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. Orlando Palmeiro and Keith Luuloa each singled twice and scored a run.

Manager Marcel Lachemann didn’t exactly play the household names during the Angels’ 10-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers Friday at Chandler, Ariz., but it really didn’t seem to matter.

Almost anyone who wears an Angel uniform this spring has excelled, which pleases Lachemann. It also leaves him with some difficult decisions to make and some bad news to deliver to talented young players.

“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.”

Take Arias. He made a superb diving stop at third base, leaped to his feet and threw out John Jaha at first base in the fourth inning. In the fifth, he hit a towering homer over the left-field fence off left-hander Henry Santos.

“If I’m at triple A I’m not going to let that bother me,” Arias said. “All I can do is play hard.”

Arias also has benefited from hitting coach Rod Carew’s instructions.

“I’ve been working with Rod about being more disciplined at the plate,” Arias said. “I’m a free swinger and I can really feel the difference.”

Springer is another Angel who likely will be playing in the minors this season. But his knuckleball danced and fluttered and the Brewers could not hit him. He retired all nine batters he faced, including Brewer third baseman Kevin Seitzer.

“He’s not really going to make the team, is he?” Seitzer later asked Lachemann in mock disgust.

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Third baseman Jack Howell left the game after getting hit in the chin with 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 and it was determined he had a slight concussion.

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Catcher Jorge Fabregas signed a one-year contract Friday, leaving Garret Anderson, Jim Edmonds, Troy Percival and J.T. Snow as the only unsigned players in camp. Deals with Edmonds, Percival and Snow have been agreed to but not yet signed. . . . Right-hander Steve Ontiveros, projected to be the No. 4 starter but slowed this spring by a tender elbow, played long toss Friday and figures to do so twice more before throwing off a mound. “It [the elbow] feels normal,” he said. . . . The Angels hope to send quite a few 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 hosts San Diego today and plays Colorado Sunday at Tucson.