BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Winfield May Get More Time at DH

Among the experiments being considered by Manager Buck Rodgers is an increase in the use of Dave Winfield as the designated hitter.

Rodgers couldn’t try that Wednesday because Winfield was hobbled by a bruise on the top of his left foot, the result of having fouled a ball off his foot during batting practice Tuesday. Winfield was the DH Tuesday, as he was Saturday and Sunday in Doug Rader’s last two games as manager. “I’ll probably be doing more of that,” Rodgers said.

Having learned his players’ names in his three days on the job, Rodgers next will try to discover what he couldn’t learn from the telecasts he watched during three months between managerial jobs.

“Obviously, you like to have good character and you hope that everybody wants to be up at bat with the winning run on base, that you’ll have every pitcher give his best effort regardless of the score, and obviously that is not going to be the case,” Rodgers said. “I’m not talking about anybody specifically here. Those are things that are true with every club. You look for who likes to be out there with the game on the line, who really likes to pitch when you’re two runs behind and there’s nothing to lose.

“There are certain guys (the coaches) know better than I do who we want up with two out in the ninth and the game on the line. I know with the Montreal Expos who I wanted. That’s what I’d like to find out in the next six weeks.”

Rodgers also said he has always used a four-man pitching rotation with a “swingman” fifth starter when the schedule dictates, and plans to do the same with the Angels.

Pitchers Scott Lewis and Kyle Abbott and first baseman-outfielder Lee Stevens are certain to be recalled from triple-A Edmonton when rosters expand from 25 to 40 Sunday, but few other additions are likely.

Because of his unfamiliarity with the Angels’ prospects, Rodgers said he will leave the decision on recalls to Bill Bavasi, the director of minor league operations, and Dan O’Brien, the club’s senior vice president of baseball operations. “The only thing I asked is they don’t bring up anybody who doesn’t have a chance to win a job here next season,” Rodgers said.

With Wednesday’s crowd of 24,882, the Angels exceeded 2 million in attendance for the 10th consecutive season and 12th time in franchise history.

Pitcher Bert Blyleven, who underwent rotator cuff surgery in April, has begun throwing every other day. His goal is to throw off the mound in January.