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Clips

(March 27, 2014)

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Today’s Clips Contents FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3)

Angels release pitcher Joe Blanton, swallow his $8.5-million contract

Angels defeat Oakland Athletics, 6-2, in exhibition

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER (Page 4)

Angels close out Cactus League with victory

Angels decide Blanton's time is up Sean Burnett: 'Still not able to get over that hump'

FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 8)

Good vibes for Angels as Opening Day nears

Wilson strikes out seven in final spring outing

Burnett pain-free after throwing bullpen session

Angels grant Blanton unconditional release

Moran progressing toward bullpen workout Worth noting

Wilson on board with Motte’s fundraising effort

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 15)

Wilson, Gray wrap up their last spring starts

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FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Angels release pitcher Joe Blanton, swallow his $8.5-million contract

By Mike DiGiovanna March 26, 2014, 5:05 p.m. PHOENIX — Angels fans won't have Joe Blanton to kick around anymore. The Angels released the struggling and oft-criticized right-hander on Wednesday and ate the remaining $8.5 million on his contract, a move that was probably more difficult for General Manager Jerry Dipoto to digest than Blanton. "It's regrettable, it's a mistake on my part, there's no one else to blame," said Dipoto, who signed Blanton to a two-year, $15-million deal before 2013. "I made the call on signing Joe Blanton, and obviously this isn't the way he or I wanted it to work out. Unfortunately, that's the way it goes sometimes." The Angels thought Blanton, based on his track record — he had an 83-75 record and 4.37 earned-run average in his first eight seasons — would be a durable and effective innings-eater. But Blanton went 2-14 with a 6.04 ERA in 2013, the highest ERA among pitchers with at least 100 innings, and he gave up 29 homers. He was demoted to the bullpen in late July. Though Blanton, 33, rarely pitched over the final two months, he remained an object of derision of fans and media, and that criticism continued this spring. "It got more personal than most — unfortunately, that happens from time to time," Dipoto said. "Joe didn't come here and try to pitch poorly. He worked hard, he was in the weight room all the time. It didn't work out here for Joe." With Garrett Richards securing a rotation spot behind Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson in the final two months of 2013, and the Angels acquiring young left-handers Hector Santiago and Tyler Skaggs in the Mark Trumbo trade, it was clear there was no room for Blanton in the rotation. But Blanton might have won a long-relief spot had he pitched better this spring. Despite several mechanical adjustments and a move from the first-base side of the rubber to the third-base side, Blanton had a 7.08 ERA in 20 1/3 innings. "We wanted to see some adjustment, some type of move forward, an improvement in performance that led us to believe something better was coming," Dipoto said. "We just didn't see that." The Angels, who will pay Blanton and former outfielder Vernon Wells a combined $27 million this season, tried to trade Blanton, hoping a pitching-starved team would eat even a fraction of his contract. But they found no takers and decided to cut their losses on the morning of their final Cactus League game, a 6-2 win over the Oakland Athletics in Phoenix Municipal Stadium. A team that signs Blanton would have to pay him the prorated portion of the major league minimum salary of $500,000.

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"As we project our pitching depth, Joe wasn't a fit to be one of our 12 guys," Manager Mike Scioscia said. "In that regard, it was definitely better for him to try to hook on somewhere else." As difficult as it is to swallow so much money with no return, Dipoto said the Angels had no choice but to sever ties with Blanton. “It's always tough, whether it's zero dollars or $8.5 million," Dipoto said. "Arte [Moreno, Angels owner] has long been of the mind that whatever decisions are best for quality of the product on the field and give us the best chance to win, those are the decisions we should make. And that's the decision we made today."

Angels defeat Oakland Athletics, 6-2, in exhibition

By Mike DiGiovanna March 26, 2014, 4:59 p.m.

