Moseley named fifth starter

The Angels’ pitching rotation, battered though it may be, is complete.

Manager Mike Scioscia announced before Saturday’s 11-3 victory over the San Diego Padres at Angel Stadium that right-hander Dustin Moseley, beginning his second full season in the majors, will be the fifth starter, joining Jered Weaver, Jon Garland, Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana.

“I’m excited,” said 26-year Moseley. “Hopefully I can step in and fill the void.”

It’s quite a void. John Lackey, the ace of the staff, and Kelvim Escobar, winners of a total of 37 games last season, were put on the disabled list Saturday along with fellow pitchers Scot Shields (tightness in his right forearm) and Chris Bootcheck (strained left oblique). Lackey (triceps strain) is expected to be out until at least early May, Escobar (labrum tear in his right shoulder) could miss all season.

Moseley, who had eight starts in 46 appearances last season, was 1-1 this spring with a 3.00 earned-run average. He had six strikeouts and two walks in 12 innings.

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With Moseley inserted in the rotation, right-hander Nick Adenhart, his chief rival for the spot, was reassigned to triple-A Salt Lake City. The Angels also reassigned eight other players -- pitcher Alex Serrano, catchers Ryan Budde and Bobby Wilson, infielders Brandon Wood, Kendry Morales and Hainley Statia and outfielders Terry Evans and Dee Brown -- to the minors, all going to the triple-A level with the exception of Statia, who will head for the team’s double-A affiliate in Arkansas. The Angels will carry 11 pitchers.

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Outfielder Gary Matthews Jr., recovering from a sprained right ankle, expects to be in the Angels dugout rather than on the disabled list when his team opens the regular season Monday in Minneapolis against the Twins. Whether he’ll be ready to play is another question.

Matthews, who had to be helped off the field after injuring himself running the bases in a game last Monday, took batting practice and did some light running before Saturday’s game. He conceded afterward that he still had swelling and soreness in the ankle.

“Hopefully I’ll continue to get better,” he said. “There’s still 48 hours [until the opener], so I’ve got a fair chance of playing.”

Matthews acknowledged he wasn’t as optimistic the morning after he got hurt.

“I could barely walk when I tried to get out of bed,” he said.

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The Angels had 13 hits and were aided by four Padres errors Saturday night in breaking a four-game winless streak to finish their exhibition schedule with a 19-10 record. Torii Hunter and Mike Napoli homered for the Angels.

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The Angels drew a record 118,191 fans at Tempe Diablo Stadium this spring. Although it took them 16 games to achieve that mark, the Dodgers nearly equaled it in one night at the Coliseum, drawing an estimated 115,000. . . . The Angels will open the season on the road for only the fifth time in 17 years.

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steve.springer@latimes.com