What was a solid unit on the Los Angeles Angels roster in the early part of the regular season, the starting rotation has turned sour since the beginning of May. Rookie Chase Silseth is the most recent arm to deal with such misfortune, getting hammered in his first starting opportunity on Tuesday night.
Silseth had primarily been used out in short spurts, mainly because his limited pitch mix plays up out of the bullpen. The Angels former highly regarded prospect lasted just 3.1 innings against the Baltimore Orioles, allowing four earned runs on six hits.
But according to Jeff Fletcher of The O.C. Register, struggles aside, Silseth will remain in the rotation for at least another week:
The spot will come up again on Monday night, the opener of a series against the Boston Red Sox in Anaheim.
Manager Phil Nevin said they would “discuss” what to do with the spot, but conceded that this is “probably the way we’ll go.”
The issue for manager Phil Nevin and his staff remains in the need to find productive arms to eat innings, and from May 1 to May 16, the rotation holds a 6.19 ERA, the third-worst in Major League Baseball.
Silseth certainly isn’t a bad option, but his inexperience as a Major League starter and the league’s ability to pick apart pitchers with a limited repertoire is the bigger issue. For now, at the very least, he’ll continue his preparation as if he will get the nod to start in his next appearance:
“I guess time only tells,” Silseth said. “All I’ve got is to focus on what I’ve got to do tomorrow and the next day after that or the next day after that. Whatever they decide and whatever the next time to pitch is it’ll happen on that day down the road.”
The Angels have a deep need for consistency in the starting rotation, and if they are to find their early-season form, Nevin can operate his team as intended without having to shuffle the deck.
Angels expect Aaron Loup to return in about a week
With Austin Warren José Quijada going down with Tommy John surgery, and Aaron Loup and Ryan Tepera both landing on the injured list, the Angels have needed to tap into their depth.
Although the production wasn’t as stellar from Quijada, Warren, Loup and Tepera, having them available is key to how manager Phil Nevin deploys the rest of the bullpen. But after Loup felt something in his hamstring in early May, the Angels opted to place him on the IL.
With a few side sessions under his belt, Loup has had enough of a runway to build his arm back up for game action and barring any news on a rehab assignment, should join the Angels soon.
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