HUTCHINSON, Kan.—Brayden Whitchurch went 3 for 5 with 4 RBI’s and Dylan Nedved went 3 for 3 to lead the Hutchinson Monarchs to their 2nd win in a row over the Andale Warhawks.  Joshua Fortenberry went 6 innings and recorded 8 strikeouts for the win. Carson Cornelius provided a solid relief effort and went the remaining 3 innings logging 3 strikeouts, but walked 4 batters.

Hutchinson has a double header scheduled for Monday with a 6:00 pm first pitch versus the Wichita Sluggers.  The Monarchs travel to Great Bend Tuesday, then return home for games on Wednesday and Thursday night to wrap up the regular season.  Playoff match ups will be named after Thursday by the Sunflower League office.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals traded Homer Bailey to the Oakland Athletics for minor league infielder Kevin Merrell on Sunday after scratching the veteran right-hander about 45 minutes before his scheduled start of their series finale against Detroit.

The 33-year-old Bailey has rebounded this season with the Royals after signing a minor league deal in February. He is 7-6 with a 4.80 ERA, but he’s been especially good over his past seven starts, giving the A’s some additional help as they seek a playoff run in the second half.

The A’s began the day six back in the AL West and just ahead of Cleveland for a wild-card spot.

“Homer did a tremendous job of fitting in and doing what he needed to do to become a more consistent pitcher again,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. “This is a good baseball deal for everybody.”

The rebuilding Royals signed Bailey with the intention of flipping him ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, and he is almost certainly the start of several transactions. First baseman Lucas Duda, right fielder Jorge Soler and closer Ian Kennedy are among the veterans on the block.

Bailey, who is making just $550,000 this season, dealt with a rash of injuries from 2015-17 and was just 1-14 with a 6.09 ERA a year ago to wrap up his tenure with the Cincinnati Reds.

The former first-round pick was traded to the Dodgers as part of a seven-player deal that included Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp in December, which means Los Angeles was paying the majority of the $23 million that remained on the $105 million, six-year contract he signed with the Reds in 2014.

Bailey struggled through the first six weeks of the season, but he’s 3-1 with a 3.35 ERA and 37 strikeouts over his past eight starts. He also has shown that the health issues that plagued him for a long stretch in Cincinnati are firmly behind him — he was due to make his 19th start on Sunday.

“You’re looking for bounce-back guys,” Royals manager Ned Yost said during spring training. “You’re looking for the next (Joe) Blanton, the next (Ryan) Madson, you know those guys? The J.D. Martinezes that they gave up on them and then boom, look where he is.”

Left-hander Brian Flynn was given the assignment against Detroit in place of Bailey, and he was battered in two-plus innings. He allowed seven runs and eight hits with three strikeouts.

The 23-year-old Merrell was the 33rd overall pick out of South Florida by the A’s in the 2017 first-year player draft. The speedy, defensive-minded infielder shot through three levels of the minors last season, and was hitting .246 with two homers and 34 RBIs in 82 games at Double-A Midland.

“We liked him a great deal out of the draft. He’s the type of player we like, a speed player, loves the game,” Moore said. “Oakland selected him rather high and we never got a chance to select him.”

The left-handed hitter will not join the Royals’ 40-man roster, instead going to their own affiliate at Northwest Arkansas. That leaves Kansas City with 39 players on their big league roster.

“He’s still adjusting to pro baseball. He’s in his second full year and he’s already at Double-A,” Moore said. “We’ve seen him in Double-A and our coaches are very pleased.”

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The FREE Youth Salthawk Football Camp starts tomorrow at 9:30am at Don Michael field! Registration will be open at 8:30am by the high school tennis courts.

Players need to be in practice gear, water provided. Registration forms can be picked up at the YMCA, or we’ll have extra forms at the registration table. All players will receive a free t-shirt at the end of the camp!

MANHATTAN, Kan. – In-coming K-State freshman Anna Dixon was selected to USA Volleyball’s 2019 Women’s Junior National Team (WJNT) that will compete at the 2019 FIVB Women’s U20 World Championship, the organization announced.

