OC Register: Garrett Richards says he’s ready, will wait for word from Angels

[AngelsWin.com]

ARLINGTON, Texas — As the Angels welcomed two new players to their lineup on Friday, a new pitcher announced that he’s ready to join the rotation.

Garrett Richards said he’s ready to return, after missing nearly the entire season with biceps nerve irritation. The Angels still won’t decide if they agree until evaluating him further, including a bullpen session on Saturday.

“I feel good,” said Richards, who threw 40 pitches in a Triple-A game on Wednesday. “My stuff feels the same. The velo is there. All my breaking balls are there. I really don’t notice any difference. I feel fine. … I feel like I just went through spring training and it’s time to start the season.”

Adding Richards to the rotation now wouldn’t quite have the same impact as adding Justin Upton and Brandon Phillips to the lineup, because Richards would be limited initially to about 50 or 60 pitches.

Still, the Angels obviously feel there’s a chance he is ready to add something, or they would have kept him at Triple-A instead of bringing him to Texas to join the rest of the team.

Manager Mike Scioscia, however, was reserved in his estimation of Richards’ readiness.

“We’re going to be flexible right now,” Scioscia said. “We’re not looking at one decision or another until we get more information.”

If the Angels decide to start Richards, his next turn would be on Monday, in Oakland. If he can only throw 50 pitches, they’d have plenty of relievers to back him up because of September roster expansion.

Richards said he would have no issue starting with a few innings at a time.

“I’m just happy to be playing baseball again,” said Richards, who missed most of the last two seasons. “It’s the little things. There’s a lot of things you can get distracted by. When it’s taken away from you, like last year, you get a greater appreciation of the game.”

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