Kevin Jepsen

When Kevin Jepsen was experiencing severe lower-back spasms in late April and was struggling to get his fastball down in the zone, the reliever received a startling diagnosis from doctors: he had scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine. "Here I was, 24 years old, and someone tells me my spine is crooked," Jepsen said. "It was kind of weird. But it made sense as far as the back problems I've had over the years." The condition hasn't slowed the hard-throwing right-hander a bit. After a two-week stint on the disabled list, Jepsen, who had a 19.29 earned-run average in his first five appearances, was sent to triple A to iron out his mechanical problems and strengthen his back.

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.

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.

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 pitcher Jerome Williams on Tuesday, agreeing to terms with the right-hander on a $2-million contract for 2013. Four other Angels -- pitchers Jason Vargas, Tommy Hanson and Kevin Jepsen and third baseman Alberto Callaspo -- filed for salary arbitration Tuesday and are set to exchange figures Friday. If the team and players can't come to terms, arbitration hearings are scheduled from Feb. 4-20. Williams, 31, went 6-8 with a 4.58 earned-run average in 32 games, 15 starts, last season, striking out 98 and walking 35 in 137 2/3 innings.

Angels 8, Kansas City 6 AT THE PLATE: Torii Hunter, Hideki Matsui and Mike Napoli homered, accounting for seven of the Angels' runs. Hunter's two home runs were his first two of the spring while Matsui's three-run shot in the fifth was his first as an Angel. Napoli's home run an inning later was his team-best fifth of the spring. ON THE MOUND: Joel Pineiro had his best outing of the spring, throwing five shutout innings. But relievers Fernando Rodney and Kevin Jepsen were roughed up with Rodney yielding two runs and four hits in 1 1/3 innings and Jepsen giving up his first run of the spring in his only inning.

Seattle 2, Angels 0Angels 6, Cincinnati 3 AT THE PLATE: Efren Navarro went two for four with two runs batted in, lifting his spring average to .438 in the win over the Reds. Jeremy Moore also had two hits, scored twice and drove in two runs. ON THE MOUND: Jordan Walden, Michael Kohn, Trevor Bell and Jason Bulger each pitched a scoreless inning of relief against the Mariners with Walden and Bulger striking out two apiece. Against the Reds, Kevin Jepsen gave up a run on two hits in his only inning.

AT THE PLATE: Brandon Wood hit a two-run single in the sixth inning and a two-run home run to left, his fourth of the spring, in the eighth. Peter Bourjos and Maicer Izturis hit back-to-back homers in the third. Izturis had three hits, and Alberto Callaspo had two hits and two runs batted in. ON THE MOUND: Reliever Fernando Rodney, pitching for the second consecutive day, retired only one of the five batters he faced, allowing two hits, two walks and a run. Kevin Jepsen, slowed by tightness in his left hip this week, threw a scoreless eighth, and Jordan Walden threw a scoreless seventh.

Chicago Cubs 7, Angels 4 (rained out in fourth inning) AT THE PLATE: Manager Mike Scioscia, not wanting to risk injuries on a soggy field, pulled every starter except Hank Conger by the third inning. Bobby Abreu doubled, and Torii Hunter hit a two-run single in the first. Mark Trumbo returned after missing four games because of right groin tightness and singled in his only at-bat. ON THE MOUND: Reliever Francisco Rodriguez started and gave up a walk, a single and Carlos Pena's three-run home run in the first.