The Angels have placed catcher Mike Napoli on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation. He has played in 47 games for the Angels this season and he is 29 for 142 (.204 avg, .780 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 12 homers, 29 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Napoli has also whiffed an alarming 46 times already this season. Jeff Mathis will take over as the full time starter with Napoli out due to injury. Mathis has played in 47 games this season for the Angels and he is 33 for 144 (.229 avg, .691 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 6 homers and 25 RBIs. The Angels have recalled 28-year old righty swinging catcher Ryan Budde to replace Napoli on the roster. He has played in 37 games in AAA ball this season and he is 27 for 135 (.200 avg, .579 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 2 homers and 19 RBIs.

Darren Oliver has been very solid since winning a job in the Angels’ bullpen last season after being a sub par starting pitcher most of his career. Before he became an Angel he had pitched in 351 games (228 starts) in his major league career and he was 91-79 with 2 saves, a 4.98 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. Since Oliver has come to the Angels he has pitched in 93 games (0 starts) and he is 5-2 with a 3.54 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. He has really been solid this season as he has worked in 32 games (0 starts) and he is 2-1 with a 3.13 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Oliver has been a workhorse out of the pen for the Angels this season as he has worked more innings than any other reliever on the team.

24-year old righty reliever Jose Arredondo has been a lifesaver this season for the Angels. He filled in as the primary set up man in the Angels’ bullpen while Scot Shields was injured and he did a great job. He has pitched in 17 games (0 starts) for the Angels this season and he is 2-0 with a 1.40 ERA and a 0.72 WHIP. Arredondo has been throwing bullets as evidenced by his 19 whiffs in 19.1 innings. The Angels’ bullpen is devastating now that it’s at full strength essentially making you have to beat them in the first six innings of the game.

The Angels’ bullpen could use a second lefty in it behind Darren Oliver and they have a couple of extra players (Juan Rivera, Reggie Willits) to get a minor trade done. A perfect fit would be with the Mets. They need outfielders due to massive injuries they have suffered there. The thinking here is that the Angels could get either Scott Schoeneweis or Pedro Feliciano for Rivera. The Angels would probably prefer Feliciano because they have already had Schoeneweis in the past and he did not pitch well for them. Both teams would be happy with this kind of trade as they would both be dealing for a need from a position that they have depth.

The Angels should seriously consider calling up 3B Matt Brown when they need an infielder next time instead of Brandon Wood who is clearly overmatched at the major league level right now. The 25-year old righty swinging Brown did get a cup of coffee in the majors this season as he played in 5 games for the Angels and he was 1 for 13 (.077 avg, .231 OPS) with 2 RBIs. But, he has been on fire in AAA ball this season as his stats jump right off the page. He has played in 54 games in AAA this season and he is 79 for 222 (.356 avg, 1.102 OPS) with 51 runs scored, 16 homers and 45 RBIs. Brown could also be a nice trading chip for the Angels if they need something at the trade deadline.