Rotation Might Get Tighter

Manager Terry Collins is toying with idea of sticking with a four-man rotation a little longer than he originally planned. Initially, he was going to bring knuckleballer Dennis Springer back from Vancouver and insert him into the rotation this week.

“We’ll see how Mark [Langston] feels after his next start Tuesday,” Collins said. “That will pretty much be the determining factor. We may have all four of them go on three days’ rest next time around.”

Collins said if he sticks with a four-man rotation, it will only be a short-term experiment.

“I tried it a couple of times in Houston, but you can’t just go with it forever these days because the pitchers aren’t conditioned for it,” he said. “You’d have to start in spring training, open the season that way and stay with it.”

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Springer pitched for the Canadians on Wednesday in gale-force winds in Las Vegas. He gave up nine hits and five runs in eight innings, but Collins says the wind made evaluation of Springer’s performance almost impossible.

“Apparently, he had to stop his delivery a couple of times in the middle of his motion because the wind almost blew him off the mound,” he said.

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Jim Edmonds hasn’t had much experience playing first base since Little League--a few games in the minor leagues when he was recovering from an injury and the 22 games he played there in 1994--but nothing he does in the infield will surprise Collins.

“We used to play this little game in spring training,” Collins said, “where I’d try to hit ground balls past him. I never did get one past.”

Edmonds shrugs and says playing center field is much harder than first base.

“There’s a lot more things to worry about in center. I have to worry about those two guys,” Edmonds said, pointing across the clubhouse to left fielder Garret Anderson and right fielder Tim Salmon.

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Darin Erstad, who was walking without a limp Saturday and said he felt much better, will undergo tests today to measure the severity of his hamstring injury.

Team trainers are hopeful Erstad will be able to return to the lineup Tuesday, but Collins said the disabled list is still a possibility and a decision will be made today.

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Pitchers Troy Percival and Mark Gubicza, on the disabled list with shoulder problems, played catch for the second consecutive day Saturday and reported no discomfort.

But both will stay home when the Angels leave for their longest road trip of the season--12 games in 13 days--which begins Tuesday in Boston.

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The Angels have added Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 to the retired numbers of Nolan Ryan (30), Rod Carew (29), Gene Autry (26) and Jimmie Reese (50) on the right field wall.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

TODAY’S GAME

ANGELS’ ALLEN WATSON (0-2, 7.71 ERA) vs. TIGERS’ WILLIE BLAIR

(2-2, 5.85 ERA)

Anaheim Stadium, 1 p.m.

Radio--KTZN (710)

* Update--Watson gave up four hits and three runs in the first inning against Toronto on Tuesday, but found a groove and retired 11 Blue Jays in a row during his six-inning stint. He struck out three and did not walk a batter. Watson has 16 strikeouts and only six walks in four starts. Blair has a far less impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio--Detroit’s worst, in fact--having allowed 15 walks while striking out just seven. Opponents are hitting .298 against him. The Angels continue to demonstrate the ability to battle back, having overcome deficits of three runs (twice) and four runs on the homestand. They have six come-from-behind victories already this season and have won five times in their final at-bat.