Bell back in big leagues with Halos
GLENDALE — The following are updates on area Major League Baseball players.
Trevor Bell (Crescenta Valley High, 2005) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim relief pitcher: The placement of starting pitcher Scott Kazmir on the 15-day disabled list with left shoulder fatigue on Sunday opened up the possibility of Bell returning to the Angels’ starting rotation less than three weeks after he was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on July 2, reportedly for the very purpose of working up to starting games in the big leagues again.
A report on mlb.com on Monday said that either Bell or Sean O’Sullivan would be recalled from Salt Lake to take Kazmir’s place.
The spot ended up going to O’Sullivan, who took Kazmir’s turn in the rotation on Tuesday against the host New York Yankees, but Bell still returned to Anaheim as part of the shuffle and will once again pitch out of the bullpen for the time being.
He got a chance to do that on Tuesday, pitching the ninth inning in the Angels’ 10-2 win. He allowed two hits and made a wild pitch, but got through the inning without giving up any runs to lower his earned-run average to 6.05 on the season.
In his latest stint with Salt Lake, Bell started three games, including his last outing on Friday, in which he went six innings to get the 5-3 win over the Sacramento River Cats and allowed one earned run on five hits and no walks.
Now, Bell returns to the relief role in which he made 14 appearances and posted a 1-1 record with a 6.38 ERA during his earlier stint with the Angels this season.
The Angels have struggled a bit lately, but still hold a 51-45 record and trail the first-place Texas Rangers in the American League Central Division by five games.
Freddy Sanchez (Glendale Community College, 1998) San Francisco Giants infielder: Sanchez seems to have shaken the flu-like symptoms that led to him being scratched from the starting lineup on Friday.
The former National League batting champion started the final two games of the Giants’ weekend series with the visiting Mets on Saturday and Sunday, going two for 10 with a run scored, before going one for four with a run batted in in a 5-2 win in the opener of a road series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night.
He was also batting second when the surging Giants, who won four of their first five games after the All-Star break, continued the series with the archrival Dodgers on Tuesday night. At press time he had gone one for three with a run, putting his average at .275 for the season.
Doug Slaten (Glendale Community College, 1999) Washington Nationals relief pitcher: Slaten had been steady out of the bullpen this season, but hasn’t recorded a hold since May 10, his first appearance of the season.
He also hasn’t had a decision since taking a loss on June 6 that dropped his record to 2-1.
Tuesday’s game at the Cincinnati Reds was no exception to the trend, as Slaten entered the game in the bottom of the fifth inning with the Nationals trailing, 5-1.
A rain delay stalled the game before Slaten could throw his first pitch. He struggled, giving up three runs, two of them earned, in an inning of work, shooting his ERA up to 3.86. Slaten struck out two, but gave up three hits and a walk.