The Los Angeles Angels are already short on pitching depth, having lost both top starter Garrett Richards in August and young lefty Tyler Skaggs earlier this season to injury, but the team could set up its ALDS roster using only three starting pitchers, and apparently the idea hasn’t been completely dismissed by manager Mike Scioscia:
Scioscia says #Angels might use 3 starters in ALDS even if Shoemaker is healthy. That would mean Weaver on short rest. Just an idea now.
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) September 19, 2014
Matt Shoemaker is a 27-year old rookie and the Angels second-best healthy starter left, but he’s been dealing with a mild oblique strain.
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The Angels’s other main starting pitcher, Hector Santiago, has nice overall numbers but has faded hard down the stretch, including a two-inning disaster on Friday night, when he allowed five hits, five walks and three earned runs.
Cory Rasmus and Wade LeBlanc are the only two other healthy pitchers on the roster to have started a game for Los Angeles this year, four starts for Rasmus and two for LeBlanc.
While it seems dire for the Angels in the playoffs, going with a three-man rotation isn’t insane, particularly given the off-days incorporated into the ALDS schedule this season.
It does put Jered Weaver on short rest, but that’s likely a better option for Los Angeles than starting Santiago at this point.
That said, the Angels are already potentially without outfielder Josh Hamilton for the playoffs, and can ill-afford to lose too many more players.
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