DiSarcina, Finley Named Co-Captains

It won’t solve the team’s pitching problems or offensive woes, but Manager John McNamara hopes he filled a leadership void Friday by appointing shortstop Gary DiSarcina and pitcher Chuck Finley as co-captains.

“If players are reluctant to talk to me or the coaches about something they can talk to them,” McNamara said. “They can settle their own differences among themselves.”

Several players aired their beefs to reporters last week before speaking to former Manager Marcel Lachemann, and a perceived lack of communication in the clubhouse was a contributing factor to Lachemann’s resignation Tuesday.

“If someone has problems and doesn’t want to confront McNamara or [General Manager] Bill Bavasi or even [President] Tony Tavares, now he can go to someone else and not have his name attached to it,” DiSarcina said.

“And that’s something different this team hasn’t had. Maybe if we did we could have curtailed some of the problems we had in the past.”

DiSarcina said his new title won’t give him carte blanche “to go around pouncing on people every chance I get--it’s added responsibility, and quite frankly I’m honored.”

Have the Angels lacked leadership? “I guess so,” DiSarcina said. “I never realized we didn’t have enough leaders. It’s been a foggy area. Just because you’re not vocal, or not getting on guys, doesn’t mean you’re not a leader. But we need guys to step up, and now those guys are more defined.”

*

Reliever Mark Eichhorn, who has been on the disabled list since June 6 because of an inflamed right rotator cuff, made his first rehabilitation appearance, throwing an inning for Class A Lake Elsinore on Friday night. . . . Jose Offerman’s lead-off homer Friday was the first time a Royal has led off a game with a homer since July 17, 1995, when Keith Lockhart homered at Boston. . . . McNamara, when asked if he would consider managing the Angels next season: “You never say never . . . but I doubt it.”