Hisanori Takahashi

Reliever Hisanori Takahashi appears to be the leading candidate to replace struggling right-hander Joel Pineiro in the rotation, with triple-A right-handers Trevor Bell and Jerome Williams and double-A right-hander Garrett Richards also in the mix. Manager Mike Scioscia said he has settled on a replacement starter, who would pitch Wednesday night in Yankee Stadium, but he would not reveal his choice Friday. Takahashi, 36, was a starter for 10 years in Japan, and among his 12 starts for the New York Mets in 2010 was a June 18 game at Yankee Stadium in which he gave up four hits, struck out three and walked two in six scoreless innings of a 4-0 victory.

The Angels' 9-15 record in August has severely hampered their quest to reach the playoffs, and poor pitching has been the prime culprit. Starting pitchers have an 5.82 earned-run average this month, and the bullpen has labored with a 6.05 ERA since the All-Star break. Here are the month's five low points: 1. Aug. 18: Angels blow an 8-0 lead against Tampa Bay and reliever Kevin Jepsen surrenders a two-run home run to Carlos Pena in a 10-8 loss. 2. Aug. 1: Leading 7-1 through four innings and 10-7 going to the bottom of the 10th inning against American League West-leading Texas, the Angels lose when the Rangers score four runs against Jason Isringhausen and closer Ernesto Frieri.

Reporting from Tempe, Ariz. ? Hisanori Takahashi says he is experiencing a severe case of survivor's guilt. While his countrymen in Japan are reeling from the effects of the devastating earthquake and tsunami, which killed thousands, wiped out towns and has thrown the nation into a nuclear crisis, the veteran left-hander is in camp with the Angels, enjoying the relative tranquility of Arizona. "That's what I'm feeling right now," Takahashi said through a translator. "Fortunately, I am a survivor, but it hurts, of course.

The Angels held a 30-minute players-only meeting to, as Manager Mike Scioscia said, "clear the air" after Saturday night's stunning 10-8 loss to the Rays. The Angels pounded out 13 hits, including homers by Mike Trout and Albert Pujols , in the first three innings to take an 8-0 lead and seemed well on their way to a potentially tide-turning win. But C.J. Wilson was rocked for seven runs and five hits, including Ben Zobrist 's three-run double and Evan Longoria 's two-run homer, and two walks in the fifth; Jason Isringhausen gave up the score-tying run in the sixth; and Kevin Jepsen gave up a tiebreaking two-run homer to Carlos Pena in the eighth.

Mike Scioscia used to go entire seasons without a left-handed reliever, so having two capable lefties in Scott Downs and Hisanori Takahashi is something of a luxury for the Angels manager. "You don't have to save your one lefty for that perfect matchup," said Downs, who was activated off the disabled list Monday after sitting out a month because of a broken left big toe. "If you need that big out [against a left-handed slugger] in the sixth inning, you can use a lefty there.

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Angels' bullpen suffered a major blow Tuesday when Scott Downs was put on the 15-day disabled list because of shoulder strain, an injury that could sideline the veteran left-hander for several weeks. "We're comfortable with the fact this won't push him back too far, but he might need a couple of weeks for this to settle down," Manager Mike Scioscia said. "Right now, it's a minor issue, and we want to keep it that way. " Downs, 37, was replaced on the roster by left-hander Hisanori Takahashi , who was called up from triple-A Salt Lake and joined the team for Tuesday night's game against the Texas Rangers.

Reporting from Arlington, Texas Only one American League rotation has a better earned-run average than the Angels' quintet. And no American League rookie has more saves than the Angels' Jordan Walden. But the bridge linking one to the other remains under construction, as Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Texas Rangers proved once again. The Angels have tried half of their bullpen in the eighth-inning role this season, with the result being a league-high eight blown saves and seven losses.

Reporting from Seattle -- Only three teams in baseball have gotten fewer innings out of their bullpen than the Angels this season. And that's only partly because of a lack of opportunity. The main culprit is a lack of confidence in some of the team's relievers, a depth problem that came back to bite the Angels again Monday in a 5-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners. This time it was left-hander Hisanori Takahashi who failed to deliver, giving up a tiebreaking eighth-inning home run to Mike Carp that pushed the second-place Angels half a game further back of idle Texas in the American League West.

Angels 3, White Sox 1 AT THE PLATE: Vernon Wells, Howie Kendrick and Mark Trumbo each had two hits to lead an eight-hit attack. Wells also scored twice, Kendrick drove in two runs and each of them had a stolen base. One of Trumbo's hits was a double. ON THE MOUND: Scott Kazmir pitched three scoreless innings and left-handed reliever Scott Downs retired the side in order in his only inning. Left-hander Hisanori Takahashi had a slightly tougher time, loading the bases with one out before escaping the jam on a strikeout and popout.

AT THE PLATE: Torii Hunter hit his second home run in two days, and Jeff Mathis had three hits to lead a 17-hit attack. Bobby Wilson keyed a six-run sixth inning with a three-run double to right field and is batting .448 on the spring. Bobby Abreu had two hits, including a double, and two runs batted in. ON THE MOUND: Jered Weaver looked sharp despite pitching with flu-like symptoms, allowing three runs and three hits, striking out six and walking none. The Angels' probable opening-day starter made one glaring mistake that was hit for a two-run homer by Juan Miranda.

