Angels lineup for home opener
The first Angels home game of the season is less than an hour away and here is the lineup:
Chone Figgins 3B
Gary Matthews Jr. CF
Vladimir Guerrero RF
Torii Hunter CF
Garret Anderson DH
Howie Kendrick 2B
Robb Quinlan 1B
Mike Napoli C
Maicer Izturis SS
Dustin Moseley P
Quinlan gets the start at first over Casey Kotchman with the Rangers throwing left-hander Kason Gabbard. Manager Mike Scioscia was asked before the game if Juan Rivera might be the first baseman against left-handers later in the season.
"There is a challenge here to get a lot of guys on our bench some at-bats," Scioscia said. "Juan is one of them, Q is one of them. We have to get Reggie (Willits) in there to find a role and see what they can do. We're going to take it one step at a time. Q will get some at-bats today and we think it's a good matchup for Q.
"On the defensive end Juan has made some progress (at first base) but I don't think it's the right game to get him in there with a contact pitcher (Moseley) and a lot of left-handed (Rangers) hitters. I think Q handles that position fine. We'll get some at-bats for Juan, it's just a tough time right now."
This game gets my award for the lamest game of the season. Horrible pitching all around. Horrible hitting. Poor officiating from the umps. No excitement the whole game. The fans might as well leave early. Way to go Mike Scioscia. You should have just let Casey Kotchman play. Maybe he would have driven some runs in.
This is a huge embarrassment. We're getting beat up by the garbage Rangers. Get Nick Adenhart up tomorrow. He has to be at least as good as Moseley was tonight. Send Moseley back to the bullpen where he belongs. If we have to lose I'd rather see the future star pitching.