Angels’ Arte Moreno: ‘Zero’ chance Mike Scioscia fired in-season

Arte Moreno does not sound like an owner who is eager to dismiss Manager Mike Scioscia, who has more than $25 million remaining on a contract that runs through 2018 but has come under fire because of the team’s 15-24 start.

Moreno, attending this week’s owners’ meetings in New York City, told FoxSports.com on Wednesday that the chances of an in-season managerial change are “right now, zero.” Moreno declined an interview request from The Times last week.

“Mike has zero problems, OK?” Moreno told FoxSports.com. “This is his 14th year. Mike goes beyond what he does on the field. He’s a good person. He’s a good person in the community, a very good baseball guy. You don’t have to ask me. You just ask other managers, other baseball people.

“Look at 14 years worth of productivity. Look at his record. He has two World Series rings with the Dodgers. He has one with the Angels. We’ve been to the playoffs.”

But the Angels have not been to the playoffs since 2009, and with one of baseball’s highest payrolls the last two seasons — $159 million at the end of 2012, $148.5 million this season — and World Series aspirations, they have been a major disappointment.

The Angels have been devastated by injuries this season, especially to the pitching staff, but their two high-priced, middle-of-the-order sluggers, Albert Pujols (.242, six homers, 22 runs batted in) and Josh Hamilton (.214, five homers, 12 RBIs, 44 strikeouts) have also struggled.

“If everybody on the team was hitting .300, and the pitchers were undefeated, and all our relievers had done a good job and we’d made no errors, we wouldn’t be in this conversation,” Moreno told FoxSports.com. “Right now, in Mike’s job, I have no questions about Mike.”

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