Kennedy, Eckstein greet old friends

They’ve switched allegiances, moving to a new city and a different league, but Adam Kennedy and David Eckstein will always have an affinity for the Angels.

Both members of the double-play combination that helped spark the Angels to their only World Series title in 2002 were reacquainted with their former teammates for the first time Friday night when the Angels opened a series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

Kennedy, who signed a three-year, $10-million deal with the Cardinals in the off-season, said he planned to get together with his old friends over the weekend and “have a few Diet Cokes.”

The second baseman said he had been looking forward to playing the Angels until the rigors of a difficult season set in. He is hitting .223 with no homers and 11 runs batted in for a team that has likewise failed to meet expectations.

“I can’t get in a good groove,” said Kennedy, who was hitless in two at-bats and was picked off third base in the fourth inning. “I’ll have some good at-bats here and there. Some good games here and there. I just can’t put it together for an extended period.”

Eckstein, the shortstop who won a World Series with the Angels and then the Cardinals last year, said his first title had a special impact.

“Being able to win a World Series there, it kind of brought baseball to the area and packing the house every single night, that was kind of cool,” Eckstein said.

Said Kennedy: “I think we saw the transition in Anaheim from definitely not a big baseball town to there’s a huge following now. It’s sort of the same but on a different level here. These people are born to love the Cardinals, generations of them loving the Cardinals. It’s just a longer tradition.”

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The Angels were quite familiar with some of their selections on the second day of the amateur draft, particularly Encino Crespi High infielder Matt Scioscia. The son of the Angels’ manager was a 41st-round pick even though he has signed to play at Notre Dame.

“Evidently people see there is potential there, and that’s exciting,” Mike Scioscia said.

The Angels are also taking another shot at outfielder Patrick White, whom they drafted in the 27th round. They had selected White in the fourth round out of high school in 2004, but he spurned their offer in favor of college football, going on to star at quarterback for West Virginia. Last season, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound junior passed for 1,655 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Mountaineers.

Infielder Brandon Lodge, the Angels’ 46th-round selection out of Rancho Santa Margarita Tesoro High, is the stepson of former Angels infielder Bobby Grich and the son of television personality Roger Lodge.

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Shortstop Orlando Cabrera acknowledged being “real upset” by the two grounders he misplayed during the Angels’ 8-5 loss to Minnesota on Wednesday but said he “tried to turn the page right away. You cannot bring it back and try to fix it, you’ve got to keep going and making plays. And I’m pretty sure that’s not going to be the last error that I’m going to make.” ... Infielder Maicer Izturis’ rehabilitation assignment with triple-A Salt Lake will last at least through the weekend, Scioscia said. Izturis has been on the disabled list since May 22 because of irritation in his right hamstring.

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ben.bolch@latimes.com