Scioscia impressed by Ramirez, Gurka

ARLINGTON -- Justin Upton and Brandon Phillips weren't the only ones who made their Angels' debuts against the Rangers on Friday night.
Manager Mike Scioscia also got his first look at new relievers Jason Gurka and Noé Ramirez, who joined the Angels on Friday as part of the club's first wave of September callups and combined to toss 1 2/3 scoreless innings in the club's 10-9 loss at Globe Life Park.
Gurka, a 29-year-old left-hander, entered the game with one out in the fourth and surrendered a double to Nomar Mazara before retiring Carlos Gómez and Joey Gallo on lineouts to end the inning.
Ramirez was later summoned in a far more precarious situation, coming in with runners on the corners and no outs in the seventh. Still, the 27-year-old right-hander emerged from the jam unscathed after inducing a fielder's choice out from Robinson Chirinos, striking out Delino DeShields looking and coaxing a groundout from Shin-Soo Choo, preventing the Rangers from extending their 9-7 lead.
"They did a great job, especially Ramirez," Scioscia said on Saturday. "He was cool and calm on the mound, and he really had a purpose to what he was trying to do. That's a huge inning at the time. First and third, nobody out. For him to get out of it without giving up a run is huge, and it was important in us coming back."
Gurka signed a Minor League deal with the Angels in June after being released by the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate. In 30 appearances with Triple-A Salt Lake this season, Gurka recorded a 2.12 ERA over 34 innings, with 36 strikeouts and 11 walks.
The Angels claimed Ramirez, a Los Angeles native, off waivers from the Red Sox in August and assigned him to Salt Lake, where he worked 4 1/3 scoreless innings in four outings before being called up.
Worth noting
• Right-hander Garrett Richards threw a bullpen on Saturday and could be ready to rejoin the Angels' rotation on Monday or Tuesday in Oakland, if he comes out of the session without issue. Richards has not pitched in the Majors since April 5 due to an irritated nerve in his right biceps.
• Richards joins teammates, nearing return
"I think that evaluating someone in Garrett's position is definitely a process," Scioscia said. "You're not going to make a determination off of just the medical staff's evaluation or his bullpen. They could all be green lights, and at some point, you might hit a bump in the road, so you want to be cautious. A lot of the indicators with Garrett are pointing in the right direction, so we'll be anxious to see how he throws and how he comes out of it and what his next step will be."
• Third baseman Yunel Escobar remains day to day after experiencing back stiffness on Wednesday, but Scioscia said he's getting closer to resuming baseball activities.