Scioscia sticks with Anderson

BOSTON -- Mike Scioscia doesn’t know if there’s a “magic point” at which he would drop a struggling player down in the order.

He just knows he hasn’t reached it with cleanup batter Garret Anderson, who entered Tuesday in a six-for-36 slump (.167) but showed signs of breaking out with a two-run single in the third inning and a single in the fifth against the Red Sox.

“If it helps a player to get out of a role for a while and hit him in a different grouping, you do it,” Scioscia said. “But right now, we don’t see that. We have a lot of confidence Garret will contribute.

“He drove in more runs than anybody in the game in the second half last year. There’s a history there that he’s going to be very productive.”

But Anderson will be 36 in June, and while most of his struggles in recent years have been tied to injuries, the left fielder is sound now.

Three weeks into 2008, Anderson is batting .244 in 86 at-bats with two homers and 11 runs batted in. He also popped out to third with runners on second and third and one out in the seventh inning Tuesday, when a ground ball would have scored the tying run.

Unlike many players who constantly tinker with their swings, Anderson has always been a “feel” hitter, maintaining the same swing mechanics whether he’s struggling or not.

Hitting coach Mickey Hatcher made one suggestion to Anderson on Tuesday, though: back off the plate just a little bit.

“He’s working hard to create that feeling, and he’s not quite there yet,” Hatcher said. “But he’s moving in the right direction.”

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Josh Beckett’s neck stiffness, which forced the ace to be scratched from Tuesday night’s game, was one of several medical issues the Red Sox were dealing with.

Jason Varitek’s flu-like symptoms were so severe the catcher was unable to make it to the park for the second straight day, leaving Boston with one catcher, Kevin Cash, who started against the Angels.

The team’s emergency catcher was second baseman Dustin Pedroia, all 5 feet 9, 180 pounds of him.

“We’ll have to find some equipment to fit him,” Manager Terry Francona said.

Center fielder Coco Crisp has been unavailable for a week because of a hamstring injury, and third baseman Mike Lowell (sprained left thumb) and utility player Alex Cora (sprained right elbow) remain on the disabled list.

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Angels pitcher Kelvim Escobar, sidelined by a shoulder tear, will begin throwing again today in Arizona, about a month after he discontinued his previous throwing program because of pain.

If Escobar, who went 18-7 with a 3.40 earned-run average last season, experiences another setback, he probably will undergo surgery that would knock him out for the season.

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The Angels’ triple-A Salt Lake club extended its win streak to nine games and improved to 17-1 overall with a 9-4 win over Portland on Monday night.

Corner infielder Matt Brown is batting .405 with six home runs and 19 RBIs, and shortstop Brandon Wood is batting .268 with seven homers and 13 RBIs. Wood has 26 strikeouts and five walks in 71 at-bats.

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com