BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Farrell Under Microscope Tonight

Right-hander John Farrell pitches against the Texas Rangers tonight in what figures to be one of the more closely watched starts by an Angel this season.

Farrell, 2-7 with a 6.41 earned-run average, missed his last turn in the rotation and spent the last few days studying videotapes.

“He looked at some film, and we talked about pitching in the strike zone and pitching out of the strike zone,” Manager Buck Rodgers said. “That’s why I’m kind of anxious to see him pitch.”

Rodgers said a change in the rotation is possible, but he wants to monitor Farrell’s start tonight. Rodgers could move Russ Springer into Farrell’s spot if Farrell continues to struggle.

Julio Valera’s bad outing against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday compounds matters further, however. “I’ve got one option,” Rodgers said. “I don’t have two or three options.”

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Nolan Ryan returned to Anaheim Stadium Monday and acknowledged his spirits are low. “It’s been a miserable year,” said Ryan, who is on the disabled list with a hip injury. “I look back on it and it’s been the worst season of my career. Coming out of spring training I was hoping that this would be one of my more enjoyable years, but it hasn’t worked out that way.”

He made the trip only because Texas Manager Kevin Kennedy asked him to come to lend some leadership to a youthful pitching staff. “I’m just sitting around waiting for my hip to heal,” Ryan said. “It’s not making a lot of progress. Originally, they had four to six weeks, but that’s in high school kids. We’ve gone four weeks, so we’re looking at six weeks.”

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The Angels released a list of their draft selections and one name jumped out among the 56 players--Marshall Faulk, an outfielder from San Diego State. Faulk, a running back who hasn’t played baseball since he was in high school, was selected in the 43rd round. The Angels said they have not talked to Faulk but planned to after the upcoming football season. . . Kings Mike Donnelly, Tony Granato, Charlie Huddy, Marc Potvin and Dave Taylor each threw out the first ball and received a standing ovation from the crowd. All but Taylor took batting practice.