Louis G Jake Allen got a rest after starting the last seven gam

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- After the Los Angeles Angels stumbled to their ninth loss in 10 games Wednesday, manager Mike Scioscia held a closed-door meeting before they packed up and flew to Boston.Although everybody described the meeting as relatively upbeat, the Angels didnt emerge with any big ideas on how to slow a season going south. With too many injured players and not enough big hitters, the Angels (32-47) are on pace for the worst record in franchise history.We know weve seen some guys performing at their absolute worst for the first half, and we know theyre better than that, Scioscia said. Thats going to be our goal, to get those guys going in the right direction ... I dont think these guys are taking losing in stride. I think thats a positive.If so, its one of the few positives in Anaheim these days.Houston completed a three-game sweep of the Angels on Wednesday, outscoring its AL West rivals by a combined 21-7. The Angels been swept in seven series already this season, and their 8-19 record in June was their worst in the month since 1980.Those 1980 Angels lost 95 games. The current Angels are on pace for 96 defeats, less than two years after they won 98 games for the majors best record.Mike Trout is still performing brilliantly, going 18 for 30 with three homers during their six-game homestand. Just about everybody else in an Angels uniform is struggling to some degree -- when theyre healthy enough to put on the uniform, that is.Our team has to be more than Mike, Scioscia said. Weve been struggling to get our lineup a little deeper. ... Were looking forward to getting some guys back, but the guys that are in that room should be playing better than we are, and thats what were going to focus on. Were all looking in the mirror and trying to get us going in the right direction. We all need to get better.Injuries are the most obvious cause for the Angels woes, particularly on the mound. Few teams could thrive after the loss of three top-of-the-rotation starters -- in the Angels case, Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney and C.J. Wilson. Several key regulars also have missed extended time, from shortstop Andrelton Simmons and third baseman Yunel Escobar to top reliever Joe Smith.The Angels have already used 43 players in their first 79 games.The injuries are something Ive never been a part of, said Jered Weaver, who dropped to 6-7 with a 5.51 ERA after losing to Houston. Theres been a lot of people going down, a lot of people getting called up and back and forth. But its no excuse. Its nothing that any other team hasnt gone through. No one is going to feel sorry for us.Yet the Angels slide also is rooted in decisions made years ago.Their depleted farm system has produced very few candidates to replace those injured players, and owner Arte Moreno already devoted a huge chunk of the Angels payroll to Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton this season and into the future. Combined with Morenos unwillingness to spend past the luxury tax threshold, even this big-budget club cant buy its way out of trouble now.The Angels have some salary relief in sight: Weaver and Wilson, who are making $20 million apiece, will be off the books this winter. But Hamilton is owed another $17 million in 2017 while he plays for Texas, and Pujols will make $140 million over the next five years while he jogs well past his 40th birthday.At least Pujols plays every day and keeps things interesting by climbing the career homers list, passing Harmon Killebrew for 11th place last week with his 574th. The three-time NL MVP is second on the team with 50 RBI, but is batting .247 with a meager .417 slugging percentage.General manager Billy Eppler hasnt had much early luck in his first year on the job. Eppler said this week that Scioscias job isnt in jeopardy during his 17th season, acknowledging that the Angels injuries and depth problems can hardly be solved by the longest-tenured manager in baseball.Eppler said the Angels have too many financial resources to be forced to enter a rebuilding phase. He wont trade Trout, but its possible the Yankees former professional scouting director could restock his largely barren cupboard by trading the Angels few valuable assets once this hard-luck season officially becomes lost.There is no doubt we want to be a contending team, year in and year out, Eppler said. Every move that we are going to make, whether its in July or the offseason, is for the betterment of the team. Custom Sports Jerseys . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. 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LOUIS -- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored 2:55 into overtime, lifting the Edmonton Oilers over the St. Louis Blues 3-2 on Monday night.Nugent-Hopkins scored on a wrist shot after getting a pass from Connor McDavid.Nugent-Hopkins winner followed a tying third-period goal by Patrick Maroon, a St. Louis native. He made it 2-2 with a goal 5:47 into the third.Standing outside the crease between two defenders, Maroon deflected a shot by Brandon Davidson for his first goal in nine career games against the Blues.St. Louis scored first when Kyle Brodziak connected on a wrist shot 4:20 into the game. Nugent-Hopkins tried to poke the puck over the blue line, but Kevin Shattenkirk got it and passed to a wide open Brodziak, who beat Cam Talbot on his glove side.Edmonton tied at about seven minutes later. Leon Draisaitl won a faceoff and Tyler Pitlick buried the shot, beating backup goalie Carter Hutton on his right side. Draisaitl also assisted on Maroons goal.The Blues took the lead back 33 seconds later when Vladimir Tarasenko hit a wrist shot from the right circle.Tarasenko leads all NHL players with 15 points (six goals and nine assists) in December. Tarasenko has points in 17 of his last 21 games with 12 goals and 17 assists.Pitlick felll to the ice with 4:26 left in the second period, favoring his left leg.dddddddddddd He checked Jori Lehtera and his momentum carried him into the boards. He got helped off the ice and back into the locker room.Hutton, who turned 31 on Monday, made his first start since Dec. 3, when the Blues lost to the Jets in overtime. He stopped 32 shots and is 16-2-8 in his career when he faced 30 or more shots.Talbot had 25 saves.Game notes The Blues have lost three in a row to the Oilers. Prior to that, St. Louis had won eight straight against Edmonton. ... St. Louis G Jake Allen got a rest after starting the last seven games, going 3-4 in that stretch. He is 11-1-2 with one shutout on home ice. ... Talbot leads the NHL in games played with 30. ... This was the second of three meetings between the two teams this season. ... Alexander Steen played in his 520th game as a Blue, passing Red Berenson for 10th in club history among forwards. ... St. Louis is 8-2-1 in its last 11 games at home. They have points in 15 of the last 16 home games.UP NEXT:Oilers: Wednesday night at Arizona.Blues: Tuesday night at Dallas. ' ' '