Dixon, a 6-foot-3 outside hitter out of Louisburg (Kansas) High School, was one of 12 to earn a place on Team USA’s roster after competing at a training camp that began July 5 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Dixon is one of three outside hitters named to the squad.

The WJNT will compete at the 2019 FIVB Women’s U20 World Championship July 12-21 in Leon Guanajuato & Aguascalientes, Mexico. Team USA will be one of 16 countries vying for the title, with four pools of four teams to begin the preliminary round. The United States was drawn to Pool A along with Mexico, Italy and Cuba hosted in Aguascalientes.

USA will take on Italy on July 12 at 12:30 p.m. CT to begin pool play before facing host Mexico on July 13 at 8:30 p.m. The preliminary round will conclude on July 14, as the Americans will square off with Cuba at 12:30 p.m. China is the defending Women’s U20 world champion with the event being held every two years. The United States finished seventh in 2017 and seeks its first podium finish since 2011.

Jerritt Elliott, head coach at the University of Texas, will serve as the WJNT head coach. He will be assisted by Paula Weishoff, head coach at Concordia University Irvine, and Jenny Hazelwood with Infinity Volleyball Club. Jon Wong, assistant coach at Bradley University, will serve as the technical coordinator.

Dixon tallied over 2,000 kills in her high school career and is a two-time Class 4A Kansas Player of the Year. She earned an Under Armour All-America Honorable Mention selection along with being named a finalist for the 2018 Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year. Dixon led Louisburg High School to back-to-back 4A state runner-up finishes, twice being named first team all-state. Playing her club volleyball for KC Power, Dixon was tabbed a top 50 recruit for the 2019 class by PrepVolleyball.com.

Dixon is part of a five-member incoming freshman class that was ranked the 20th-best in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com.

K-State is set to return eight letterwinners from last year’s squad, including seniors Sarah Dixon and Mckenzi Weber. The Cats retain 2018 AVCA All-America Honorable Mention selections in Sarah Dixon and Gloria Mutiri.

The Wildcats embark on their 2019 season on August 30 at the N.C. State Invitational in Raleigh, North Carolina. On August 24, the Cats will host Missouri in an exhibition match at Ahearn Field House at 3 p.m.

2019 U.S. WOMEN’S JUNIOR NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER
Name (Position, Height, HS Grad Year, Club/Region, College, Hometown)
3 – Brooke Nuneviller (L, 5-11, 2018, Aspire VBC/Arizona Region, Oregon, Chandler, Ariz.)
4 – Mia Tuaniga (S, 5-9, 2020, Apex1/Southern California, Long Beach State, Long Beach, Calif.)
5 – Azhani Tealer (OPP, 5-10, 2019, Texas Image/North Texas, Kentucky, Grand Prairie, Texas)
6 – Logan Eggleston (OH, 6-1, 2018, Alliance/Southern, Texas, Brentwood, Tenn.)
7 – Jenna Wenaas (OH, 6-1, 2020, TAV/North Texas, Minnesota, Frisco, Texas)
9 – Skylar Fields (OPP, 6-2, 2019, Houston Juniors/Lone Star, Texas, Missouri City, Texas)
11 – Molly Phillips (M, 6-2, 2019, Texas Image/North Texas, Texas, Mansfield, Texas)
13 – Ella May Powell (S, 6-2, 2018, Ozark Juniors/Delta Region, Washington, Fayetteville, Ark.)
15 – Katie Clark (M, 6-3, 2018, TAV/North Texas, TCU, Arlington, Texas)
17 – Anna Dixon (OH, 6-3, 2019, KC Power/Heart of America, Kansas State, Louisburg, Kan.)
19 – Kendall Kipp (OPP, 6-6, 2019, Laguna Beach VBC/Southern California, Stanford, Newport Beach, Calif.)
20 – Heather Gneiting (M, 6-6, 2018, Club V/Intermountain, BYU, Provo, Utah)

Head Coach: Jerritt Elliott (University of Texas)
Assistant Coaches: Paula Weishoff (Concordia Irvine) and Jenny Hazelwood (Infinity Volleyball Club)
Technical Coordinator: Jon Wong (Bradley University)
Head of Delegation: Coley Pawlikowski