Veteran left-hander Scott Downs was activated off the disabled list for Saturday night's game against the Rays, and right-hander Jordan Walden will be activated Sunday, bringing much-needed reinforcements to a bullpen that entered Saturday with a 6.07 earned-run average in 34 games since the All-Star break. But the return of the two relievers could spell the end for 39-year-old right-hander Jason Isringhausen, who has allowed seven earned runs and 11 hits, including three homers, in 51/3 innings of his last seven appearances and is in danger of being designated for assignment or released.

In the first half this season, the Angels' bullpen had an earned-run average of 3.16. In the second half? "It's been bad," Manager Mike Scioscia said. "Our bullpen has been really struggling. " The bullpen's ERA had, before Tuesday's game against Cleveland, ballooned to 6.07. Moreover, the Angels have blown 17 save opportunities, tied for 28th in the majors. The bullpen has hampered the Angels' chances of winning in recent games. Monday's loss to Cleveland is a prime example, when Albert Pujols' two-run home run in the eighth inning cut the Angels' three-run deficit to one run. But the Indians opened the ninth inning with three consecutive singles against reliever Hisanori Takahashi . Cleveland scored three runs, killing the Angels' chances of a ninth-inning comeback.

Any "rah-rah" enthusiasm built up during the Angels' closed-door meeting Sunday apparently fizzled out no more than a day later when they lost to a team that has been playing even worse than them. And that's saying something. The slumping Angels lost to the deeper-slumping Cleveland Indians, 6-2, at Angel Stadium on Monday, giving the Angels their ninth loss in 12 games. They are 21/2 games out of a wild-card spot and eight games back of American League West-leading Texas. The Angels (60-56)

OAKLAND — Ervin Santana , whose place in the Angels' starting rotation was thought to be tentative, can double the number of victories by Zack Greinke or C.J. Wilson since late June. He will start Friday at home against the Seattle Mariners, seeking his second win in that span. Greinke and Wilson each have one. Santana's numbers still aren't pretty — a 5-10 record and 5.83 earned-run average — but the Angels have won both of his starts since the right-hander was skipped in the pitching order because he had been ineffective.

CHICAGO - Angels General Manager Jerry Dipoto seemed to work some magic in early May when he fortified a sagging bullpen by trading for Ernesto Frieri, a virtual unknown middle reliever in San Diego who emerged as a nearly untouchable closer in Anaheim. Dipoto is probably looking up his sleeve or inside his hat to find the next Frieri, or maybe he can create a puff of smoke and make injured relievers Scott Downs and Jordan Walden reappear, because the struggles of a thin Angels relief corps have reached crisis levels.

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Angels thrived offensively in four nights of Bikram Baseball at the Ballpark in Arlington, where game-time temperatures ranged from 102 to 105 degrees and their bats sizzled with the weather. The Angels hit .312 (48 for 154) with 40 runs against the Texas Rangers, clubbing 13 homers — a franchise record for a four-game road series — and 10 doubles and going 13 for 35 (.371) with runners in scoring position. And all they had to show for it were some lousy sweat-drenched T-shirts, a split of the series and the same five-game American League West deficit they came with.

Angels 6, Colorado 6 (10 inning) AT THE PLATE: Torii Hunter had three hits, including his third home run of the spring and a double, Vernon Wells had two hits, including a run-scoring double, and Howie Kendrick, after smoking two line-drive outs in his first two at-bats, had a run-scoring triple in the fifth inning. ON THE MOUND: It was a rough day for Matt Palmer, who gave up four runs and seven straight hits, including Troy Tulowitzki's three-run homer, in the first.

Angels 8, San Francisco 0 AT THE PLATE: Erick Aybar and Howie Kendrick opened the first inning with singles, and Bobby Abreu lined a two-run home run to right field, ending Matt Cain's scoreless streak at 311/3 innings dating to the 2010 regular season. Cain didn't give up a run in 211/3 postseason innings. Mark Trumbo (double) and Jeff Mathis (single) also knocked in runs in a five-run first. ON THE MOUND: Ervin Santana threw five innings, giving up four hits, striking out six and walking two in 84 pitches.

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Angels' bullpen suffered a major blow Tuesday when Scott Downs was put on the 15-day disabled list because of shoulder strain, an injury that could sideline the veteran left-hander for several weeks. "We're comfortable with the fact this won't push him back too far, but he might need a couple of weeks for this to settle down," Manager Mike Scioscia said. "Right now, it's a minor issue, and we want to keep it that way. " Downs, 37, was replaced on the roster by left-hander Hisanori Takahashi , who was called up from triple-A Salt Lake and joined the team for Tuesday night's game against the Texas Rangers.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Angels lost an integral part of their bullpen Tuesday when left-handed reliever Scott Downs was placed on the 15-day disabled list because of a shoulder strain, an injury that could sideline him for several weeks. “We're comfortable with the fact that this won't push him back too far, but he might need a couple of weeks for this to settle down,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “Right now, it's a minor issue, and we want to keep it that way.” Downs, 37, will be replaced on the roster by left-hander Hisanori Takahashi, who was called up from triple-A Salt Lake and joined the team for Tuesday night's game against the Texas Rangers.