AT THE PLATE: The Angels have won eight straight games and closed Cactus League play with a 17-10 record. Utility infield candidate Grant Green lined a two-run home run to left-center field in the seventh inning and is hitting .360 (18 for 50) with 11 runs batted in. Brennan Boesch hit a solo home run in the seventh, and Matt Long (.426) hit two sacrifice flies and a double. ON THE MOUND: C.J. Wilson looked sharp in his final tuneup, giving up one unearned run and four hits in seven innings, striking out seven and walking two. His earned-run average is 2.20 in 28 2/3 innings. He threw 99 pitches. Joe Smith gave up a leadoff home run to Dusty Coleman in the eighth, and Kevin Jepsen, mixing a firm fastball and sharp curve, struck out three of four in the ninth. EXTRA BASES: Reliever Dane De La Rosa (forearm strain) will open the season on the disabled list, but the right-hander is scheduled to pitch in a minor league game in Arizona on Thursday and should be ready to join the Angels in early April. Left-hander Sean Burnett (elbow discomfort) resumed throwing Wednesday but is not expected to throw off a mound for several days. UP NEXT: Dodgers at 7 p.m. at Dodger Stadium. On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 830.

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Angels close out Cactus League with victory JEFF FLETCHER March 26th, 2014, 3:11 pm ·

THE GAME: Grant Green hit a two-run homer against the team that traded him last year,

snapping a seventh-inning tie in the Angels’ 6-2 victory over the Oakland A’s on Wednesday at

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Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The Angels won their final eight Cactus League games to improve to

17-10-2.

PITCHING REPORT: LHP C.J. Wilson, in his final tuneup before starting the second game of the

season Tuesday, gave up one run on four hits in seven innings, throwing 99 pitches. The only run

he allowed came in the third inning, when he minimized the damage after the A’s loaded the

bases with no outs. Wilson finished the spring with a 2.20 ERA.

HITTING REPORT: The Angels managed just one hit in five innings against A’s opening day

starter Sonny Gray. Gray had been scheduled to pitch in a minor league game so the Angels

didn’t get a free look at him, but they switched because the Angels had none of their everyday

players in the lineup. … C Hank Conger tripled, his first extra-base hit of the spring. He is hitting

.133. ... DH Brennan Boesch hit his first homer of the spring.

DEFENSE REPORT: Conger made a perfect throw to second to nail a runner trying to advance on

a pitch in the dirt. … CF Collin Cowgill made a diving catch. … RF Matt Long made a sliding catch

in foul territory. … 3B Kaleb Cowart made a diving stop.

UP NEXT: Angels (Hector Santiago) vs. Dodgers (Zack Greinke), 7 p.m., Thursday, Dodger

Stadium

Angels decide Blanton's time is up

BY JEFF FLETCHER

Published: March 26, 2014 Updated: 11:06 p.m.

TEMPE, Ariz. – About 16 months after he signed Joe Blanton to a two-year $15 million deal, Jerry

Dipoto cut his – and the Angels’ – losses.

The Angels general manager released the embattled right-hander Wednesday morning, a quick

and somewhat predictable end to his tenure with the club.

“It’s regrettable,” Dipoto said. “It’s a mistake on my part. There is no one else to blame. I made

the call on signing Joe Blanton and bringing him in. Obviously, this isn’t the way he wanted it to

work out. It’s not the way I wanted it to work out.”

Blanton went 2-14 with a 6.04 ERA in 2013, the worst season of his nine-year career. Despite

better conditioning and numerous changes to his delivery, Blanton had a 7.08 ERA this spring.

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“Coming to spring training, we just wanted to see some adjustment, some type of move

forward, an improvement in performance that led us to believe something better was coming,”

Dipoto said. “We just didn’t see that.”

The Angels delivered the news to Blanton on the day of their final Cactus League game, and he

was gone from the clubhouse before the Angels announced the transaction. Blanton did not

immediately reply to messages.

Manager Mike Scioscia said Blanton “understands” why it came to this.

“We've all been in this together with Joe the last year,” Scioscia said. “We all shared the

frustration. There is not a guy in that clubhouse that works harder than Joe in trying to improve

and keeping himself in shape. It’s unfortunate that the results of his hard work didn’t translate

last year into production.”

Dipoto also had some emphathy for the criticism Blanton endured.

“Joe didn’t come in here and try to pitch poorly,” Dipoto said. “He came in here and did what he

can do. He worked hard. He was in the weight room all the time. I have not met the player in my

life that goes out with the intention of not performing well. It just didn’t work out here for Joe.

That’s the way it goes.”

