The Los Angeles Angels haven’t faced right-hander Zack Greinke since the 2015 season Youth Tremaine Edmunds Jersey , but they’ve continued to feel his effects.
Greinke (5-5. 3.97 ERA) is scheduled to start when the Arizona Diamondbacks open a three-game series Monday night at Angel Stadium.
The Angels (38-34) have lost five of their past six to fall eight games back of the final American League wild card.
The Diamondbacks (39-32) dropped their past two after winning six of seven. Their lead in the National League West has dwindled to 1 1/2 games over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Angels remain just as starved for playoff success as they were in July 2012 when they acquired Greinke in a deal that sent young infield prospect Jean Segura to the Milwaukee Brewers as part of the package.
It was an exciting time in Anaheim.
Albert Pujols, a three-time NL Most Valuable Player, was in his first season with the Angels at age 32. Los Angeles center fielder Mike Trout was in his first full season in the majors and already an All-Star.
Greinke even did his part, going 6-2 with a 3.53 ERA in the last two months with the Angels, but they missed the playoffs for a third straight season and he opted to sign with the Dodgers in the offseason.
Still in his prime, Greinke went 51-15 in three seasons with the Dodgers and helped them reach the playoffs each year.
Meanwhile, Segura was named an NL All-Star a year after he was traded by the Angels and the 28-year-old shortstop continues to improve. Only now he’s in the AL West with the Seattle Mariners and playing a key part.
After Segura was traded to the Diamondbacks and he led the NL in hits in 2016, he was dealt to the Mariners, where he entered the weekend with the second-highest batting average in the majors (.344).
The Mariners lead the Angels by eight games for the final AL wild card.
Meanwhile, the Angels are still seeking their first playoff win since 2009.
They’ve had success when facing Greinke in the past. He’s 3-5 with 3.91 ERA in 12 career appearances against the Angels, including 11 starts.
Several Angels players have also hit well against Greinke during their careers.
Luis Valbuena is 11-for-26 Authentic Arden Key Jersey , Pujols and Justin Upton are each 10-for-29, and Trout is 5-for-15.
They’ll try to drop Greinke’s season record below .500, something he hasn’t experienced this late in a season since 2010.
“As long as I’m able to make good pitches, it’s fine,” Greinke told reporters after his last start.
The Angels will have one of their most successful starters this season ready to oppose Greinke.
Jaime Barria (5-2, 2.61) has solidified himself as a regular starter for the Angels, both through his performance and injuries to other pitchers.
He took the loss in his last outing, but even that performance included plenty of positives. The 21-year-old right-hander went five innings against the Mariners, allowing three runs (two earned) and eight hits in the 6-3 loss.
“I think Jaime has definitely pitched himself onto our depth chart from spring,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia told reporters last week. “We’re encouraged at how much he’s grown, where he is right now and how much he’ll help us this year. There’s no doubt http://www.jetsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-trenton-cannon-jersey , he’s pitched his way into more looks for us.”
Barria has allowed more than two earned runs in just one of eight starts this season.
Leave it to Terrell Owens to choose to become the first person to celebrate being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame somewhere other than at the Canton, Ohio shrine.
The receiver who provided so many exhilarating and exasperating moments during one of the NFL's most prolific careers is about 600 miles away from Canton this weekend. Hours before the other inductees are honored, Owens will give his own acceptance speech at Chattanooga , where he played college football and basketball and ran track.
Owens announced on Twitter in June that, while "incredibly appreciative," he wouldn't attend the induction ceremony. Owens never shared his reasons for staying away. Less than a month later, Owens again used social media to say he'd hold his own induction ceremony in Chattanooga.
"Getcha popcorn ready!" wrote the man who once celebrated a touchdown with popcorn.
Owens said Friday in Chattanooga there's a "flaw in that system" about how Hall of Famers are selected and he wanted to "make a stand" for future candidates. Owens, who wasn't selected to the Hall of Fame until his third year of eligibility, noted how grateful he was to accept this honor "right here where it all began."
He's been quite chatty on social media in the weeks leading up to his induction. Owens tweeted that he "wouldn't have a PRO career if it wasn't for Chattanooga #THISISFORYOU." When asked why he's bypassing the Canton ceremony, Owens tweeted that "I don't need to be on their stage to do it. I'll be fine & im sure they will be too."
Chattanooga remains a place where Owens is loved for what he accomplished well before becoming an NFL star. Owens had 2,320 career yards receiving in college and also played basketball on two NCAA Tournament teams before the San Francisco 49ers selected him in the third round of the 1996 draft.
In the NFL Authentic Leon Draisaitl Jersey , Owens strung together numerous antics 鈥?posing on the Dallas Cowboys' star logo at midfield, engaging in sideline tirades 鈥?with five teams over 15 seasons. But his college coaches marveled at his work ethic and considered him fun to coach.
"First guy (on the field), last guy off," former Chattanooga football coach Buddy Green said. "He worked hard, man. He tried to get better every practice. You'd put him on a special team, and he was the first guy down the field. He just loved to play the game. He was great to coach. He worked as hard as anybody on the field, even harder probably."
Mack McCarthy coached Chattanooga basketball during Owens' years on campus and remembers a guy who could come off the bench and defend at any position.
"He could not have been a better teammate," McCarthy said. "He couldn't have been better to coach."
Owens has a busy weekend planned for his return to campus.
He spoke to Chattanooga's current student-athletes Friday morning and also took 35 area youths on a shopping spree . Athletic director Mark Wharton said the school will have a private dinner for him Friday night and estimates about 2,000 people will gather at McKenzie Arena for Owens' induction speech Saturday afternoon.
Plans to celebrate Owens' Hall of Fame career in Chattanooga had been in the works since March. That's when Wharton attended Owens' induction into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and heard some of the receiver's stories from his college days for over an hour.
"From there, his team started saying fairly immediately that he wanted to do something in Chattanooga round the Hall of Fame," Wharton said. "I assumed 鈥?we all assumed (since) nobody's not gone to Canton 鈥?we assumed and started planning for the weekend before. Then in May or so Cheap Taven Bryan Jersey , Terrell notified all of us his desires to have it here."
Owens' decision to avoid Canton has been called a mistake by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Owens' former boss who was inducted into the Hall of Famer last year. Several former players and Hall of Famers also have criticized Owens.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame still will honor Owens as part of the weekend festivities. Owens, who ranks second in NFL history in career yards receiving (15,934) and third in touchdown catches (153) , will be part of the 2018 class exhibit with his picture on a light standard at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium and his own glass locker.
Hall of Fame President David Baker called Owens' decision unprecedented and disappointing .
"We respect he has strong feelings of his own and I respect his right to make that decision," Baker said. "I invited him to the hall, even at the last moment he would be welcomed, and he is welcomed every day the rest of his life. Even though he is not here, we will honor him to the best of our ability."
Owens has never wavered. He retweeted someone who noted any message he provides in his induction speech would be heard by many more people in Canton rather than Chattanooga.
"This choice wasn't made for the millions," Owens replied via Twitter . "It was made for the ones that matter."
AP Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner contributed to this report. .