BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Phillips Vows to Shake Slump

Lead-off batter Tony Phillips, in a three-for-34 slump, emerged from a 20-minute team meeting after Sunday’s loss to Boston with a new outlook on life, and it showed Monday--he had three hits, including a homer, and a walk in five plate appearances.

“I promised myself yesterday that we had 24 games left, and I was going to fight everybody and their mama,” Phillips said. “If it doesn’t work out, I’ll be able to look in the mirror and say I battled everybody, including myself. That’s the way it’s going to be for the next 23 games, no matter what happens.”

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Jim Edmonds, who sat out two games because of a strained lower back muscle, returned to the lineup and had two hits and a run. He began the game with one hit in his previous 22 at-bats.