BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Hudler Given a Rare Opportunity

Chili Davis is still bothered by a sore right groin and Bo Jackson’s history against Bobby Witt--hitless in 11 at-bats with eight strikeouts--added up to Rex Hudler’s first start as a designated hitter Tuesday night.

“Shake yourself, Hud,” Hudler said, smiling. “There was a time when I couldn’t hit my way out of a paper sack, when I figured I would be lucky to stick in the game another month. Now, I’m a DH in the big leagues.

“It’s a tribute to perseverance. I thank the good Lord for that and I thank (former manager) Buck Rodgers for giving me a second chance.”

Hudler, whose major league career has been revived this season after a year with the Yakult Swallows in Japan, looked around the visitors’ clubhouse in Oakland Coliseum and was reminded of his first start in the majors a decade ago.

“It was in this same park,” Hudler said, “I was with the Yankees, (Don) Mattingly was hurt and (Don) Baylor and (Ken) Griffey (Sr.) didn’t want to play first. (Manager) Billy Martin said, ‘Hey, kid, can you play first base?’ I jumped off the bench and screamed, ‘What a question!’

“The next day, I was in the lineup at first base and went one for two.

“And that was 10 years ago, when I couldn’t hit.”

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The Angels optioned catcher Chris Turner to triple-A Vancouver and recalled catcher Andy Allanson from the Canadians. Turner, who was batting .138, will alternate between catcher and designated hitter with Jorge Fabregas.

“They’ll both be in the lineup every day,” Manager Marcel Lachemann said. “We didn’t want to let (Turner) languish here hitting like that. This way, he can get the at-bats to get the swing back he showed last year when he hit .280 in 75 at-bats.”

Allanson, who batted .244 in 477 major league games with Cleveland, Detroit and San Francisco, was batting .261 with three homers for Vancouver.

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Scott Lewis, with triple-A Vancouver while rehabilitating a neck injury, has had “three good outings,” according to Lachemann and is “pretty close to being ready.” Lewis threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings Monday night and earned the victory during a 6-2 win over Tacoma. When might he return to the team? “When we have the feeling that he’s going to be better than someone we have here,” Lachemann said.