SEATTLE — Next up, Kenny Rosenberg.
Rosenberg will be the 14th pitcher to start a game for the Angels when he takes the mound on Thursday night against the Oakland A’s.
The Angels have been piecing together two of their rotation spots ever since they demoted Reid Detmers and lost Patrick Sandoval to Tommy John surgery.
They’ve gone through pitchers like Zach Plesac, Davis Daniel, Jack Kochanowicz and Roansy Contreras and none has seized the opportunity well enough to last more than three starts.
Carson Fulmer, who is currently holding the other spot, is scheduled for his third turn Friday.
“Any of us can have a good outing, being a real good starting pitcher in the big leagues or a real good relief pitcher,” Rosenberg said. “But you have to do it over and over and over for anyone to care. One good start is a good start, but that’s it. You have to show that every fifth day, when you take the mound, you’re reliable and you can pitch deep in games.”
Rosenberg, a 29-year-old left-hander, had a 3.82 ERA in 33 major-league innings last year, mostly in September. That included three starts and two other games in which he was the bulk pitcher behind an opener. He lasted at least five innings each time.
This season, his only two major-league games have been to mop up after Kochanowicz had rough starts. He worked six innings in one game and four in the other.
“I like his competitive juices,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “He competes. He’s one of those left-handers, like (Tyler Anderson), who has to hit his spots, change speeds, move the ball around. He’s a competitor, and that’s what I love about him.”
If Rosenberg can pitch well, there is no one blocking him from continuing to stay in the rotation.
“It’s tough the last couple years being up and down a lot,” Rosenberg said. “There were times, especially in my first season, when I was pretty nervous because I knew my performance dictated whether I would stay or not. I don’t necessarily feel like I’m looking over my shoulder the way I was back then. I’m not looking at it like I have this great opportunity. More so, I have an opportunity to show that consistency. I know what I’m capable of, so just trying to string together a couple good ones is my main focus.”
NOTES
Luis Rengifo impressed Washington by getting a hit Tuesday night, in his first game after missing three weeks with wrist inflammation. Rengifo did not play any minor-league games before returning. “You can see right now he’s one of those guys, on Christmas Day with snow outside you bring him outside and throw a pitch to him and hell get a base hit,” Washington said. “Ever since he got hurt, he’s been working.” …
The Angels reportedly signed right-hander Ryan Johnson to a bonus of $1,747,500, which is well above the $1.06 million slot value for the No. 74 overall pick. Johnson is the player the Angels picked with the selection they received as compensation for losing Shohei Ohtani as a free agent. The Angels’ only unsigned top-10 pick is their third-round pick, right-hander Ryan Prager, whose social media post on Wednesday suggested that he’s returning to Texas A&M. The slot value for that pick is $948,600. The Angels can spend just over $1.2 million without incurring the loss of future draft picks. They would have to pay a tax on a portion of that spending, though. The deadline for signing draft picks is Aug. 1.
UP NEXT
A’s (TBD) at Angels (LHP Kenny Rosenberg, 0-0, 6.30 ERA), Thursday, 6:38 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM