27-year old righty reliever Kevin Jepsen is going to have season ending surgery on his knee tomorrow. Jepsen pitched in 16 games (0 starts) for the Angels this year and he was 1-2 with a 7.62 ERA and a 2.31 WHIP. He also pitched in 24 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball this year for the Angels and he was 1-3 with 7 saves, a 4.45 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. The Angels would have probably called Jepsen up when rosters expand on September 1st, but they should be o.k. without him.

35-year old righty swinging RF Torii Hunter has been red hot with the bat so far this month for the Angels. Hunter has played in 24 games so far in August and he is 34 for 87 (.391 avg, 1.074 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 5 homers and 16 RBIs. Hunter has played in 129 games for the Angels so far this year and he is 125 for 482 (.259 avg, .751 OPS) with 60 runs scored, 18 homers, 67 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. The Angels need Hunter to stay hot because they are in a dogfight for the A.L. West with the Rangers right now.

The Angels just gave Jered Weaver a big contract, but 30-year old righty starting pitcher Dan Haren has almost matched him in performance. Haren has pitched in 28 games (27 starts) for the Angels so far this year and he is 13-6 with a 2.98 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. He has given up 161 hits in his first 190 1/3 innings so far this year, which is pretty darn impressive. He has also whiffed 156 batters while only walking 26 batters, as he is a bulldog on the mound who pounds the strikezone with his good stuff. Haren is one of the most underrated pitchers in all of baseball.

24-year old righty swinging CF Peter Bourjos has played in 112 games so far this year for the Angels and he is 103 for 370 (.278 avg, .768 OPS) with 51 runs scored, 6 homers, 27 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. Bourjos has amazing range in the field and great speed on the bases. He deserves a Gold Glove this year and I think he can steal 50 bases in a season down the road. He has now played in 163 games in his first two years with the Angels and he is 140 for 551 (.254 avg, .720 OPS) with 70 runs scored, 12 homers, 42 RBIs and 27 stolen bases. Bourjos is giving the Angels a nice glimpse of the future in 2011.

21-year old rookie righty starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood could be on thin ice with the Angels. He has pitched in 23 games (all starts) for the Angels so far this year and he is 6-9 with a 4.35 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. He has given up 146 hits while walking 63 batters in his first 103 1/3 innings this year and at times he has been hard to watch. In his defense, he’s a kid that’s still learning while pitching in the majors. The reason that Chatwood’s spot in the rotation could be in jeopardy is the fact that the Angels have called up 29-year old righty starting pitcher Jerome Williams. Williams has pitched in 11 games (10 starts) in AAA-ball for the Angels this year and he is 7-2 with a 3.91 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Williams also has some major league experience as he has pitched in 76 games (71 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 23-29 with a 4.25 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP.

UPDATE: (8/19/2011) - The Angels have sent Tyler Chatwood to AAA. He will be replaced in the starting rotation by Jerome Williams.