Trout leaving an impression on Angels

The Angels were still talking Wednesday about Mike Trout's two-home run game from the night before.

"I don't believe he's only 20," said pitcher Jerome Williams.  "How the [heck] did he do that? He hit a pitch that was on the ground."

Two of them actually, with Trout reaching out to lift two low breaking pitches from Anthony Vasquez well over the left-field wall. At 20 years and 23 days, he is the youngest player in franchise history to have a multi-homer game.

Trout, the youngest player in the majors, was back in the lineup again Wednesday against reigning Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez.

"He's got an idea in the batter's box," Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said.

More than an idea, apparently, with the Angels winning 14 of 17 games Trout has started.

"He's definitely contributed," Scioscia said.

Meanwhile the Texas Rangers, the team the Angels are chasing in the American League West race, made a couple of moves just hours before the deadline to set playoff rosters, acquiring left-handed reliever Mike Gonzalez from the Baltimore Orioles for a player to be named later and picking up catcher Matt Treanor from the Kansas City Royals for cash considerations.

In the last month the Rangers have added three premium relievers while the Angels, whose biggest question now is the bullpen according to Scioscia, have stood pat.

"We can't have our time consumed with thinking about what clubs are doing," Scioscia said. "Our team right here still has the opportunity to reach our goals. And that's what we're going to focus on. That's the long and short of it. Right now we're the best team we've been all year. And we'll see where we end when we get through this pennant race."

The lineups:

Angels

SS -- Erick Aybar

2B -- Howie Kendrick

DH -- Bobby Abreu

RF -- Torii Hunter

1B -- Mark Trumbo

3B -- Alberto Callaspo

CF -- Peter Bourjos

LF -- Mike Trout

C -- Jeff Mathis

P -- Dan Haren

Seattle Mariners

DH -- Ichiro Suzuki

CF -- Franklin Gutierrez

2B -- Dustin Ackley

1B -- Mike Carp

C -- Miguel Olivo

3B -- Kyle Seager

RF -- Casper Wells

SS -- Brendan Ryan

LF -- Trayvon Robinson

P -- Felix Hernandez

-- Kevin Baxter reporting from Seattle

 

Angels face a learning curve in Seattle

The Angels have lost four of their last five games but things won't get easier for them Tuesday in Seattle since they'll be facing a pitcher in Mariners rookie Anthony Vasquez whom they've never seen before.

"We have video on him. We know what he likes to do," Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. "There's a little bit of a learning curve when you get in the batter's box. But you don't have time to think about too much. You've got to go up there, see a good pitch to hit and square it up.

"This is definitely a guy you don't want to do too much with. We're going to have to really stay centered on this guy."

Vasquez, a left-hander, is a soft tosser who changes speed. He was 9-10 with a 3.57 earned-run average in the minors, splitting his time between double A and triple A. He beat Cleveland in his big league debut last week, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up five earned runs on nine hits. But familiarity doesn't always bring comfort or success for a hitter, Scioscia said. The Mariners are starting Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez on Wednesday and even through the right-hander is 4-9 against the Angels lifetime, Scioscia said it's not a matchup many hitters are looking forward to.

Joel Pineiro takes mound for Angels in familiar surroundings

Joel Pineiro started his big-league career with the Mariners and he still has friends in Seattle. But there's little love lost when the right-hander takes the mound against his former team.

Pineiro had won three consecutive starts against the Mariners before Monday's game. And with 34 wins in his career at Safeco Field, he has won there nearly three times as often as he has at any other park.

"There's some ballparks the mound -- whether it's the visual, whether it's  just the dimensions, the infield grass -- there are things that affect the pitcher's comfort level," Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. "Some guys sometimes struggle with a ballpark until they slay that dragon; go in there and get that one good start and all of sudden they say, 'Hey, I can do this.' And they gain confidence.

"There are some guys who can actually feel at home in certain parks. There is a comfort level that develops. The good pitchers that are going to be around a long time and pitch well eventually get that comfort level in any park they are in, to varying degrees."