Angels call up four reinforcements
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The beleaguered Angels bullpen got a bit of relief Thursday when the team called up left-hander Horacio Ramirez from triple-A Salt Lake. But it’s their offense that may have been helped most.
Big-league clubs can expanded their rosters from 25 to 40 players for the final month of the season. So in addition to Ramirez the Angels added first baseman Efren Navarro, infielder Andrew Romine and outfielder Jeremy Moore from Salt Lake.
The first appearances by Navarro and Moore will mark the major league debut for each. Romine and Ramirez played with the Angels earlier this season with Romine going 1 for 9 in five games and Ramirez pitching five innings in seven appearances, giving up five earned runs.
Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said earlier this week he expected to call up as many as eight players for the stretch drive with the rest expected to join the team this weekend in Anaheim.
Navarro hit .317 with a career-high 12 homers this season but has a .424 batting average and a .924 slugging percentage since Aug. 12. He also leads Pacific Coast League first baseman with a .998 fielding percentage, having made just three errors in 1,326 chances.
Moore leads the PCL with 18 triples and is one of only two players in the league with double-digit totals for stolen bases (21), doubles (24), triples and home runs (15)
The Angels, 3 1/2 games behind the Texas Rangers in the American League West, close out a seven-game road trip Thursday night in Seattle before returning home to face the Minnesota Twins on Friday at Angel Stadium.
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-- Kevin Baxter in Seattle