The Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday placed pitcher Scott Downs on the family medical emergency list before their game against the Boston Red Sox at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. The relief pitcher went home to Lexington, Kentucky on Sunday night to tend to an undisclosed family issue.
By rule Downs will miss a minimum of three games, meaning he is unavailable for the entire series against Boston. Normally the maximum for the list is seven games but with roster limits expanding from 25 to 40 in September there is theoretically no limit on when Downs will return. Halos manager Mike Scioscia declined to discuss specifically why Downs left the team.
"Right now we're not sure but hopefully as time goes on we'll get a little more clarity as to Scott's situation," Scioscia said. "Scott will talk about it when he feels comfortable talking about it."
The Angels recalled outfielder Kole Calhoun to take the roster spot of Downs, leaving the team without a left-handed reliever in the bullpen. But Scioscia noted that with David Ortiz hurt and Adrian Gonzalez no longer on the Red Sox the need to matchup late in games isn't as pressing at least for this series.
"In a perfect world you would love to have that balance, to get some matchups and set some things up," Scioscia said. "But the bottom line is to having some arms down there that can hold the leads and get outs, and we're getting towards that state, even without Scott in our bullpen. We've got some guys who are throwing the ball much better."
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