Rotation Still Unclear as Opening Day Nears

Most teams use the final 10 days of spring training to align their rotation and perhaps settle that competition for the fifth spot. One week before the start of the regular season, the Angels are still trying to figure out which of five starters they’ll squeeze into two rotation spots.

The only locks at this point are Ken Hill, who will start opening night against the New York Yankees next Monday, and newly acquired Kent Bottenfield, who will start Game 2.

Because the Angels won’t need a fifth starter until April 11, they’ll open the season with four starters, giving Ramon Ortiz a chance to build up his endurance after missing 10 days because of a slight tear in his shoulder. Ortiz, barring any setback, will join the rotation on April 11.

That means the final two spots will come down to Jason Dickson, Scott Schoeneweis, Kent Mercker, Brian Cooper and Tom Candiotti, with Jarrod Washburn a possibility once he recovers from his strained rib-cage muscle. Of that group, only Mercker (3.78) has a spring earned run average under 6.00.

The leading candidates appear to be Dickson and Schoeneweis--even though Schoeneweis has given up 16 runs and 22 hits in his last two starts--and the Angels are believed to be leaning toward using Mercker, a left-hander with considerable relief experience, out of the bullpen.

After Sunday’s 14-11 Cactus League victory over the San Diego Padres, Manager Mike Scioscia said he will open with an 11-man pitching staff--including seven relievers--and add Ortiz when he is needed.

The bullpen will probably consist of Troy Percival, Mark Petkovsek, Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Al Levine, Lou Pote, Derrick Turnbow and Mercker. It appears left-hander Mike Holtz, who gave up four runs in two-thirds of an inning Sunday, will open the season in triple-A.

The starting lineup--Darin Erstad (LF), Adam Kennedy (2B), Mo Vaughn (1B), Tim Salmon (RF), Garret Anderson (CF), Troy Glaus (3B), Todd Greene/Scott Spiezio (DH), Ben Molina/Matt Walbeck (C) and Gary DiSarcina (SS)--is set, and infielder Benji Gil and outfielder Orlando Palmeiro will open on the bench.

Scioscia will carry an extra bench player, either Trent Durrington or Larry Barnes, until Ortiz is activated.

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Erstad went four for five with two RBIs and two runs, Anderson went three for three with four RBIs, Molina had two hits, three RBIs and two runs, and Salmon and Spiezio each homered in the Angel victory Sunday.

Kennedy, in his second game as an Angel, had two hits and showed some hustle, scoring from second on Anderson’s fly to deep center in the sixth.