ARLINGTON, Texas — The Angels went against conventional wisdom by using a six-man rotation this season, and now they’re doubling down on that.
For the time being, they are going to use seven starting pitchers, Manager Joe Maddon said on Tuesday.
In the past couple of days they have brought up prospects Reid Detmers and Chris Rodriguez to start, and Maddon said they don’t have specific plans to drop anyone from the rotation.
That means they have Shohei Ohtani, Patrick Sandoval, José Suarez, Jaime Barria, Dylan Bundy, Detmers and Rodriguez in the rotation. Alex Cobb is currently out with a wrist injury, and would presumably replace Bundy when he’s ready.
“In this year, and we talked about this from the beginning, to make sure we had enough starters to get through the year comfortably,” Maddon said. “Hopefully, we’re going to realize the benefits next year of what we’re doing this year. I don’t know that. But that was part of the original philosophy too.”
The Angels have been cautious from Day 1 of the spring about the workload of their pitchers, given that all pitchers are ramping up from a shortened season in 2020 to a full season in 2021.
That’s even more of an issue with young pitchers like Detmers and Rodriguez, who hadn’t even gone through a full, healthy, pro season. Obviously, Ohtani is also doing something that no other pitcher does, so a little extra time is warranted.
The Angels have an off day on Monday, but after that, they play 14 games in 13 days, including a doubleheader.
PLAN FOR TROUT
While center fielder Mike Trout’s calf injury has lingered longer than anyone with the Angels expected, Maddon said the team has not had any discussions about simply shutting the three-time American League MVP down for the rest of the season.
“We’re still hopeful that we’re going to be able to get him back,” Maddon said. “Obviously, the timeline keeps getting pushed back. We all thought that he’d be playing right around now at the worst, but it’s not happening. So we’ll keep playing it all the way through. He’s working really hard, man. He wants to get back. We have not had a discussion of just giving up on it. We have not.”
OHTANI’S TURN
After Ohtani hurt his right thumb when he was hit by a foul ball in the dugout, the Angels considered simply pushing his start all the way back to Friday so he could pitch at Dodger Stadium. Obviously, the only way the Angels get Ohtani’s bat in the lineup in a National League park is when he pitches.
However, Maddon said they ultimately determined that would be too many days between starts. Ohtani last pitched on July 26, so he’ll be on eight days of rest on Wednesday.
“If we keep moving back, at some point it could become a negative in regards to his arm and pitching and, and where that’s going to leave him in the long run with us this season,” Maddon said. “I like the idea of him pitching in a National League game and getting his bat. I don’t like the idea of playing all weekend without him being on the field. Don’t like it at all. But we thought just for him and where he’s at and what we need from him that we needed to get him back out onto the mound sooner than Friday.”
Maddon also said the Angels are not ready to try Ohtani in the outfield in a National League park. He has played an inning or two at a time to get one more at-bat on days when he pitches, but the Angels still aren’t ready to have him start in the outfield.
“It’s intriguing, absolutely,” Maddon said. “But we have not gotten there yet.”
NOTES
Maddon said Justin Upton and Adam Eaton will split time in the outfield essentially on a straight platoon, with Upton starting against lefties and Eaton against righties. However, Upton started on Tuesday night against right-hander Jordan Lyles because he was 7 for 15 in his career against him. Lyles has also had a “reverse split” this season, with righties hitting him better than lefties. …
Jo Adell was in the lineup on Tuesday, after arriving too late to start on Monday, as planned. Adell said his 6 a.m. flight from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Dallas on Monday was canceled, so he ended up needing to take a connecting flight later in the day, and he didn’t arrive at the ballpark until about 45 minutes before the first pitch.
UP NEXT
Angels (RHP Shohei Ohtani, 5-1, 3.04 ERA) vs. Rangers (LHP Kolby Allard, 2-9, 5.23), Wednesday, 5:05 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM
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