Angels confident Matt Shoemaker will pitch in playoffs

Matt Shoemaker extended his long-toss work to 150 feet on Friday, and he could throw off a mound by Sunday or Monday, fueling hope that the Angels’ right-hander, who suffered a mild left rib cage strain on Sept. 15, will be ready to pitch in the American League division series.

“It’s still day to day, but I’m very encouraged about where we’re at,” said Shoemaker, a rookie who went 16-4 with a 3.04 earned run average this season. “It feels much better. My arm feels good. My body feels good. I’m being safe if something doesn’t feel right. There have been no setbacks.”

Manager Mike Scioscia said Shoemaker would need to stretch his long-toss to 200 feet before getting back on the mound. Pitching coach Mike Butcher said Shoemaker would need to throw off a mound no later than Tuesday for the Angels to determine by Thursday whether he can pitch in the first round.

Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson are in line to pitch the first two games of the best-of-five series, which begins in Anaheim on Thursday, so the earliest Shoemaker would pitch is in Game 3 on the road on Sunday, Oct. 5.

“We haven’t made any decisions at all on what our playoff rotation will be,” Scioscia said. “There are still a lot of unanswered questions. We definitely have to see where Shoemaker is. I’m not going to commit to anything until we get closer to playoffs.”

Left fielder Josh Hamilton, who has missed all but one game since Sept. 5 because of right shoulder, chest and rib cage injuries, threw, ran and did defensive work on Friday and is schedule to resume hitting on Saturday.

Hamilton said he has “no doubt” he will play in the division series, but Scioscia said Hamilton will first need to “see some velocity,” whether that’s in a simulated-game environment or in an Arizona instructional league game.

Center fielder Mike Trout, who was pulled from Wednesday’s game in Oakland in the fifth inning because of a stomach illness, is back in the lineup for Friday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field, saying he was “100%.”