The Angels will eat the remaining $8.5 million of Blanton’s deal, which includes a $1 million

buyout of a 2015 option. If another team signs Blanton and he pitches in the majors, that team

will assume a pro-rated portion of the major league minimum salary of $500,000.

Considering the need for pitching in the majors, it is likely Blanton will get at least a minor

league deal and a chance to earn his way back to the majors.

“It’s definitely for his benefit if he gets a look to go somewhere else right now,” Scioscia said.

This resolution of Blanton’s situation seemed to be a distinct possibility as far back as December,

when the Angels acquired Hector Santiago and Tyler Skaggs. They were plugged into a rotation

including returnees Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson and Garrett Richards.

The Angels kept Blanton on the roster in case Skaggs, 22, proved to need more seasoning or one

of the starters got hurt. The Angels also hoped that if Blanton had a good spring he could be

traded, just as Vernon Wells was in 2013.

Blanton, 33, arrived in camp in the best shape of his career – a cliché, but in this case clearly true

– and with some mechanical adjustments he’d made since losing his rotation spot last summer.

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Midway through camp he made the drastic change of going to the third base side of the rubber

for the first time in his career.

He provided some glimmer of hope when he threw five scoreless innings against the Texas

Rangers in his first game from the third base side of the rubber, but he gave up seven runs in his

next two games.

“He came to spring training and we gave him every opportunity to show us improvement and

that we were a better team with him,” Dipoto said. “Today’s decision is suggesting that we don’t

feel that’s the case.”

NOTES

Sean Burnett continues to throw despite disappointing results in his latest bullpen session

Tuesday. Burnett, who had elbow surgery last summer, threw all of his pitches but didn’t feel as

good as he or the Angels had hoped.

“That last five percent of rehab is the toughest and that’s where Sean is now,” Scioscia said.

“What he’s experiencing is totally different than what he had last year, but he still has to work

through some stuff.” …

Dane De La Rosa is scheduled to pitch in a minor league game today, his first competitive outing

since suffering a strained forearm March 6. De La Rosa is not expected to be ready for Monday’s

opening day, but he could be shortly after. He could be activated from the disabled list on April

5. …

Blanton had been scheduled to start Friday’s Freeway Series game at Dodger Stadium, which

would allow Richards and Skaggs to have less extra rest before their first start of the regular

season. Now, Richards will start Friday and Skaggs on Saturday, and each pitcher will have seven

days before his first regular season start.

Sean Burnett: 'Still not able to get over that hump'

Jeff Fletcher

Published: March 25, 2014 Updated: 5:08 p.m.

Sean Burnett's bullpen session this morning did not go as the Angels had hoped, as he couldn't

"turn the ball loose like he needs to," manager Mike Scioscia said.

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Burnett was scheduled to throw his first full bullpen session, including breaking balls, since his

elbow surgery last summer. He had attemped a bullpen on Friday, but had to stop halfway

through because of elbow discomfort he said was related to an arthritis injection.

This time Burnett made it all the way through, but the results were apparently mixed.

"He did throw it, and he's still not able to get over that hump," Scioscia said. "I think it's

obviously a step forward anytime you can get off the mound, but it wasn’t the breakthrough pen

we were looking for."

Burnett had been expected to start on the disabled list even before the latest round of minor

setbacks, but the longer his progress is stalled, the more difficult it is to project when he is ready

to return.

FROM ANGELS.COM

Good vibes for Angels as Opening Day nears Feeling good chemistry, players point to pitching, defense as keys to success By Alden Gonzalez, MLB.com 3/27/2014 ANAHEIM -- Maybe it won't make them pitch better, or facilitate a better start, or serve as the reason they finally get back to playing meaningful games in October. But there's a better vibe and a greater energy this year -- many of the Angels will declare -- and that certainly can't hurt matters. "Team chemistry is big," Mike Trout says, perhaps to the relative chagrin of the sabermetricians who worship the ground he walks on. "Guys all like each other. There's not one guy in here who is a problem. Once Opening Day comes, we'll get all the jitters out. I think we're all anxious. We have expectations, obviously." The expectations, once again, are to make the playoffs -- just like they were over the last four years in which they didn't, including the last two seasons in which they underachieved and a 2013 campaign in which they had a sub-.500 record every day after April 3. The Angels aren't billed as a juggernaut this year, after a 78-win season that preceded a relatively quiet winter. The expectations are tempered, with Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton coming off their respective worst seasons, Jered Weaver facing more critics than ever, Mike Scioscia and Jerry Dipoto on the proverbial hot seat and three-fifths of the starting rotation unproven.

