Whoever They Are, They’re Unbeaten

George Arias hit his third home run this spring and added a run-scoring single, and knuckleballer Dennis Springer pitched three flawless innings in the Angels’ 10-3 exhibition victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday at Chandler, Ariz. Orlando Palmeiro and Keith Luuloa each singled twice and scored a run.

These are not household names, even to the most avid of Angel fans.

But almost anyone who wears an Angel uniform this spring has excelled, which pleases Manager Marcel Lachemann but also leaves him with some difficult decisions.

“It’s good to have that depth from an organizational standpoint,” Lachemann said after the Angels improved their spring record to 8-0-1. “It’s no fun to tell a kid, ‘You could probably play in the major leagues with another organization.’

“It’s not real easy. Some people might say it is easy because they’re just young kids. But a lot of guys are doing a lot of good things.”

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Third baseman Jack Howell left the game after getting hit in the chin by Chuck Finley’s errant pickoff throw in the first inning. In the second inning, Howell singled, came around to score, then told Lachemann, “I don’t remember the [base-running] signs.”

Howell was then sent to a nearby hospital, where it was determined he had a slight concussion.

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Catcher Jorge Fabregas signed a one-year contract, leaving Garret Anderson, Jim Edmonds, Troy Percival and J.T. Snow as the only unsigned players. Edmonds, Percival and Snow have agreed to deals but have not signed. . . . Right-hander Steve Ontiveros, projected to be the No. 4 starter but slowed by a tender elbow, played long toss. “It feels normal,” he said of his elbow. . . . The Angels will send some players to their minor league camp at Mesa on Monday. This weekend marks the last of the Angels’ split-squad games, with one group playing Oakland today and Sunday in Las Vegas. The other group entertains San Diego today and plays Colorado Sunday at Tucson.