Hanson's return draws praise

ANAHEIM -- Tommy Hanson's statistics on Saturday night were not overwhelmingly impressive, but the right-hander left a positive impression on both his manager and catcher.

"Tommy looked great," manager Mike Scioscia said after watching Hanson pitch in an Angels uniform for the first time in over six weeks. "Tommy looked like he did when he came off the DL after he couldn't make his start in Detroit. Motion looked good, ball was coming out really strong."

Catcher Chris Iannetta had similar things to say and was also impressed with Hanson's command and fastball, which was consistently in the low to mid 90s.

"I thought he was great," Iannetta said. "I thought he was awesome. "He definitely reminded me of how he was when he was extremely dominant with the Braves."

On July 23, Hanson gave up one run in 5 1/3 innings and struck out eight batters. His fastball was in the low-to-mid 90s and it appeared the right-hander was back on track.

Then came the tailspin.

In Hanson's next three starts, he posted an 8.59 ERA and was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Hanson was not recalled until Sept. 16 and although he gave up three hits, a walk and two runs in 2 1/3 innings, he felt it was a step in the right direction.

"I felt really good physically," Hanson said. "I was just trying to keep my momentum going toward the plate. [The ball] felt like it was coming out good, my body felt good. I thought my stuff was really good, just wish the result was a little bit better."