ANAHEIM -- Shane Victorino never truly realized how prominently the platoon advantage factors into today's game, until he gave up switch-hitting and began to experience it for himself.
Victorino stopped batting left-handed in August 2013 to alleviate soreness from previous leg and side injuries. He entered the 2015 season hopeful of becoming a switch-hitter once again, but abandoned that plan around the middle of March, believing that hitting only right-handed would ease his return from back surgery.
Now Victorino's starts come only against left-handed pitchers.
Since being acquired from the Red Sox on July 27, the two-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove Award winner has started only 14 of the Angels' 38 games.