'Light at the End of the Tunnel' for Halos

OAKLAND -- The Angels have been just a shell of the team that was supposed to run away with the AL West, having lost five top starting pitchers and their best hitter, but general manager Tony Reagins said things are about to turn.

"There is some light at the end of the tunnel," Reagins told FanHouse before the Angels opened a two-game series against the A's on Monday night.

Reagins said that injured starters John Lackey, Ervin Santana and Dustin Moseley all could be back within weeks, and Vladimir Guerrero might be back by early June. (Kelvim Escobar has had a few setbacks and now is likely to come back a reliever sometime in June, at the earliest.)

Given the slowly improving health of the team, it seems that Reagins may have slowed down his efforts to get some help from outside the organization. The Angels had reportedly talked to agents for some unsigned pitchers like Mark Mulder, Pedro Martinez and Paul Byrd.

"We're confident in what we have internally," Reagins said. "We have a trust factor with these guys. We know the players and we know what they are capable of bringing to the table. We are looking forward, staying positive, staying upbeat. You can see it with our club. We're trying to move forward."

The Angels went into the Oakland series in third place, 10-13, only four games behind the upstart Mariners.

"We're still right in the thick of things," Reagins said.

Aside from the injuries, the Angels also have dealt with the loss of Nick Adenhart, who died in a car accident in the first week of the season.

"We've gone through a difficult time the first month of the season," Reagins said. "No one is feeling sorry for us. No one is going to take it easy on us."