The Angels have released 36-year old righty starting pitcher Kip Wells.  Wells pitched in 6 games (all starts) in AAA-ball for the Angels this year and he was 1-3 with a 10.36 ERA and a 2.34 WHIP.  He gave up 35 hits (4 homers), walked 9 batters and he whiffed 22 batters in 24 1/3 innings in the minors this year, as he was hit pretty damn hard.  Wells has pitched in 296 games (219 starts) in his 12 years in the majors and he is 69-103 with 2 saves, a 4.71 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP.  This could be the end of Wells’ baseball career.

The Los Angeles Angels have placed 30-year old lefty reliever Sean Burnett on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 27th, due to left elbow inflammation.  He has pitched in 13 games (0 starts) for the Angels so far this year and he is 0-0 with a 0.93 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP.  This is a bad break for the Angels, as Burnett has been a big time asset out of the pen so far this year.

32-year old lefty swinging RF Josh Hamilton has been helpless against lefty pitchers so far this year.  He is only 9 for 52 (.173 avg, .393 OPS) with 0 homers and 2 RBIs against lefty pitchers.  He has also whiffed 22 times against only 1 walk against lefty pitching…..which is pathetic!  Hamilton has played in 50 games overall this year for the Angels and he is 43 of 193 (.223 avg, .684 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 8 homers, 18 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  Hamilton has already whiffed 56 times while only walking 15 times so far this year.  The Angels need to get Hamilton back on track if they are going to make a legit playoff run in 2013.

The Angels have designated 29-year old righty starting pitcher Billy Buckner for assignment.  Buckner started 1 game for the Angels this year and he was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP.  He has also pitched in 8 games (all starts) in AAA-ball for the Angels this year and he was 4-2 with a 4.56 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP.  Buckner has now pitched in 37 games (22 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 7-11 with a 6.03 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP.  The Angels are trying to sneak Buckner through waivers, as they likely want to keep him in AAA.

UPDATE:  (5/31/2013) - Billy Buckner cleared waivers and he has been outrighted to AAA-ball by the Angels.

31-year old righty Jerome Williams moved into the starting rotation in May and he has really helped them.  He has started 4 games so far this month for the Angels and he is 2-1 with a 3.24 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP.  Williams has now pitched in 12 games (4 starts) overall this year for the Angels and he is 3-1 with a 2.53 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP.  Williams has only given up 38 hits and 12 walks while whiffing 29 batters in his first 46 1/3 innings this year, which is pretty impressive.  The Angels need Williams to keep up the good work.

The Angels have claimed 27-year old righty swinging 3B Chris Nelson off waivers from the Rockies.  Nelson has played in 31 games for the Rockies and Yankees so far this year and he is 24 of 102 (.235 avg, .572 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 0 homers and 6 RBIs.  Nelson has played in 222 games in his first four years in the majors and he is 180 of 652 (.276 avg, .726 OPS) with 81 runs scored, 13 homers, 75 RBIs and 6 stolen bases.  Nelson might eat into Alberto Callaspo’s P.T. a little bit at 3B.  This was a good pickup for the Angels.

The Angels have designated 28-year old lefty swinging outfielder Scott Cousins for assignment.  Cousins played in 7 games for the Angels this year and he was 0 for 4 (.000 avg, .200 OPS) with 1 run scored.  He has now played in 135 games in his first four years in the majors and he is 32 for 179 (.179 avg, .515 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 2 homers, 9 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.  If Cousins gets claimed on waivers or leaves as a free agent, it won’t be much of a loss for the Angels.

UPDATE:  (5/22/2013) - Scott Cousins cleared waivers and he has been outrighted to AAA-ball by the Angels.

Lefty starting pitcher Jim Abbott was born without a right hand, but that didn’t stop him from getting to the major leagues and pitching well when he got there.  He would have his mitt on his stump when throwing the ball and he would flip it only his left hand to field the ball.  He burst onto the scene in 1990 with the Angels and he finished 5th in the voting for the A.L. Rookie of the Year Award.  Abbott pitched in 29 games (all starts) for the Angels in 1990 and he was 12-12 with a 3.92 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP.  But, his best season in the majors came in 1991 with the Angels, when he finished 3rd in the voting for the A.L. Cy Young Award.  Abbott pitched in 34 games (all starts) for the Angels in 1991 and he was 18-11 with a 2.89 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP.  Abbott pitched in 165 games (161 starts) in his six years with the Angels and he was 54-74 with a 4.07 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP.  Abbott might not have had the best record in his major league career, but he did throw a no-hitter with the Yankees and he proved that you can literally do anything when you put your mind to it.

The Angels have designated 27-year old righty starter/reliever Barry Enright for assignment.  He pitched in 4 games (2 starts) for the Angels this year and he was 0-2 with a 12.96 ERA and a 2.28 WHIP.  Enright has now pitched in 31 games (26 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 7-13 with a 5.57 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP.  This isn’t much of a loss for the Angels moving forward as Enright was horrible for them this year.

UPDATE:  (5/18/2013) - Barry Enright has cleared waivers and he has been outrighted to AAA ball by the Angels.

21-year old righty swinging LF Mike Trout is having a solid year for the Angels in 2013.  He has played in 38 games for the Angels so far this year and he is 45 of 159 (.283 avg, .851 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 6 homers, 25 RBIs and 6 stolen bases.  A lot of people are likely a little down on Trout, as he is coming nowhere near his production level of 2012.  He played in 139 games for the Angels last year and he was 182 of 559 (.326 avg, .963 OPS) with 129 runs scored, 30 homers, 83 RBIs and 49 stolen bases.  Still, Trout has been one of the most productive hitters on the Angels so far this year and he could go on a tear at any time with the bat.