Angels' Vernon Wells hitting the road to California

Vernon Wells had a big road trip scheduled Sunday. And it had nothing to do with baseball.

Wells, traded to the Angels in late January, hasn't found a place to live in Southern California. So after playing in Sunday afternoon's Cactus League exhibition against the Seattle Mariners, he planned to drive from Tempe to Orange County to do some house hunting. The Angels have Monday off, the team's only day off during spring training.

Wells, who lives in Texas and played his whole career in Toronto, was looking forward to a change of scenery.

"I get to go look at some nice places," he said. "I'm looking forward to going to see the beach.”

Wells said he planned to drive back to Arizona on Monday night.

As for the players who stayed in town, 16 were scheduled to take  part in a "B" game Monday morning at Tempe Diablo Stadium. The game was scheduled mainly to give left-hander Scott Kazmir a chance to stay on his regular pitching schedule, which calls for him to throw five innings, or about 70 pitches, on Monday. But with roster cuts expected Sunday and Monday, the Angels were also planning to use the game to get another look at some players ticketed for minor league camp. Among those expected to play are catcher Hank Conger, outfielders Chris Pettit and Mike Trout, top infield prospect Jean Segura and right-hander Loek Van Mil.

-- Kevin Baxter in Tempe, Ariz.

Photo: Angels outfielder Vernon Wells during a spring training game. Credit: Jake Roth / US Presswire

Angels happy to have a day for healing

The Angels' lone off-day of the spring couldn't come at a better time given the nagging injuries and illness that left at least seven players unavailable to play Sunday. And two other players were able to hit but not play the field.

That's why Manager Mike Scioscia is basically locking the clubhouse Monday, forcing players who don't need treatment or who aren't playing in an 11 a.m. "B" squad game with Colorado to stay away. The Angels had split-squad games with Seattle and Cincinnati on Sunday, playing host to the Mariners in Tempe while sending another team 45 minutes up the freeway to Goodyear to play the Reds.

Outfielder Torii Hunter and infielder Maicer Izturis missed both games, taking their second consecutive afternoon off, Hunter with a bone bruise in his hand and Izturis with undisclosed tightness. Both took batting practice Sunday morning.

Two other outfielders, Peter Bourjos and Reggie Willits, were also unavailable to play in either of Sunday's split-squad games. Bourjos was a late scratch from Saturday's lineup with what was originally called groin tightness. It's a nagging problem Bourjos says he gets every spring, much as pitchers go through a dead arm period every March.

"I get a dead groin," said Bourjos, who was examined Sunday by Dr. Lewis Yocum, the team orthopedist. Bourjos also took part in batting practice but Willits, who came into the clubhouse wearing a wrap on his left calf and limping noticeably, did nothing but receive treatment. Willits was felled with calf tightness while trying to beat out an infield hit Saturday against the Indians.

"There’s a little pain in it. It’s mostly just really tight," said Willits, who was also examined by Yocum. "I'm hoping for the best. From what they said, it appears to be pretty mild. I hope they’re right."

Bobby Abreu back in Angels' lineup

A day after Bobby Abreu pulled himself from the lineup and went home sick, the Angels had him back in there Friday, batting second as the team's designated hitter for a Cactus League exhibition with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Several members of the Angels organization have been bothered by allergies in recent days.

Vernon Wells, who moved back to his old home in center field for a few innings Thursday -- making one putout in an otherwise quiet afternoon -- was back in left as Manager Mike Scioscia started most of his regulars. The only projected starters missing were Kendrys Morales, who continues to rehab the broken ankle he sustained last May, and catcher Jeff Mathis, who got the afternoon off.

Jered Weaver, the likely opening day starter, will be on the mound for the third time this spring. In his two previous starts he has allowed two runs on five hits in five innings, striking out five.

He'll be opposed by former teammate Joe Saunders, who was sent to Arizona last July in the Dan Haren deal.

Friday's lineup:

SS -- Maicer Izturis

DH -- Bobby Abreu

RF-- Torii Hunter

LF -- Vernon Wells

2B -- Howie Kendrick

SS -- Erick Aybar

1B -- Mark Trumbo

C -- Bobby Wilson

CF -- Peter Bourjos

P -- Jered Weaver

-- Kevin Baxter in Tempe, Ariz.

