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Los Angeles Angels

22-27,
3rd AL West

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Angels Team Report

Yahoo! Sports - May 25, 5:25 am EDT

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If Joe Blanton's spot in the Angels rotation was tenuous, Blanton didn't seem to be affected by it.

After Blanton pitched a strong 6 1/3 innings to beat the Royals on Thursday night, he said he felt no urgency to save his job with a good outing.

"I've been doing this a long time," Blanton said. "Why should I feel urgency on the mound? All you can do is keep making pitches, regardless of what happens."

With the victory, Blanton is 1-7 with a 6.19, fairly uninspiring numbers. The Angels will have an extra starter once Jered Weaver and Tommy Hanson return, which could happen in the next week or two. Blanton would be the obvious one to go to the bullpen if he's not pitching better by then.

He said that his good start was not the result of any sort of change, but just better luck than in his previous two games, when he gave up 11 runs in nine innings.

"Sometimes they hit 'em at holes and sometimes they hit 'em at guys," Blanton said. "My stuff was definitely better last time I faced them. I got some ground balls and the defense made some plays and outfielders ran some balls down.

"Baseball is funny."

Record:

21-27

Streak:

Won six

Past 10 Games:

7-3

NEXT: Angels (Billy Buckner, 0-0, 0.00) at Royals (Jeremy Guthrie, 5-2, 3.49)

Player Notes:

RHP Billy Buckner, who was recalled May 16 from Triple-A Salt Lake, will start Saturday against the Royals. He went 4-2 with a 4.56 ERA in eight starts and led the Bees with 40 strikeouts. Buckner made his major league debut in 2007 with Kansas City, going 1-2 with a 5.29 ERA in seven games, including five starts. He has not pitched in the majors since 2010 with the Diamondbacks. He will be the 10th different Angels starter this season.
RHP Jason Vargas began the season 0-3 and after giving up nine hits and five runs on April 16 in a loss at Minnesota, his ERA was 6.75. In May, Vargas is 4-0 in five starts and has lowered his ERA to 3.43. He limited the Royals to two runs and five hits in 7 1/3 innings in a 5-2 victory Friday night.
3B Alberto Callaspo went 2-for-4 with two doubles and a RBI in the Friday triumph. He has five extra-base hits and nine RBIs in his past six games.
CF Mike Trout had two more hits Friday for is 21st multiple-hit game. He has four straight multi-hit games to tie a club record.
RHP Garrett Richards got the final five outs to earn his first save of the season and the second of his career. He struck out two and threw 14 strikes in 18 pitches, while giving up just one hit.
RHP Tommy Hanson is scheduled to throw 75 pitches in an extended spring game Saturday in Arizona. He was placed on the restricted list on May 10.

Quote To Note:

"I don't feel any different than before. It's just that the situations and outcomes have been different. I've been a little more efficient with pitch counts and controlling the count."

—RHP Jason Vargas on his solid May after a shaky April.

Medical Watch:

RHP Jered Weaver (broken left elbow) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 8. He was diagnosed with a non-displaced radial head fracture in the elbow. Weaver began playing catch from over 100 feet May 1 and threw off a mound May 9. He threw a bullpen session May 15. His May 17 bullpen session went so well that the Angels decided to turn it into a simulated game. He threw in an extended spring training game May 22, and there's a chance he could be activated in late May.
RHP Ryan Madson (Tommy John surgery in April 2012) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 22. He threw a simulated game April 19 and was sent to rehab in Arizona in late April. He had scar tissue removed from his elbow in late April. He threw a bullpen session May 4, and he pitched in an intrasquad game at extended spring training May 9. He began a rehab assignment with Class A Inland Empire on May 13, but he hasn't pitched since that day. He experienced soreness in his elbow May 22, scrapping plans for him to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake. Instead, he was to be shut down for three to five days and then re-evaluated.
RHP Kevin Jepsen (tight right triceps, strained lat) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 12. He began a rehab assignment with Class A Inland Empire on May 19, then pitched for Triple-A Salt Lake on May 22. He's due to pitch for Salt Lake again May 24, and he could be activated after that.
CF Peter Bourjos (strained left hamstring) went on the 15-day disabled list April 30. As of May 21, he was participating in agility drills, but he was still weeks away from being activated.
LHP Andrew Taylor (torn left labrum) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 22, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on April 9. He is not expected to need surgery.