ANAHEIM, Calif. -- After two years of riding the shuttle between Anaheim and Salt Lake City, right-hander Nick Tropeano will get the chance to establish himself in the Los Angeles Angels rotation during the second half of the season. After nearly two years of inactivity, right-hander A.J. Griffin hopes to do the same with the Texas Rangers.Griffin and Tropeano will face each other when the Angels and the Rangers begin their three-game series Monday night at Angel Stadium.Tropeano is in his second stint this season with the Angels, who acquired him and catcher Carlos Perez from the Houston Astros for catcher Hank Conger in November 2014. Los Angeles recalled Tropeano from Triple-A Salt Lake when left-hander Andrew Heaney severely injured the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow during his first start this season.Tropeano responded by winning three of five decisions and by compiling the best earned-run average by any starter in the injury-riddled rotation, 3.25, before a tight right shoulder placed him on the disabled list June 4. Activated on June 24, the Angels sent him back to Salt Lake.I dont think anyone who is optioned down is pleased, Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia told MLB.com at the time. Nicks a competitor, and he wants to come up here and wants to make footprints in the big leagues. We all feel he will.But the Angels recalled Tropeano on July 3 to replace Jhoulys Chacin in the rotation. In two starts since, the right-hander has permitted just three runs, nine hits and two walks in 11 innings while striking out 12 and lowering his ERA for the season to 3.12.Tropeano made 23 starts last year for both Salt Lake and Los Angeles, with the bulk of them coming for the minor league Bees. In four stints with the Angels, Tropeano went 3-2 with a 3.82 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings.Griffin, meanwhile, won three of four decisions this year following his recovery from Tommy John surgery in April 2014. Before the surgery, Griffin went 14-10 for the Oakland Athletics in 2013. Afterward, the right-hander threw just 14 1/3 total innings in four combined starts for Class A Stockton and Triple-A Nashville in the Athletics system. After Oakland released him, the Rangers signed Griffin as a free agent during the offseason.In his first four appearances, Griffin went 3-0 while recording five quality starts in his first five games this year. Through May, opponents were batting only .212 against him. But after allowing three runs, three walks and four hits in 2 2/3 innings May 7 against the Detroit Tigers, Griffin went on the disabled list because of a stiff right shoulder.Since being activated June 25, Griffin bears little resemblance to the pitcher who started the season. The right-hander has yet to surpass five innings in any of his four starts, and allowed 11 earned runs and 22 hits in 18 1/3 innings. Griffins last start was his worst of the year and accounted for his only loss. In a 15-5 rout by the Minnesota Twins on July 10, Griffin gave up six runs on nine hits in five innings while throwing 94 pitches.Griffins performance since returning from the disabled list, combined with the presence of starters Derek Holland and Colby Lewis on the 60-day list, provide motivation for general manager Jon Daniels to reinforce the Rangers rotation before the Aug. 1 trading deadline.Were focused on the pitching side, Daniels told MLB.com. We want to do what makes sense for the team. Redskins Jerseys China Cheap .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. Redskins Jerseys Authentic China . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. 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PHOENIX -- Freddie Freeman kills it at Chase Field.Paul Goldschmidt does so just about everywhere.Act II of the four-part series featuring two of the best first basemen in a National League full of them -- Anthony Rizzo, Joey Votto, Adrian Gonzalez, come on down -- will continue Tuesday, when the Atlanta Braves and the Arizona Diamondbacks play the second game of a four-game series.If history is the guide, there will be plenty more production from first base forthcoming.Freeman had two homers and 10 total bases and Goldschmidt had three hits, including the game-winning, walk-off homer, in Arizonas 9-8 victory in the series opener at Chase Field on Monday.Freeman tied the game by leading off the top of the ninth inning with his second homer of the game -- on a 3-0 pitch, no less. Goldschmidt led off the bottom of the inning with his fourth career game-ending homer.Two of the best in the league right here going at it, Arizona manager Chip Hale said.Freeman has a career-high 26 homers this season, and he added a double to his two homers Monday in his return to the lineup after missing the Sunday game against the Washington Nationals because of a sore right middle finger. Freeman took a cortisone shot Saturday night, and the healing process usually takes about 48 hours. So much for the standard operating procedure.The finger felt good, said Freeman, who hit a two-run homer to the opposite field in left-center field in the first inning. Didnt know what to expect today. Decided to be aggressive in my first at-bat.In the ninth inning, Just looking for a strike. I knew he didnt want to walk the leadoff guy. Thats why I was going for it 3-0.The D-backs knew he would be going for it, also. He was 3-for-4 with a homer in four previous times making contact on a 3-0 pitch.His performance at Chase Field is nothing new. Freeman has six homers and 11 RBI in his past five games in Phoenix, dating to his last game in 20014.ddddddddddddHe is a very good hitter, one of the best in the major leagues, and especially in this ballpark, Hale said.And Goldschmidt ...Hes our guy, Hale added.Goldschmidt hit his 19th Monday on a changeup he was determined not to try to do too much with, although the pitch ended in the left field seats. He said he was just attempting to start the line moving.Tie game or extra innings, the tendency is to try to hit home runs, Goldschmidt said, and that just has not worked out for me or other guys. It kind of creeps into the back of your head. You try to do too much and try to hit a home run.I think a lot of time its mental. Hey, one swing can change this game. I didnt want to give in to that thought process. Ive had a few at-bats where I felt like I took a little too big of a swing and just got myself out.Not that time.Attempting to cool off the first basemen on Tuesday will be Arizona right-hander Archie Bradley (4-8, 5.04 ERA) and Atlanta rookie right-hander Rob Whalen (1-2, 5.73).Bradley gave up five runs in five innings in his only career start against Atlanta last season.Over his past 11 starts, Bradley has just one win. He is coming off a poor outing Thursday at San Diego, when the he allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.Whalen, who will be making his fifth major league start, has never faced the Diamondbacks. He was acquired from the Mets at the 2015 trade deadline in a deal that sent Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe to New York.After winning his major league debut by throwing five innings of four-run ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 3, Whalen is 0-2 with a 5.29 ERA in his past three outings.On Thursday against the Nationals, he yielded three runs (one earned) on three hits in six innings. Whalen walked three and struck out six. ' ' '