Angels sit the best, play the rest

Nine all-star selections. Twelve gold gloves. A couple of near-MVPs.

That's what wasn't in the lineup for the Angels on Wednesday in their Cactus League exhibition with the Colorado Rockies at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

Angels Manager Mike Scioscia has given his regulars plenty of rest early in the spring schedule and Wednesday was no exception, with the list of talent given the day off rivaling that of most teams' regular lineups. Among those scheduled to leave the ballpark in the early afternoon were Torii Hunter, Vernon Wells, Maicer Izturis, Jeff Mathis, Bobby Abreu and Kendry Morales.

The latter hasn't played at all this spring but Scioscia says Morales is making progress in rehabbing his broken ankle and he could be playing in 10 days or so.

Left-hander Scott Kazmir will start on the mound and is scheduled to throw four innings or 55 pitches, whichever comes first. Hank Conger, battling for the backup catcher's job on the opening day roster, strained his forearm over the weekend and still can't throw but will get a chance to play Wednesday as the designated hitter.

Wednesday's lineup:

SS -- Erick Aybar

CF -- Reggie Willits

2B -- Howie Kendrick

1B -- Mark Trumbo

DH -- Hank Conger

3B -- Brandon Wood

C -- Bobby Wilson

LF -- Chris Pettit

RF -- Jeremy Moore

P -- Scott Kazmir

-- Kevin Baxter in Tempe, Ariz.

Angels' offense getting in gear

Two days ago, the Angels' team batting average for the spring was just .215. Tuesday afternoon when they take the field for a Cactus League exhibition with the Texas Rangers, they'll do so hitting .253. That's what 29 hits and 20 runs in two days can do for an offense.

How hot have the Angels been? The eight runs they scored in the third inning against the Cubs on Monday matched their best output in a game this spring.

Rookie Mark Trumbo has been leading the surge. He went 4 for 4 with a home run and a massive double at windy HoHoKam Park in Mesa, Ariz., in Monday's wild ninth-inning to the Cubs. He's back in the lineup Tuesday and, at 7:30 a.m., the wind at Tempe Diablo Stadium was already blowing out, so Trumbo may be in for another big day.

Trumbo is tied with the Rangers' Ian Kinsler for the spring lead in total bases (21). He's also tied for second in home runs (3) and is third in runs scored (6) and runs batted in (6)

Regulars Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells are back in the lineup Tuesday but the Angels are resting Alberto Callaspo, who is still dealing with some shoulder soreness and has yet to play in the field this spring. As the designated hitter, Callaspo was 3 for 4 on Monday.

Ervin Santana will be making his second spring start on the mound. He'll be followed by left-handers Scott Downs and Hisanori Takahaski, two winter free-agent signings who loom large in the Angels' bullpen plans this summer.

Tuesday's lineup:

SS -- Maicer Izturis

LF -- Bobby Abreu

RF -- Torii Hunter

DH -- Vernon Wells

2B -- Howie Kendrick

1B -- Mark Trumbo

3B -- Brandon Wood

C -- Jeff Mathis

CF -- Peter Bourjos

P -- Ervin Santana

-- Kevin Baxter in Tempe, Ariz.

Angels may have baseball's best football team

Should NFL owners lock out their regular players and try to field replacement teams instead, the Angels spring training camp might prove fertile ground for recruiting quarterbacks since a half-dozen of the organization's best players were also standout quarterbacks in high school.

The best might have been pitcher Bobby Cassevah, who committed to play football at Louisiana State University despite having his senior season at Florida's Pace High School wiped out by Tommy John surgery.

"I loved football the best in high school," said Cassevah, who turned his back on LSU despite the fact the Angels, spooked by the elbow operation, waited until the 34th round of the 2004 draft to take him.  "[But] I think I made the right choice. Where I'm at now, I'm happy. I play fantasy football.”

Cassevah, who hurt his arm throwing a football, not a baseball, made his major league debut last season and joined a teamthat includes former quarterback Scott Kazmir, who played at Houston's Cypress Falls High. Other Angels who were top-flight signal-callers in high school include outfielders Torii Hunter, Vernon Wells and Mike Trout and catcher Jeff Mathis. Hunter lettered in four sports -- football, baseball, basketball and track -- at Arkansas' Pine Bluff High while Wells, whose father, Vernon Sr., played in the Canadian Football League, was an all-state football player in Texas. Although Trout had the athletic tools to be a quarterback prospect, he stopped playing early in high school in New Jersey. And Mathis led his school to the Florida state championship game in football.

