Kevin Jepsen

Josh Hamilton said he was assured by doctors this week that the allergies that lead to occasional sinus and throat discomfort and dizziness were not caused or exacerbated by his heavy cocaine use from 2002-2005. "You have a hallway up the middle of your nose and sinus cavities on each side," said Hamilton, whose addiction to drugs and alcohol led to a ban from baseball from 2003-2005. "When you breathe air, it goes up and down the hallway. "Same thing when you do drugs, it goes up the hallway, not into the sinus cavities.

Josh Hamilton said he was assured by doctors this week that the allergies that lead to occasional sinus and throat discomfort and dizziness were not caused or exacerbated by his heavy cocaine use from 2002-2005. "You have a hallway up the middle of your nose and sinus cavities on each side," said Hamilton, whose addiction to drugs and alcohol led to a ban from baseball from 2003-2005. "When you breathe air, it goes up and down the hallway. "Same thing when you do drugs, it goes up the hallway, not into the sinus cavities.

Struggling reliever Kevin Jepsen is experiencing more than growing pains. The rookie right-hander has had shooting pains in his lower back, the combination of tightness and spasms no doubt contributing to his rough trip. Jepsen, 24, took the loss Wednesday in Seattle, when he gave up three runs and one hit and walked two in 1 1/3 innings. He took a loss Saturday against Minnesota, giving up four earned runs, three hits and three walks in two-thirds of an inning.

With home runs in five of his last seven games, Mark Trumbo of the Angels is on quite a hot streak. Just don't call him on it. "I don't want to be labeled as that type of player. A peaks-and-valleys guy," said Trumbo, who is striving to become "a steady contributor. " His track record tells another story, though. Trumbo didn't hit a home run in a team-high 74 at-bats during spring training and had only two in 24 regular-season games before going on the recent tear that gave him the team lead in home runs with eight.

The Angels avoided arbitration with reliever Kevin Jepsen on Tuesday, agreeing to terms with the hard-throwing right-hander on a $1.181-million deal for 2013 that includes an awards package. Jepsen, who rebounded from 2011 knee surgery to go 3-2 with a 3.02 earned-run average in 49 appearances last season, had asked for $1.4 million, and the team countered with $975,000, a fairly sizeable gap for a non-closing reliever in the first year of arbitration. But the sides settled right around the midway point, assuring that the Angels will avoid going to a hearing with any of their arbitration-eligible players.

Reporting from Detroit -- As dominant as Fernando Rodney and Kevin Jepsen have been, and as inconsistent as the rest of the bullpen has been, there would seem to be a temptation to expand the use of Rodney and Jepsen, whose appearances have been limited to one inning or less. Not going to happen, Mike Scioscia said. "One inning … one inning," the Angels' manager said, shaking his head. "There could be some circumstances to expand, but right now it's one inning.

The closest Kevin Jepsen came to pitching in the playoffs last season was an order to warm up during Game 3 of the American League division series against the Boston Red Sox. But the 24-year-old reliever, whose September stuff and poise were impressive enough to bump veteran Justin Speier off the postseason roster, still got enough of a taste of October baseball to know he wants another big helping.

Jered Weaver's spark plugs, air filter and brake fluid look fine. The right-hander looked sharp in his final tuneup for the playoffs Friday night, throwing five shutout innings with five strikeouts and no walks in the Angels' 5-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics. But the check-engine light came on for setup man Kevin Jepsen, who suffered his second shaky outing in seven days, giving up singles to three of the four batters he faced and two runs in the ninth inning. "I feel like I'm out there trying to work on things instead of doing what I normally do, which is go after guys and let it all hang out," Jepsen said.

The Angels' front office is giving its full attention to pitching talent — specifically starters and left-handed relievers — as the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline approaches. The Angels do seem fairly well set with right-handed relievers with Kevin Jepsen . He has a win and a save with eight strikeouts in nine scoreless appearances since he rejoined the team July 5 as set-up man to the closer tandem of Ernesto Frieri and Scott Downs . Jepsen, 27, earned a win Monday, escaping from a jam he created when Kansas City slugger Billy Butler doubled to lead off the eighth inning.

Milwaukee 2, Angels 1 AT THE PLATE: Held to three hits, the Angels saw their spring average fall to .215. But this wasn't the Angels' regular lineup. Maicer Izturis and Peter Bourjos were the only starters Saturday who are likely to start on opening day as well. ON THE MOUND: Joel Pineiro was sharp in his three-inning stint, giving up two hits and getting five ground-ball outs. Kevin Jepsen? Not so much. He went to three-ball counts on the first two batters he faced and gave up a two-run opposite-field home run to his third batter, Prince Fielder.

