Competition for fifth spot in Angels rotation heats up

The competition for the fifth spot in the Angels’ pitching rotation will heat up Tuesday when right-hander Garrett Richards starts a Cactus League game against the Chicago White Sox in Tempe Diablo Stadium. The noon PST game will be televised by Fox Sports West.

With Jerome Williams, the favorite to win the fifth spot, sidelined for two weeks because of a left hamstring strain, Richards, left-hander Brad Mills, who threw two scoreless innings against Oakland Monday, Eric Hurley and Trevor Bell will have early opportunities to impress Manager Mike Scioscia and pitching coach Mike Butcher.

If the competition were graded on pure stuff, Richards, considered the top pitching prospect in the organization, would probably win.

His fastball sits in the 93-mph range, occasionally touching 96 mph, and he has an above-average changeup and curve. But, as Scioscia said, “There’s a difference between throwing strikes and commanding the ball.”

Richards jumped from double-A to the major leagues last August and went 0-2 with a 5.79 earned run average in seven games, three of them starts, Opponents hit .291 with four homers in 14 innings against him.

“There’s no doubt that of all the guys we’re talking about for the fifth spot, his arm is the one that jumps out at you, but it takes more than that to get major league hitters out,” Scioscia said. “He has to repeat his pitches and his delivery and command the ball. If he gets the ball in good zones, he will get some mis-hits.”

The Angels lineup: SS Maicer Izturis, 3B Alberto Callaspo, DH Albert Pujols, CF Vernon Wells, 1B Jorge Cantu, C Bobby Wilson, 2B Alexi Amarista, LF Ryan Langerhans, RF Kole Calhoun, P Garrett Richards.

The White Sox lineup: CF Alejandro De Aza, 2B Gordon Beckham, 1B Adam Dunn, LF Dayan Viciedo, RF Kosuke Fukudome, C Tyler Flowers, DH Jim Gallagher, 3B Brent Lillibridge, SS Eduardo Escobar, P John Danks.

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