Lackey's return has Angels well-stocked in AL arms race
Posted: Fri May 16 5:04 PM
By Scott Garbarini, Contributing MLB Editor
(Sports Network) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim had been getting along fairly well without the services of John Lackey. With the club's most accomplished pitcher now back in the rotation, the defending American League West champions could be ready to take off.
Lackey, who won a career-high 19 games for the Angels last season and led the AL with a 3.01 earned run average, made his long-awaited 2008 debut in Anaheim's clash with the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday. And the burly right- hander wasted no time in regaining the form that made him one of the league's premier pitchers a year ago.
The 2007 All-Star worked seven efficient innings and limited the White Sox to one run on six hits while recording four strikeouts. Lackey also showed no signs of rust on the command side, as he issued just one walk on the evening and threw 67 of his 99 pitches for strikes.
His outstanding showing didn't result in a win, as Lackey left the contest with the score tied at 1-1 and received a no decision. But the performance certainly went a long way in easing any reservations the Angels may have had about their top starter not being fully recovered from the strained triceps that forced Lackey to miss the season's first month.
Scot Shields relieved Lackey and quickly served up a grand slam to Carlos Quentin in the eighth inning that fueled Chicago to a 6-1 win.
"It is always tough when you lose a game late, but there are some important things we saw (Wednesday), and one of those things is the way John threw the ball," Angels manager Mike Scioscia told the team's official site following the loss. "That is probably the one thing we'll take away."
Anaheim, which presently holds a half-game edge on Oakland for first place in the AL West despite having lost six of its last eight outings, wasn't in dire straits in the starting pitching department despite Lackey's exclusion, mainly due to tremendous early-season displays from Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders. Now the Angels can boast one of the deepest starting fives in the AL (although fans in Cleveland and Toronto may dispute that statement), with Lackey joining a contingent that also includes Santana, Saunders, two-time 18-game winner Jon Garland and talented 25-year-old Jered Weaver.
The Angels are also hopeful that Kelvim Escobar, who amassed an 18-7 record and a 3.40 ERA during Anaheim's march to the 2007 AL West crown, will be able to return from a torn labrum at some point this season.
At the very least, Lackey's a major step up from the duo of Dustin Moseley and rookie Nick Adenhart, the previous holders of the rotation's final spot. The pair had combined for a subpar 7.85 ERA over eight collective starts.
BULLPEN BATTERED
The Angels' recent struggles have been more a result of an inconsistent offense and the tribulations of a relief corps that ranks 13th out of the 14 American League teams with a 5.15 overall ERA. The bullpen contributed directly to Anaheim's losses in the final two tests of this week's four-game series with the White Sox, with even normally lights-out closer Francisco Rodriguez getting in on the act.
Rodriguez entered Thursday's matchup with the score tied at 3-3 in the ninth inning and was greeted by a leadoff double from Chicago catcher A.J. Pierzynski. The hard-throwing fireman regrouped to retire the next two hitters, but then surrendered a single to Jim Thome that brought home Pierzynski with what turned out to be the game-winning tally.
The run was the first allowed by Rodriguez, one of Anaheim's few bright spots out of the pen this season, since April 17. The two-time All-Star had tossed nine scoreless innings over a 10-game span prior to Thursday's hiccup.
Rodriguez's off night came one day after Shields imploded in the eighth inning of Wednesday's 6-1 setback. The rubber-armed righty yielded consecutive singles to start the frame and intentionally walked Pierzynski prior to giving up Quentin's tie-breaking blast.
INFIELD SHUFFLE
While Anaheim's rotation is getting closer to full strength, Scioscia continues to have to mix-and-match at some of the infield positions due to injuries. On Saturday the Angels placed third baseman and leadoff hitter Chone Figgins on the 15-day disabled list -- retroactive to May 4 -- due to strained right hamstring. The speedy sparkplug joins regular second baseman Howie Kendrick, out since mid-April due to a hamstring problem of his own, on the shelf.
Scioscia did get an additional option at his disposal when reserve middle infielder Maicer Izturis was activated off the DL prior to Tuesday's 2-0 win over Chicago. The switch-hitter started at second base for the final two games of the White Sox series and went 2-for-5 with two runs scored in Thursday's finale.
Rookie Sean Rodriguez got in a few starts at second prior to Izturis' activation and acquitted himself well in his brief audition. The 23-year-old prospect collected three hits in seven at-bats and scored twice during games against Tampa Bay and Chicago on Sunday and Monday, while supplying good defense as well.
The Angels are optimistic that Figgins will be able to come off the disabled list when the club begins a six-game road trip Tuesday in Toronto. Kendrick's recovery has been a slower and murkier process; the hard-hitting infielder suffered a setback two games into a rehab stint with Class A Rancho Cucamonga earlier this month, but was able to participate in some running and agility drills recently and appears to be nearing a return as well.
"Where they are right now is exciting to us," Scioscia said of his two injured regulars. "Those are two important guys to our lineup."
WHO'S HOT
Left fielder Garret Anderson has gone 10-for-20 during a current five-game hitting streak that has raised the veteran's season average from .239 to .272. Anderson, who has four multi-hit games during the tear, is also batting a robust .444 (16-for-36) with three homers and 12 RBI since May 5.
Garland has produced a 1.64 ERA in three May starts and has yielded just four runs and 14 hits over 22 innings during that string of games. The durable right-hander has also worked at least six innings in each of his last six appearances.
WHO'S NOT
Catcher Jeff Mathis is mired in a 1-for-19 slump and is batting a woeful .094 (3-for-32) over his last 10 games. The prolonged skid has dropped the receiver's average from .364 to .231.
Reliever Justin Speier had a couple of rough showings in last weekend's series at Tampa Bay. The right-hander allowed two runs in just one-third of an inning to suffer the loss in Friday's 2-0 defeat to the Rays, then was rocked for three runs while registering just one out two days later. Speier was also charged with the loss in that game, an 8-5 Angels' setback.
L.A. STORY
The latest edition of the Freeway Series gets underway this weekend at Angel Stadium, with the area rival Los Angeles Dodgers coming to Anaheim for a three-game interleague set.
The Angels have had great success against the Dodgers in recent years, particularly when playing at home. Anaheim has won 14 of the past 17 encounters in this series at Angel Stadium and is 12-6 overall against the Dodgers since 2005. The Angels also tied for the majors' best record in interleague play after amassing a splendid 14-4 mark against NL teams in 2007.
Saunders (6-1, 2.48) and Hiroki Kuroda (1-2, 3.59) will lock horns at the Big A in Friday's series opener, with Santana (6-0, 2.63) opposing Chan Ho Park (1-0, 2.16) on Saturday. Weaver (2-5, 4.86) is slated to pitch Sunday's finale against Brad Penny (5-4, 5.09).