Disabled List Is Getting Crowded

The Angels put pitcher Kent Bottenfield on the 15-day disabled list Thursday, reducing the number of veterans in their starting rotation to zero.

After Bottenfield pitched six innings in Wednesday’s 10-9 victory over the San Francisco Giants, Dr. Craig Milhouse examined Bottenfield and diagnosed tendinitis in his right shoulder. General Manager Bill Stoneman said no shoulder damage is feared and no MRI exam is scheduled.

“We’re planning on having him back in 15 days,” Stoneman said.

In his last six starts, Bottenfield is 1-2 with a 7.08 earned-run average.

The Angels do not need five starters right now because of off days, so they replaced Bottenfield by recalling reliever Lou Pote from triple-A Edmonton.

Bottenfield and fellow veterans Tim Belcher, Jason Dickson and Ken Hill all are expected to return from the disabled list within two to three weeks. For now, though, the Angels are three games over .500 and one game out of first place with a starting rotation that entered the season with 12 major league victories: Jarrod Washburn (10), Scott Schoeneweis (1), Brian Cooper (1) and Seth Etherton (0).

“They’ve all held their own,” Stoneman said. “It’s more than encouraging. We may have sold ourselves short a little bit in terms of the depth of our starting pitching.”

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Are the Angels trying to win a winnable division with a 23-man roster?

The Angels can’t send pitcher Derrick Turnbow or outfielder Edgard Clemente to the minor leagues without the risk of losing them to another team, so they stay on the roster without playing much.

Turnbow simply isn’t going to pitch in any meaningful situations. He’s 22, one year removed from Class A. However, as as a Rule 5 draft pick, the Angels must keep him on the major league roster all season or offer him back to the Philadelphia Phillies. So the Angels are stashing him and his 94-mph fastball this year so they can send him to the minors next year.

The Angels expected Clemente, 24, to succeed this year. He’s batting .182, with no home runs, no walks and 16 strikeouts in 44 at-bats. In his last 25 at-bats, he has 13 strikeouts.

“It’s hard to play every four or five days,” Clemente said. “It’s not the same as playing every day. I’ve never been in this situation.”

Clemente isn’t pointing fingers. The Angels promised he would serve as designated hitter against left-handers, and he has. But, in 59 games, opponents have started a left-hander 12 times.

The Angels face a left-hander tonight. Edgard Clemente, meet Randy Johnson.

ON DECK

* Opponent--Arizona Diamondbacks, three games.

* Site--Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix.

* Tonight--7.

* TV--Channel 9 tonight and Sunday, Channel 11 Saturday.

* Radio--KIK-FM (94.3) and KMPC (1540) tonight and Sunday, KLAC (570) Saturday, XPRS (1090) all three games.

* Records--Angels 31-28, Diamondbacks 35-24.

* Record vs. Diamondbacks (1999)--1-2.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’ BRIAN COOPER (2-1, 3.86 ERA) vs. DIAMONDBACKS’ RANDY JOHNSON (9-1, 1.41 ERA)

* Update--Johnson skipped a start because of a sore left shoulder, but he still leads the National League in victories and ERA, and his 131 strikeouts lead the majors. Mo Vaughn is a .333 lifetime hitter against Johnson. The Diamondbacks have lost five consecutive games, something that never happened during their National League West championship season of 1999.

* Saturday, 1 p.m.--Jarrod Washburn (1-1, 5.16) vs. Omar Daal (2-6, 5.35).

* Sunday, 1:30 p.m.--Scott Schoeneweis (5-3, 4.93) vs. Armando Reynoso (4-5, 5.40).