Angels reliever Joe Smith takes ‘baby steps’ toward return

The left-groin injury that closer Huston Street suffered Saturday night, one that Manager Mike Scioscia called “significant” on Sunday, did not give setup man Joe Smith any extra incentive to return any quicker from the left-ankle sprain he suffered on Sept. 19 in Minnesota.

“I wanted to pitch before Huston got hurt,” Smith said. “Now’s the time. Everything is on the line. I don’t want to sit here in the training room. I want to play. And if things keep moving in the right direction … we’re getting closer.”

Smith took a significant step toward a possible return later this week when the right-hander, wearing high-top cleats over a heavily taped ankle, threw about 25 pitches in the bullpen before Sunday’s game against the Seattle Mariners, half from the slope in front of the mound and half from the rubber.

“Baby steps, man,” Smith said. “I’m working through some things. I thought it was a big step. But it all depends on how I come in tomorrow, if I get sore or not. So far everything’s been good.”

Street, injured when he broke from the mound to cover third base in the ninth inning Saturday night, left the stadium to undergo an MRI test Sunday morning and was not available for comment.

It is highly doubtful that the right-hander, who leads the American League with 40 saves, will return during the regular season. Without Street and Smith, Scioscia will use “a committee” of relievers in the eighth and ninth innings that includes Trevor Gott, Fernando Salas, Mike Morin and Jose Alvarez.

“It’s going to take every arm we have down there,” Scioscia said. “Hopefully, we’ll swing the bats well enough to get an opportunity to hold some leads. It’s not going to take one guy moving into the closer’s role. All these guys have pitched a lot.”

Scioscia said General Manager Bill Stoneman is looking for relief help both “within the organization and from the outside,” but a person familiar with the team’s thinking said there is “no chance” top pitching prospect Sean Newcomb would be added. Any pitcher acquired in a trade would not be eligible for the postseason.

Matt Shoemaker would be a bullpen option, but the right-hander is still nursing a forearm strain that will prevent him from making Tuesday night’s start against Oakland.

Gott, a hard-throwing rookie right-hander who is 3-2 with a 3.07 earned-run average in 44 games this season, said he is “ready” to close if summoned to fill such a role.

“If that’s the way they want to use me, I’ll just approach it like I do every outing,” said Gott, who closed at the University of Kentucky. “I’ve closed pretty much my whole life, until here. There are a lot of guys down in the bullpen who can throw the ball. I’m sure Sosh will use multiple guys, whichever way we can get outs.”

Gott had a difficult time stomaching Street’s injury.

“It was sickening, honestly,” he said. “Anyone who gets injured, especially a guy of that caliber, what he means to the team and the bullpen, and with Joe being down already … it’s just sickening. I feel for him.”

Gott said he will try not to put any extra pressure on himself as the Angels, who entered Sunday a half-game behind Houston for the second AL wild-card spot, make their final push toward a possible playoff berth this week.

“There’s enough pressure going out in any game,” he said. “Obviously, these are huge games for us. We’re going to try to win them any way we can and put ourselves in position to win a wild-card spot and, who knows, maybe win the division.”