A “bullpen game” is a lot easier to absorb in September, when expanded rosters give managers a dozen or more relievers to work with, but that doesn’t necessarily make them more palatable.
The Angels, whose rotation has been ravaged by injuries, opened Tuesday night’s game with reliever Jim Johnson, who was making his first start since his major league debut in 2006 — that was 666 appearances ago — and backed the right-hander with seven relievers.
“They’re not by design,” manager Mike Scioscia said before the game. “We wish we had Garrett Richards, Tyler Skaggs, Nick Tropeano and JC Ramirez.