ANAHEIM -- The Angels have scratched their ace, Garrett Richards, from his scheduled Friday start against the Rays, a reaction to the dehydration he suffered in his prior outing and the general fatigue that followed it.
Long reliever Cory Rasmus will instead take the ball for the opener of a six-game homestand, opposite Chris Archer.
Richards exited Sunday's start against the Rangers at Globe Life Park after only 79 pitches because of what the team called dehydration and cramping, caused largely by a 33-pitch fourth inning. Richards played catch in the two days that followed, but he did not throw, as scheduled, on Wednesday, and also did not take part in his normal between-starts bullpen session.