Cabrera Is a Royal Pain for Brown

Orlando Cabrera is an outgoing player, often fraternizing with opponents during batting practice and chatting them up on the basepaths, but the Angels shortstop is not exactly making friends with Kansas City Royals outfielder Emil Brown.

For the second time in four games, Cabrera used a bit of trickery Sunday to make Brown look silly on the basepaths, and this time his sleight-of-arm maneuver contributed to an Angels victory.

With the Angels leading, 1-0, with two outs in the second inning and Brown on second, Angel Berroa hit a roller deep into the shortstop hole. Cabrera fielded the ball and, knowing he had no play, faked a throw to first.

Brown never slowed around third -- he was waved home by third base coach Luis Silverio -- and was an easy out on Cabrera’s throw to the plate.

Thursday night, Brown was on second when Matt Stairs hit a chopper up the middle. Cabrera fielded the ball, faked a throw to first, spun and threw to third, which caught Brown too far off the bag.

That play wasn’t costly for the Royals, who won, 9-4. But Sunday’s play killed a rally in the Angels’ 3-1 win.

“I saw the coach sent him home too early,” Cabrera said of Sunday’s play. “I thought I didn’t have a chance at first base. I remembered it was Brown -- he always runs with his head down. I was surprised I got him twice.”

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Manager Mike Scioscia said Sunday’s lineup moves -- Howie Kendrick at third base and Robb Quinlan at first -- were prompted by third baseman Maicer Izturis’ need for a day off and first baseman Kendry Morales’ struggles, but it could be an alignment the Angels use more often.

Morales is five for 34 over his last 11 games, and since his hot start, when he hit .409 (nine for 22) in his first five games, the switch-hitter is batting .217 (35 for 161) in 45 games.

Quinlan, who is batting .351 against left-handers, had already cut into Morales’ playing time by starting at first base against left-handers, but his two-run single in the fourth inning Sunday against right-hander Brandon Duckworth could earn him more time against right-handers.

“I’ve always felt comfortable against right-handers, but I’ve gotten away from that the past few years,” Quinlan said. “Hopefully, I can get more opportunities to help the team out.”

Kendrick, who is already platooning with Adam Kennedy at second base, won’t see as much time at third base as Quinlan will at first -- Izturis is 12 for 32 with nine runs in his last seven games -- but his second-inning double Sunday was a reminder of the offense the organization’s top hitting prospect can bring.

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Kelvim Escobar said his elbow was sore after his seven-inning, three-run effort Saturday. Not a miss-his-next-start kind of sore, but a just-deal-with-it sore.

After undergoing surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow in June 2005 and spending 15 days on the disabled list because of elbow inflammation this month, Escobar has resigned himself to pitching with discomfort for the rest of this season.

“It’s not going to go away for now,” said Escobar, who is also having problems with a recurring blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand. “It’s something I have to deal with. I have to stay on top of my treatments.”

Escobar believes his elbow problems are caused by scar tissue from his surgery. An MRI test during the All-Star break revealed no structural problems.