheduled start in Tuesday's opener of a brief two-game series in Yankee Stadium.
After Kazmir emerged from a recent workout with some stiffness in his throwing shoulder, the Angels made the decision to place him on the disabled list following the conclusion of their weekend series with Seattle.
The good news is that the injury does not seem to be all that serious and was classified as "shoulder fatigue."
While Kazmir takes a timeout to regain his strength and rest his shoulder, his intended mound opponent, Phil Hughes, will get the chance to make the best of his scheduled start with hopes of playing up to his potential.
Hughes takes the mounds for the Yankees
The New York right-hander isn't nearly in as deep a funk as Kazmir -- who in his final four starts prior to the break allowed 30 earned runs in 19 2/3 innings, increasing his first-half ERA to a whopping 6.92.
Yet, despite an 11-2 record, Hughes also approached the break on a downward spiral, posting a 4.87 ERA since May. However, his troubles can be masked by the Yankees and their winning ways, combined with a solid offence backing him.
Despite the Angels' success against New York, the defending world champions have looked like a runaway train showing no signs of stopping. But at some point, that train has to run out of track, right?
Yankees looking solid as ever
Don’t count on it- at least anytime soon that is.The Yankees are getting steady play from the bullpen and most notably Alex Rodriguez, who is closing in on 600 career home runs.
Hughes was given a day off on Monday to rest up and ultimately give the New York bullpen a much deserved break.
Between A.J. Burnett's self-inflicted injury on Saturday and Andy Pettitte's groin injury on Sunday, the Yankees are getting a dose of the injury bug. But guys are stepping up and filling the voids.
Relievers toiled 13 2/3 innings to enable a series win over the second-place Tampa Bay Rays.
The Angels are expected to recall either Trevor Bell or Sean O'Sullivan to step into Kazmir's shoes. Both are currently at Triple-A Salt Lake and have spent time this season in the major league.
Bell has made 14 relief appearances for Los Angeles while O'Sullivan has allowed one earned run in seven innings with the Angels. Both are being deployed as starters in the Minors: O'Sullivan is 5-5 with a 4.76 ERA in 15 starts, while Bell is 2-0 in his six starts.
"We'll bring somebody up, the rotation will get an extra day," said Angels manager Scioscia, who termed Kazmir's injury as "something that just came up now."
Kazmir's trip to the DL is retroactive to July 11, the day following his most recent start, so he would be eligible to rejoin the rotation a week from Monday.
The Angels will be embarking on arguably the most challenging part of their schedule. Between series against last-place teams in the Mariners last weekend and the Orioles on Aug. 3-5), Los Angeles will play 12 straight games exclusively against the Yankees, the Red Sox and the Rangers.
The bullpen and defence are the problems, yet, the Angels have done significantly well for themselves.
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