BASEBALL: DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Ducey Happy to Get Chance to Start

Rob Ducey walked into the clubhouse and enjoyed a rare moment: He was in the lineup, making his Angel debut in left field.

Ducey started only three games while with Toronto. “I started against Oakland last Sunday. Before that it was two months,” he said. He had one hit in 21 at-bats with the Blue Jays before being traded to the Angels on Thursday.

“It was very difficult for me this year, waiting until we were losing by 10 or winning by 10,” said Ducey, 27. “If it was a close game, I knew I might be a pinch-runner.

Ducey struck out twice before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the eighth. His 1992 average: .043.

After pitching for 20 minutes off of the mound with no problems Sunday, Jim Abbott, who has a strained right rib cage, will have one more workout Wednesday, when it will be determined if he can start Saturday against the Chicago White Sox at Anaheim Stadium. If he can’t, the Angels will have to decide who will fill in or start on a short-rest rotation because Tuesday’s doubleheader at Kansas City will stretch the staff thin.