Angels get their ‘A’ game together

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The Angels will have their projected opening-day lineup on the field together for the first time this year in Wednesday’s Cactus League exhibition with the Kansas City Royals.

Injuries to Bobby Abreu and Erick Aybar and Hideki Matsui’s tender knees have slowed the Angels’ progression this spring. But with the regular season opener less than two weeks away, Manager Mike Scioscia wants his players to begin rebuilding that familiarity they had as a group last season.

Joel Pineiro, Wednesday’s starter on the mound, is scheduled to go five innings and/or 75 pitches.

Before the game, outfielder Reggie Willits, who continued to battle a hamstring strain, ran from foul line to foul line on the edge of the infield at about 85% of full speed and said he felt fine. Scioscia said Willits is still a few days from getting into a game.

The lineup:

SS -- Aybar

RF -- Abreu

CF -- Hunter

DH -- Matsui

1B -- Morales

LF -- Rivera

2B -- Kendrick

C -- Napoli

3B -- Wood

P -- Pineiro

-- Kevin Baxter, reporting from Tempe, Ariz.