De La Rosa ready to get to work out of bullpen

ANAHEIM -- Angels manager Mike Scioscia showed remarkable restraint Friday night when, in an 11-inning game, he did not call upon reliever Dane De La Rosa, his workhorse right-hander in 2013 who had just been reactivated from the disabled list.

"If the game had gone on, Dane would've been in there," Scioscia said before Saturday's game against the Mets. "But obviously the ideal thing is, I'd like to get him an inning [in another situation], just to get his feet on the ground."

De La Rosa, 31, appeared in 75 games last season, his first in the Angels organization after coming over from Tampa Bay in a trade for pitcher Steve Geltz. The 6-foot-7 right-hander went 6-1 with a 2.86 ERA and two saves.

But De La Rosa missed this season's first nine games because of inflammation in his right elbow.

"It feels great," he said Saturday.

Asked when he felt he was ready, De La Rosa said: "I was ready yesterday."

Asked when he knew he was OK after the scare he received pitching in an exhibition game, he said: "I was OK, then they told me about an hour before the game [that I was reactivated]."

As for his rehab, De La Rosa said: "Everything went pretty smooth as far at the timeline."

So it's back to business when Scioscia beckons.

"I'll be pitching a lot," De La Rosa said.

De La Rosa retired one of the three batters he faced in the ninth inning of Saturday's 13-inning loss to the Mets. After walking Ike Davis, he got Lucas Duda to fly out. Juan Lagares then singled, and both runners scored on Omar Quintanilla's bases-loaded single against Kevin Jepsen.