FIVB Women’s U20 World Championship Pool A Schedule/Results
Pool A – Aguascalientes
July 12: USA lost to Italy 28-26, 18-25, 30-28, 25-22
July 13: USA defeated Mexico 25-17, 25-23, 25-21
July 14: USA defeated Cuba 25-20, 25-23, 25-20

Second Round Pool Play – Aguascalientes
July 16: TBA
July 17: TBA
July 18: TBA

• USA Volleyball Release
• More on FIVB Women’s U20 World Championship

ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals great Bob Gibson is fighting pancreatic cancer. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch said the 83-year-old Hall of Famer was diagnosed with the cancer several weeks ago and revealed the news Saturday to the other living Hall of Famers.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Tyler O’Neill drove in four runs, tying a career-high, and Dakota Hudson tossed six effective innings to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday. The Cardinals broke a three-game losing streak,. Eduardo Escobar homered for Arizona, which had a four-game streak snapped.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Hometown boy Bubba Starling delivered his first career hit and RBI for Kansas City, Brad Keller out-dueled Matthew Boyd and the Royals beat the Detroit Tigers 4-1. Keller allowed an RBI single to Harold Castro in the second but otherwise shut down Detroit, allowing four hits over eight innings. Boyd faced the minimum number of batters through four before things came undone. Ian Kennedy earned the save for Kansas City.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Gerso Fernandes played a role in all three goals and Sporting Kansas City beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0. Fernandes scored in the 91st minute and set up an own goal that went off the foot of Whitecaps defender Ali Adnan in the first half. Fernandes assisted on Felipe Gutierrez’s goal in the 56th minute.

National Headlines

WIMBLEDON (AP) _ Simona Halep earned her first Wimbledon singles title and prevented Serena Williams’ quest for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam title. Halep made only three unforced errors while beating Williams 6-2, 6-2 in 56 minutes. Williams had 46 unforced errors in losing her third consecutive Grand Slam final.

SPARTA, Ky. (AP) _ Kurt Busch earned his first win of the season by outracing his younger brother in overtime at Kentucky Speedway. Joey Logano and Kyle Busch lined up side-by-side on the restart for what was expected to be a race for the victory, but both Erik Jones and Kurt Busch shoved their cars into the mix for an intense final two laps. The Busch brothers touched as they raced for the lead, both cars wiggled, and it appeared Kurt Busch was headed into the wall before recovering.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ The Washington Nationals have put Max Scherzer on the shelf because of a mid-back strain. The three-time Cy Young Award winner was placed on the injury list retroactive to July 10 after throwing a bullpen session before Saturday’s game. Scherzer was 7-0 with a 0.84 ERA in his last nine starts before the All-Star break.

SILVIS, Illinois (AP) _ Cameron Tringale and Andrew Landry share the third-round lead at the PGA’s John Deere Classic. Tringale shot a 6-under 65 and dropped to 16 under as he seeks his first PGA victory. Landry owns a piece of the lead following a 67 that puts him one ahead of Bill Haas and Adam Schenk. Haas tied the best round of the day with a 64.

MIAMI (AP) _ Miami Dolphins assistant coach Jim Caldwell will take a leave of absence to address health issues that he says “require my full attention.” Caldwell was hired in February to be the Dolphins’ assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach. The precise nature of his health issue was not disclosed by Caldwell or the Dolphins.

Saturday Scores

INTERLEAGUE
Final L-A Dodgers 11 Boston 2

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Baltimore 2 Tampa Bay 1
Final Toronto 2 N-Y Yankees 1
Final Oakland 13 Chi White Sox 2
Final Tampa Bay 12 Baltimore 4
Final Minnesota 6 Cleveland 2
Final Kansas City 4 Detroit 1
Final Houston 7 Texas 6, 11 Innings
Final L-A Angels 9 Seattle 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Chi Cubs 10 Pittsburgh 4
Final N-Y Mets 4 Miami 2
Final St. Louis 4 Arizona 2
Final Washington 4 Philadelphia 3
Final Milwaukee 5 San Francisco 4
Final Cincinnati 17 Colorado 9
Final Atlanta 7 San Diego 5, 10 Innings

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bubba Starling finally reached his goal of getting to the major leagues with the Kansas City Royals.

