Holtz Takes Some Giant Steps Forward

One short popup by San Francisco Giants’ star Bobby Bonds, one giant leap for Angel reliever Mike Holtz.

Holtz, who has lost his left-handed set-up job to Greg Cadaret and has a 6.43 earned-run average, retired Bonds in the eighth inning Wednesday night and then struck out J.T. Snow to end the inning.

“It’s never an easy job when you’re trying to get out of a slump against Barry Bonds,” Holtz said. “I’m just trying to take a step forward each day and get better each time.”

Holtz went forward a little more Thursday, pitching a 1-2-3 ninth, getting Snow--who had homered twice--to fly to center field to end the inning. It was the third consecutive solid performance by Holtz. But who’s counting?

“The best relievers in the game say you can’t let the past affect the future,” Holtz said. “You don’t want a snowball effect where one bad thing leads to another.”

Manager Terry Collins, though, would like Holtz, who was 3-4 with two saves and a 3.32 ERA last season, to relive the past a little.

“We need this guy,” Collins said. “He pitched well for us in big situations last season, getting top left-handed hitters out, and we’re going to need that in the second half.”

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Relief pitcher Mike James will have exploratory surgery on his right forearm within the next two weeks, ending his season. James underwent an MRI exam on Thursday that showed no improvement in the partially torn muscle.

“It’s been frustrating for me,” James said. “The night it happened, I thought I was done. Then we did the [first] MRI and they believed rest might heal it.

“I know my body and I knew it wasn’t getting any better. It’s not working any more, so we have to fix it.”

James’ rehabilitation will take anywhere from six months to a year, “depending on what they find,” he said.

The Angels have been without James since May 4, which softened Friday’s news.

“It’s tough, especially for Mike,” Collins said. “We had hoped he would be back. That’s not going to happen. The guys who have been picking up the slack while he has been out are going to have to keep doing it.”

Collins has used Rich DeLucia and Shigetoshi Hasegawa as right-handers in the set-up role.

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Pitcher Erik Hanson, signed to a minor league contract a week ago, made his first start at triple-A Vancouver on Thursday, giving up one run in 3 2/3 innings. Hanson pitched three scoreless innings, then tired, leaving with the bases loaded in the fourth.

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Right-hander Jason Dickson’s grandfather died Friday night and Dickson returned to Ontario, Canada. He is expected to rejoin the team in Seattle after the all-star break.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’ JARROD WASHBURN (4-0, 3.38 ERA) vs. ATHLETICS’ MIKE OQUIST (4-5, 5.87 ERA)

Edison Field, 6 p.m.

TV--FX Radio--KRLA (1110), XPRS (1090)

* Update--Washburn, 23, is coming off his best start in beating the first-place San Diego Padres (seven innings, two runs, three strikeouts, no walks) and hardly seems awed by anything, even pitching for a pennant contender before an expected sellout crowd on the Fourth of July. “It’s just another game,” Washburn said. “Pitching before a big crowd on a holiday will be great and it’s an important game for us, but there isn’t that much difference.” Oakland’s Ben Grieve was 11 for 22 in six games before Friday and is the fifth A’s rookie to be named to the all-star team, joining Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Matt Keough and Wayne Gross.