Moseley is out of the rotation
The Angels have dropped Dustin Moseley from their starting rotation and are expected to call up a prospect named Nick to make his major league debut Thursday.
Nick Green is 2-0 with a 3.41 earned-run average at triple-A Salt Lake, with Nick Adenhart 4-0 with an 0.87 ERA.
Green would be pitching on regular rest and already is on the 40-man roster. Adenhart, the Angels’ top pitching prospect, would be pitching on short rest, and the club could have to move Kelvim Escobar to the 60-day disabled list to create a spot on the 40-man roster for him.
Moseley said he was in “no way†satisfied with his performance and described his reaction as “not frustration, but a little bit of disappointment.†He went 1-2 with a 7.30 ERA in five starts, then pitched the final two innings in Monday’s 14-2 loss to the Oakland Athletics.
Manager Mike Scioscia would not say whether Moseley would be skipped for one start or would remain in the bullpen. The issue could be moot, however, with John Lackey on the verge of rejoining the rotation.
Lackey, making his second rehabilitation appearance, pitched three innings for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Tuesday at Lancaster, giving up one run and one hit. The Angels had targeted him to pitch four innings, but the game was interrupted by a power outage after three innings and he did not return.
He is scheduled to make two more rehabilitation starts before rejoining the Angels on May 14.
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Tuesday’s game marked the fifth time the Angels have faced a left-handed starter and the third time Casey Kotchman did not start.
Scioscia said he is not employing a platoon and that Kotchman is the everyday first baseman. He said Kotchman would get most of his days off against left-handers so Robb Quinlan and Juan Rivera can stay sharp but added the playing time issue might be glaring now because the Angels have faced so few left-handers.
“It has nothing to do with any lack of confidence that Casey’s not going to hit lefties,†Scioscia said.
He said Kotchman would start tonight against Oakland left-hander Dana Eveland. Kotchman entered play Tuesday batting .467 (seven for 15) against left-handers, the highest for any Angels player with 10 at-bats against lefties.
Garret Anderson, who is batting .087 (two for 23) off left-handers, started at designated hitter and batted seventh, his lowest spot in the lineup this season.
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Second baseman Howie Kendrick was eligible to come off the disabled list Tuesday, but he did not. After he ran Monday, he said the discomfort in his strained left hamstring was “a little bit still in there.â€
“I’d love to be back sometime this homestand,†he said. “If it doesn’t happen, it’s probably in the best interests of being healthy.â€
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Catcher Bobby Wilson singled in his first major league at-bat Monday.
He gave the game ball to his father, who had flown all day from Florida to be at the game and learned firsthand about Southern California traffic.
“He landed at LAX at 4:30,†Wilson said. “He got here just as the national anthem was going on.â€
The distance to Angel Stadium from Los Angeles International Airport is 37 miles.
After the game, the Angels returned Wilson to Salt Lake and recalled infielder Matt Brown.
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