Gubicza Winces and Loses

Mark Gubicza gave the Angels a scare Wednesday when he grunted loudly while throwing a third-inning fastball to Seattle’s Paul Sorrento and winced after the delivery.

Bullpen coach Joe Coleman, serving as pitching coach for the split-squad game in Peoria, Ariz., rushed to the mound to check on Gubicza, but the right-hander said he was fine.

Gubicza, in his second start since missing 2 1/2 weeks because of a sore shoulder, completed a three-inning, 55-pitch stint in which he gave up four runs and seven hits, including a two-run homer to Ken Griffey Jr., in a 6-2 loss.

“I still feel young at times, and your instincts are to not give up anything, rear back and let one go for the strikeout,” Gubicza, 34, said. “It’s not the smart thing to do, but sometimes in the competitive atmosphere, it’s tough not to do that.”

*

Todd Van Poppel’s comeback attempt with the Angels from January back surgery ended when the team released the right-hander, who had a 15.00 earned-run average in eight spring appearances.

Van Poppel, a 1990 first-round pick of the Oakland Athletics who was touted as the next Nolan Ryan coming out of Martin High in Arlington, Texas, has now been released by three teams--the A’s, Detroit Tigers and Angels--in the past year.

He gave up six runs without retiring a batter in his last spring start Tuesday.

*

The Angels, in desperate need of middle relief pitching, have had trade talks with the Baltimore Orioles about right-hander Scott Kamieniecki, who has bounced between the New York Yankees’ major league and triple-A teams for the past six years. But the Angels aren’t expected to make a deal until the Orioles announce final cuts, because Kamieniecki has a clause in his contract that allows him to become a free agent if he is sent to the minor leagues.