BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Valera Goes on Disabled List

The Angels, saying they don’t believe reliever Julio Valera is telling the truth about his tender elbow, put him on the 15-day disabled list Thursday and recalled Mike Butcher.

Valera, who left the rotation six days ago after experiencing tenderness in his right elbow, returned from Kansas City to Los Angeles, where he is scheduled to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging test by Dr. Lewis Yocum. His problem has been diagnosed as an inflamed elbow, and the Angels are fearful that he has a partially torn ligament.

“He keeps telling us he’s OK,” Manager Buck Rodgers said. “But I think he’s hurting. He’s not throwing that forkball like he was. When he’s healthy, he gets left-handers out as well as right-handers with that pitch.

“I think he’s been trying to cover this up since spring training.”

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Whitey Herzog, Angel vice president for player personnel, teasing Royal Manager Hal McRae about his rash of ejections: “Mac, your pitchers have more complete games this season than you do.”

McRae has been ejected four times, three against the Angels.