Thor'sLinks: Trout is 3/4's of the Halo offense. Sounds about right.

As frustrating as things have been this season, you have to admit we have had bits and pieces of good fortune. Albert Pujols gets whacked in the wrist with a pitch by Drew Hutchison, and is forced to exit the game. So Marc Krauss is inserted as his substitute and ends up chopping a soft liner to the left field gap for a double, driving in the tying and winning runs. That would increase Krauss' hit total for the entire season to.....two.............(And then, for more luck, we learn that X-rays on Pujols' wrist came back negative. He is listed as day to day.)

The Angels are sitting at 21 and 19 and 5 1/2 games back of the Astros (both of which are 7-3 over the last 10 games). So when Alden Gonzalez noted that although the team is just off their pace of last season their run differential has plummeted from +32 to +2, meaning winning lots of close games. Thus, I did a little research. Here are the facts:

Matt Joyce accepts responsibility: I'm pretty sure that the following response, although it involves Matt Joyce getting detention for being tardy, more accurately defines the contrast with a certain person returning to Arlington: " But Joyce felt a responsibility to own up to his mistake -- even if it meant absorbing the backlash that came with it....'In this game you're going to make mistakes. And I think as a man, you have to be able to admit your mistakes and move on, learn from it. That's it. Sometimes it's not always the easiest decision, and there's always going to be a lot of criticism and a lot of people that aren't going to be happy with you. But you're a grown man.' " There are lessons there, to be sure...........

We fans are a feeble bunch. We must be. How much more inside information do insiders have such that a banjo-hitting, weak-fielding, walk-reluctant, speedster is more valuable to us clogging up the LAA outfield, than he is to the Phillie fans clogging up the Philadelphia outfield? Because it appears that to a fine fellow such as Jerry Dipoto, insider-extraordinaire, this is a most desirable outcome worthy of pursuing, even at the cost of future resources.

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Bryce Harper has been quite an asshat. Bryce Harper can be quite an asshat. Bryce Harper shall be quite an asshat for some time to come. And yet, yesterday, Bryce Harper was not the asshat. Amazingly, that title belonged to plate umpire Marvin Hudson who found himself dogpiling on his own idiocy one big mistake after another. After grossly mis-judging a pitch while Harper was batting, he then reacted to Nationals Manager Matt Williams taking advantage of Harper's pause to absorb the moment. As Williams barked from the dugout, Hudson flipped his mask and chose to confront Williams, drawing him from the dugout and ending up ejecting him. While all that was going on, he commanded Harper to get back into the batter's box. Why? It could only be because Hudson was losing control and allowing himself to get pissy, since time was clearly out while Hudson and Williams did their dance. Harper was none too quick and courteous about that, certainly not courteous enough for Hudson. So when Harper made a sarcastic point about following orders, well, that was enough. Harper got run as well. And all was right in the world of baseball umpires once again.

Nice catch, kid. One day soon perhaps you shall grow up to be Mike Trout...........

Ron Washington rises, in Oakland. One can only surmise that the price of his wife's trust must be pretty steep to have earned such an exile.............

Mystics and witches have foretold the coming of this day for many centuries. The signs of the Apocalypse are upon us...........

Cubs, Cubs, Cubs....My, oh my. Does anyone recall the time that the Cubs were found to have junked the Wrigley Field birthday cake, uneaten, into the  dumpster? Well, that was embarrassing. One would think that it would be extremely difficult to outdo such a bumbling public relations moment of stupidity. But, ah, we are talking about the Cubs, here. And they have risen to the challenge. Now they have been caught throwing away commemorative bricks. Purchased by their fans. Found in a landfill............

Baseball analysts are spoiled. Mike Trout spoiled them. Anything less than overwhelmingly brilliant is a disappointment, as this year's American League rookie crop is being found............

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And now, being the full service weekend linkage institution that we are, here is the obligatory moment we take out of each Friday Thursday...for beer...(which works better on Thursdays anyway, because it gives you all some runway to take advantage of Friday goings on...)

Friday: California Festival of Beers circuit lands in San Luis Obispo at Madonna Inn Expo.............Meet The Brewers: Cerveceria Insurgente & Border Psycho at Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens, Liberty Station, in San Diego...........SeaWorld's Seven Seas Craft Beer & Food Festival. You can figure out where............Fuzzy Faces charity event to support the Humane Society continues at Pyramid Alehouse in Berkeley..........

Saturday: Alpine/Green Flash Tap Takeover at Draughts Restaurant & Bar in Thousand Oaks..........Santee Street Fair & Craft Beer Festival at Riverview Park and Town Center Parkway in Santee..........Summer Kick Off Craft Beer Fest at NTC Liberty Station Liberty Plaza in San Diego..........SeaWorld's Seven Seas Craft Beer & Food Festival continues..........Fuzzy Faces charity event to support the Humane Society continues at Pyramid Alehouse in Berkeley..........

Sunday: SeaWorld's Seven Seas Craft Beer & Food Festival continues..........Fuzzy Faces charity event to support the Humane Society continues at Pyramid Alehouse in Berkeley..........