Angel Stadium gets replay ready
Angel Stadium gets replay ready Angel Stadium officially began its instant-replay era on Thursday, with a monitor and phone installed in the umpires’ locker room should any game need to use the new system.

A’s report: On deck

Angels‘ Jered Weaver , 7:05 p.m. TV: Ch. 36. Radio: 1550-AM, 106.9-FM TUESDAY: Greg Smith vs.

Indians-Tigers Preview

Lee looks to win his eighth straight decision and help the Cleveland Indians extend a season-high eight-game win streak Tuesday night against the Detroit Tigers .

Napoli takes his turn at catcher
Napoli takes his turn at catcher Splitting playing time between catchers Mike Napoli and Jeff Mathis has come down to health, offensive production and the ability to work with pitchers for the Angels in ‘08. Napoli is currently the man getting the work behind the plate.

Kendrick returns to disabled list
Kendrick returns to disabled list The Angels placed second baseman Howie Kendrick on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday, a day after he strained his left hamstring against the A’s.

Infielders overlooking trade talks

PETERSBURG — A couple of Blue Jays had some fun with a trade rumor that was making its way around Tropicana Field on Thursday.

Angels continue homestand with visit from Rangers

Los Angeles enters tonight’s tilt having dropped nine of its last 14 matchups, but still leads the second-place Rangers by a whopping 15 games in the AL West.

Angels getting thin up the middle
Angels getting thin up the middle Injuries to Howie Kendrick and Erick Aybar leave the Angels thin in the middle infield, and the club is considering a trade before Monday’s playoff-roster deadline to bolster the depth. For now, the Halos look to Brandon Wood and Sean Rodriguez.

Catchers not hitting for Angels

When it comes to the Angels‘ catchers, it’s not about who has earned the job, it’s more about who hasn’t. Mike Napoli has become the catcher of choice for the Angels lately after returning earlier this month …

Indians-Tigers Preview

Lee looks to win his eighth straight decision and help the Cleveland Indians extend a season-high eight-game win streak Tuesday night against the Detroit Tigers .

AL Capsules (AP)
Jason Giambi came off the bench to hit a tying homer in the seventh inning and the winning single in the ninth, giving the New York Yankees a 3-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. Desperate to get back in the playoff race, New York salvaged the finale of a three-game series and won Boston’s final regular-season game at Yankee Stadium.

Napoli takes his turn at catcher
Napoli takes his turn at catcher Splitting playing time between catchers Mike Napoli and Jeff Mathis has come down to health, offensive production and the ability to work with pitchers for the Angels in ‘08. Napoli is currently the man getting the work behind the plate.

Angels already closing in on AL West title (AP)
Rangers manager Ron Washington has come to the realization that his club isn’t going to catch the Los Angeles Angels in the AL West. That might go for the rest of the American League pretty soon, too. Pinch-hitter Juan Rivera’s three-run double keyed a five-run outburst in the eighth inning and the Angels stormed from behind to take a 7-5 victory over Texas on Thursday night.

Angels place 2B Kendrick on DL (PA SportsTicker)
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim took another hit to their ailing infield on Thursday, placing second baseman Howie Kendrick on the 15-day disabled list with tightness in his left hamstring.

Angels getting thin up the middle
Angels getting thin up the middle Injuries to Howie Kendrick and Erick Aybar leave the Angels thin in the middle infield, and the club is considering a trade before Monday’s playoff-roster deadline to bolster the depth. For now, the Halos look to Brandon Wood and Sean Rodriguez.

Rivera lifts Angels past Rangers
Rivera lifts Angels past Rangers The Angels used a five-run eighth inning to bolt past the Rangers and seize a 7-5 victory on Thursday in front of 37,541 to open the series.

Angels Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

The Angels might run out of infielders before they run out of regular-season games.

Second baseman Howie Kendrick was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday after leaving Wednesday’s game with tightness in his left hamstring. Shortstop Erick Aybar was not placed on the DL, but he is expected to miss the next few games with the same kind of hamstring issue.

Third baseman Chone Figgins returned to the lineup Thursday after missing a game with a sore toe, but shortstop Maicer Izturis remains on the DL after having season-ending surgery on his thumb.

