Angels’ Tyler Skaggs likely headed to DL with forearm strain

Tyler Skaggs was pulled from Thursday night’s game against the Baltimore Orioles in the fifth inning because of a forearm strain that will probably send the Angels left-hander to the disabled list for the second time this season.

But Skaggs, 23, is confident that the injury is not serious, a huge relief to the Angels considering how many pitchers have undergone elbow reconstruction surgery this year.

“The doctor said the UCL [ulnar collateral ligament] is fine,” Skaggs said after the Angels’ 1-0, 13-inning win over the Orioles. “At the moment, it’s not looking bad. I have full range of motion, and the tests went well. We’ll see tomorrow, though. It’s not feeling too bad right now.”

Skaggs, who has never injured his arm before, will undergo an MRI test Friday. He said he was injured when he “over-pronated” his arm on a changeup that he threw to strike out Delmon Young to start the fifth.

“The flexor tendon tightened up on me, and I couldn’t really feel my fingers,” he said. “I tried to pitch through it.”

Skaggs struck out J.J. Hardy with a curve, “and it was killing me,” Skaggs said. He walked Steve Pearce, an at-bat in which Skaggs said he “didn’t really know where the ball was going.”

When all he could muster was an 89-mph fastball to Caleb Joseph, Skaggs knew he couldn’t continue, even though he had a no-hitter at the time.

“The funny thing was, I felt great today,” said Skaggs, who missed most of June because of a right-hamstring strain. “I felt like it was one of the better games I’d thrown all year. It’s frustrating.”

Manager Mike Scioscia said he would await direction from the team’s medical staff before determining whether Skaggs goes on the DL, a move that would keep Hector Santiago in the rotation.

“Any pitcher who has something going on with their arm, whether it’s a forearm or elbow or shoulder, there’s no doubt you’re concerned and you want to be cautious,” Scioscia said. “I don’t think we’re overly concerned, long-range, but we’re certainly going to monitor it.”