It was a long, hard trek.

The three-sport star from nearby Gardner-Edgerton (Kan.) High School was taken by the Royals in the first round of the 2011 draft. While many people in his hometown expected him to be patrolling the outfield and hitting home runs for the big-league club very quickly, it took 7 1/2 seasons in the minor league system before he was called up and inserted in the starting lineup on Friday night against the Detroit Tigers.

“It’s very special. I dreamed about it as a little guy coming to the ballgames in Kansas City,” said Starling, who will turn 27 on Aug. 3. “I’ve been waiting for this my whole life. Ever since I was a kid coming to the stadium.”

Starling donned uniform No. 11 and was in center field and batting seventh for his major league debut.

He was greeted by a standing ovation from the crowd of 25,059. He walked in his first at-bat in the second inning and scored on a throwing error. He struck out and grounded out twice.

Playing center field, Starling tried for a diving catch of a sinking liner off the bat of the Tigers’ Victor Reyes in the sixth inning, but it went off his glove for a run-scoring double.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-handed hitter has been plagued by subpar performance and injuries throughout his career. He missed all but 20 games in the 2018 season because of two oblique injuries. During the offseason, the Royals took him off the 40-man roster. Rather than trying to go to another club, he re-signed on a minor league contract.

“I told him and his agent, just give us one more year, just give us one more chance,” Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore said. “Let us see this thing through. We had some bad luck with injuries last year. We’ll figure this thing out.”

Starling certainly figured something out, adjusting his hitting mechanics a bit and staying healthy. He came back strong this year, hitting .310 with 20 extra-base hits and 38 RBIs in 72 games for Triple-A Omaha.

“The front office was really patient, they knew exactly what they were doing and that’s why I signed back with them this year,” Starling said. “I had one goal — to be here in Kansas City and so I kept working every single day.”

Starling has been the focus of intense expectations from fans ever since he began hitting well this year with Omaha.

“No doubt I’ve had great support from teammates, coaches, family along with way. Without them I wouldn’t have made it to this point,” Starling said. “Sticking to it and working my butt off every day and showing up and having fun. I think that’s been the biggest difference, just having fun the last few years and staying positive through it all.”

Just out of high school, Starling was recruited by the University of Nebraska and was seen by Cornhuskers’ fans as their future quarterback. But Starling opted for baseball and a $7.5 million bonus from the Royals.

“Some people don’t know how tough baseball really is. You might be as physically gifted as you want but most of it is mental. And coming out of high school, I really didn’t realize that,” he said.

So through stops in Burlington, Lexington, Wilmington, Northwest Arkansas, Omaha and, last year briefly, even Surprise, Ariz., and Idaho Falls, the road was long, winding, hard and often frustrating.

Starling’s arrival summoned up comparisons with Whit Merrifield, who fought his way through 6 1/2 seasons in the Royals’ system before surfacing in Kansas City in 2016 and making the All-Star team this year.

“It’s fun to see what he’s gone through and the success he’s had now,” Starling said.

Merrifield hadn’t had time to counsel Starling but offered some advice.

“Take advantage of it,” Merrifield said. “In this game, there’s always somebody coming up behind you. So when you get your shot, take advantage of it.”

Starling expected a large cheering section from the Gardner area to be in his corner Friday night.

“A ton of people from my community are going to be here. They’ve stuck with me through this whole process which is great. They’re excited to see me and the Royals play. It’s going to be awesome.” he said.

He got the word of his promotion in El Paso, Texas, where he was playing in the Triple-A All-Star Game. Moore said the Royals felt playing in that All-Star outing was a good, final step to Kansas City.

Always regarded as an outstanding fielder, Starling spent the pregame working with outfield coach Mitch Maier to learn the intricacies and vast expanse of the Kauffman Stadium outfield.

Left behind were 694 minor league games, many injuries and many setbacks. Now he’s arrived.