“When you have three injuries come up at the same time … it puts a hole in anybody’s depth chart,” manager Mike Scioscia said.

Wood’s resurgence earns recall
Wood’s resurgence earns recall Brandon Wood was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday, following a second-half resurgence that he attributes to a change recommended by hitting coach Mickey Hatcher before he was sent down in June.

Angels already closing in on AL West title (AP)
Rangers manager Ron Washington has come to the realization that his club isn’t going to catch the Los Angeles Angels in the AL West. That might go for the rest of the American League pretty soon, too. Pinch-hitter Juan Rivera’s three-run double keyed a five-run outburst in the eighth inning and the Angels stormed from behind to take a 7-5 victory over Texas on Thursday night.

AL Capsules (AP)
Jason Giambi came off the bench to hit a tying homer in the seventh inning and the winning single in the ninth, giving the New York Yankees a 3-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. Desperate to get back in the playoff race, New York salvaged the finale of a three-game series and won Boston’s final regular-season game at Yankee Stadium.

Angels place 2B Kendrick on DL (PA SportsTicker)
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim took another hit to their ailing infield on Thursday, placing second baseman Howie Kendrick on the 15-day disabled list with tightness in his left hamstring.

Indians-Tigers Preview

Lee looks to win his eighth straight decision and help the Cleveland Indians extend a season-high eight-game win streak Tuesday night against the Detroit Tigers .

Angels Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

As the Angels cruised to a huge lead in the American League West, they had less to worry about from the second-place Texas Rangers than they did from themselves.

Those fears seem even more justified now that injuries have gutted—they hope temporarily—their infield. Third baseman Chone Figgins was unavailable Tuesday after injuring his left big toe in Tuesday’s game. Second baseman Howie Kendrick and shortstop Erick Aybar both left Wednesday’s game with left hamstring injuries.

The severity of the injuries remains to be seen, but the Angels found themselves with outfielder Juan Rivera playing the final inning of Wednesday’s game at second base.

“It’s tough right now,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.

Catchers not hitting for Angels

When it comes to the Angels‘ catchers, it’s not about who has earned the job, it’s more about who hasn’t. Mike Napoli has become the catcher of choice for the Angels lately after returning earlier this month …

Angels continue homestand with visit from Rangers

Los Angeles enters tonight’s tilt having dropped nine of its last 14 matchups, but still leads the second-place Rangers by a whopping 15 games in the AL West.

Infielders overlooking trade talks

PETERSBURG — A couple of Blue Jays had some fun with a trade rumor that was making its way around Tropicana Field on Thursday.

Angels‘ Kendrick goes on DL (AP)
Second baseman Howie Kendrick, one of the Los Angeles Angels‘ top hitters this season, went on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a strained left hamstring. Kendrick, batting .308, felt tightness in the hamstring running from first to second in the fourth inning and left Wednesday night’s game against Oakland, a 6-5 loss.

Angels continue homestand with visit from Rangers

Los Angeles enters tonight’s tilt having dropped nine of its last 14 matchups, but still leads the second-place Rangers by a whopping 15 games in the AL West.

Indians-Tigers Preview

Lee looks to win his eighth straight decision and help the Cleveland Indians extend a season-high eight-game win streak Tuesday night against the Detroit Tigers .

Infielders overlooking trade talks

PETERSBURG — A couple of Blue Jays had some fun with a trade rumor that was making its way around Tropicana Field on Thursday.

Catchers not hitting for Angels

When it comes to the Angels‘ catchers, it’s not about who has earned the job, it’s more about who hasn’t. Mike Napoli has become the catcher of choice for the Angels lately after returning earlier this month …

Angels place 2B Kendrick on DL (PA SportsTicker)
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim took another hit to their ailing infield on Thursday, placing second baseman Howie Kendrick on the 15-day disabled list with tightness in his left hamstring.

Angels getting thin up the middle
Angels getting thin up the middle Injuries to Howie Kendrick and Erick Aybar leave the Angels thin in the middle infield, and the club is considering a trade before Monday’s playoff-roster deadline to bolster the depth. For now, the Halos look to Brandon Wood and Sean Rodriguez.

Rivera lifts Angels past Rangers
Rivera lifts Angels past Rangers The Angels used a five-run eighth inning to bolt past the Rangers and seize a 7-5 victory on Thursday in front of 37,541 to open the series.

