A Novel Problem: More Pitchers Than Spots in Rotation?

This is how perfectly absurd this Angel season has become: Pitcher Allen Watson, who is being paid $2.9 million, is set to make his third minor league rehabilitation start tonight, and the left-hander should be ready to join the Angel rotation next week.

The current Angel rotation consists of Chuck Finley; Omar Olivares, who began the season as a long reliever; Jason Dickson, demoted to the bullpen in May before regaining his starting spot; Jarrod Washburn, who began the season at triple-A Vancouver; and Steve Sparks, a combined 0-8 at Vancouver and double-A Midland before being promoted June 15.

And Manager Terry Collins has absolutely no idea whose spot Watson will take. Or if he will take any spot.

Sparks made that decision tougher Thursday night, giving up one run on four hits in seven innings to lead the Angels to a 3-2 victory over the Dodgers.

The knuckleballer, who blanked the Dodgers from the second through seventh innings, is 3-0 after three starts and has given up only eight runs in 20 innings.

Olivares has been the Angels’ most consistent and effective starter since early May, reeling off eight consecutive quality starts (six innings or more, three earned runs or less). Dickson has won five games in a row, and Washburn is 3-0 in five starts.

So what does Collins do, move Finley to the bullpen?

“I knew someone was going to ask that,� Collins said, laughing. “It’ll be a tough decision, but we’ll make it and move on. This guy [Watson] has been a huge factor for us. We’ll just have to see how he comes back after [today] and take it from there.�

Finley had a possible solution.

“Maybe he can take Smitty’s spot,� he said, referring to Angel trainer Rick Smith. “It’s a good situation to be in. You always want good problems, and we have one. Heck, he might take my place.�

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General Manager Bill Bavasi made no attempt to sugarcoat the Angels’ signing of pitcher Erik Hanson, an American League All-Star in 1995, to a minor league contract.

Asked how the scouting reports have been for the 33-year-old right-hander, Bavasi replied: “Not good.�

But when three-fifths of your opening-day rotation is on the disabled list, and your triple-A team is running out of arms, and when you’re considered baseball’s home for wayward pitchers to begin with, why not take a chance on a 10-year veteran who, if he can rebound from off-season shoulder surgery, could bolster your pennant hopes?

“We don’t really have any expectations,� Bavasi said. “We took a shot in the dark, and we’ll see what happens.�

Hanson began the season on Toronto’s disabled list, and after being activated on April 12, he went 0-3 with a 6.24 ERA in 11 appearances, eight of them starts.

Hanson’s fastball, in the 90-mph range during his peak season with the Boston Red Sox, when he went 15-5 with a 4.24 ERA, was clocked in the low 80s, and he was so ineffective the Blue Jays released him on June 16.

No matter to the Angels, who have signed injury-plagued pitchers Jack McDowell, Steve Ontiveros and Bryan Harvey in recent years. They’ll give Hanson a few weeks to regain his arm strength, and if he pitches well, he’ll be back in the major leagues, if not with the Angels then with someone else.

Hanson has a clause in his contract stipulating that, if he gets another big league offer, the Angels have to call him up or let him go.