BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Still No Official Word on Valenzuela

Announcement of an agreement for pitcher Fernando Valenzuela to join the Angels’ double-A Midland farm club was delayed until today at the earliest because Angel Senior Vice President Dan O’Brien was traveling from New Jersey to California Thursday and could not meet with Valenzuela’s representatives to finalize the deal.

However, Valenzuela’s agent, Tony DeMarco, said he and attorney Dick Moss will meet with O’Brien today to complete the necessary arrangements. “If we don’t encounter any stumbling blocks, which I don’t think we will, Fernando will join them on Saturday,” DeMarco said. “There is no reason to think anything other than what (O’Brien) said will happen.”

DeMarco said Wednesday Valenzuela would remain with Midland and triple-A Edmonton for 30 days from the date of his first start, or until Aug. 23. If he is not promoted to the major league roster by then, Valenzuela would become a free agent.

The Angels altered their pitching rotation for the rest of this series to move Mark Langston’s start up to tonight. He will be followed by Jim Abbott on Saturday and Chuck Finley on Sunday. Langston had been scheduled to pitch Sunday, with the notion that he might need the rest after pitching in Tuesday’s All-Star game. However, neither Langston nor Bryan Harvey got into the game. “We didn’t want (Langston) to go nine days without pitching. This way, it keeps everybody on the same rest, six or seven days,” pitching coach Marcel Lachemann said.

Center fielder Junior Felix took batting practice for the first time since his strained right calf muscle put him on the disabled list for the second time this season. “I have no pain. I don’t think it’s going to be a problem,” Felix said. He is scheduled to undergo one more test.