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And the key to their success will be a lot more tangible than clubhouse chemistry. "It's going to come down to if we pitch and play defense," catcher Chris Iannetta said. "If we pitch and play defense, we're going to be very good. If we don't, we're going to struggle. That was our issue last year -- we didn't pitch, and we didn't play defense." On the mound in 2013, the Angels ranked 24th in the Majors in Fielding Independent Pitching, with a 22nd-ranked starting pitcher ERA and a 25th-ranked relief pitcher WHIP. On the field, they were 27th in Defensive Runs Saved, with the fourth-most errors and the third-lowest caught-stealing percentage Talk all you want about Pujols bouncing back from an injury-plagued 99-game season, or Hamilton finding his swing again, or Trout continuing to establish himself as the best all-around player in baseball. But the Angels were tied for fourth in the Majors in OPS last year and could do even better offensively this year, with Pujols lighter on his feet and Hamilton driving the ball more freely. "Our offense is fine," said Ernesto Frieri, the closer for a bullpen that should be deeper if healthy. "We need to pitch and play defense. That's it." And so while Trout, Pujols and Hamilton are the three biggest starters, this Angels' season could come down to three young, talented and less-heralded arms -- Garrett Richards, Hector Santiagoand Tyler Skaggs. The latter two were acquired in the three-team trade that sent popular hometown slugger Mark Trumbo to Arizona, and none of the three have spent an entire season in a Major League rotation. Now they'll be asked to support Weaver and C.J. Wilson and shore up the Angels' biggest problem area of 2013. The upside is big, but the margin for error is small. "The only reason we have the payroll we have is to win, not to develop," said Wilson, the only Angels starter to take every turn last year. "Our offense is really talented, and our pitching staff has to hold its weight this year." Oh, and there's also that other thing. "Our starts," Trout said. "The last two years, they've killed us." The Angels had the fourth-worst April winning percentage in baseball from 2012-13. In April 2012, Pujols went homerless and the bullpen was in shambles. In April 2013, Pujols dealt with plantar fasciitis, Hamilton began a near-season-long slump and the starting rotation couldn't get deep enough into games. "Our main goal is to try to jump out and turn this thing around," Pujols said. "Don't dig a hole that early in the month. You always hear, 'It's early, it's early.' But you don't want to be coming from behind. You want to have a good start." Early in the offseason, pitching coach Mike Butcher called all of his pitchers to tell them they'd be pushed harder than ever in Arizona. Over the course of the spring, position players took more swings, focused heavily on situational hitting and homed in on defensive fundamentals.

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And throughout the year, the staff plans to implement more statistical data into the way it aligns the defense and attacks opponents. The door is wide open for the Angels, no matter how much more star power resides in the American League West. Starter Derek Holland (right knee), second baseman Jurickson Profar (right shoulder) and catcherGeovany Soto (knee) could all be out until midseason for the Rangers. A's Opening Day starterJarrod Parker will miss all of 2014 after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery. And rightiesHisashi Iwakuma (right middle finger) and Taijuan Walker (right shoulder) of the Mariners -- the Angels' first opponent -- are slated to start the season on the disabled list. "We're much better when our focus is in-house," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "We have a terrific club, and we have the makings of a championship club, and that's what our focus is." The new third baseman (David Freese), designated hitter (Raul Ibanez), eighth-inning man (Joe Smith) and utility infielder (John McDonald) have brought more energy. And a rebuilt coaching staff -- with Don Baylor in as hitting coach, Gary DiSarcina coaching third base and Rick Eckstein serving as the inaugural player-information coach -- has added a fresh perspective. But, as Wilson said, "It only matters if we win." Weaver is one of only four Angels players remaining from their last trip to the playoffs five years ago, along with Howie Kendrick, Erick Aybar and Kevin Jepsen. "We gotta get back there," Weaver said. "It's been frustrating the past four years. There aren't too many guys in this clubhouse that were here when we were doing winning stuff. It comes to the point where you kind of have to tell people how we won, and what it took to win, to try to bring that Angel attitude back into the clubhouse." Maybe that process has already begun.

