BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Team Says Prospect Anderson Ready

The name is Garret Anderson, and he is responsible for creating quite a pleasant dilemma for the Angel management these days.

While the Angels contend there’s no harm keeping Anderson at triple-A Vancouver, at some point, they realize they’ll have no choice but to bring him up to the big leagues.

Simply, this 21-year-old has little more to prove in the minors.

Anderson, a left-handed outfielder rated the organization’s top prospect, began Saturday batting .352 with six homers and 50 runs batted in. He went six for eight Friday night against Calgary to extend his hitting streak to 27 games, while hitting safely in 42 of 44 games.

“He’s ready for the big leagues and we know that,” Angel General Manager Bill Bavasi said recently. “It’s just a question of when we bring him up.”

The Angels probably will delay any decision until they can find a spot for Anderson in the daily lineup. They almost had the need Saturday when left fielder Jim Edmonds suffered a bruised right shoulder in the first inning while diving for Norberto Martin’s line drive. Edmonds was forced to leave the game in the second inning.

The injury, however, is not expected to keep Edmonds out long.

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White Sox Manager Gene Lamont yanked Roberto Hernandez from the closer’s role Saturday after blowing a 3-0 lead in Friday’s 5-3 loss to the Angels.

It was Hernandez’s third consecutive blown save. He had saved 38 games in 44 opportunities last season, but only seven of 11 this season with a 6.58 earned-run average.

“Roberto knows he hasn’t done the job,” Lamont said. “He feels as bad as anybody.”

Hernandez, a former Angel farmhand, will now pitch in middle relief, Lamont said. He will use a bullpen-by-committee until Hernandez regains his form.

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Manager Marcel Lachemann, on playing utilityman Mark Dalesandro for the final three innings Friday night: “He swings a good bat, and besides, I don’t know if I could ever get out of this town alive if I didn’t play him.”

Dalesandro, born and raised in Chicago, has had more than 100 friends and family at the games this weekend.