BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : DiSarcina Visits Teammates

Angel shortstop Gary DiSarcina, who came to Anaheim Stadium Wednesday and greeted his teammates for the first time since sustaining a fractured right thumb last week, says he just has started to recover emotionally.

“I was pretty crushed, actually,” said DiSarcina, who broke his thumb when he was hit by a pitch. “I tried to watch a few games on TV, but I had to get up and leave a couple of times. It’s hard to see somebody else do your job. It’s hard to take.

“I was still feeling pretty down until (Angel Manager) Buck (Rodgers) gave me a call and pumped me up. He called me at the right time, because I was feeling really bad. Now, I’m going to concentrate on getting healthy instead of sulking all season.”

DiSarcina, who had played in 211 consecutive games, said that he harbors no grudge or ill feelings toward Baltimore Oriole starter Ben McDonald, who hit him with the inside pitch. McDonald, who started Wednesday against the Angels, apologized profusely to DiSarcina in Baltimore when he learned that DiSarcina’s thumb was broken.

“I was really impressed,” DiSarcina said. “For him to apologize is pretty classy. He didn’t have to do that. I respect guys who pitch inside, and that’s all he was doing.”

DiSarcina will have the stitches removed in his thumb in 10 days, and the three pins taken out in about two months.

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While it’s unlikely the Angels will pick up the option in starter John Farrell’s contract, they still are exploring the possibility of retaining starter Joe Magrane, who’s eligible for free agency at the end of the season.

Farrell and Magrane each are returning from “Tommy John” surgery, but the Angels believe Magrane might be a better pitcher at this stage. They’ll continue to evaluate Magrane the remainder of the season, while they have yet to decide whether they’ll recall Farrell from triple-A Vancouver.

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Angel catcher John Orton, who had been on a rehabilitative assignment at triple-A Vancouver, returned to Anaheim and will have surgery on his right elbow. He will be out four months to a year. . . . The Angels’ epidemic of injuries and bad health has transcended even off the playing field, with play-by-play announcer Bob Starr out until Sept. 13 because of viral pneumonia.