Anaheim's success this season has surprised many, but they've greatly benefited from good health. The Angels placed Julio Ramirez on the DL Tuesday retroactive to June 16th. However aside from Ramirez, I don't believe Anaheim's placed anyone on their disabled list since April. Ramirez reportedly slipped and strained his left calf in the St. Louis outfield during batting practice before Tuesday's game. He's unlikely to return until after the All-Star break.

Ramirez hasn't received a lot of playing time this season, but in 25 AB he's hitting .292 with a .370 OBP and .500 SLG on 7 H, 1 3B and 1 HR with a 2:12 K:BB and 2 CS. The Angels didn't feel they needed to promote an outfielder to replace Ramirez, so Anaheim recalled Brendan Donnelly to take Ramirez's spot on the roster.

Donnelly, a 30-year-old right-handed reliever born on the 4th of July, made his major league debut with the Angels in April during Troy Percival's trip to the disabled list. His skills are solid, particularly his dominance, but he's been overlooked as he's shuffled between organizations the last 10 years, even spending some time in the independent leagues. Last season in 41 IP for AAA Salt Lake in the Pacific Coast League, he allowed 38 H and 4 HR with a 50:8 K:BB. So far this season in the majors, he has a 3:2 K:BB with 4 H allowed in 3.2 IP.

In addition to recalling Donnelly, the Angels further fortified the pen by promoting Scot Shields and releasing Donne Wall last week. While with Anaheim this season, Wall had a 13:7 K:BB in 21 IP with 17 H and 3 HR allowed. Quite a few pitchers are performing worse than Wall at the bottom of other teams' bullpens, but Anaheim possessed a clear opportunity to upgrade.

The 26-year-old Shields debuted with the Angels last season. He's primarily worked as a starter in the minors, but the Angels used him in relief last season and had him relieving in AAA this year. Aside from some home run problems last season, which can be partially explained by the great hitters' park at Salt Lake, Shields' skills indicate he deserves an extended look in the majors. During his AAA time this season, he posted an amazing 50:6 K:BB while allowing 39 H and 5 HR in 47 IP.

Matt Wise received a call-up when Wall went on the disabled list in late April with tightness in his upper arm, but Wise returned to the minors when Wall rejoined the team. Wise has demonstrated very good skills in AAA and pitched well during his time in the majors. He's currently trapped in the minors by a full and healthy Anaheim rotation. The Angels have not required a single pitcher outside their rotation to start a game this season. They are the only team in the AL able to make that claim, and the Mets are the only other teams in the majors who've not used a starter outside of their Opening Day rotation.

While in the majors, Wise only made 3 appearances totaling 4 innings with 3 H allowed and a 4:0 K:BB. In 47.1 IP at AAA this season, he's allowed 54 H and 5 HR with a 55:9 K:BB that's even more impressive than Shields' command stats since Wise is starting. I hesitate to recommend that the Angels trade someone to make room for him this season, as that would leave them scrambling if someone in the rotation was hurt. However, he certainly should be a part of their plans next year and the first person they recall if anyone goes down this season.

Anaheim also made a few changes to the pen in late May. Benji Gil was still on the DL and David Eckstein sprained his right knee, preventing him from playing shortstop for two weeks, so the Angels called up Alfredo Amezaga and sent down Mark Lukasiewicz. Lukasiewicz wasn't pitching particularly well with an 11:8 K:BB in 10.1 IP and 13 H allowed. He's suffered some control problems in the minors as well so the walks aren't that surprising. If the Angels need a lefty in the future, he's an acceptable option but he isn't going to provide anything spectacular.

Amezaga has speed potential but needs to improve his plate discipline to capitalize on that upside. Fortunately, he has demonstrated a good eye in the past so he should be capable of regaining that strike zone judgment. During his brief stay in the majors, he went 5 for 10 with two doubles, a stolen base, and a strikeout. However in 259 AB at AAA this season, he's hitting .239 with a .308 OBP and .320 SLG on 62 H, 12 2B, 3 3B, and 1 HR with a 23:51 BB:K and 13/21 SB%, so he definitely needs additional time in the minors.

Anaheim demoted Amezaga when they activated Benji Gil from the disabled list. The only players remaining on the disabled list with Ramirez are Shawn Wooten and RHP Steve Green. Green underwent surgery last June to repair a torn flexor muscle in his right forearm in addition to Tommy John surgery. He should begin pitching again soon but isn't likely to start for the Angels this season.

Wooten has recovered from the ligament damage in his right thumb that caused him to start the season on the disabled list. Unfortunately, during his rehab for the thumb, Wooten he strained an interior oblique muscle on his right side. The Angels are now targeting a post All-Star break return for Wooten.

Earlier this week, I informally reviewed the articles I've written since beginning this column in order to determine if I was neglecting any teams. Anaheim was the least-mentioned team to date, but considering I normally spend time on teams when they suffer significant injuries, their extended absence from this column makes sense. The Angels work well together as a unit, so as long as they can avoid injuries or extended slumps by individual players, they should continue to play well and maintain a good record.

Anaheim's schedule is nicely laid out for the remainder of the season so that they both shouldn't suffer from extended losing streaks and have several opportunities to build momentum against weaker teams. The Angels have a particularly nice schedule surrounding the All-Star break, with a series apiece against Baltimore and Tampa Bay before the break and a series in Kansas City after, so their probable success should help carry them through some tougher competition at the end of July and first week of August.

I don't think they can overtake Seattle unless the Mariners suffer injuries, and the Wild Card seems destined to come from the NL East this season. Anaheim's currently 40-29 while the A's are 40-31. Oakland also has a nice schedule for the rest of the season, including one less series against Boston and New York than Anaheim. Consequently, I think the two teams should finish the year with similar records, albeit short of the wildcard. Of course, all the teams could take a hit if they run into injury troubles. Who says you can pick the playoff teams in April?