They Need Pitching, but Someone Will Have to Go

TEMPE, Ariz. —  Maybe this would be a little easier if Scott Schoeneweis hadn’t come up through the Angel minor league system with Jarrod Washburn and Brian Cooper and wasn’t such good friends with the pitchers who, like him, are competing for rotation spots.

“If I didn’t like these guys, it might be easier to want to beat them out or to kick their [behinds],” said Schoeneweis, who threw two hitless innings in the Angels’ 7-3 exhibition victory over Arizona State in Tempe Diablo Stadium on Wednesday night. “But I’m not going to root against those guys. You want to pull for them. We all hope we’ll be in the Angel rotation eventually.”

It probably won’t happen this season. Of the five youngsters vying for rotation spots--Ramon Ortiz and Brett Hinchliffe are the others--Ortiz is considered the favorite to join an opening-day rotation that probably will include Ken Hill, Kent Mercker and possibly Jason Dickson and Tom Candiotti.

That means only two, one or none from the group of Schoeneweis, Washburn and Cooper will open this season with the Angels. It also means that, unlike returning veterans who use spring training to build up arm strength and care little about results, virtually every start in Arizona will be critical for these kids.

“There’s a lot of pressure on us,” Schoeneweis said. “All of us have had a taste of the big leagues, so experience, nerves and the anxiety of pitching in the big leagues shouldn’t be a factor. Everyone is going to have a bad day. You just hope it’s not because you’re erratic and walking a lot of guys.”

Schoeneweis had no such problems Wednesday night. The left-hander struck out four of the seven batters he faced, spotting his fastball on the inside corner and breaking off a few sharp sliders.

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Garret Anderson had two hits, a single to spark a three-run rally in the second inning and an RBI single in the third, to lead the Angel offense Wednesday night. The second inning also included Pat Kelly’s sacrifice bunt, Bengie Molina’s sacrifice fly and Darin Erstad’s RBI single.

Larry Barnes, after replacing Mo Vaughn at first base, doubled and scored in the third and had an RBI single in the fourth. Among the other Angel highlights were 2 2/3 hitless innings by right-hander Greg Keagle, who is a longshot to make the team, and an outstanding throw by Molina, the Angel catcher, to pick off Dennis Wyrick at first base in the fifth inning.

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Center fielder Jim Edmonds was excused from Wednesday’s workout and exhibition game to tend to a family matter, which had to be disappointing to Seattle General Manager Pat Gillick and several Mariner scouts who were on hand Wednesday night. Seattle is in the market for a left-handed hitting outfielder and is interested in Edmonds and Anderson. . . . Washburn will start the Angels’ Cactus League opener against Seattle on Friday, and Hill and Mercker will start weekend games against Oakland.