In the wake of the Mariners adding left-hander Erik Bedard to their rotation, Seattle manager John McLaren said, "We know in order to catch the Angels it's going to be about good pitching."

The Angels were thinking that was the way they were going to try to defend their third division title in the past four seasons, too. But spring injuries to their top two starters -- John Lackey (strained triceps) and Kelvim Escobar (shoulder inflammation) -- and a troublesome spring for top setup man Scot Shields (shoulder and forearm soreness) have put a serious crimp in their plans. Lackey is not expected to join the Angels' rotation until sometime in May, and Escobar could be facing season-ending surgery.

The November trade of Gold Glove shortstop Orlando Cabrera to the Chicago White Sox for right-hander Jon Garland could prove to be a valuable move. Garland and Jered Weaver (who looked sharp all spring) now move to the front of the Angels' rotation for at least the first month of the season.

Ironically, the pitching injuries could put the onus on the Angels' offense to take the lead. The Angels have pined for another "big bat" to team with Vladimir Guerrero in the middle of their lineup. Various forays to land Manny Ramirez, Paul Konerko, Todd Helton, Alfonso Soriano or Miguel Cabrera have failed.

Instead, they are counting on strength in numbers -- the addition of Torii Hunter and the further development of young up-and-comers Howie Kendrick and Casey Kotchman could lengthen the Angels' lineup and give them a dangerous corps seven-deep.

"If Kendrick and Kotchman emerge the way their progression says they can, this lineup is going to get real deep in a hurry, and that's important," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.

That's a requirement for survival in the American League. The Angels have come up short in the playoffs in their last three postseason visits (2004, 2005 and 2007) because their offense slumbered.

"We're going to score enough to win," Scioscia said. "When you're talking about playing against some of those other offenses, you'd better be pitching well. I think we're going to have the ability to pitch well against some of the dynamic offensive teams in our league.

"I don't want to compare offense to offense. I want to compare their offense to our pitching because that's what's going to be important. We've got enough offense to support our pitching and do what we need to do. We need to pitch well against some of those better offenses and against any team."

PRIMED FOR A BIG SEASON
2B Howie Kendrick has hit at every level of his professional career, including the major leagues. In parts of the past two seasons, he has a .306 average in his first 160 big-league games. Only two hand injuries kept him from having a breakout season in 2007. He arrived in camp ready to pick up where he left off and has been among the Angels' top hitters in the Cactus League.

ON THE DECLINE
RHP Scot Shields has pitched more innings (361 2/3) than any reliever in the majors over the last four seasons. The wear and tear began to show last season when he struggled mightily for a long stretch in the second half. His ERA jumped from 1.70 before the All-Star break to 7.36. He has had a sore arm this spring, has not looked sharp and could be supplanted by RHP Justin Speier as the Angels' main setup man if he doesn't resolve his issues.

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