Wood’s resurgence earns recall
Wood’s resurgence earns recall Brandon Wood was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday, following a second-half resurgence that he attributes to a change recommended by hitting coach Mickey Hatcher before he was sent down in June.

Angels place 2B Kendrick on DL (PA SportsTicker)
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim took another hit to their ailing infield on Thursday, placing second baseman Howie Kendrick on the 15-day disabled list with tightness in his left hamstring.

Napoli takes his turn at catcher
Napoli takes his turn at catcher Splitting playing time between catchers Mike Napoli and Jeff Mathis has come down to health, offensive production and the ability to work with pitchers for the Angels in ‘08. Napoli is currently the man getting the work behind the plate.

Angels continue homestand with visit from Rangers

Los Angeles enters tonight’s tilt having dropped nine of its last 14 matchups, but still leads the second-place Rangers by a whopping 15 games in the AL West.

AL Capsules (AP)
Jason Giambi came off the bench to hit a tying homer in the seventh inning and the winning single in the ninth, giving the New York Yankees a 3-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. Desperate to get back in the playoff race, New York salvaged the finale of a three-game series and won Boston’s final regular-season game at Yankee Stadium.

Catchers not hitting for Angels

When it comes to the Angels‘ catchers, it’s not about who has earned the job, it’s more about who hasn’t. Mike Napoli has become the catcher of choice for the Angels lately after returning earlier this month …

Angel Stadium gets replay ready
Angel Stadium gets replay ready Angel Stadium officially began its instant-replay era on Thursday, with a monitor and phone installed in the umpires’ locker room should any game need to use the new system.

Infielders overlooking trade talks

PETERSBURG — A couple of Blue Jays had some fun with a trade rumor that was making its way around Tropicana Field on Thursday.

The Boston Red Sox are reportedly close to a deal that will land outfielder Mark Kotsay from the Atlanta Braves.

Figgins misses game; Kendrick, Aybar injured in loss (PA SportsTicker)
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim third baseman Chone Figgins missed Wednesday’s 6-5 loss to the Oakland Athletics due to irritation in his left big toe.

Angels‘ Rodriguez closes on record with 50th save

Francisco Rodriguez got three outs in the Angels‘ 5-3 win over the Twins on Sunday for his MLB-leading 50th save — seven behind Bobby Thigpen ’s record.

Kendrick returns to disabled list
Kendrick returns to disabled list The Angels placed second baseman Howie Kendrick on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday, a day after he strained his left hamstring against the A’s.

Angels‘ Kendrick goes on DL (AP)
Second baseman Howie Kendrick, one of the Los Angeles Angels‘ top hitters this season, went on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a strained left hamstring. Kendrick, batting .308, felt tightness in the hamstring running from first to second in the fourth inning and left Wednesday night’s game against Oakland, a 6-5 loss.

Wood’s resurgence earns recall
Wood’s resurgence earns recall Brandon Wood was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday, following a second-half resurgence that he attributes to a change recommended by hitting coach Mickey Hatcher before he was sent down in June.

Figgins sits with sore toe
Figgins sits with sore toe Chone Figgins was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup with a sore left big toe. Officially diagnosed as an “irritation” according to a team spokesman, Figgins was examined by Dr. Ronald Glousman at the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic, where X-rays proved normal.

Angels Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

As the Angels cruised to a huge lead in the American League West, they had less to worry about from the second-place Texas Rangers than they did from themselves.

Those fears seem even more justified now that injuries have gutted—they hope temporarily—their infield. Third baseman Chone Figgins was unavailable Tuesday after injuring his left big toe in Tuesday’s game. Second baseman Howie Kendrick and shortstop Erick Aybar both left Wednesday’s game with left hamstring injuries.

The severity of the injuries remains to be seen, but the Angels found themselves with outfielder Juan Rivera playing the final inning of Wednesday’s game at second base.

“It’s tough right now,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.

Kendrick exits with injury
Kendrick exits with injury Howie Kendrick left Wednesday’s game with a tight left hamstring. An injury to the same hamstring kept Kendrick on the disabled list for the better part of two months earlier in the year and cost him 42 games.