Angels again turn to minors for help against A's
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Having dipped into the minor leagues for four new players Friday, the Los Angeles Angels plan to do so again Saturday for their starting pitcher when they go for a second straight win against the Oakland Athletics.
The Angels are planning to promote left-hander John Lamb for his first major-league start since 2016, matching him against A's lefty Sean Manaea (5-6, 3.49 ERA).
Los Angeles placed four players -- third baseman Zack Cozart and right-handers Garrett Richards, Nick Tropeano and Jim Johnson -- on the disabled list Friday, replacing them with bullpen reinforcements in right-handers Felix Pena, Eduardo Paredes, Jake Jewell and Akeel Morris.
None saw action in Friday's 8-4 win over Oakland, with left-hander Tyler Skaggs throwing seven strong innings before Cam Bedrosian and Justin Anderson mopped up.
Catcher Jose Briceno, himself a May call-up from the minors, contributed to the Los Angeles offensive attack in the series opener with a double, two singles and an RBI.
"Nobody is going to feel sorry for you," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of a roster that now features 15 players on the DL. "We feel we have the guys who can contribute and keep us going. If we can pitch and have our bullpen hold leads, then we're going to be fine."
Lamb has battled back issues in the minors since he last threw a big-league pitch for the Cincinnati Reds on July 16, 2016. He went 2-12 with a 6.17 ERA in 24 starts for the Reds in two seasons.
One of those starts was in Cincinnati against the A's in 2016, a game in which he gave up two home runs, including one by Marcus Semien, in a 6-1 loss. He is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in his career against Oakland based solely on that one appearance.
The A's had to make an 11th-hour pitching change of their own, starting Manaea in place of Daniel Gossett, who strained his right forearm in his last start.
Manaea hasn't won since May 14 but pitched well in both of his previous June starts, allowing a total of four runs in 12 2/3 innings.
He matched up with Skaggs, Friday's winner for the Angels, in the second game of the season back in March, allowing one run in 7 2/3 innings in a 2-1 Oakland loss.
Mike Trout accounted for the only run the Angels scored off Manaea that night with a home run.
Manaea is 1/3 with a 4.30 ERA in seven career starts against the Angels.
Trout's homer in March was the third of his career against Manaea in just 14 at-bats. He has three other hits, including a triple, among those head-to-heads.
Trout had three hits, all singles, in Friday's win.
The A's likely will counter the Angels' roster move Saturday with one of their own, with third baseman Matt Chapman expected to be placed on the DL with a bruised hand.
Chapman had a 149-game streak of consecutive games played snapped with his absence Friday.
He was replaced at third base in the series opener by Chad Pinder, whose second-inning throwing error led to two unearned runs -- two of four the A's generously gifted the short-handed Angels in the game.
