Tuesday Halolinks: Streaking Angels Fear For Jered Weaver, Celebrate Mark Trumbo

Please keep your clothes on if you're reading today's Halolinks in the Quad:

• Last night's game was one of those "good news-bad news" sort of games. The Angels won their 7th straight, but may have possibly lost their #1 pitcher, Jered Weaver to a back injury: Angels lose Weaver but edge Yankees on Trumbo's homer - Yahoo! Sports. "Weaver threw one pitch to cleanup hitter Robinson Cano, a ball, but landed awkwardly in his delivery off the mound. "As I released the ball, I couldn't bend over. It felt like somebody came up from behind and stabbed me," Weaver said after the game. After getting checked out by team trainers, Weaver threw one warm-up pitch to catcher Bobby Wilson but grimaced as he delivered the ball and was promptly removed from the game. He threw just 12 pitches." He'll have an MRI today to determine the exact cause of the pain and what course of treatment. By the way, it's somewhat ironic that the Angels and Phillies have been compared to each as the best pitching rotations in baseball, and Philadelphia's ace is hurting too: Halladay leaves after two innings. "Roy Halladay had to leave his start against the St. Louis Cardinals after just two innings."
• Eight would be great: Yankees-Angels Preview - Yahoo! Sports. "Haren looks to build on one of the best starts of his career and help the surging Angels extend their season-best winning streak to eight games Tuesday night against Andy Pettitte and the Yankees."
• "I told him that a player on a streak has to respect the streak."
  "Oh fine."
  "You know why? Because they don't - -they don't happen very often."
  "Right."
  "If you believe you're playing well because you're getting laid, or because you're not getting laid, or because you wear women's underwear, then you are! And you should know that!"
  
  Torii Hunter back with Angels after son's arrest - Yahoo! Sports. "Hunter rejoined the Los Angeles Angels on Monday after a 14-game absence. The veteran outfielder didn't come off the Angels' restricted list before they opened a three-game series with the New York Yankees, but Hunter thinks he'll be ready to play soon." I have mixed feeling about the return of Torii Hunter. Hunter has missed 14 games while attending to family matters, and while he was gone, the Halos have gone 10-4. During that stretch, the club also lost Vernon Wells to a thumb injury, but seem to have turned their season around. Seven-in-a-row..."Never fuck with a winning streak."
• Okay, it's a Jon Heyman post, but it shows Ernesto Frieri is starting to be noticed for the right reasons, and the Halo pen looks to have figured it out: Little-known Frieri a revelation for surging Angels - CBSSports.com. "In his first 11 innings as an Angel, Frieri has allowed zero hits while striking out 23 batters. That is not a misprint, by the way. "
• The other thing about the bullpen; it's become bizzaroworld: Angels might have a true committee of closers - latimes.com. "With three attractive late-inning options, Scioscia has employed Downs as a "wild card," his use based on matchups. Saturday, for instance, Downs faced five batters — four lefties and a switch-hitter — in the seventh and eighth innings of a 5-3 win. Sunday, Downs pitched the ninth." Using pitchers based on matchups and not roles? Four out saves?? Next thing you know, the bullpen will be shutting out the opposition...from the above Heyman post, "Since that May 3 trade (which brought in Frieri), which received little attention at the time, the Angels' bullpen has posted a 0.89 ERA, with Frieri, former closer Jordan Walden and lefthander Scott Downs manning the final innings."
• Last week I had a little trouble explaining why I had problems with Mike Scioscia's quotes. Here's an example of what I'd like to see from the Angels' skipper: Leyland comments on disputed call in second - tigers.com. "Jim Leyland expresses his emotions over a disputed call in the second, which eventually resulted in the Red Sox taking the lead"
• Bobby Abreu's switch from Angels to Dodgers is a hit - latimes.com. "We saw when he got released," Mattingly said. "We knew, Bobby Abreu is out there. The timing couldn't have been better for us." The Angels are paying all but about $400,000 of Abreu's $9-million contract, in its final year. Monday night, in the Brewers' 3-2 victory, Abreu was two for four, raised his average with the Dodgers to .339, robbed Ryan Braun of a hit with a sliding catch, stole a base and scored a run."
• Great article. If you only follow one link today, make it this one: The Former Met Bob Ojeda Relives Both Glory and Pain - NYTimes.com. "I mean, it hurt. Like a screwdriver was stuck in it. So, after years of ice, pain medicine, massage and sleeping in long-sleeved shirts to keep my left arm warm and safe, the team doctor said I had only one option left — to stick something in it. Like a needle. With something powerful in the vial."