ANAHEIM, Calif. _ In a perfect world, Jose Suarez would be pitching for triple-A Salt Lake and not the Los Angeles Angels right now, finishing a full season of minor league development.
The Angels, of course, don't reside in or anywhere near a perfect world. Their best starting pitcher, Tyler Skaggs, died on July 1. Three starters in their opening-day rotation were either released (Matt Harvey), demoted to the bullpen (Trevor Cahill) or designated for assignment (Chris Stratton).
Veteran left-hander Andrew Heaney missed almost three months of the season because of shoulder and elbow injuries. Felix Pena, the team's most reliable starter, suffered a season-ending knee injury on Aug. 2.
The short-handed Angels have had no choice but to turn to youngsters such as Suarez, the 21-year-old left-hander who made his 11th big-league start Monday night. The result was almost predictable.
Suarez lasted three innings and 69 pitches in a 10-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in Angel Stadium, giving up six runs _ four earned _ and seven hits, striking out two and walking none.
Suarez got little help from his defense. Errors by third baseman Matt Thaiss and first baseman Albert Pujols led to two unearned runs in the first. But Suarez gave up a solo homer to Kevin Newman in the second and a two-run double to Jacob Stallings in the third.
Stallings, Bryan Reynolds and Josh Bell each hit solo homers off Angels reliever Jose Rodriguez _ it was Bell's 30th homer this season _ as Pittsburgh snapped an eight-game losing streak. Stratton, traded to the Pirates for cash in May, threw three scoreless relief innings.
"Ideally, would they be (better off) in the minor leagues getting more experience? Possibly," Angels manager Brad Ausmus said of Suarez and Griffin Canning, the 23-year-old right-hander who will come off the injured list to start Tuesday night.
"But it is out of necessity. This is where we're at, they're here, so we have to find a way to win with them. And in the process, they get experience."
Canning and Suarez entered this season as the organization's top pitching prospects. After going 3-4 with a 3.79 ERA in his first 11 starts, Canning is 1-2 with an 8.15 ERA in his last five games. Suarez is 3-3 with a 6.57 ERA. Though they were rushed to the big leagues, Ausmus sees benefits to their ascents.
"There's only one way to get big league experience, and that's to play up here," Ausmus said. "These are the best hitters in the world. You can't get called up from the big leagues. This is as high as they go. As a young pitcher coming up, you're facing the best, you're learning how to get the best out."
