BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Winfield: Team Merely Adjusting, Not Slumping

Dave Winfield shuns the word “slump” for psychological reasons. “Too negative,” he says. Instead he calls such times “periods of adjustment.”

And he knows one when he sees one.

“As a team, this is truly a period of adjustment,” he said.

The Angels entered Thursday’s game hitting .209 during this home stand, with two home runs in 11 games.

“You go through these things as individuals,” he said. “As a team, it’s harder to explain. It’s kind of up to each individual to decide whether he needs to work harder, or stop trying to do so much as an individual. You always need to make sure you’re deeply in the game and working hard, because it’s contagious. If you aren’t hustling, that’s the worst thing you can do.”

Gary Gaetti, who discovered in a recent eye exam that he is somewhat nearsighted, tried taking batting practice with his new glasses before Thursday’s game. He said he couldn’t tell if the glasses improved his vision at the plate at all, and also said he felt uncomfortable wearing them to hit.

“You won’t see me (wear them) in a game for a long time, the way they felt today,” he said.

Gaetti sought an eye exam because he noticed blurriness while reading and looking at digital displays, and said he has not noticed a vision problem while hitting or fielding. “I’m not going to make excuses any time I strike out or make an error,” he said.