Angels Have Reacted Well to Adversity All Season

The Angels have survived the losses of pitchers Mark Langston and Mark Gubicza for months, starting pitcher Chuck Finley and closer Troy Percival for weeks and center fielder Jim Edmonds for extended periods, responding to each injury by elevating their play to compensate for all the absences.

So in that respect, they look at Sunday’s arrest of leadoff batter Tony Phillips on cocaine-possession charges as just another obstacle to overcome in this season of hardships.

But how will the arrest affect clubhouse chemistry, which has been a key component in the Angels’ rise to the top of the American League West?

Phillips, 38, is one of the Angels’ leaders, an outspoken utility player and a fiery veteran who, since his trade May 18 by the Chicago White Sox, has helped set the tone for the Angels with his intense play.

But will he be able to retain leader status and the respect of his teammates, especially the young players, when he returns to the team today?

“I just don’t know,” Manager Terry Collins said. “All I know is, Tony Phillips has dealt with a lot of things in his career, and he’s maligned sometimes because of his actions, but what that does is drive him to be a great player. He feeds off those things. He’s got a great feeling for everyone in this clubhouse, and he will come back ready to play.”

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The news of Phillips’ arrest wasn’t the only jolt Collins got Sunday. He thought he might have lost relief pitcher Mike Holtz when the left-hander landed awkwardly on a 2-0 pitch to B.J. Surhoff in the ninth inning of the Angels’ 4-3 loss to Baltimore.

“I thought he blew out his arm the way he threw that ball,” Collins said. “That scared me. Fortunately it looks like a minor twist of the ankle, and he should be fine.”

Collins went out to check on Holtz, who had retired two batters in the ninth, and pulled him from the game after one warm-up pitch. Holtz, who has a 3-3 record and a 1.74 earned-run average in 47 appearances, simply caught his right foot in the landing hole on the mound.

“It’s nothing but a mild sprain,” Holtz said. “It’s nothing that a little ice and a day off won’t take care of.”

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Collins said pitching Coach Marcel Lachemann and bullpen Coach Joe Coleman have made slight adjustments to Ken Hill’s motion that might have made the Angel right-hander feel a little uncomfortable.

But Hill, who walked six but gave up only two runs in 5 2/3 innings Sunday, believes his problems are not mechanical.

“I just have to be more aggressive and attack hitters,” Hill said. “My problem is mental. I’m trying to make every pitch perfect, and that’s what is killing me.”

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ON DECK

* Opponent--Chicago White Sox, two games.

* Site--Comiskey Park, Chicago.

* Tonight--5.

* TV--Channel 9 tonight.

* Radio--KTZN (710).

* Records--Angels 66-51, White Sox 56-59.

* Record vs. White Sox--6-3.

ANGELS’ JASON DICKSON (11-4, 3.80 ERA) vs. WHITE SOX’S JAIME NAVARRO (8-10, 5.49 ERA)

* Update--The Angels got some help from a few old friends on the White Sox over the weekend when Chicago won the final two of four games against Seattle. Former Angel reliever Chuck McElroy struck out Ken Griffey in the ninth inning Sunday with runners on first and third, and former Angel catcher Jorge Fabregas applied the game-ending tag on Joey Cora. It appeared the White Sox ownership was giving up on the season when it traded pitchers Wilson Alvarez, Roberto Hernandez and Danny Darwin to San Francisco for six minor leaguers July 31, but the White Sox are a half-game closer to first-place Cleveland (three games) than they were when they made the deal. Frank Thomas, who leads the American League with a .351 average, is day-to-day because of a hip injury suffered Saturday. The last time Dickson faced Chicago, the White Sox rocked him for eight runs and seven hits in 1 2/3 innings July 31.

* Wednesday, 5 p.m.--Allen Watson (10-6, 4.54) vs. Scott Eyre (0-2, 8.68).