Good news on Angels right-hander Garrett Richards as he makes his way back from knee surgery.
Richards, who tore his left patellar tendon last August, tossed four no-hit innings this afternoon in a minor league game. He threw a total of 53 pitches with three strikeouts against two walks and told Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com that he felt “great.”
Richards will make his next start on the minor league side on Saturday and isn’t expected to pitch in the Cactus League prior to the end of spring training, but the Angels are hopeful that he’ll be ready to join the rotation in mid-April.
The 26-year-old Richards finally saw his velocity translate to results last season, posting a 2.61 ERA and 164/51 K/BB ratio over 168 2/3 innings. He’ll hope to build on that success this year.
