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SAN DIEGO - AL MVP Mike Trout could be hitting from the 3-hole in the Angels lineup next season. Manager Mike Scioscia wouldnt mind seeing Trout bat second, too.At the same time.If we had a guy like Mike that would hit in front of Mike, I think youd really see some opportunities. I guess Im sounding greedy, like a spoiled kid. You want two Mikes, Scioscia said Wednesday at baseballs winter meetings. If we find some guys that have that on-base, I think youre going to see some lineup options come across your desk that might make a little more sense.Trout was the Angels leadoff hitter in 2012, when he was a unanimous pick as AL Rookie of the Year. A year later, he bounced among the top three spots in the lineup before settling into second last season. His strikeouts soared to a league-high 184 and his stolen bases dropped to 16 from 49. But he led the league in runs for the third straight year, hit a career-high 36 homers and topped 100 RBIs for the first time with 111.What would most likely keep Trout hitting second, the spot proponents of advanced metrics prefer for a teams best hitter, is the lack of a good option for No. 2.Youre looking at the whole lineup, Scioscia said. How David Freese is swinging the bat. Is our lineup going to stay deep with Howie (Kendrick) and Erick (Aybar)? I think theres a lot of things that are going to be affected (by) where Mike hits in the lineup or where Albert (Pujols) hits, as far as the depth.Several hours after Scioscia spoke, the Angels traded Kendrick to the Dodgers. To help shore up the middle infield, Los Angeles acquired Josh Rutledge from Colorado, and general manager Jerry Dipoto is confident the lineup that includes Pujols and Josh Hamilton is still potent even without Kendrick.We dont feel like were a team thats going to be destitute in our ability to score runs, Dipoto said.Scioscia also said he doesnt expect Garrett Richards to be ready for opening day. Richards was 13-4 with a 2.61 ERA when he tore a tendon in his left knee Aug. 20. He is recovering from surgery.I think the prognosis of having him back somewhere in the first month to maybe the first six weeks of the season looks very good, Scioscia said. . Radulov scored the lone goal in the shootout, and the Predators edged the Minnesota Wild 2-1 on Tuesday night to reach 100 points for the second time in three seasons and fourth in seven. . Hattestad managed to avoid the carnage midway through the mens final, as a crash took out three skiers, essentially leaving two men vying for gold. The Norwegian posted a time of 3:38.39, outlasting Swedens Teodor Peterson, who took silver with a time of 3:39. . -- The Denver Broncos are shuffling their offensive line this off-season and Orlando Franklin provided some insight into their plans Monday by tweeting that hes moving from right tackle to left guard. . The Sochi organizing committee said in Fridays statement that the torch relay reached the North Pole on Oct. 19. Russian Polar explorer Artur Chilingarov, who led the mission, lit a special bowl at the North Pole sign. . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive.PHOENIX -- Ian Kennedys first trip back to Chase Field was a little strange. His second was much easier -- and had a better result, too. Kennedy pitched into the sixth inning to win at Chase Field for the first time since being traded to San Diego, lifting the Padres to a 7-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday. "It was a little different my first time, but this time was no different," Kennedy said. "Ive been a Padre for over a year now and it kind of goes away." After struggling his first game back in the desert a year ago, Kennedy (10-11) was sharp against his former team before making a few mistakes late, striking out six in 5 2-3 innings. Yasmani Grandal provided plenty of support, hitting a deep sacrifice fly in the first inning and clearing the wall easily in the fifth with a three-run homer off Chase Anderson (7-6). Pinch-hitter Will Venable added a two-run homer and Joaquin Benoit worked a perfect ninth for his eighth save to give San Diego manager Bud Black his 600th career win. "They (Arizona) battled back, put some stress on us," Black said. "It wasnt easy from the middle part of the game on, but our guys hung in there." Arizona fell behind early when the Padres hit Anderson hard and never fully recovered. Cliff Pennington hit a solo homer and Miguel Montero had a two-run single for the Diamondbacks, who went 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position. "We had opportunities," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said. "We left 10 guys out there today. They got more of their guys in than we did." Kennedy spent four seasons in Arizona, finishing fourth in the 2011 NL Cy Young Award voting and winning 48 games before being traded to San Diego at the deadline last season. The right-hander pitched at Chase Field for the first time since the trade last Aug. 27, but didnt factor in the decision after allowing six runs on six hits in 4 2-3 innings. Kennedy was sharp early against the Diamondbacks this time, striking out five the first four innings. He made a couple of pitches he would have liked back in the sixth inning, allowing Arizona to load the bases before Montero lined a two-run single up the middle.dddddddddddd Ender Inciarte chased Kennedy with a run-scoring double in the sixth inning that cut San Diegos lead to 5-3. Kennedy allowed three runs on eight hits. "He had really good command today," Gibson said. "His breaking ball and his changeup, he mixed it in good." Anderson had the shortest outing of his career the last time out, allowing six runs on six hits in two innings of an 8-1 loss to Washington on Tuesday. The Padres hit the rookie right-hander hard in the first two innings, scoring a pair of runs in the opening frame on (Seth) Smiths groundout and a sacrifice fly by Grandal. Anderson settled down for a few innings, then walked three in the third to set up Grandals 11th home, a three-run shot that put the Padres up 5-0. Anderson allowed five runs -- four earned -- on six hits and struck out five in five innings. "I kind of lost the feel in that fifth inning," Anderson said. "I cant really tell you why." BUDS 600 Black joined select company by becoming the second San Diego manager to win 600 games, though he didnt know about the milestone until he was told after the game. "Its a tribute to the players, the coaches, the organization," Black said. "Its a round number. I like 601 better." Black is second on the Padres all-time list behind the 951 games Bruce Bochy won with San Diego from 1995-2006. MONTERO VS. SAN DIEGO Monetro went 1 for 4 on Sunday, extending his hitting streak against the Padres to nine games. Hes 11 for 32 with 10 RBIs in that span and also has a seven-game hitting streak at Chase Field. TRAINERS ROOM Diamondbacks: INF Chris Owings played second base Saturday night while going 2 for 4 at the plate in a rehab game with Triple-A Reno. He has been a shortstop, but the Diamondbacks are taking a look at him playing second. UP NEXT: Padres: LHP Eric Stults, Mondays starter against Milwaukee, has allowed three or fewer earned runs in 10 of his last 11 starts. Diamondbacks: The Diamondbacks have a day off before starting a two-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. RHP Trevor Cahill start on Tuesday after going 2-0 with a 2.33 ERA his past four starts. ' ' '
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