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BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Rotation Won’t Be Revamped for Now

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Angel officials met Monday to discuss the team’s poor pitching but decided to make no decisions for the time being.

“Right now, we’re going to stay where we are,” Manager Buck Rodgers said. “We’re re-evaluating, trying to decide if what we’ve got here is going to be better or what we have (in the minors) is going to be better.”

Rodgers is reluctant to call up John Farrell or Russ Springer--the two most obvious candidates for a spot in the rotation--from triple-A Vancouver. Farrell is 4-4 with a 3.25 earned-run average. Springer is 2-4 with a 3.04 ERA. Rookie Andrew Lorraine is 3-1 with a 3.02 ERA, but the Angels would like to leave the 21-year-old in Vancouver for at least half of the season.

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“It’s easy to say a guy who has pitched a couple of good games in triple-A is ready, but come sit in this chair and then say it,” Rodgers said. “It’s difficult to compare what they’re doing on the triple-A level versus what that means at the major league level. I want to be as sure as I can before I make that choice.”

All of which means that Mark Leiter, who has given up 22 runs in his last four starts, could get another chance Thursday night against Kansas City.

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Catcher Greg Myers, who has been on the disabled list since suffering torn cartilage during a collision at home plate with Boston’s Mike Greenwell on April 23, took batting practice for the first time since then Monday.

“It felt great. Actually, I didn’t feel anything, which is great,” Myers said. “Now I’m going to catch some guys in the bullpen and see how that goes. I’m optimistic, though.”

The next step will be a rehabilitation assignment in the minors, but the Angels are in no hurry to rush Myers back into action.

“Greg was catching as good as I’ve ever seen him catch and he was throwing as good as I’ve ever seen him throw,” Rodgers said. “So we wouldn’t want to see him get into any bad habits by favoring it.”

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Gary DiSarcina was a late scratch from the lineup Monday night after he was hit in the right eye while fielding a ground ball during batting practice. X-rays were negative and the injury is not considered serious, but DiSarcina was experiencing some blurred vision. . . . Chili Davis, who received six stitches below his left knee after sliding into the spikes of Seattle catcher Dan Wilson Saturday, will be available for specialized pinch-hitting duties only for the next few days. “It doesn’t hurt at all, but they don’t want to risk it popping open,” Davis said. Rodgers said he would use Davis only in “non-running situations, when we need him to drive in a run, or a bunch of runs.”. . . . The Angels’ 9-5 loss Sunday to the Mariners took 3 hours 42 minutes. “It had been an hour and 40 minutes and we were in the third inning,” Rodgers said. “I told Harold (Reynolds) to keep talking out there because I didn’t want anybody falling asleep.”

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