ARLINGTON -- The Angels' Nos. 1 and 2 starters when the season began won't return until August, if they're lucky. Their second-highest-paid player hasn't pitched in an official game all year, including Spring Training. And the young, promising starting pitcher they have been waiting on for 21 months isn't currently allowed to throw off a mound.
And yet, somehow, the Angels' rotation is persevering.
Nick Tropeano held a dangerous Rangers lineup scoreless through 6 2/3 innings on Monday, pacing the Angels' 2-0 victory and dropping his ERA to 2.86 in nine starts. The Angels' rotation has a 3.