ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Los Angeles Angels scratched right-hander Joel Pineiro with a muscle strain just moments before he was scheduled to start Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox.
Pineiro strained an oblique muscle on his left side while warming up in the bullpen before the series finale.
Veteran Angels reliever Scot Shields made his first start in nearly seven years in Pineiro’s place.
Pineiro is 10-7 with a 4.18 ERA in his first season with the Angels. He had won seven straight decisions before losing his most recent start in New York last week.
Shields made just the 15th start of his major league career. The longtime middle reliever hadn’t started a game since Sept. 28, 2003, against Texas.
The Angels have lost six of seven, and were hoping to avoid getting swept at home for the first time in 80 series.
