Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim

[manchild24]

how about that, come on. The guy's forearm is still tender.

[manchild24]

John Lackey threw just two pitches in his 2009 debut on Saturday before he was ejected by the home plate umpire.

Lackey threw behind the head of Rangers leadoff man Ian Kinsler with his first pitch of '09, then nailed him in the back on his second delivery. It likely wasn't intentional, put home plate umpire Bob Davidson gave him the boot anyway. Lackey walked slowly off the field with his hands raised and a puzzled look on his face.

[manchild24]

Gary Matthews Jr. returned to action on Saturday and went 2-for-4.

Matthews missed three days because of tightness in his lower back.

[manchild24]

Jered Weaver went eight innings and allowed just three runs against the Rangers on Sunday but still took a loss in a 3-0 game.

Weaver struck out seven, walked three, and gave up six hits. Two of the three runs came in the eighth inning when he allowed a triple and two doubles, so fatigue was likely a factor. Weaver is 3-2 with a 2.59 ERA on the season.


Lets get him some run support

[manchild24]

The Angels confirmed that John Lackey would start Monday's game against the Mariners.

Lackey was ejected after throwing two pitches Saturday. Matt Palmer will be pushed back just one day to Tuesday, with Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders set to follow versus Seattle.

[manchild24]

Kendry Morales went 3-for-5 with a pair of homers and three RBI as the Angels defeated the Mariners 10-6 on Monday night.

Morales launched a two-run shot in the fifth with the scored tied 5-5. He added a solo shot in the eighth inning. Morales is finally flashing some legitimate power, as he's got eight homers on the season to go along with 26 RBI.

[manchild24]

Vladimir Guerrero is set to begin a minor league rehab assignment Friday with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga.

Vlad has been out since the middle of April with a torn pectoral muscle. If all goes well at Rancho Cucamonga this weekend, he could return to the Angels' lineup on Monday. He was hitting .250/.314/.344 with one home run and three RBI before he was sidelined.

[manchild24]

Kelvim Escobar is hoping to throw around 60 pitches in his first rehab start with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga next week.

Escobar is rehabbing as a starter, but the Angels may decide to use him in the bullpen once he's deemed healthy. "I'll do whatever they want me to do," Escobar said. "It makes sense to [prepare as a starter] because it's easier to adjust to being a reliever. If I can throw 100 pitches, it's easy to throw 20 pitches. I would just have to get used to throwing every day."

[manchild24]

Dustin Moseley has been shut down from extended spring training work with a nerve irritation in his neck.

The nerve problem is affecting his throwing arm, so Moseley will undergo tests to see if there is a more significant injury. The nerve irritation has bothered Moseley off-and-on since the end of the 2007 campaign. He's not likely to be back with the Angels before mid-June.

[manchild24]

Matt Palmer moved to 5-0 despite allowing five runs over just five innings on Tuesday night.

Can anyone get a hold of the mirrors he's doing this with? Palmer scattered seven hits on the night, including homers to Ken Griffey Jr. and Ronny Cedeno, with three walks against two strikeouts. The 30-year-old has a 4.26 ERA through five starts and he offers little value outside of a matchup play

[manchild24]

Bobby Abreu was 3-for-4 with a walk and two RBI in a win over the Mariners on Tuesday night.

Abreu got things started for the Angels, singling to score Chone Figgins in the first. He would later double home Maicer Izturis in the sixth. Abreu also stole his 15th base in the win. Owners have to be happy with the stolen bases, the .302 batting average and the .402 on base percentage, but they're still waiting on that elusive first home run.

[manchild24]

Ervin Santana suffered his first loss of the season on Wednesday night despite allowing just one run over 6 1/3 innings.

He was very strong in his second start back from a partially torn elbow ligament, but Chris Jakubauskas was just a little bit better. Santana gave up just five hits -- the only run scoring on a Ken Griffey Jr. RBI single in the first -- while he walked two and struck out three. He's given up a combined four runs over his first two starts and makes a good play going forward against the White Sox.

[manchild24]

Bobby Abreu underwent precautionary X-rays on his big toe Wednesday night.

The Angels aren't expecting anything unusual. Abreu injured his toe in the second inning Wednesday and was replaced by Juan Rivera. The X-ray results should be made available by Thursday afternoon

[manchild24]

Gary Matthews Jr. hit his first home run of the season in a win over the Mariners on Thursday night.

It was a solo shot; Howie Kendrick and Juan Rivera each added one as well, accounting for all three of the Angels' runs in the victory. It took Matthews 87 at-bats to hit his first home run, so it seems he's much more likely to hit eight like he did last year than 18 like he did in 2007.

[manchild24]

Joe Saunders blanked the Mariners over seven innings on Thursday night to pick up his sixth win as the Angels won 3-0.

Saunders walked three and struck out three while limiting the M's to four singles, and the Angels offense supported him with three solo homers. He's now 6-2 with a 3.17 ERA, and will face the White Sox in his next start