Wilson strikes out seven in final spring outing Green, Boesch add support with back-to-back homers in the seventh

By Chris Gabel, MLB.com 3/26/2014

PHOENIX -- C.J. Wilson and Sonny Gray were in regular-season form Wednesday in their final spring tune-up. Wilson struck out seven in seven innings, and Grant Green and Brennan Boesch hit back-to-back home runs against the A's bullpen in the Angels' 6-2 victory at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Wilson, who will start the Angels' second of the season, gave up one unearned run and four hits against an Oakland lineup that featured just one regular player.

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"C.J. was great; he pounded the zone," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "It was good for him to get seven innings in." Gray, meanwhile, got in his final work before he will take the ball on Opening Day in five days. The right-hander allowed one run on one hit and one walk in five innings. He struck out one. "I'm ready," said Gray, who will make the start as part of his first Opening Day. "The most important thing is continue with the routine I've done all through Spring Training. ... It's going to be a big, but fun, week." After Gray left, former A's prospect Green hit a two-run homer to center field off Jeff Urlaub and Boesch followed with a solo blast to right in the seventh inning. The Angels added a run in the eighth and ninth, and A's Minor Leaguer Dusty Coleman homered off left-hander Joe Smith in the eighth. It was the final Cactus League game of the season for both teams, and the last game at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Oakland's Spring Training home since 1982. The A's will move to Hohokam Park in Mesa next year. Up next: The Angels wrapped up Cactus League play Wednesday and will begin the Freeway Series against the Dodgers on Thursday at 7:10 p.m. at Dodger Stadium in a game being broadcast for free on MLB.TV and on Gameday Audio. Hector Santiago is scheduled to pitch Thursday, followed byGarrett Richards on Friday at Dodger Stadium. Tyler Skaggs will face the Dodgers at Angel Stadium on Saturday.

Burnett pain-free after throwing bullpen session By Jesse Sanchex, MLB.com, 3/26/2014

Angels grant Blanton unconditional release

Moran progressing toward bullpen workout

Worth noting TEMPE, Ariz.-- Left-handed relieverSean Burnett said he felt fine Wednesday, one day after throwing his first bullpen session since experiencing stiffness in his left arm last week. "I'm feeling great now, pain-free and everything is good," Burnett said. "I threw the ball at 85 percent (Tuesday). There's good action and the ball is moving. Can I get it up to game speed? No, but I wouldn't say my bullpen was a failure or setback." The Angels were hoping for a breakthrough performance from Burnett on Tuesday. The reliever described Tuesday's session as a "surgery-type of bullpen where you stop and are asked how you feel every 10 pitches." "Burnett is trying to fight through that last five percent to get his arm where it needs to be," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "There will always be bumps in the road in rehab and he's

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going to have to get over them. Hopefully, he can break through this last plateau and get ready to pitch at some point in the season. When that is, we don't know." Burnett is scheduled to throw another bullpen Thursday. "It's a process and I'd love to get out there and throw at 100 percent and I know they would like that, too, but I'm not able to right now," he said. "Hopefully, with each bullpen I get a little bit better and in a week or two I'll be at 100 percent. I walked off the mound feeling positive." On Friday, Burnett made it halfway through his scheduled bullpen session because of stiffness in his left arm. He was limited to 13 appearances last season because of elbow issues and had surgery in August. He will start the season on the disabled list. "I was pleased and I know the training staff was pleased," Burnett said. "I know the coaching staff would like to see me at 100 percent, but it's going to be a few more times before I throw 100 percent."

