THURSDAY ANGELS ROUNDUP: Trevor Bell Makes Debut, Bozo Would Be Proud

Angels continue power surge, sweep Rays - FOX Sports on MSN
Gary Matthews Jr. and Howie Kendrick both hit three-run homers in the Angels' latest comeback win. By next week, both might be back on Los Angeles' bench. Such is the prodigious offensive depth of the AL West leaders, who keep finding big hits in the most improbable places.

Angels' Trevor Bell makes a good first impression -- latimes.com
Wednesday, he was the starting pitcher for a team that is now 24 games above .500 and an obvious force to be reckoned with in the postseason. He was going against the American League representative in last season's World Series, a Murderer's Row whose first five hitters were all-stars this year.

Angels withering against West, dominating elsewhere - USATODAY.com
After years of ruling the American League West, they have gone 15-19 against their division rivals this year but still hold a five-game lead on the Texas Rangers.

Team Reports - CBSSports.com
CF Torii Hunter began his minor league injury-rehabilitation assignment with Class A Rancho Cucamonga on Tuesday and went 0-for-2 with a walk while playing five innings in center field. Wednesday, he went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer in his second rehab game. He could rejoin the Angels in Baltimore this weekend.

Justin Speier bids a gracious farewell -- latimes.com
A day after being handed his unconditional release, reliever Justin Speier returned to Angel Stadium on Wednesday to publicly express his gratitude to the team's owner and former general manager. "I want to thank Arte Moreno and Bill Stoneman for signing me . . . giving me an opportunity to pitch for the Angels," he said. "It's been a glorious, glorious experience and I've built a lot of relationships along the way."

What a classy guy. Good luck Justin Speier.

Grading debuts on the curve - SweetSpot by Rob Neyer - ESPN
This afternoon, Trevor Bell debuted. He's the 13th pitcher to start a game for the first-place Angels this season, which I suppose is a story in itself. I prefer the story about Bell's grandfather, who for many years was Bozo the Clown. How did Bozo's grandson fare in his first Big Boy League action? Well, it depends on who you ask.

Scioscia says Escobar is likely done - angelsbaseball.com
"At this point, it doesn't seem that way," Scioscia said of the possibility of Escobar returning. "But obviously he's still rehabbing."

Sean Rodriguez drives in seven at Triple-A - angelsbaseball.com
After delivering a two-run single in the first inning, Rodriguez belted a three-run shot to right field in the second and sent a two-run blast over the fence in left in the sixth. When the dust settled, he was 4-for-4 with three runs scored.

Angels' Matthews gets lift from former junior college coach - LA Daily News
Gary Matthews Jr. knew as soon as he left tickets for Dave Mendoza, his former coach at L.A. Mission College would bring a much-needed lift Wednesday.

Steady Scioscia helps Halos persevere - angelsbaseball.com
"Ah, leave me out of it, OK?" Scioscia says, earnestly. "Make this about somebody else. It's the organization that's done this, not me." Leaving Scioscia out of this is like avoiding President Obama in a discussion of the current administration.

August 13 - BR Bullpen
Events, births and deaths that occurred on August 13.
1995 - Flags fly at half-mast at the stadium as Yankee legend Mickey Mantle dies of liver cancer at the age of 63 in Dallas, Texas.

Remember Snake Cans?