BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Fabregas Ready in a Pinch

Triple-A catcher Jorge Fabregas flew all night from Phoenix to New York and worked out with the Angels before Sunday’s 11-3 loss to the Yankees, but he was not activated.

With starting catcher Greg Myers slowed by a strained left quadriceps and backup Andy Allanson recovering from a deep cut on his left hand, Manager Marcel Lachemann wanted Fabregas on hand as an emergency replacement.

Lachemann said Fabregas, who was batting .217 with four homers and nine runs batted in at Vancouver, will accompany the Angels to Boston and might be activated there.

“I’m just glad I wasn’t activated for this one,” Fabregas said after Sunday’s game. Mark Dalesandro made his first start behind the plate and doubled and scored in the fifth inning.

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The Angels had given up only one first-inning run on the road this season until Sunday’s eight-run outburst by the Yankees. Reliever Mike James, who missed almost a month because of a strained neck muscle, made his first appearance since May 10 and pitched two innings of one-hit relief.

Angel center fielder Jim Edmonds broke an 0 for 16 spell with a double to left in the second inning. He also made a nice basket catch, with his back to home plate, of Bernie Williams’ long drive to prevent the Yankees from scoring more runs in the first.

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Yankee Manager Buck Showalter was asked afterward if his players, who had only 13 hits against the Angels in the first two games of the series and had lost 10 of the last 11 games, had used the bat Tony Phillips had confiscated before the game. There was no reply.

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The Angels’ interest in Chris Sabo, the third baseman/designated hitter who was released Saturday by the Chicago White Sox and could be signed for the major league minimum $109,000, has cooled since last week.

“We’ll look at what’s out there, but I don’t anticipate us doing much,” said Tim Mead, assistant general manager.