May 21, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels starter Jerome Williams (57) delivers a pitch against the Seattle Mariners at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Rehab Start Goes Well for Angels’ Jered Weaver

It also says in the article that Weaver could be back in the rotation next week, if everything goes smoothly. Please, everything, go smoothly.

The Curious Case of the Angels Poor Outfield Defensive Metrics

This is one step closer to the “dogs and cats living together” that Peter Venkman was referring too.

Madson Dealing With Setback

Oh, for the love of…..really? Someone get Ryan Madson an advil so he can get back to pitching.

Money Quote:

“I can’t believe it’s taken this long,” Madson said. “I thought by last Friday it would be ready.”

Said every Angels fan, ever.

Moreno Supportive of Staff Over 10 Years as Owner

Congratulations on 10 years of ownership. Now, as a gift to the fans, please eat Joe Blanton‘s contract.

How the West was Lost

So, the west was lost because of the managers. Wait, what?

Money Quote:

Unless the Angels have a secret corn field out in Anaheim, they aren’t gonna see Connie Mack or Sparky Anderson calling the shots any time soon.

I see what you did there.

Something Fishy About Trout Hitting for the Cycle

10 lashes for speaking ill of Mike Trout. For shame.

Williams Working to Keep Spot in Angels’ Rotation

All of this could have been easily avoided had the Angels simply not signed Blanton and given the rotation spot to Jerome Williams. All that Williams need to be this season was a decent #5. Up to this point, he has been muchbetter than that.

Money Quote:

“The only thing a player can do — like Jerome is doing — is be as productive as they can be,” Scioscia said. “We’ve got a ways to go before our pitching staff is settled — hopefully not too long — but in the next couple weeks.”

Or in the next week. Or day. Hell, I’ve got a few hours, I’ll make the hard phone calls for you, skip.

May 19, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels left fielder J.B. Shuck (39) and catcher Chris Iannetta (17) celebrate with center fielder Mike Trout (27) after both running in a score off of a hit by Los Angeles Angels short stop Erick Aybar (not pictured) against the Chicago White Sox during the third inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Angels have won two games in a row after splitting a four game series with the Chicago White Sox at home. Sunday’s 6-2 win over the Sox is precisely what GM Jerry DiPoto had envisioned in the offseason – a powerful offense producing six runs in support of Jason Vargas who threw seven scoreless innings for his third win of the season. One impressive note: Vargas has successfully lowered his ERA from 6.75 in mid-April to 3.55 today. The southern California native has refused to give up in the face of early season adversity.  The club is hoping to return to form once a number of key players return from the DL – most notably ace Jared Weaver and center fielder Peter Bourjos (who led the team in batting average before injuring his hamstring).  And that doesn’t include closer Ryan Madson who can add further depth to a notoriously unreliable “Blowpen.”

Unfortunately, the Angels have failed to make up ground in their division despite adding a few W’s to the win column. The Halos are now 17-27 (.386) and 12 games back of the division leading Texas Rangers. Not even a red-hot Miguel Cabrera and his ridiculous five RBI’s (on three home runs) could derail the Rangers on Sunday night in Arlington. Texas will need to cool off during the summer months if the Angels hope to make up any significant ground in the standings.

A new week provides a familiar opponent as the Angels start a two game series against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The third place Mariners have posted a 20-25 record having lost their last four against manager Terry Francona and his AL Central leading Cleveland Indians.

Game One: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 7:05 PST, Angel Stadium of Anaeim. Aaron Harang is scheduled to take the mound for the Seattle Mariners. Harang was scratched from his Thursday start against the Yankees after complaining of lower back stiffness. He now appears ready to go after a recent bullpen session. Good news for the Angels – Harang is 1-4 with a 7.35 ERA and has yet to find a groove since being traded to Seattle from the Colorado Rockies.

The Angels are scheduled to start Jerome Williams who is 2-1 (3.05 ERA) and coming off a strong performance against the White Sox. Williams had another impressive performance, allowing only two runs in six innings but was pulled by manager Mike Scioscia in a head-scratching move after throwing just 74 pitches. Williams didn’t appear fatigued and implied as much in a post-game interview.

Game Two: Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 7:05 p.m., Angel Stadium of Anahiem. Two local boys duel it out as lefty C.J. Wilson (3-3, 3.72) will take the mound against RHP Brandon Maurer (2-5, 5.75 ERA). C.J.’s last two losses against the White Sox are not indicative of his incredible pitching performance – he simply had the unenviable position of going up against Chris Sale (who managed to one-hit and three-hit the Angels in his last two starts). I can only imagine that Wilson is looking forward to facing this Seattle lineup with a different opposing pitcher on the mound.

Jul 24, 2012; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jerome Williams (57) pitches against the Kansas City Royals during the seventh inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Jerome Williams, to say the least, has a very colorful background. Williams, now 31 years old, was acquired by the Halos in 2011 and made his first appearance for the big-league club in August, 2011. I was recently able to conduct an interview with the Hawaii native, and he provided me with some very interesting and insightful answers. Hope you enjoy!

Halo Hangout: What advice would you give to a kid trying to become a major league player?

Jerome Williams: Never let anybody tell you you can’t do it. Always strive to what you think you can do. Never let anybody tell you you can’t do it.

HH: What do you enjoy the most about the game of baseball?

JW: Just… having the opportunity to play against the best baseball players in the world. Going out there and playing against these guys; some of the guys I watched when I was growing up. And seeing young talent perform well!

JW: Favorite thing to do in the offseason? <laughs> Well, when I’m not working out or anything, you know… spending time with my kids and spending time with my family.