“I’m just ready to go,” Starling said.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Martin Maldonado and Jorge Soler hit late homers and Whit Merrifield scored on a wild pitch as the Kansas City Royals beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5. Bubba Starling was hitless in his long-awaited major league debut for Kansas City, and the Royals lost starter Danny Duffy to a bruised pitching hand.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jake Lamb and Ketel Marte homered, Robbie Ray allowed just two hits over 6 1/3 innings, and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2. Ray struck out eight and walked two as the Diamondbacks won their fourth straight. He won back-to-back road starts for the first time since May 3-8 and improved to 9-0 when starting on six-plus days of rest dating back to 2015.Ray also improved to 2-1 with a 1.41 ERA in four career starts at Busch Stadium.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bubba Starling has finally reached his goal of getting to the major leagues with the Kansas City Royals. The three-sport star from nearby Gardner, Kansas, was taken by the Royals in the first round of the 2011 draft. While many people in his hometown expected him to be patrolling the outfield and hitting home runs for the big-league club very quickly, it took 7 1/2 seasons in the minor league system before he was called up and inserted in the starting lineup against the Detroit Tigers.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright was scratched his schedule start against Arizona due to back spasms. Daniel Ponce de Leon replaced the 37-year-old right-hander. A three-time All-Star, Wainwright is 5-7 with a 4.31 ERA in 16 starts this season. The Cardinals did not put him on the injured list, and manager Mike Shildt said he could make his next start as early as Sunday.

National Headlines

SILVIS, Ill. (AP) — Jhonattan Vegas shot a 9-under 62 in the John Deere Classic to take a one-stroke lead into the weekend. Vegas, the three-time PGA tour winner from Venezuela, had a 13-under 129 total at TPC Deere Run. Andrew Landry was second after his second 65.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) _ Top seed Novak Djokovic will take on No. 2 Roger Federer in tomorrow’s Wimbledon men’s final. Djokovic was a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 winner against No. 23 Roberto Bautista Agut (ah-GOO’) before Federer outlasted third seed Rafael Nadal, 7-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. Djokovic is 25-22 versus Federer and has beaten him four straight times since losing in the 2015 ATP Finals in London.

DALLAS (AP) _ The Dallas Mavericks have officially re-signed Kristaps Porzingis to a five-year, $158 million package. The 7-foot-3 All-Star selection hasn’t played a game for them since being acquired from the Knicks in a big deal before the trade deadline last season. Porzingis sat out all of last season after tearing the ACL in his left knee 17 months ago. The fourth overall pick in the 2015 draft has averaged 17.8 points and 7.1 rebounds over three seasons.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) _ The Carolina Hurricanes and free agent center Ryan Dzingel have agreed on a two-year, $6.75 million contract. The 27-year-old split last season between Ottawa and Columbus, and had career highs with 26 goals, 30 assists and 56 points. Traded to the Blue Jackets at the trade deadline, he provided just four goals and 12 points in 21 games before collecting just one point in nine playoff games.

SPARTA, Ky. (AP) _ Daniel Suarez led a front-row sweep for Stewart-Haas Racing in provisional qualifying at Kentucky Speedway. The field will not be finalized until cars pass inspection prior to tonight’s race. Suarez turned a lap at 184.590 mph to bump teammate Aric Almirola and nab the top starting spot. If it stands after inspection, it will be Suarez’s second pole in 91 career starts.

Friday Scores

INTERLEAGUE
Final Boston 8 L-A Dodgers 1

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final N-Y Yankees 4 Toronto 0
Final Tampa Bay 16 Baltimore 4
Final Minnesota 5 Cleveland 3
Final Texas 9 Houston 8
Final Kansas City 8 Detroit 5
Final L-A Angels 13 Seattle 0
Final Oakland 5 Chi White Sox 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Chi Cubs 4 Pittsburgh 3
Final Washington 4 Philadelphia 0
Final Miami 8 N-Y Mets 4
Final San Francisco 10 Milwaukee 7, 10 Innings
Final Arizona 4 St. Louis 2
Final Colorado 3 Cincinnati 2
Final Atlanta 5 San Diego 3

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels all wore Tyler Skaggs’ No. 45 jerseys as they stood solemnly on the field while his mother, Debbie, delivered a heartbreakingly perfect strike with her first pitch.

