Shoemaker to miss turn with forearm strain
Angels to start Tropeano in Monday's series opener vs. Dodgers
ANAHEIM -- Angels right-hander Matt Shoemaker is nursing a right forearm strain and will not make his scheduled start against the Dodgers on Monday. Nick Tropeano will start in Shoemaker's place, opposite Zack Greinke.
Shoemaker, who has given up one run in 14 1/3 innings over his last two starts, hopes to only miss one turn in the rotation.
"Once they told me what was going on, it definitely put my mind at ease," Shoemaker said prior to Saturday's game against the Rangers. "It's soreness/strain. The timeline is unknown, day to day. Hopefully it'll just be a few days. We're just playing it safe."
Shoemaker, 7-9 with a 4.31 ERA, is having a relatively down year, but he's pitched very well since coming back up from a brief stint in Triple-A. He threw 7 1/3 innings of one-hit ball in Detroit on Aug. 27, then limited the A's to one run in seven innings on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old felt some tightness toward the end of that start in Oakland and woke up the next morning with soreness. But an MRI exam during the off-day on Thursday revealed no structural damage and the Angels can give Shoemaker extra rest by utilizing another off-day this coming Thursday.
"We really don't know until we get through the weekend," pitching coach Mike Butcher said when asked if Shoemaker will miss just one start. "The bottom line is doing what's right for him. It's promising how he feels today. It's not all doom and gloom."
Worth noting
• Collin Cowgill started in left field in place of fellow right-handed hitter Shane Victorino on Saturday, against Rangers lefty Derek Holland. But Victorino wasn't nursing any lingering effects from colliding with the left-field wall on Friday night. Angels manager Mike Scioscia just liked the matchup, with Cowgill homering twice in 10 at-bats against Holland.
• Asked whether Taylor Featherston will continue to start at second base while Johnny Giavotella is out, Scioscia said: "He'll get a chance to play. From the defensive component, there's no doubt he's going to be a positive. … We don't have a guy who's going to swing the bat like Gio right now, so we're going to go with the defensive component."