BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Rodgers to Be Patient With Farrell

Manager Buck Rodgers said that he will remain patient with starter John Farrell, but acknowledged that the Angels probably will need to find another starter in the next two months.

“Somewhere down the line we’re going to need a pitcher,” Rodgers said. “That’s not guesswork, it’s a fact.

“And I don’t know where he’s going to come from.”

The Angels originally were counting on Russ Springer to be in the rotation, but Friday night was his first strong outing at triple-A Vancouver. He gave up only two hits and one unearned run in six innings.

“Right now, we’re just buying some time,” Rodgers said. “It would be against everything I know not to think we’re going to need a pitcher in five or six weeks. It may be because a guy drops off, or a guy gets hurt, but we will need another starter.”

Farrell, 1-3 with a 6.86 ERA, is coming off a two-year absence because of elbow surgery, and Rodgers says the slow start was anticipated.

“I think his command will come,” Rodgers said. “I think we’re still working on his head more than the arm. I don’t think his head is totally cured yet. His head is still on the DL.”

Chili Davis said that there is no reason to panic simply because the Angels are in their first hitting slump, adding that it would be senseless to sit down and talk to any of the young players.

“Let’s don’t make something out of a few games,” Davis said. “If I come up to them and say, ‘Don’t worry,’ then they might think that I’m worrying.

“And I’m not worried.”

The Angels’ Scott Sanderson, when asked if perhaps the Angels’ expectations became too great after their April start: “The only reason you can say that expectations got too high is because they were too low to begin with.”

After managing Andre Dawson during his glory years in Montreal, Rodgers said it has been difficult watching Dawson struggle these last two days. Dawson, who has had his right knee drained three times this season, has yet to hit the ball out of the infield in eight at-bats this series, dropping his batting average to .225 with only four extra-base hits. He also has been virtually immobile playing right field.

“His knees are so carved up,” Rodgers said. “I don’t know how he could take a honest-to-goodness swing without causing permanent damage.

“Here’s a guy who was a center fielder when I had him, but you look at him now, and you know he’s hurting. When I saw him go after Damion Easley’s ball (Friday night), it was sad because all you want to do is remember him at his best.

“It’s tough to see guys at the end of great careers. The saddest thing to watch since Babe Ruth was when Willie Mays went from the Giants to the New York Mets.”