ANAHEIM – Mike Trout is in the middle of a semi-slump, or a mini-slump, or whatever you want to call it.
The 22-year-old outfielder had just six hits in his past 38 at-bats, and nine in his past 50, entering Tuesday’s game against the Oakland Athletics, dropping his average 13 points.
That – and a 12:30 p.m. start in Wednesday’s home finale – prompted Angels manager Mike Scioscia to give Trout a day off his feet, starting him at designated hitter for just the eighth time this season, and third time at Angel Stadium.
“Obviously at the plate, he looks like he’s not quite as comfortable in the box,” Scioscia said by way of explanation. “I’m sure there’s some wear and tear, like there is with every player. But he’s fine to play, and we’ll evaluate him to see how he feels with the day-night tomorrow.”
Trout went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts and a walk Tuesday. The free pass pushed him into a tie with Rickey Henderson for most times reaching base (301) in an age-21 season or younger.
Trout had started nine of the Angels’ last 10 games in center field. Josh Hamilton played there in his place Tuesday, making only his second start in center at Angel Stadium this season.
Also on Tuesday, Angels owner Arte Moreno presented Trout with his second consecutive Owner’s Trophy, given annually to the team’s MVP.
Trout is one of seven Angels to earn the award in back-to-back seasons in franchise history and the first since Vladimir Guerrero in 2006 and 2007.
WILLIAMS TENTATIVE
Right-hander Jerome Williams has soreness in his left foot stemming from pregame workouts Monday and will be monitored for readiness to make his scheduled Thursday start in Texas.
“He’s still on board to start on Thursday,” Scioscia said. “But we’ll see how he feels. We obviously have some options.”
Williams was playing catch with Angels reliever Dane De La Rosa in the outfield on Monday when an errant throw hit him in the foot. He was hobbling around immediately after the injury, but reported feeling better Tuesday.
Scioscia declined to discuss who could replace Williams if he’s unable to start. Right-hander Matt Shoemaker, who made his major-league debut Friday against Seattle, would appear to be a prime candidate.
HANSON’S RETURN
Over the last two months, Scioscia has consistently pointed to one outing in his evaluations of embattled right-hander Tommy Hanson.
That outing was July 23, when Hanson returned after a month-long disabled-list stint and struck out eight Minnesota Twins in 51/3 innings of one-run ball, regularly hitting 95 mph with his fastball.
Hanson’s Monday return to the majors hasn’t changed Scioscia’s reference point, only his tune.
In his first big-league appearance since Aug. 7, the 27-year-old struck out three A’s in allowing two runs over 21/3 innings, reaching 94 mph in his first inning.
“Tommy looked great,” Scioscia said Monday. “Tommy looked like he did when he came off the DL after he couldn’t make his start in Detroit. His motion looked good and the ball was coming out really strong.”
Hanson, who has posted a 5.66 ERA in 70 innings this season, is a likely candidate to be non-tendered in the offseason.
THREE MILLION AGAIN
An announced crowd of 38,159 at Tuesday’s game means the Angels need just 16,720 tickets sold for Wednesday’s home finale to draw three million fans for the 11th consecutive season. The team has already announced it will reach that milestone based on advanced sales.
Contact the writer: pmoura@ocregister.com
