Angels' Hank Conger and Brandon Wood Take Advantage of Playing Time

Angels catching prospect Hank Conger had a tremendous first start on Sept 15th. Not only did the rookie come through with a big two-RBI opposite field single (his first MLB hit) in the first inning, but he caught a gem. Jered Weaver (7 IP) and Matt Palmer combined on the shutout, which was exactly what Mike Scioscia was looking for out of Conger.

Conger worked well again on Friday night with Dan Haren (7 IP, 3 H, 10 K). More behind the plate performances will open some eyes on the management side of the organization. The Angels believe in Conger's ability, but at age 22 it's not out of the question that a return to Triple-A next season is in order. It's up to Conger to force the issue heading into spring training.

Brandon Wood belted a 427-foot home run off Dan Wheeler on Friday night to give the Angels the edge they needed to defeat the first place Rays, 4-3. That had to feel good for Wood. Mired in a 3-for-43 slump with no home runs or RBI since June 27, Wood finally delivered the big hit the Angels were counting on from him all season.

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Eric Denton is the head writer and content editor for LA Angels Insider.com