Angels grant Blanton unconditional release PHOENIX, Ariz. - Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto made a statement about the club's expectations for Joe Blanton when the club granted the veteran pitcher his release Wednesday morning. Blanton simply had not improved enough to make the team. Then Dipoto made a declaration of his own. "It's regrettable. It's a mistake on my part. There is no one else to blame," Dipoto said. "I made the call on signing Joe Blanton and bringing him in. Obviously, this isn't the way he wanted it to work. It's not the way I wanted it to work out. None of us. But unfortunately that's the way it goes sometimes. You make a business decision and move on." Blanton appeared in four Cactus League games for the Angels this spring, amassing a 7.08 ERA in 20 1/3 innings spanning five appearances (four starts). He came into camp at a lighter weight but without a definitive role. "Coming into Spring Training, we just wanted to see some adjustment, some type of move forward, an improvement in performance or an adjustment that led us to believe something better was coming and we just didn't see that," Dipoto said. "We had a tough decision to make and we made that decision today. Joe was either going to be on our big league club or he wasn't. Today, we determined that he wasn't." Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson, Hector Santiago, Garrett Richards and Tyler Skaggs are expected to make up the rotation and the pitching order continues to come together. Santiago will take the hill Thursday and Richards is scheduled to pitch Friday against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Skaggs is scheduled to pitch Saturday against the Dodgers at Angel Stadium. Blanton's departure and the new schedule mean Richards and Skaggs will make their first starts of the regular season on seven-days' rest.

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"Joe understands the situation and I think we have all been in this together with Joe for the last year. We've all shared the frustration," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "There's not a guy in that clubhouse that works harder than Joe. It's unfortunate that the results of his hard work didn't really translate last year into production. I know he's going to keep going and I'm sure he will get picked up." Blanton, a 10-year veteran who signed with the Angels as a free agent in December 2012, went 2-14 with a 6.04 ERA last season, splitting time between the rotation and the bullpen. With one year remaining on his contract, he is owed $8.5 million, including a $1 million buyout. "These (decisions) are tough whether it's zero dollars or $8.5 million," Dipoto said. "The easiest way I can answer that question is that Arte (Moreno) has always been of the mind since I've been here that whatever decisions are best for the quality of the product on the field and give us the best chance to win, those are the decisions that we should make. That's the decision we made today."

Moran progressing toward bullpen workout TEMPE, Ariz. -- Reliever Brian Moran continues to make progress. Moran, who hasn't pitched since March 12 because of inflammation in his left elbow, has been throwing at a distance of 150 feet and is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Friday. He's expected to start the season on the disabled list. "I was tender there after that last outing so I figured we would give it a little time off and I feel a lot better now," Moran said. "It has not going exactly how I would have hoped but I'm feeling better and that's all I can ask for right now. Hopefully, I'll get out on a rehab assignment sometime." The Angels would have to offer Moran, a Rule 5 Draft selection, back to the Mariners if he's not on the active roster, but can keep him while he's on the disabled list.

Worth noting • Dane De La Rosa, who is nursing a right forearm strain, will start the season on the disabled list. He is scheduled to pitch in a Minor League game Thursday. "He"s going to need some work before he's going to be ready to pitch in the big leagues," Scioscia said. "Hopefully, shortly after the start of the season he'll be ready."

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Wilson on board with Motte’s fundraising effort Pitcher brings charitable ‘K cancer’ T-shirts into Angels’ clubhouse By Alden Gonzalez, MLB.com, 3/27/2014 TEMPE, Ariz. -- Spend some time in the Angels' clubhouse, and you're likely to see a lot of those red "K cancer" T-shirts that are gaining popularity these days. The idea sprang from Cardinals reliever Jason Motte, who began selling the shirts last spring to raise money for a cancer center in Memphis, Tenn. And they were brought into the Angels' clubhouse courtesy of C.J. Wilson, one of a growing list of Major Leaguers throughout the country jumping on the idea. The website 108stitches.com went live on May 17, with 108 Stitches showcasing the strikeout cancer tees in each team's colors. Each is promoted by a different player who agreed to join Motte in a partnership that will benefit multiple charities. Each participating player has chosen a charity that will benefit from the T-shirt sales. For each shirt sold, $5 will go to the Jason Motte Foundation and $5 to a charity of that player's choice. A full list of recipient charities will be listed on the 108 Stitches website soon, along with a photo of each player rep in his team-colored shirt. "At the end of the day, it's about reaching people," Motte said. "Baseball is great and everything, but there are other really important things going on out there that affect a lot of people. Wearing these t-shirts shows people that they're not alone. They're not sitting there doing chemo by themselves where no one cares. People do care, whether it's friends, family or baseball players. There are people who this has touched and this has affected. This is something we're trying to do to get the word out there and try to raise money to help." Wilson is the founder of C.J. Wilson's Children's Charities, which benefits kids affected by chronic, life-threatening illnesses and dealing with social or financial challenges. Last year, with the help of Head & Shoulders and Old Spice, each strikeout during the regular season brought a $1 donation to the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program. "There's a lot of initiatives that baseball has brought on that are good for everybody," Wilson said. "Realistically, so many people watch baseball that anything that we do from a corporate standpoint, in that charitable sense, is going to have a huge audience. So we need to do everything we can to promote those kinds of things."

