Scioscia holding firm that club will overcome slow start

ANAHEIM -- Mike Scioscia, on the heels of a four-game losing streak that has the Angels 5 1/2 games out of first place with the season only 11 days old, is vehement in saying that the Angels have enough in-house to turn it around.

At this stage in the season, even considering what happened last year, any thought to the contrary would be foolish.

"No doubt, we are going to turn this around," he said prior to Friday's series opener against the Astros. "There is no doubt. I think the personnel is here, the potential is here."

But the early-season struggles -- the one thing the Angels wanted to avoid this year -- are widespread.

The lineup, which has seen Mike Trout get moved from leadoff to the No. 2 spot, is last in the Majors with a .127 batting average with runners in scoring position entering Friday. The bullpen, which has lost Garrett Richards to the rotation, has a 7.71 ERA in its past six games. And the rotation, with ace Jered Weaver sidelined for the next 4-6 weeks, has yet to see a starting pitcher record an out in the seventh inning.

The offense, Scioscia said, "is screaming just to be patient with it" given the star power. At some point, he figures, it'll get going. But the Angels came into the season with perceived concerns about their pitching, and nothing about how this season has gone -- or even how Spring Training played out -- has quelled those thoughts.

"It's not going to be addressed with a huge change in personnel," Scioscia said. "These guys have to get out there and find their game."