JW: Bank One Ballpark which is in Arizona. I had a lot of success there when I was with the Giants. Every time I went there I pitched well.

HH: What’s your least favorite stadium to pitch in?

JW: Yankees stadium <laughs>. It’s so short to right, they have a good lineup… and it’s just really tough.

JW: Todd Helton. To this day, I can not get him out. Even when I do get him out, it’s a hard out. He puts the bat on the ball on just about every pitch that I throw to him.

HH: Who was your favorite player as a kid?

JW: I really didn’t have one. Me growing up in Hawaii, it was weird because every time they had a baseball game going on I was at practice — because of the time difference. The only games that were being showed were ESPN games or TBS games. At that time, TBS, and still today… they always show the Braves. At those times I wasn’t really watching baseball, I was playing it; so I really didn’t have a favorite player.

HH: How and when did you become interested in baseball?

JW: I was four years old and my father took me to the park and he wanted me to play basketball. I really didn’t want to try and play basketball, and told my father that I actually wanted to play a sport where kids are on the field playing. So, my dad actually told me,”if you really want to do this, you’re gonna have to sit out a year so I can teach you the game of baseball.” So I sat out a year and he taught me the game of baseball. By the time I was 6 years old, I was playing baseball and I was really good at it.

HH: If you had the opportunity to hit against any MLB pitcher, who would it be and why?

JW: Oh man, I dont know. I want to say Roger Clemens, because my second year — when he was with the Astros — he struck me out three times. And when he had his first at-bat against me, he hit a line drive up the middle, so I really want to get that hit against him… because, you know, he’s Roger.

HH: What’s the most exciting game you’ve ever played in?

JW: The most exciting game I ever played in was during my rookie year. I think it was game five against the Marlins. I pitched in that game. Everybody knows what happened at the end; the runner tried to score from second and run over Ivan Rodriguez. He didn’t succeed, and you know, you had Ivan showing everyone the ball. We lost that game, but just the atmosphere and being a part of that as a rookie… pitching in Pro Player Stadium against the Marlins in front of 80,00 people was the best experience I’ve ever had in a baseball game.

HH: Which major league pitcher would you compare yourself to?

JW: Are we talking before 2011, or after 2011? I was a totally different pitcher when I was younger than I am now.

HH: How about both before and after.

JW: Before 2011, I’d probably compare myself to Dwight “Doc” Gooden. He threw hard, had a hard curveball. Now, I’d compare myself to myself <laughs>. It’s a whole different style how I pitch now. It’s totally different than before. And I don’t think I pitch like anybody else; I don’t think anybody pitches like me. I just want to be myself.

HH: Working on the sinker?

JW: Yep… sinker, cutter, change. That’s all I’m going to work on <laughs>.

HH: How is this 2013 team different than the 2012 team?

JW: Well, last year we had a rough start. The first month, month-and-a-half, we started off slow. We turned it on at the end, but it wasn’t enough. But I think with this team, we have everything accomplished. We have a good starting rotation, our bullpen is solid — adding a few arms to the bullpen, adding three arms to the starting rotation, adding hamilton, he’s a big bat… with Albert Pujols and Mike Trout. Unfortunately, we lost Torii Hunter, but we have guys who can hopefully step up and get his production back. And hopefully this time will get far — and get to the World Series.

HH: What role do you plan on playing in 2013?

JW: Any role they put me in. I think as of right now I’m the long man. Whatever role they put me in, I will try and do my best and go out there and shine. I’ll give everybody 100% every time I get the ball.

HH: Yeah, I really like that when a starter is struggling for the day, it’s perfect for you to come out and shut the other team down, to at least give the Angels a chance to come back and win.

JW: Exactly… That’s my job. That’s my job to do. Every time I do go out there and do that, that’s my intent, and that’s what I want to do every time I go out there.

HH: That’s a good mindset to have.

JW: Always a good mindset.

HH: What do you think of Mike Trout?

JW: What everybody else thinks of Mike Trout <laughs>. I mean… he’s uhh… a superstar in the making. He proved it last year. He came up from AAA and immediately made an impact. That’s the type of guy that you would love to have on your team. He’s a spark plug, and a young kid, and you know… you’d love to play behind a guy like that.

HH: It’s got to be nice to know that anything hit out there is going to be caught next year, right? With Trout AND Bourjos out there.

JW: Peter Bourjos, Trout AND Hamilton… Ooohhhh… You never know… You know for a fact that everything that’s hit out there these guys can track down and get the out.

HH: How did  Torii Hunter affect the team in 2012?

JW: He showed leadership in the cluibhouse and on the field. He’s a guy that you’d love to have your back in anyway possible; on and off the field. He was a good teammate and a good person overall. And like I said, he was our leader on and off the field.

HH: I think it was a couple of years ago when Fernando Rodney said that the Angels tried to change his pitching mechanics; any truth to that?

JW: Well, I wasn’t there for most of the season, so I never really heard anything like that.

HH: So they don’t do it now? They let you be you?

JW: Yep, they let me be me. If they have suggestions, the suggestions will be said. If I like it, I like it. If I don’t, I don’t, but as long as long as I’m able to do well and perform… that’s the number one goal.

HH: Do you think participating in the World Baseball Classic is worth the injury risk?

JW: It’s (WBC) a good thing. Some guys do get hurt. And they get hurt before the season or during the season — some time around the first month — because they get ready too quick. They tend to get ready too quick and now they have to get ready for the season. Everything is so compact in one area that they get hurt. However, it’s good to see international teams and player come to the states. And we (the U.S.) can compare ourselves against some of the guys from the other countries. So I think it’s both bad and good.

HH: Okay, I think that’ll do for now. Thank you so much, Jerome.

JW: No problem.