No changes on Angels’ ALCS roster; Scioscia sticks with 10 pitchers

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Though Manager Mike Scioscia juggled his rotation for the American League Championship Series, moving left-hander Joe Saunders to the Game 2 start, there will be no changes to the playoff roster he will submit today for the best-of-seven series against the Yankees.

The Angels will go with 10 pitchers, with starter Ervin Santana remaining in the bullpen, and three catchers, Jeff Mathis, Mike Napoli and Bobby Wilson. That will enable Scioscia to use Napoli as a pinch-hitter and insert Wilson, who is a better all-around defender than Napoli, as a late-game defensive replacement.

There was some question regarding reliever Jason Bulger because of a shoulder injury that flared up in the last weekend of the regular season, but Bulger threw a scoreless seventh inning in the Angels’ division series-clinching win in Fenway Park on Sunday and said his shoulder feels great.

The right-hander also feels more prepared for the ALCS after getting his first taste of playoff baseball against the Red Sox.

‘You know what I learned? That the biggest difference in the playoffs is what happens before and after the game, but once you get out there, it’s really no different,’ Bulger said. ‘It was a lot of fun. I felt good going into that series, and it was a confidence-booster for me.’

-- Mike DiGiovanna in New York