Angels pitcher Joel Pineiro loses tooth and is scratched from Tuesday’s start

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Angels pitcher Joel Pineiro bit down on a bagel Tuesday morning, and suddenly the right side of his mouth was in pain. The right-hander lost a molar, the same tooth that required a root canal four months ago, and was scratched from Tuesday’s scheduled start against San Diego.

‘It’s throbbing,’ Pineiro said after arriving at Tempe Diablo Stadium on Tuesday morning. ‘I just got back from the dentist, and I have to go back this afternoon.’

Pineiro, the former St. Louis Cardinal who signed a two-year, $16-million deal with the Angels this winter, will stay on course by throwing a power bullpen in the next few days, and Manager Mike Scioscia said he was not concerned that the setback would affect Pineiro’s preparation for the season.

-- Mike DiGiovanna, reporting from Tempe, Ariz.