Minors a Positive Experience for Abbott

There was a Vancouver Canadian cap stashed in Jim Abbott’s locker Tuesday afternoon. Teammates clustered around, listening to Abbott’s tales of life in the minor leagues.

Pitchers Mike James, Troy Percival, Robert Ellis and Jason Dickson hung on Abbott’s every word. They had been in the minors before, but Abbott was back from his first stint.

“I enjoyed it,” Abbott told reporters later. “I tried to go down there with a new attitude. It was a chance to get a different view on baseball. That was a positive change.”

Abbott was 0-2 with one complete game and a 3.41 earned-run average in four starts for triple-A Vancouver.

“It was a chance to throw the ball and not worry too much about the results,” said Abbott, 1-15 with a 7.79 ERA with the Angels before he was sent to the minors Aug. 14.

“I think I made strides. We’ll see. I pitched some pretty decent games down there. I feel better for the experience.”

Abbott is scheduled to start against Minnesota on Sunday in the Metrodome. Including Sunday, he will probably get four starts before the end of the season.

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There will be no four-man outfield rotation like the last time Darin Erstad was with the Angels, interim Manager Joe Maddon said. Garret Anderson, Jim Edmonds and Tim Salmon will remain starters.

They had platooned with Erstad in a failed experiment after Edmonds, sidelined by a sprained thumb, returned from the disabled list July 18.

Maddon said he will try to get Erstad, who batted .305 in 85 games with Vancouver, playing as soon as possible, but not at the expense of the others.

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Maddon expected Abbott, Ellis, Erstad, Schmidt and first baseman Chris Pritchett to arrive today. “[But] I was leaving the ballpark [Monday] night and there was the airport van with the guys,” Maddon said. . . . The Angels would like to take a look at Pritchett, particularly since J.T. Snow has slumped after a superb 1995. Snow was 4 for 27 (.148) in the past eight games before Tuesday. . . . Hitting coach Rod Carew missed his second consecutive game because of the flu. . . . Reliever Mike Holtz left the team to attend his grandfather’s funeral in Pennsylvania. . . . There were 250 people lined up for autographs when Cal Ripken Jr. walked on the field to take batting practice.