Angels lefty Kenny Rosenberg relishes chance to finally pitch in majors

HOUSTON — Although Joe Maddon had to tell Kenny Rosenberg that his first stint in the major leagues was over after one inning, the Angels’ manager still had a glowing report on the left-hander.

“I love his delivery,” Maddon said. “I love his poise. This guy has that thing that he thinks he belongs here already, which I love. He’s going to be very productive in the future.”

Rosenberg, 26, needed nearly six years to reach the big leagues after pitching in college at Cal State Northridge. When he finally got his chance to pitch an inning against the heart of the Houston Astros’ lineup on Monday night, it was a dream come true.

“It’s something I was looking forward to pretty much my entire life,” Rosenberg said Tuesday. “You always wonder how it’s gonna go. You visualize that moment. You never know what it’s gonna be like until it happens.”

What happened was that Rosenberg started off by facing José Siri, a hitter he knew well from their matchups in the minor leagues. He struck him out on three pitches.

Rosenberg then issued a four-pitch walk to Martin Maldonado, bringing up the top of the Houston order. Although he gave up a run, he avoided further damage by ending the inning with a strikeout of slugger Yordan Alvarez, who had hit two homers earlier in the game.

“I thought I would be nervous, but I don’t think nervous is the right word,” Rosenberg said. “I think it’s just so much anticipation. Years’ worth of anticipation really. When you finally know that it’s close, and then they call your name in the bullpen, that’s when it hits.”

For now, Rosenberg will have to be content with a single inning. The Angels optioned him back to Triple-A on Tuesday to get another fresh arm, right-hander Andrew Wantz. Rosenberg is now on the 40-man roster, though, so it’s likely that he’ll be back.

TROUT UPDATE

Center fielder Mike Trout was out of the lineup for a second straight game with a bruised left hand, the result of getting hit by a pitch on Sunday.

Maddon said that Trout had shown improvement on Tuesday, and he tested his hand with some swings in the cage, so it’s possible the three-time American League MVP could return to the lineup on Wednesday.

“Although he made a lot of progress from yesterday till today, let’s wait for the night to be concluded,” Maddon said before Tuesday’s game. “See what he feels like tomorrow. There’s a shot (he could play).”

MAYERS IMPROVES

Mike Mayers started the season by allowing five earned runs in his first two games, but in the last two, he has pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings. He entered on Monday night with the bases loaded and one out, and he escaped without any of the runners scoring.