ANAHEIM -- Of all the things that stand out most for Angels superstar Mike Trout, it’s his consistent greatness. 

He rarely slumps and always finishes with elite numbers, as the only thing that can keep him down is injuries like his torn left thumb ligament in '17, his nerve issue with his foot in '19 or his strained right calf that ended his season last year on May 17. It’s a reason why Trout finished in the Top 5 in the balloting for the American League MVP Award in nine straight years from 2012-20, including winning the award in 2014, '16 and '19. 

Trout, 30, is again healthy this season and is showing why he’s long been considered the best player of his generation. He entered Tuesday’s series opener against the Rangers batting .323/.434/.699 with 12 homers, 12 doubles, 26 RBIs and an American League-leading 35 runs scored in 38 games. And his 2.9 wins above replacement ranks third in the Majors behind only the Padres' Manny Machado (3.5) and the Yankees' Aaron Judge (3.0), per Fangraphs.com. 

Angels manager Joe Maddon said that Trout’s consistency and non-flashy mannerisms on the field can make it easy to take him for granted but Maddon's still in awe of his greatness.

“He's got a low voltage and he's just there all the time and when you need him, he kind of pops up,” Maddon said. “It's great for the rest of the group. It's like a safety valve or guard that he's there. He's quietly having an outstanding year. People are talking like they always do but you start extrapolating out again what he's doing right now by the end of the season, I'll take it. But it's true and I've had other players like that where they quietly go about it and you look up and it's like, 'whoa' when you see their numbers up on the board." 

The one number that Trout hasn’t added to his total this year is a stolen base. But Trout still ranks among the game’s fastest runners, as he’s tied for 12th in Statcast's sprint speed metric. Trout has seen his stolen base numbers decline in recent years, swiping just one bag in 53 games in '20 and two in 36 games last year. But Maddon said Trout has told coaches he'd like to start utilizing his speed on the bases more. 

"He's very self-aware,” Maddon said. “He wants to run more, too. We've been looking for spots for him to go. So he's feeling good right now."

LORENZEN INSPIRED BY FULLERTON UNION HIGH SCHOOL’S RUN TO FINALS

Before his start against the A’s on Saturday, Angels right-hander Michael Lorenzen wanted to show his support for his high school, as Fullerton Union played in the CIF Division 4 championship game against Tesoro High School at Cal State Fullerton. Lorenzen, who graduated from Fullerton Union in 2010 and also attended Cal State Fullerton, said watching the game fired him up heading into his start against Oakland.  

Lorenzen threw six scoreless innings in a 5-3 win over Oakland and raved about the intensity of the high school championship, even though Fullerton Union ended up losing.  

"They are a bunch of studs who made it to the championship,” Lorenzen said. “So I was super pumped and proud of them. They ended up losing and I had to leave in the second because it was getting a little late. But it was fun. Good energy. So I told myself I was going to bring some of that youthful energy with me because they were fired up on every pitch.” 

"It's been fantastic,” Lorenzen said. “That's why the Angels being interested in me was a big deal for me because of the six-man and me coming from the bullpen. I think that extra day's huge for recovery. It's good."

TRIVIA

Which Angels star recorded each of the first two cycles in franchise history? 

A. Jim Fregosi 

B. Rod Carew 

C. Brian Downing 

D. Garret Anderson

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT 

• Trout became the second Angels player to reach 1,000 runs scored, joining Garret Anderson. He also became the third player in Major League history with at least 1,000 runs, 300 home runs and 200 stolen bases by an age-30 season, joining Willie Mays and Alex Rodriguez. 

• Reliever Archie Bradley returned from his rehab assignment with Single-A Inland Empire to find his beloved dog, Crash, missing Saturday night. But it ended with good news, as Bradley was reunited with him at the Newport Beach Animal Shelter on Sunday morning. 

• Lefty Patrick Sandoval turned in another strong outing against the A’s on Sunday and has a 1.79 ERA through his first seven starts. 

THIS WEEK IN ANGELS HISTORY 

Angels legend Tim Salmon gave the Angels a walk-off win over the Twins with a solo homer in the 13th inning on May 25, 2002. The Angels rallied to tie the game in the ninth on an RBI single from Bengie Molina before Salmon ended the game with his fifth-career walk-off homer, which tied Brian Downing for the franchise record. It also helped the Angels to a 28-18 record, as they won 13 out of 15 games to get back in contention. 

TRIVIA ANSWER

A. Jim Fregosi  

Fregosi, who became the first Angels player to hit for the cycle when he accomplished the feat on July 28, 1964 against the Yankees. He did it again May 20, 1968 against the Red Sox and it was a reverse natural cycle, as he homered, tripled, doubled and singled in that order. His first cycle came at Dodger Stadium and his second came at Angel Stadium. 

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