Bizarre Twist of Fate for Watson

Pitcher Allen Watson will not be in the Angel rotation or bullpen this week. He did, however, land in the emergency room Monday when he suffered a deep gash on his left wrist while opening a bottle of beer.

We’re not making this up.

Watson, who was going to be activated off the disabled list Tuesday, was at a friend’s house in Newport Beach during the off-day when the accident occurred at about 3 p.m.

“I was opening the bottle and it just broke in half, and my arm kept going,” Watson said. “I looked down at my hand and blood was coming out. It sliced my wrist. Another quarter-inch over and I’m dead.”

Six stitches were needed to close the cut, which was perilously close to the ulnar artery on the outside of his wrist. Watson is considering legal action against the beer company because he believes the bottle was defective.

“It was pretty scary,” he said. “If I cut that artery in there I’m in trouble. I guess I’m lucky. I’m not lucky baseball-wise--I was probably going to come back [Tuesday] or [today].”

Watson, on the disabled list because of an elbow injury, will not be able to throw for at least a week, and the stitches won’t be removed for 10-12 days.

It appeared Watson was going to be sent to the bullpen, so as not to disrupt a successful Angel rotation, “but I guess I won’t have to make that decision for a while,” Manager Terry Collins said.

*

It’s July, so the annual rent-a-player sweepstakes is about to begin, with contending teams looking to raid the non-contenders for players who could boost their hopes of reaching the playoffs and winning the World Series.

Starting pitchers are usually the focus of July trades, but there does not appear to be a bumper crop of arms available, unless the rumors are true and the Colorado Rockies are willing to part with Darryl Kile.

Among the pitchers believed to be on the block are Montreal’s Carlos Perez, Kansas City’s Tim Belcher and Pat Rapp, Oakland’s Kenny Rogers and Tom Candiotti and Toronto’s Juan Guzman.

The Angels have had discussions with the Royals about Belcher, a veteran right-hander who is 6-7 with a 3.86 earned-run average, but with the success of rookies such as Jarrod Washburn and Justin Baughman, the Angels are reluctant to part with the top prospects--most notably triple-A pitcher Scott Schoeneweis--that it would take to complete such a deal.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

STEVE SPARKS

(3-0, 3.60 ERA)

vs.

GIANTS’

DANNY DARWIN

(6-5, 4.75 ERA)

Edison Field, 7:30 p.m.

TV--Fox Sports West. Radio--KRLA (1110), XPRS (1090), KIK-FM (94.3).

* Update--Only one Angel, shortstop Gary DiSarcina (ninth), finished among the top 10 at his position in fan balloting for the All-Star Game. But two Angels--left fielder Darin Erstad and closer Troy Percival--are expected to be among the reserves chosen by Cleveland Manager Mike Hargrove today, and DiSarcina, Jim Edmonds and Chuck Finley will receive consideration.