quot;He has a live arm, and he spins the ball well,quot; Scioscia said. quot;It took a while for him to get his feet on the ground this spring, but the stuff is there. Hopefully, he'll give us a good game.quot;
Ortega was 9-7 with a 3.73 ERA in 22 starts for double-A Arkansas and 5-0 with a 2.52 ERA in six starts for Salt Lake last season.
quot;He really opened a lot of eyes, not just with his numbers but with his stuff,quot; Scioscia said. quot;He's not the finished product, but he's ready for the challenge.quot;
Santana (sprained elbow ligament) threw 24 pitches in two innings of an extended spring training game in Arizona on Friday, the first step in his rehabilitation assignment.
quot;He had good velocity and felt great afterward,quot; Scioscia said.
Lackey (forearm strain) is scheduled for a similar outing today in Arizona. Both will make one more start in Arizona before moving to a minor league affiliate, probably Class-A Rancho Cucamonga.
Escobar, recovering from shoulder surgery, will resume throwing off a mound today.
Rotation reinforcements aren't around the corner, but they are on the horizon.
Ervin Santana threw two innings in an extended spring training game in Arizona on Friday, and John Lackey is scheduled to do the same today, the first steps toward a projected mid-May return for the Angels' top two pitchers.
That was of little consolation to the Angels and Shane Loux on Friday night. The Seattle Mariners rocked the right-hander for seven runs and 11 hits in four-plus innings of an 8-3 victory in Angel Stadium.
quot;Nothing seemed to go well,quot; said Loux, a sinkerball specialist who gave up 10 hits in his last start. quot;Maybe all this pitching-to-contact stuff is for the birds. I've given up 21 hits in two games and can probably count on one hand how many were hit hard.
quot;Still, hits are hits and runs are runs and losses are losses. Maybe I have to reevaluate how I go about my business. Maybe I need to locate better with my fastball and go for the strikeout when I can.quot;