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FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Wilson, Gray wrap up their last spring starts Associated Press PHOENIX -- C.J. Wilson and Sonny Gray allowed a run each in their final spring training starts in the Los Angeles Angels' 6-2 win over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday. Wilson, slated to start the second regular-season game for the Angels, allowed an unearned run on four hits in seven innings, striking out seven and walking two in his final tuneup. "C.J. looked great," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He worked ahead and it's a great outing for him to get seven innings." Gray, set to be the A's opening day starter, allowed a run on one hit with a walk and strikeout in five innings. "The most important thing is to continue with the routine that I've done all spring training and I feel really good, especially the last two or three times out," Gray said. Angels second baseman Grant Green hit a two-run home run in the seventh and is batting .360 as he makes a final push for a big-league roster spot. Brennan Boesch also homered for the Angels. Reliever Kevin Jepsen struck out the side with a walk in the ninth to close out the game. STARTING TIME ANGELS: Wilson threw 99 pitches in his start and heads back to California after posting a 1.88 earned run average in six starts. ATHLETICS: Gray was going to start in a minor-league game until manager Bob Melvin saw the Angels' backups-and-minor-leaguers lineup. Gray ended spring training with a 3.48 ERA in six starts. "Fun week," he said of the next five days until the opener. "I'm ready." ROSTER BATTLES Billy Burns is trying to win a roster spot as a reserve outfielder, with his top competitionSam Fuld and Michael Taylor also in the outfield with him on Wednesday. Burns was the only one of the three to get a hit and led the A's in hits with 22 this spring (.310 average). All four catchers currently on the Oakland roster got into Wednesday's game. Jaso was the starter and Derek Norris opened at designated hitter. Chris Gimenez replaced Jaso andStephen Vogt came on as the new DH in the sixth. Angels outfielder Collin Cowgill is competing for the major-league roster as a backup, and he might have helped his cause with a diving catch of sinking fly ball that turned out to be Burns' sacrifice fly.

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Matt Long also stated his case on defense. He sprinted in from deep right field into foul territory and slid near the A's bullpen mound to catch a fly ball from Burns in the sixth. Long doubled and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and is batting .426 in spring training. PHOENIX FAREWELL The A's played their final spring training game at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Wednesday and will move to Hohokam Stadium in nearby Mesa for at least the next 20 years starting next spring. Oakland was in Phoenix from 1982 to this year. Three team employees including original equipment manager Steve Vucinich were honored before the game, and Vucinich, who joined the club after their relocation from Kansas City in 1968, threw the first pitch. "It was a great spot for us, but now we're going to a place that's going to have better upgrades for us, especially inside, which is what we need," Melvin said. TRAINER'S ROOM ANGELS: Pitcher Dane De La Rosa will start the season on the disabled list due to a forearm injury, but will throw in a minor-league game on Thursday. ATHLETICS: Outfielder Craig Gentry went 2-for-6 in a minor-league game Tuesday as he returns from a back injury. He'll play again Thursday. Infielder Nick Punto is out until Friday with a hamstring injury. UP NEXT ANGELS: The Angels head back to Southern California for the annual exhibition Freeway Series, with Hector Santiago slated to pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday. Friday's starter was to be Joe Blanton, but the Angels granted him his release on Wednesday. Blanton will cost the Angels $8.5 million to get rid of his contract. ATHLETICS: Left-hander Scott Kazmir is scheduled to face the San Francisco Giants in the opener of a three-game exhibition series Thursday. On opening night, Rickey Henderson will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.