Spot starter Saunders seeks a spot on roster

Joe Saunders says the hotel room that the Angels put him in is nice, but he would love to be in a position to purchase some premium Orange County property. The 25-year-old left-hander has been with the Angels three times this season, only to be sent back to their triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake City.

Twice this month, including this weekend, Saunders has been called up for a spot start, only to be sent back down. But Saunders was still in the clubhouse Saturday before the Angels’ 10-1 victory over Pittsburgh, although he wasn’t on the roster.

“They want to keep me around for ‘just-in-case’ purposes,’ ” Saunders said. “I’m a cheerleader.”

He is staying close at hand as the Angels tiptoe through their pitching rotation this week. John Lackey has tendinitis in his right shoulder and Jered Weaver jammed his shoulder while sliding June 16 against the Dodgers.

“It’s developed from explaining it to Joe, which he’s come to understand, to last night, ‘Joe, you know the routine,’ ” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “He understands the situation. He’s a guy who’s going to pitch in the big leagues for a long time and right now he’s trying to get that foothold that sometimes takes a little bit of time.”

Saunders is 3-0 with a 2.97 earned-run average in five starts. He gave up four runs in six innings Friday, but none after the third inning. Angels relievers then combined for five shutout innings, setting the stage for an 11-inning, 5-4 victory. Saunders, who went 7-3 with the Angels last year, has been more successful in the majors than in the minors. He is 3-5 with a 5.22 ERA with Salt Lake.

“I don’t know what the reason for that is,” Saunders said of the inconsistent results. “My command is good down there, I don’t walk a lot of guys.

“It’s disappointing going down there every time.”

Catcher Mike Napoli said he sympathized with Saunders’ situation.

“When things are right with him, he could be a good major league pitcher,” Napoli said. “He’s shown that he can compete up here, he’s shown that he can win up here.

“It just shows how many quality arms this rotation has. He could pitch anywhere. It kind of stinks that he has to be odd man out. He understands that role he’s in right now, someone who gets a spot start and pitches well.”

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Lackey threw in the bullpen Saturday and Weaver will throw in the bullpen today. Scioscia said Lackey will start Monday against Kansas City, Ervin Santana will start Tuesday, and Weaver will start Wednesday.

“You certainly want to be cautious and err on that side, but you don’t want to push your guys so far back that he’s out of rhythm and so far away from pitching,” Scioscia said. “I think we’re OK where we are right now. We have a schedule where we can get these guys up to a level where they can be more comfortable out there. When you get them healthy, you want to get them back out there pitching.”

Scioscia said he toyed with the idea of going with a 12-man pitching staff, but with three off-days in a 12-day span, there’s no need to panic. “An extra pitcher is just a phone call away,” Scioscia said.

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First baseman Casey Kotchman, out since June 16 because of a concussion, took batting practice, ground balls and other drills Saturday. He hasn’t had a headache since Wednesday. “I’m getting better every day,” he said.

“I don’t know if he’ll play [today],” Scioscia said, “but we’ll move forward. When he’s ready, he’s ready, but we’re not targeting one day.”

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martin.henderson@latimes.com