BASEBALL: DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Wathan Record Getting Better

John Wathan’s stint as interim manager might wind up on a much better note than it seemed destined for during the team’s 11-game losing streak in late June and early July.

“It feels much better than it did,” said Wathan, who has a 28-37 record during Manager Buck Rodgers’ absence. The Angels finished the month of July with a 14-13 record--despite starting it 0-8.

Rodgers, recovering from injuries suffered in the team’s May 21 bus accident, expects word soon on whether he will be able to return to the dugout Aug. 7, as he hopes.

If he does, Wathan will have served as manager for 70 games--coincidentally the same number of games Rodgers served as interim manager in Milwaukee after George Bamberger’s heart attack during spring training in 1980. It was his own experience, in part, that has led Rodgers to call Wathan’s position a tough one.

The Angels were 19-20 at the time Rodgers was injured, and are 10 under .500 now.

“My goal was, had he come back at the All-Star break, to be at .500,” Wathan said. “Maybe we can get back to that. Or even the same as when he left.”

Reliever Bryan Harvey (sore right elbow) threw for a second consecutive day without pain and guessed he might be able to return in a week or less “as long as we don’t have a setback.”

“This is the best it’s felt in a long time,” said Harvey, who attributed his progress to the cortisone shot he received earlier this week. Harvey didn’t throw any forkballs, the pitch that has caused him the most trouble.

Second baseman Luis Sojo was not in the lineup Saturday after suffering a bruised knuckle on the ring finger of his right hand when he was hit by a pitch by Bobby Witt in Friday’s game. X-rays were negative. Although Sojo can throw, he might sit out one more game. He was available as a late-inning defensive replacement.

Instead of moving Rene Gonzales from third to second and Gary Gaetti from first to third to make up for Sojo’s absence, Wathan started Ken Oberkfell at second.

“Everybody said we had so many different lineups when we were losing,” Wathan said. “We did it to try to find a good combination. Now that we’re winning, we want to keep it the same as much as possible.”

Toby Harrah, who has been named the Rangers’ manager through the end of the season, has laid down some rules in the clubhouse, outlawing card games after 5 p.m. and friends and family after 4. He also has made infield practice mandatory and introduced fines for various offenses.

He wants the Rangers’ thoughts more on baseball. One reason: They are batting .180 with runners in scoring position since the All-Star break.