In an era of specialization in which many top high school athletes tend to concentrate on one sport, Cassevah said he doesn't know how the Angels wound up so many two-sport standouts.

“I have no idea," he said. "I think everybody here was the best player on their high school team, no matter what it was. The guy with the best arm out there, I guess that’s the best athlete."

That's how hard-throwing reliever Jordan Walden wound up throwing passes in Texas, although he stopped in the eighth grade.

"I had the best arm," he said.

Then again, maybe football acumen is something the organization looks for since General Manager Tony Reagins didn't play baseball at Indio High -- but he was a standout tailback good enough to be recruited by Oregon State.

-- Kevin Baxter in Mesa, Ariz.

Photo: Bobby Cassevah. Credit: Charlie Riedel / Associated Press

Angels pound Diamondbacks in 7-2 rout

Erick Aybar and Torii Hunter each had two hits and scored a run Sunday, leading the Angels to a 7-2 Cactus League victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks before a spring-best crowd of 7,228 at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

Aybar also drove in a run while Bobby Abreu, Alexi Amarista and Vernon Wells drove in two runs apiece in the Angels' most one-sided win of the exhibition season. The Angels were especially tough on former teammate Joe Saunders, pounding him for four runs and six hits in two-plus innings.

Jered Weaver had little trouble in his three-inning stint, giving up a run on three hits while striking out three. He was helped by Wells, who made a splendid sliding catch on Melvin Mora's line drive to left in the second.

"I told him coming into the dugout that we don't need to be doing it that early," Weaver said. "But he was like, 'Just natural extincts.' It was obviously a pretty nice catch. Covered a lot of ground to get over there."

As a pitcher who gives up a lot of fly balls, Weaver figures to benefit most from the dramatic defensive improvement in the Angels outfield.

"With those guys out, I don't have to worry about being too fine," Weaver said. "We strive on defense to win."

-- Kevin Baxter in Tempe, Ariz.

Photo: Bobby Abreu follows through on a two-run double against the Diamondbacks in the third inning Sunday. Credit: Chris Carlson / Associated Press

Efren Navarro joins crowd at first base for Angels

It's unlikely any organization is deeper at first base than the Angels. Kendry Morales, an MVP candidate in his first full season, will be the clean-up hitter at the major league level once his broken ankle heals. Mark Trumbo, who tied for the minor-league lead with 36 home runs at Salt Lake last summer, is fighting for a spot on the big-league roster. And just behind him is Gabe Jacobo, who batted .296 with 22 homers and 107 RBIs at Class A Rancho Cucamonga.

Which means Efren Navarro (pictured at left) sometimes gets overlooked -- as he was in the 2007 draft when he was drafted in the 50th and final round. But in his first full minor league season he was a Midwest League All-Star and, after doubling in the Angels' only run in Saturday's loss to Milwaukee, Navarro is 4 for 7 in five Cactus League games.

And that's forced the team to take notice.

"Although he doesn’t have as much power as Trumbo or Jacobo. he has the ability to be a very effective hitter, much as Mark Grace was or hitters along those lines," said Manager Mike Scoiscia, referring to the three-time All-Star who hit .303 in 16 big-league seasons with the Cubs and Diamondbacks. "He has to find that talent."

Scioscia said Navarro was challenged to do just that last summer after struggling to a .230 batting average in the first half at double-A Arkansas. Abe Flores, the Angels' director of player personnel, and Todd Takayoshi, the team's minor league hitting instructor, met with Navarro and they "put it to him and said: Look, you have more ability," Scioscia said.

Navarro responded by hitting .310 after the break, earning an invitation to spring training as a nonroster player. His fielding ability, however, has never been in question.

"This guy can easily be Gold Glove-caliber," Scioscia said. "This is as good a defender as you’re going to see at first base."

Other notes from camp:

--Minor league pitcher Loek Van Mil, the tallest man in professional baseball at 7-foot-1, has been a favorite of visiting journalists. Imagine what might happen if he ever throws a pitch in a game.

