Torii Hunter

No fish jokes about this kid. Mike Trout is a keeper. Who could have imagined where this was headed when he was called up on that fateful day of April 28. He looked a little bit like Mickey Mantle and he sure could run like the Mick. But the talent-rich, underachieving Angels - or as The Times' Mike DiGiovanna calls them "The Big Engine That Couldn't" - weren't looking for a Mantle. They wanted a spark, a little help. They were dry, tasteless. Also 6-14. Maybe this 20-year-old kid who was smoking triple-A pitching with a .403 average, would be a pinch of salt.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Mark Trumbo found his long-lost power stroke, and five relievers combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings Sunday as the Angels held on for a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals in Kauffman Stadium. After Saturday night's meltdown, in which Ernest Frieri gave up two homers in the ninth inning of a 3-2 loss, the Angels used three relievers - Garrett Richards, Scott Downs and Jordan Walden - to get three outs in the eighth inning. With Frieri unavailable after pitching the previous two nights, Kevin Jepsen allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth for his second save of the season.

KANSAS CITY, Mo.   - Switch-hitter Kendrys Morales had a .290 average against right-handers and a .209 mark against lefties, so it was no surprise Friday night when Kansas City Manager Ned Yost summoned left-hander Tim Collins to face the pinch-hitter in the eighth inning with the Royals leading by two runs. "It was the right move," Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. Must have been the wrong time. Morales, swinging from the right side, drove a first-pitch fastball over the left-field wall for a tying home run, and Torii Hunter's bases-loaded walk plated the go-ahead run, as the Angels came back for a 9-7 victory that moved them to within 2 1/2 games of the second American League wild-card spot.

As salvage jobs go, it was like finding a silver dollar on the street after losing a vault of coins. Jered Weaver and Torii Hunter provided the Angels a sliver of solace Thursday at Angel Stadium, Weaver pitching seven scoreless innings and Hunter collecting two hits in one inning during a 6-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics. The triumph might have been a little more meaningful had the Angels not lost the first three games of the series against one of the teams they are chasing in the wild-card race.

As salvage jobs go, it was like finding a buffalo nickel on the street after losing a vault of coins. Jered Weaver and Torii Hunter provided the Angels a sliver of solace Thursday at Angel Stadium, Weaver pitching seven scoreless innings and Hunter collecting two of his three hits during a six-run seventh inning in a 6-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics. The triumph might have held a little more significance had the Angels not lost the first three games of the series against one of the teams they are chasing in the wild-card race.

As good as the Angels have been playing and as little ground as they've made up in the American League wild-card race, it was beginning to look like it would take something dramatic, perhaps even extraordinary, for them to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2009. They were on the cusp of such a moment Tuesday night, rallying from a three-run deficit in the bottom of the ninth inning to score twice on run-scoring singles by Torii Hunter and Albert Pujols and put runners on first and third with no outs.

Torii Hunter has the biggest smile in pro sports. No need for lights at Angel Stadium. Hunter brightens the place every time he steps onto the field. Amazingly, in a 16th season in the major leagues that would test the mood and patience of anybody else, Hunter's smile has remained intact. Baseball seasons have ups and downs. Hunter's 2012 has been a roller-coaster ride. He contributed to the Angels' 6-14 struggle out of the gate. Nearly everything he hit fell into an opponent's glove.

OAKLAND -- The Angels cooled the hottest team in baseball and opened a crucial 10-game stretch against wild-card contenders with a convincing 8-3 win over the Oakland Athletics on Monday, snapping the A's win streak at nine. Vernon Wells, Torii Hunter and Chris Iannetta each hit home runs, and the Angels racked up 14 hits in the Oakland Coliseum to pull to within 4 1/2 games of the A's in the American League wild-card standings. But the Angels remained 3 1/2 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for the second wild-card spot.

OAKLAND -- Even the most ardent supporters of the Angels have written off Vernon Wells as a bust, and the team hasn't had much use for the overpaid, underachieving outfielder who has been reduced to a bit player since late July. So guess who played a huge role in cooling off the hottest team in the majors and helping the Angels open a crucial 10-game stretch against wild-card contenders with a convincing 8-3 win over the Oakland Athletics on Monday. Yep, it was Wells, who had a run-scoring single in the second inning, a prodigious home run in the fourth, and walked and scored in the sixth, as the Angels ended Oakland's winning streak at nine games.

- Torii Hunter is the envy of most hitters in baseball, batting behind speedy leadoff man Mike Trout , who leads the American League in average, runs and stolen bases, and ahead of slugger Albert Pujols , who has 29 homers and a team-leading 92 runs batted in. Angels Manager Mike Scioscia moved Hunter into the two-hole on June 8. The right fielder responded with three straight three-hit games against Colorado and has been one of...