Three incredible hours later, the Angels walked back onto the Angel Stadium field, some with tears in their eyes. One by one, they removed those No. 45 jerseys and spread them over the mound until nearly all of the dirt was covered in red.

In between those two melancholy, magical moments, the Angels played their heavy hearts out in their first home game since their beloved pitcher’s death.

Their 13-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday was a combined no-hitter by Taylor Cole and Félix Peña. Mike Trout contributed six RBIs, including a 454-foot homer on the first pitch he saw.

On the day before what would have been Skaggs’ 28th birthday, these astonishing Angels played a practically perfect game with his memory in their minds.

“Tonight was in honor of him,” Trout said. “He was definitely looking over us tonight. He’s probably up there saying we’re nasty. What an unbelievable game to be a part of. I’m speechless. This is the best way possible to honor him tonight. It was pretty crazy.”

The Angels decided last week that they would wear Skaggs’ jersey in their first game back at the Big A, but their tribute ended up exceeding all logic and reasonable expectation. Still reeling from the loss of their left-handed starter early last week in Texas, the Angels somehow blinked away their tears and excelled in every aspect of the game.

“This is obviously the worst thing that could happen for a team,” Trout said. “Emotionally, the team came together. … Tonight, to honor him again obviously opened the wound again. (But) just to be out there where he loved to pitch from, where he dominated and threw that curveball that came from the sky, just to honor him one more time, it meant a lot to me. It was just a great moment for our team to (gather) around the mound and honor him again.”

The Angels emerged from that reverential circle around the mound with a newer, happier memory of this harrowing time in team history.

Los Angeles scored seven runs on eight hits in the first inning alone. Trout crushed a 454-foot, two-run homer to left-center on the first pitch he saw, and the two-time AL MVP appeared to look toward Skaggs’ family in the stands as he crossed the plate after an unusually long home run trot.

Cole also opened flawlessly on the mound. The reliever pounded his chest and pointed at the sky when Kole Calhoun caught the final out of the second.

“I know he’s here today, and he was looking over us, and he’s definitely a part of this,” said Cole, a 29-year-old reliever making only his 33rd career big-league appearance. “We love him, we miss him, and we’re always going to be there for him.”

Before the game, Skaggs’ presence was strong in Anaheim.

His jersey hung in his untouched locker in the clubhouse, his pristine cleats and gloves ready for a ballgame. The big stereo system in the room’s center is silent because the affable left-hander who controlled the Angels’ musical choices is no longer here.

And on the far wall of the clubhouse, two photos of Skaggs now flank his competitive catchphrase printed in tall letters: “WE’RE NASTY.”

“He’s the life of the team, honestly,” said infielder Zack Cozart, Skaggs’ teammate for the past two seasons. “We’re family in here. We’re around each other all day, every day. You just hurt so much for Tyler’s family. … It’s so sudden and so tragic. Forty-five will always be in my mind. That’s how it’s always going to be for all of us.”

The baseball season’s relentless pace forces the Angels to heal while they play, and they went back to work after a somber All-Star break during which Skaggs was honored at the game in Cleveland.

“In some respects, sometimes keeping busy can help,” Angels general manager Billy Eppler said. “I don’t really know if that’s the right way to go about it, because you do need to grieve. Everybody has those moments, personal to them. I’ve had a couple of those myself. But for a lot of us, seeing each other again is nice.”

While the Angels eventually will settle into the rhythms of the season, Skaggs’ presence will be felt throughout the stadium, from his intact locker to the large likeness of the well-liked pitcher now displayed prominently on the center field wall.

A memorial created by fans in front of the Big A’s main entrance has grown to the size of a pitcher’s mound, with hats, signs and baseballs and other Angels memorabilia delivered to the stadium by heartbroken fans over the past 10 days. Most of the Angels saw the memorial in person for the first time when they returned from a difficult road trip and the ensuing All-Star break.

“I think guys will become emotional again, because it is still very fresh,” manager Brad Ausmus said. “That’s fine. We’re human beings. There’s nothing wrong with that.”