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Gary Matthews Jr. homered and drove in four runs in a 10-4 win over the Red Sox on Tuesday.
Matthews hit a two-run single in the fifth, an RBI double in the sixth, and capped his night with a solo homer in the eighth. The center fielder also made a nice play on defense, robbing Coco Crisp of a homer in the fourth inning. Matthews entered the day with just two hits in his last 19 at-bats.
Joe Saunders improved his record to 6-0 despite yielding four runs in 5 1/3 innings against the Red Sox on Tuesday.
Saunders did receive the victory in this one, but he wasn't all that impressive while yielding eight hits. He also had the benefit of one runner being thrown out at home as well as his bullpen stranding an inherited runner. Still, Saunders will take the victory as he improves to 6-0 in nine starts. The left-hander seems unlikely to continue pitching so well, and he has a tough matchup against the right-handed heavy Blue Jays' lineup next timeout.
Howie Kendrick (finger) will undergo X-rays Friday to determine if he'll be able to begin a minor league rehab assignment next week.
If he's cleared for the rehab assignment, Kendrick will be on track to rejoin the Angels on August 20. "It's been a few weeks now, and I'm driving myself crazy," Kendrick said. "I had never broken a bone in my body before this year, and I've broken two this season. You wonder what else could happen."
Juan Rivera (leg) has been unable to begin a minor league rehab assignment because he's having trouble running the bases and breaking for balls defensively.
Rivera has been fine running on a straight line, but is having problems turning. "He's making progress, but the medical department doesn't feel he's where he needs to be to play in games," manager Mike Scioscia said. "Every day that goes by works against us. He needs to play, and he's not healthy enough to start a rehab assignment."
Ervin Santana allowed two runs while racking up 10 strikeouts in Monday's start at Triple-A, but the Angels are not ready to recall him yet.
"His command was good, he changed speeds well and pitched a good game," manager Mike Scioscia said. "Right now, we want his progress to continue. When we feel he's ready to come here and meet the challenge, we'll look at it."
Bartolo Colon, who has been on the disabled list since July 24 due to a sore right elbow, will throw off a mound on Friday for the first time since suffering the injury.
"It'll be more of a touch-and-feel thing, just to see how the ball comes out of his hand," manager Mike Scioscia said. "He still needs to step up with two or three bullpen sessions and test his arm aggressively with all of his pitches. If he turns the next one loose, full-gorilla, there's a possibility that he's ready for a (rehab) game, but we'll take it one step at a time." A timetable still hasn't been set for Colon's return, but it figures to be in late August or early September.
Despite a negative report on Juan Rivera's health yesterday, it appears that the outfielder is now making solid progress in recovering from his broken leg.
Yesterday Rivera was having problems turning while running. Today he could be ready to begin rehab games as early as next week. "He's definitely passed a hurdle -- everything from the agility drills and baseball-related drills he's been in to his stamina," manager Mike Scioscia said. "His improvement has fueled our optimism. When you're rehabilitating, the last maybe 5-10 percent is usually the toughest to finish off. He's still got a ways to go." Rivera should be back at some point during September.