Angels acquire reliever Hernandez from Braves

ANAHEIM -- David Hernandez was attending a Faith Hill and Tim McGraw concert in Atlanta on Sunday night when he learned that the Braves had traded him to the Angels in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named.
Hernandez, who has been with the Braves' Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett since the start of the season, gathered as many belongings as he could and threw them in suitcases. On Monday morning, he woke up at 5:30 a.m. ET, made a stop in Gwinnett to pick up his baseball gear and then headed to the airport for his 10 a.m. flight to Southern California.
"It's just been kind of a heck of a day," Hernandez said before the Angels' series finale with the Blue Jays at Angel Stadium. "But I think just being here at the ballpark is definitely energizing."
Hernandez, who pitched a scoreless two-thirds of an inning in Monday's 2-1 win, should help restore some of the Angels' bullpen depth, which has significantly thinned following injuries to Huston Street, Andrew Bailey, Cam Bedrosian and Mike Morin. The Halos' bullpen entered Monday with a 4.50 ERA through 20 games, which ranks 21st in the Majors.
"He still has a very lively fastball, good breaking ball," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He has experience pitching in the back end of games. We'll see how he fits in."
Hernandez, who will turn 32 next month, has a career 4.10 ERA over seven Major League seasons with the Orioles, D-backs and Phillies. After not making the Braves' bullpen out of Spring Training, the right-hander opened the season in Gwinnett, where he logged a 1.13 ERA with nine strikeouts and two walks over eight innings.
"Throwing strikes, I think that's what with I struggled with last year," Hernandez said. "I felt like I was pounding the strike zone. I added a slider, and it's coming along rather quickly, so hopefully it translates up here. … It's definitely a blessing in disguise, starting at Triple-A. It afforded me to be able to work on some things."
The Angels cleared a spot on their 25-man roster for Hernandez after optioning right-hander Daniel Wright to Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday. Wright started the Angels' 6-2 loss to the Blue Jays on Sunday, pitching five scoreless innings.
Worth noting
• Right-hander Vicente Campos (right elbow median nerve irritation) was reinstated from the disabled list on Monday after completing a rehab assignment and was optioned to Salt Lake.
• Infielder Luis Valbuena (right hamstring strain) was slated to begin a rehab assignment on Monday and play first base at Class A Advanced Inland Empire.