The Angels' bullpen has been bruised and battered this season. And there's a chance things could get worse before they get better. Two of the four relievers on the disabled list - right-handers Ryan Madson (Tommy John surgery) and Kevin Jepsen (shoulder strain) - threw lightly on flat ground Thursday, the first time either of them has thrown in two weeks. But because neither has a timetable for getting back on a mound, it's likely both pitchers are weeks away from being reactivated.

SEATTLE - Pitching in games wasn't so much the problem for reliever Sean Burnett, who had a 1.04 earned-run average in 11 appearances before being put on the 15-day disabled list because of forearm irritation Sunday. It was the discomfort Burnett felt between appearances, preventing him from pitching on consecutive days, that sent the veteran left-hander to the sidelines for at least two weeks. "Pitching-wise, I feel better than I have all year," said Burnett, who had surgery to remove two bone spurs from his elbow in October.

The Angels' training room is so crowded the team sent shortstop Erick Aybar and relievers Kevin Jepsen and Ryan Madson to its extended spring-training facility in Arizona on Wednesday to continue rehabbing the injuries that put them on the disabled list. The Angels have seven players on the DL and several active players, including Albert Pujols , who require daily treatment for nagging injuries. That has taxed the medical staff so much that the team decided some players might benefit from more focused attention in minor league camp.

It was a high-wire act for Angels starter Tommy Hanson and two relievers Friday night, but the defense provided a nice safety net, and the offense provided a rare cushion in an 8-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers at Angel Stadium. Detroit had 16 baserunners, and loaded the bases with one out in the seventh inning when it trailed only 2-0. But the powerful Tigers, who were shut out in Seattle on Thursday, didn't score until the ninth, after the Angels broke open the game with five eighth-inning runs.

MINNEAPOLIS - Maybe it was a desert mirage, that 2.37 earned-run average in four spring starts, the 13 strikeouts and no walks in 19 innings, but somewhere between Arizona and the regular season, Joe Blanton lost his pinpoint command and ability to put hitters away. The Angels right-hander was pounded again Monday night, allowing four runs and nine hits - including two home runs - in 42/3 innings of an 8-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins in Target Field. Solo homers by Peter Bourjos in the first inning and Brendan Harris in the third provided hope for the Angels on a chilly 38-degree night, but the offense went into a deep freeze and went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position, dropping them to a major league-worst .129 (12 for 93)

Albert Pujols was supposed to start Sunday's game at first base, but shortly after the lineup was posted Angels Manager Mike Scioscia changed plans, taking Pujols out of the field and using him as the designated hitter for the fifth time in 12 games. Scioscia explained the switch by saying that Josh Hamilton, the original DH, wanted to continue familiarizing himself with right field at Angel Stadium. But it's clear that Pujols' surgically repaired right knee and the plantar fasciitis in his left foot are bothering him. "He's battling some stuff that he's had before," Scioscia said of Pujols, who played with plantar fasciitis for parts of 2004, 2005 and 2006.

The Angels' bullpen has been bruised and battered this season. And there's a chance things could get worse before they get better. Two of the four relievers on the disabled list - right-handers Ryan Madson (Tommy John surgery) and Kevin Jepsen (shoulder strain) - threw lightly on flat ground Thursday, the first time either of them has thrown in two weeks. But because neither has a timetable for getting back on a mound, it's likely both pitchers are weeks away from being reactivated.

Scot Shields was the Angels' primary setup man from 2005 to 2008, Kevin Jepsen emerged as the team's primary eighth-inning reliever last season and Fernando Rodney spent the last four years as Detroit's setup man or closer. So, who will pitch the eighth inning for the Angels this season? The answer could be D: all of the above. "Roles will float from game to game," Manager Mike Scioscia said. "We have a deep bullpen with a lot of good arms that are going to be available every night.

The Angels came out of spring training with what they thought was a pretty stable roster. But as with so many things involving the Angels this season, reality has fallen far short of expectations. So Saturday the Angels made five transactions, finishing a five-day blitz that included them making nine personnel moves - two of which involved outfielder J.B. Shuck , who was optioned to the minors Friday afternoon then recalled the following morning. And that doesn't even include Saturday's signing of former major leaguer Kip Wells to a minor league contract.

Angels owner Arte Moreno was not thrilled with Houston's move to the American League West because the Astros are two time zones away, they're not a natural rival, and they probably won't be much of a draw at the gate. Moreno's players, coaches and manager probably don't share those sentiments. The Astros will play their first division game in Angel Stadium on Friday night, and the guys in the home dugout, though they'd never admit it publicly, will be ecstatic. Finally, a team the Angels can compete with.