Angels face a learning curve in Seattle
The Angels have lost four of their last five games but things won't get easier for them Tuesday in Seattle since they'll be facing a pitcher in Mariners rookie Anthony Vasquez whom they've never seen before.
"We have video on him. We know what he likes to do," Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. "There's a little bit of a learning curve when you get in the batter's box. But you don't have time to think about too much. You've got to go up there, see a good pitch to hit and square it up.
"This is definitely a guy you don't want to do too much with. We're going to have to really stay centered on this guy."
Vasquez, a left-hander, is a soft tosser who changes speed. He was 9-10 with a 3.57 earned-run average in the minors, splitting his time between double A and triple A. He beat Cleveland in his big league debut last week, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up five earned runs on nine hits. But familiarity doesn't always bring comfort or success for a hitter, Scioscia said. The Mariners are starting Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez on Wednesday and even through the right-hander is 4-9 against the Angels lifetime, Scioscia said it's not a matchup many hitters are looking forward to.
Besides, Seattle's hitters will be facing a similar challenge Tuesday against Angels starter Jerome Williams. Only three Mariners have faced the right-hander.
The lineups:
Angels
3B -- Maicer Izturis
CF -- Peter Bourjos
2B -- Howie Kendrick
RF -- Torii Hunter
1B -- Mark Trumbo
DH -- Vernon Wells
LF -- Mike Trout
SS -- Erick Aybar
C -- Bobby Wilson
P -- Jerome Williams
Seattle Mariners
RF -- Ichiro Suzuki
CF -- Franklin Gutierrez
2B -- Dustin Ackley
1B -- Mike Carp
C -- Miguel Olivo
3B -- Kyle Seager
LF -- Casper Wells
DH -- Wily Mo Pena
SS -- Brendan Ryan
P -- Anthony Vasquez
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-- Kevin Baxter reporting from Seattle
Photo: Seattle starter Anthony Vasquez. Credit: Jason Miller / Getty Images
