INSIDE PITCH
The lead trio in the Angels rotation has been terrific lately. Jered Weaver, Dan Haren and Ervin Santana have combined to go 6-1 with a 1.16 ERA (eight earned runs in 62 innings) over their past seven starts, including Santana’s no-hitter in Cleveland last week.
But a serious problem has developed in the back end of the rotation, where Joel Pineiro has been awful recently. He failed to make it through the fifth inning Wednesday, and he left the game with the bases loaded. He was charged with seven runs after reliever Hisanori Takahashi gave up a grand slam to Minnesota’s Michael Cuddyer on his first pitch, and the Twins cruised to an 11-4 win.
Pineiro has allowed 39 hits (including five home runs) in his past 20 1/3 innings. Over his past four starts (all losses for the Angels), Pineiro has allowed 24 runs in 13 1/3 innings, surviving through the fifth inning just once in that time.
“(Pitching coach) Mike Butcher is working very hard mechanically to get this worked out,” manager Mike Scioscia said after Wednesday’s loss. “It’s easy to see the ball is not coming out of his hand the way it needs to and the command is not there. … We’re going to keep working and try to find something.”
With one rookie (Tyler Chatwood) already in the rotation, the Angels have few attractive alternatives in their system to replace Pineiro. Their top pitching prospect, right-hander Garrett Richards, has been terrific in the Texas League (12-1 with a 3.04 ERA), but this is his first season at the Class AA level.
The Angels have another off day coming next Monday, and they shuffled their rotation for the current homestand. Dan Haren and Jered Weaver will start on their normal rest Thursday and Friday (despite the off day this past Monday). Chatwood will move back to Saturday and start on a full week’s rest, with Santana coming back on normal rest Sunday.
That sets up the possibility of skipping Pineiro when his turn comes up next week, although the pending six-game suspension of Weaver complicates matters for the Angels. Weaver is appealing the suspension.
“There’s a lot of things we’ll consider,” Scioscia said. “There are a lot of things to juggle, a lot of things to look at.”
NOTES, QUOTES
• RHP Ervin Santana followed up his no-hitter in Cleveland with a complete-game win in his next start, Tuesday against Minnesota. He is the first pitcher since Phillies RHP Tommy Greene in May 1991 to follow a no-hitter with a complete-game victory, and the first Angels pitcher to do it since Nolan Ryan in June 1975. Ryan then lost his next eight decisions.
• 1B Mark Trumbo was hitless in Wednesday’s loss, but the rookie has driven in at least one run with each of his past eight hits through his three-run home run against the Twins on Tuesday night. Trumbo is only the sixth rookie in Angels history to hit 20 home runs, the first since Tim Salmon in 1993. Salmon set the Angels’ rookie record with 31 home runs that year and won the only AL Rookie of the Year Award in franchise history.
• LF Vernon Wells was dropped from the cleanup spot by manager Mike Scioscia on Wednesday. Scioscia moved Wells down to fifth in response to yet another slump. Wells was hitless in four at-bats Wednesday and is now in a 9-for-48 (.188) skid.
• RHP Joel Pineiro gave up two home runs in his 4 1/3 innings Wednesday, and then LHPs Hisanori Takahashi and Horacio Ramirez gave up three more to the Twins. It is the first time the Angels have given up five home runs in a game since the Rangers went deep five times against Joe Saunders and Justin Speier on Aug. 7, 2009, at Angel Stadium.
• DH Bobby Abreu’s slump keeps getting deeper. Abreu, hitless in four at-bats Wednesday, has no hits in his past 10 at-bats and only six in his past 36. Since July 1, Abreu is batting .163 (15-for-92), and his season average has dropped from .289 to .258 in that time.
By The Numbers: 14.85—RHP Joel Pineiro’s ERA over his past four starts (22 earned runs, 13 1/3 innings).
Quote To Note: “I’m not going to talk about that.”—INF/OF Howie Kendrick when asked by reporters for his reaction to being on the bench for the fourth time in 12 games Wednesday. Kendrick is hitting .299 on the season.
ROSTER REPORT
Medical Watch:
• RHP Francisco Rodriguez (right shoulder inflammation) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 10. He will treat the problem with rest and rehab.
• 1B Kendrys Morales (fractured left ankle) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 22. He was never able to progress to running the bases in workouts, let alone playing in games during spring training or on a rehab assignment. He had a second surgery on his ankle May 26 to address continued discomfort and lack of mobility. Morales, who was transferred to the 60-day DL on July 20, will not play until the 2012 season.
Rotation:
RHP Jered Weaver
RHP Dan Haren
RHP Ervin Santana
RHP Joel Pineiro
RHP Tyler Chatwood
Bullpen:
RHP Jordan Walden (closer)
RHP Fernando Rodney
LHP Scott Downs
LHP Hisanori Takahashi
RHP Rich Thompson
RHP Bobby Cassevah
LHP Horacio Ramirez
Catchers:
Infielders:
1B Mark Trumbo
2B Howie Kendrick
SS Erick Aybar
INF Maicer Izturis
INF Russell Branyan
INF Andrew Romine
Outfielders:
LF Vernon Wells
RF Torii Hunter
DH Bobby Abreu