Angels keep rolling in 9-5 win over Rangers

The Angels were soon going to need to clear a spot in their starting rotation when Tyler Skaggs returned after almost two years of toiling to recover from Tommy John surgery.

They could have chosen to trade Hector Santiago or Matt Shoemaker. They could have demoted Tim Lincecum to the bullpen.

But that decision may have been made for them Monday night, when Nick Tropeano exited his start against Texas after two rough innings with what the Angels said was right elbow soreness. He felt unusual throughout warmups, tried to pitch through it, then told the Angels what he was feeling. He’ll undergo an MRI exam Tuesday morning.

In emergency relief, Jhoulys Chacin pitched four improbably spotless innings that enabled the Angels to come back from a 4-0 deficit and beat the Rangers, 9-5, at Angel Stadium.

“Any time a pitcher has some discomfort in his elbow, you’re naturally going to be concerned,” Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. “We’re going to hope and pray that it’s nothing significant. We hope this isn’t going to be another big blow for us.”

The Angels’ top two starters, Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney, have missed most of this season because of elbow issues. Heaney will miss most, if not all, of next season, too, and Richards could experience the same fate.

Tropeano spent 20 days on the disabled list last month because of shoulder issues he alternately described as “irregularities,” “a little discomfort” and “more stiffness than anything.” He also acknowledged that the team didn’t know the exact nature of the problem, only that there was one. An MRI exam showed no structural damage within the joint.

Tropeano has found surprising success so far in the majors. In 1252/3 innings before Monday, the 25-year-old right-hander owned a 3.58 career earned-run average. Monday’s two-inning, four-run start was the worst and shortest of his career.

He yielded 860 feet in home runs to Rougned Odor and Adrian Beltre in the first inning, and another homer to Mitch Moreland in the second.

Rangers starter A.J. Griffin set the Angels down in order the first time through. The second time, he began with consecutive walks to Yunel Escobar and then Kole Calhoun.

Mike Trout was next, and he delivered a shot to third base, too hot for Beltre to handle, for the Angels’ first hit of the night. That loaded the bases with no outs for Albert Pujols, who walked to force in a run. Daniel Nava’s sacrifice fly scored another, before Johnny Giavotella grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Ji-Man Choi launched his first major league home run in the fifth to make it 4-3. In the sixth, Nava came up with two runners in scoring position and one out. He grounded one right to Odor at second base, but Odor fumbled it and the tying run scored, followed shortly by the go-ahead run on Giavotella’s RBI single.

Scioscia opted for Fernando Salas to pitch the seventh inning. It was Salas’ first opportunity in a high-leverage situation since July 4, and he again failed to come through, giving up the tying run.

But the Angels again rallied in their half of the seventh. Jett Bandy began the inning by taking a fastball to the foot. Andrelton Simmons whacked the next pitch down the right-field line for a double, and Calhoun followed with a grounder to Odor, who made a nice stop but couldn’t deliver the ball to home platein time to record an out.

Then Trout hit the next pitch 415 feet for a three-run, outcome-securing home run.

At 41-52, the Angels are in their best shape in awhile, winners of eight of their last 10 games. Trout described their recent play as “fun” and “relaxed,” and they lead the majors in runs this month.

But, as it so often has been this season, the good news was obscured by the bad, by the possibility that another key piece may miss an extended period, and by the reality that there is not enough time or healthy players to do what they set out to do this season.

pedro.moura@latimes.com

Twitter: @pedromoura