Albert Pujols swinging away for the Angels
Reporting from Tempe, Ariz. -- A bus filled mostly with nonstarters trekked to Phoenix to play on a wet field in a rain-shortened weekend game.
Albert Pujols joined them.
“It’s his schedule, he’s on his rotation,” Manager Mike Scioscia said.
And Pujols was in the lineup again Monday against the Colorado Rockies on another trip, to Scottsdale.
“I just like to play, to get my at-bats,” Pujols said.
Neither Pujols nor Scioscia identified a specific number of at-bats the three-time National League MVP is seeking this spring.
“He has a great feel for what he needs to do,” Scioscia said. “If there’s a day he wants to play, he’ll be in there. When a guy has a track record … everyone has different needs in spring training. Some just need 25 at-bats. Some want 60-70. It’s just a preference.”
Pujols has three home runs, nine runs batted in and was batting .458 (11 for 24) going into Monday.
“I’m getting there,” Pujols said. “I’ll be ready for opening day, I’m sure.”
SMOKING HAREN: Along with the impressive results – a streak of 21 consecutive retired batters, 15 strikeouts in 10 innings – Dan Haren is enjoying how he’s making batters exit.
“Bad swings, surprising looks … I’m happy with how the opposing hitters have looked and taking that confident feeling into the season,” Haren said.
The Angels’ starting pitcher opened with four perfect innings against the Dodgers on Sunday, transforming an exhibition season usually reserved for experimentation into domination.
“I usually do have a specific goal, but when you get into the heat of the battle, you want to get these guys out,” Haren said. “Results and my health, that’s what’s important to me.”
Haren said in addition to focusing on his mechanics and delivery, he’s worked to improve how his fastballs travel in on right-handers – “I almost hit a guy [Sunday].”
He’s adding curveballs and split-finger fastballs to reduce the number of cut fastballs he threw last season.
“You can work on stuff in bullpens too,” Haren said.
WILSON, NAPOLI IN TWITTER EXCHANGE: Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson downplayed posting former Texas Rangers teammate Mike Napoli’s phone number on his Twitter account over the weekend as a “joke” and “prank.”
“It’s spring training,” Wilson said Monday. “It’s not a story. … It’s not a big deal.”
Wilson’s @str8edgeracer account tweeted a happy St. Patrick’s Day wish to Napoli and asked the former Angels catcher to call Wilson at a number that was actually Napoli’s.
Napoli told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “You don’t do that. I’m not taking it as a prank.”
Wilson said Monday he had not heard from Napoli: “I’ve changed my number. I’m sure he’s changed his.”
Wilson deleted the phone-number tweet Sunday, with @str8edgeracer posting, “ … I’m even with Mike for saying he can’t wait to hit homers off me.”
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Twitter.com/latimespugmire
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