Scioscia not concerned by lack of homers

July 17th, 2016

ANAHEIM -- The Angels entered Sunday's series finale with the White Sox having gone more than a week since hitting their last home run, a fifth-inning homer off Tampa Bay's on July 6.
Granted, the All-Star break was in that stretch, so Angels manager Mike Scioscia wasn't concerned with the lack of power, as his club had won all but two of the six games in that stretch and averaged 3.7 runs per game, including Saturday's 1-0 win over the White Sox.
"We're definitely a team that thinks we can score runs without a home run," Scioscia said before Sunday's game. "Sometimes you need some of the guys in the middle of the order to drive the ball, but even though we haven't really had it the last six games or whatever, we're still giving ourselves chances to win games."
The Angels haven't had to rely much on their power this season, as -- entering play Sunday -- they ranked 26th in baseball with 84 home runs. They've still been a solid offense, appearing just above the league average by ranking 14th in baseball with 411 runs scored through their 91 games.
Injuries could help explain the Angels' lack of power as of late -- their hottest hitter in July, , is now on the disabled list with a fractured hand, and designated hitter has dealt with several nagging lower body injuries in the last month -- but Scioscia is convinced that they'll start seeing more balls go over the fence soon.
"We're scoring runs without hitting home runs, and they'll come," Scioscia said. "We have guys in our lineup with some power, and they're just in a little dry spell right now. Those home runs will come, but until they do you still have to generate offense, and we're doing a good job of that."
Worth noting
• Angels catcher was a late scratch from the lineup for Sunday's series finale with left knee discomfort. Soto, who was slated to catch and bat sixth for the Angels, was replaced by , who caught Saturday's win. Soto previously missed time this season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn right meniscus in May.
• Angels left fielder has continued to work his way back into baseball form, and will move from Class A Advanced Inland Empire to Triple-A Salt Lake to continue his rehab, Scioscia said. Gentry was originally placed on the disabled list with a right lumbar spine strain and was close to a big league return last month before missing more time with a personal medical condition. He hasn't played in the Majors since April 25.
• Angels infielder , who is on the disabled list for the second time this season with a strained left hamstring, will be reevaluated on Monday and could start a rehab assignment this week, Scioscia said.
, who is dealing with a right ankle sprain, has regained most of his mobility but still experiencing some soreness. Scioscia was unable to provide a timetable, but said Robinson could be working his way back "sooner rather than later."