Surprise, Ariz. ? If the Los Angeles Angels need Hector Carrasco to fill in for one of their injured starters, he looks perfectly capable of doing so.

Carrasco, who has made only nine starts during his 11-year major-league career, started Monday and pitched four shutout innings to lead Los Angeles past the Kansas City Royals, 11-4. The right-hander gave up four hits, struck out three and did not walk a batter.

His impressive outing came hours after ailing Angels starters Bartolo Colon and Jered Weaver each threw 45 pitches in a bullpen session. Both looked good, pitching coach Mike Butcher said, but Colon is expected to miss most or all of April, and it’s too early to tell whether Weaver will be ready to start the season.

That means the Angels might need to make Carrasco a temporary starter.

“They tell me they are going to stretch me out here because they don’t know if those guys are going to be ready,” Carrasco said. “I’m ready for anything that happens. Starting, relieving, I don’t care. Either one. Last year I did both. I hope those guys get ready fast. Colon and Weaver, we need those guys.”

Colon has had shoulder problems, and Weaver was shut down early in spring training with biceps tendinitis.

“They are going to be ready at some point of the season. I’m not going to put a date on it,” Butcher said.

Carrasco said manager Mike Scioscia told him to be ready to start when the season begins – just in case.

As for backup outfielders, the Angels have plenty of options.

Jeff Mathis homered twice and drove in three runs against Kansas City. Tommy Murphy had a two-run shot and three RBIs, and Erick Aybar went 2-for-4 and scored twice.

“There’s depth there on the outfield side,” Scioscia said. “I don’t know if you’re going to say there’s a lead dog because you could handicap them every day and one guy might be a little ahead of the others depending on what’s going on. But they’re all showing they can play the game. We saw the pop in Tommy Murphy’s bat.”

Despite giving up 13 hits and 11 runs, the Royals got an encouraging outing from starter Gil Meche. The right-hander, who has been working on new footwork during his delivery, went four innings. He gave up four hits and two runs, on Mathis’ two-run homer in the fourth.

Meche, who signed a $55 million, five-year contract with Kansas City in the offseason, was pleased with the way he threw.