Ron Roenicke sees Angels bouncing back in 2011

Ron Roenicke spent the past 11 years as a coach working with the Angels' outfielders before leaving over the winter to take the vacant managerial job in Milwaukee. And while he's excited about that challenge, he can't help but look back at his old job with some longing. That's because with the addition of three-time Gold Glove winner Vernon Wells to play alongside Peter Bourjos and nine-time Gold Glove winner Torii Hunter, the Angels may have one of the best defensive outfields of all time.

"It would be hard to get better than that," he said. "Defensively, fabulous."

As for the Angels' offensive struggles in 2010, Roenicke dismissed it as "a weird year" and said there are players in the clubhouse with too much pride to let that happen again.

"I don't know what happened," he said. "They've got Vernon Wells. Vernon is a quality guy. And Bobby [Abreu] too. Bobby was disappointed in the year he had last year. And I'm sure he's going to do something about that this year."

-- Kevin Baxter in Phoenix

Angels' Kendry Morales back -- sort of

Kendry Morales was smiling and laughing at his locker in the Angels' clubhouse Wednesday -- which marked a big step forward for the slugging first baseman, who has had a difficult spring so far.

Morales missed two days of workouts earlier this week with flu-like symptoms, including a fever of 103 degrees. But he pronounced himself healed Wednesday.

"I feel good. Everything's good," Morales said in Spanish. "I'm going to be able to do everything today."

Everything, however, remains a relative term for Morales. The Angels still aren't ready to let him run freely on the ankle he broke last May, limiting his cardio workouts to a treadmill. As he runs in the gym, Morales wears a harness, which supports about 20% of his body weight -- a process Angels' Manager Mike Scioscia called "deweighting."

Morales was cleared to hit and do some light fielding work as well but it remains uncertain when he'll be able to play in a Cactus League exhibition.

"We want to get him totally free on body weight and then he’s going to start to get out there and do some more running," Scioscia said. "And they’re also experimenting with his wrap on his ankle. A lot of the restriction is because they have him wrapped heavily. They want to release that restriction as they move on."

The Angels need a healthy Morales to make their offense go. The switch-hitter batted .306, slugged 34 home runs and drove in 108 runs in his only full big-league season in 2009. He was on pace to match those power numbers last year before sustaining the season-ending injury after just 51 games.

And the longer he remains sidelined this spring, the greater the possibility the Angels will open the season with Morales on the disabled list.

Morales wasn't the only Angel who stayed back in Tempe when the team traveled an hour up the freeway to Surprise, Ariz., Wednesday to play the Texas Rangers. Starting middle infielders Erick Aybar and Howie Kendrick and starting outfielders Vernon Wells, Peter Bourjos and Torii Hunter also remained behind to work on cutoff plays.

"This is all trying to get this integrated," Scioscia said. "So this is an important drill for them."

-- Kevin Baxter in Surprise, Ariz.

 Photo: Kendry Morales. Credit: Charlie Riedel /Associated Press.

Angel veterans get the afternoon off [Updated]

It's common for veterans to get the afternoon off when their teams make long road trips early in spring training. And the Angels are no different, which is why six regulars were not in the lineup Wednesday for the team's Cactus League game with the defending American League champion Texas Rangers in Surprise, Ariz.

The trip to Surprise is just more than an hour from the Angels' training base in Tempe, but it's the longest the team will make this spring. So among those staying back were all three starting outfielders -- Vernon Wells, Peter Bourjos and Torii Hunter, who have played together the last two days -- as well as infielders Howie Kendrick and Erick Aybar, and designated hitter Bobby Abreu. The two regulars who are traveling, infielder Maicer Izturis and catcher Jeff Mathis, are batting at the top of the order, giving the impression that each will hit two or three times, then be excused for the rest of the day.

Early in the day there was no sign of rehabbing first baseman Kendry Morales, who missed the last two days of training with flu-like symptoms.

[Updated at 7:30 a.m.: Morales has arrived.]

On the mound, right-hander Dan Haren, acquired in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the middle of last summer, will make his first spring start as an Angel. The Rangers, meanwhile, are expected to play former Angel Mike Napoli.

The lineup:

3B -- Maicer Izturis

C -- Jeff Mathis

DH -- Alberto Callaspo

1B -- Mark Trumbo

CF -- Mike Trout

2B -- Alexi Amarista

SS -- Andrew Romine

RF -- Jeremy Moore

LF -- Chris Pettit

P -- Dan Haren

-- Kevin Baxter in Tempe, Ariz.