Garrett Richards sharp in Angels’ 3-0 win over Phillies

Angels 3, Philadelphia Phillies 0

AT THE PLATE: Albert Pujols doubled to right in the first inning and scored on Raul Ibanez’s single to right. Hank Conger and Grant Green singled in the second, and Efren Navarro hit a clutch two-out, run-scoring single for a 2-0 lead. Pujols singled and Ibanez walked to open the third, and Erick Aybar’s double to deep center scored Pujols for a 3-0 lead.

ON THE MOUND: Manager Mike Scioscia’s mix-and-match, back-of-the-bullpen approach had Ernesto Frieri pitching to the top of the Phillies order with a three-run lead in the eighth and Joe Smith facing the middle of the order in the ninth. Smith faced the middle of the order with a one-run lead in the eighth Tuesday, and Frieri pitched the ninth. “With a one-run game Tuesday, we liked Joe’s sinker against the bigger guys,� Scioscia said. “Today, we wanted to give them a different look, and we had the leeway, if Ernie made one mistake, that it wasn’t going to hurt you as much as it might have Tuesday.�

ON THE SHELF: Reliever Dane De La Rosa, on a triple-A rehabilitation assignment, had another setback in his return from shoulder and forearm injuries and returned to Southern California to be evaluated. He has thrown 4 2/3 innings in four games but hasn’t pitched since Friday. “He’s not quite where he needs to be,� Scioscia said, without elaborating on the nature or severity of the setback. “Maybe it’s a matter of catching his breath. Hopefully he’ll pick it up again.�

QUOTEBOOK: “Not one bit. I’ve worked very hard to get where I am. I’ve continued to learn. I’m figuring some things out as I go.� — Pitcher Garrett Richards, who is 4-0 with a 2.42 earned-run average, on whether he is surprised by his dominance.

EXTRA BASES: Pujols, who does not look comfortable running, admitted to being “pretty beat up� by four games on Toronto’s artificial turf but said he was feeling better Wednesday. His first-inning double was the 534th of his career, tying him for 33rd on baseball’s all-time list with Lou Gehrig. … Ibanez’s RBI in the first was the 1,200th of his career.

UP NEXT: Left-hander Tyler Skaggs (3-1, 4.14 ERA) will oppose Tampa Bay left-hander Erik Bedard (2-1, 3.38 ERA) at Angel Stadium at 7 p.m. On the air: FS West. Radio: 830 AM.