McDowell Will Take Dickson’s Slot

Right-hander Jack McDowell, on the disabled list since April 27 because of an inflamed elbow, will return to the rotation Thursday night against Oakland, replacing Jason Dickson.

“Jack will start and Jason will back him up,” Manager Terry Collins said. “We have no idea how long Jack will be able to go.”

Dickson, who is 2-4 with an 8.90 earned-run average, won his last start, giving up only one run in the first four innings of an 8-6 victory over Detroit on Saturday. But Dickson yielded a two-run homer in the fifth and then walked two batters who eventually scored in the sixth.

Omar Olivares, the other candidate to be bumped out of the rotation by McDowell’s return, gave up only two hits in 6 2/3 innings Sunday. Olivares, who has started four games while McDowell was out, is 1-1 with a 3.15 ERA.

“Olivares has the hot hand right now and I just think you have to go with the guy who’s got the hot hand,” Collins said.

Collins said a decision has been made on a roster move to make room for McDowell, but he won’t announce it until after tonight’s game. The Angels are considering keeping 12 pitchers and sending down a position player.

*

Reliever Mike James is pleased with the way his arm responded after playing catch Monday for the first time since going on the disabled list May 5 because of a partially torn muscle in his right forearm.

“It feels great,” he said. “Of course all I did is throw from 50 feet for five minutes. But I’m going to throw again [today] from a longer distance for a longer time and if it feels this good after that, I’ll throw two days in a row, then probably move up to throwing off the mound after that.

“It really feels a lot better than it did.”

James said the injury is similar to the strained right elbow that plagued him last season and necessitated a 3 1/2-week stint on the disabled list in July.

“The only difference this time is that everything happened at once,” he said. “I rolled the nerve over the bone and strained a tendon.”

He didn’t even mention the torn flexor muscle.

*

Collins says Tim Salmon’s determination to stay in the lineup despite an extremely painful torn ligament in his left foot is another example of why Salmon is a special player. “He has absolutely ignored the pain. He ran the bases pretty hard over the weekend and he’s pretty sore, but he’s just played over it.” . . . According to Angel President Tony Tavares, there’s no news to report on a possible trade with the Florida Marlins for Mike Piazza. “There’s absolutely nothing going on,” he said.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’ KEN HILL (6-2, 4.42 ERA)

vs.

A’S MIKE OQUIST (0-2, 5.18 ERA)

Edison Field, 7:30 p.m.

TV--Fox Sports West, ESPN.

Radio--KRLA (1110), XPRS (1090).

* Update--Hill has been the Angels’ most consistent starter despite a pinched nerve in his back and nagging elbow stiffness, but he suffered his worst start of the season Friday in Toronto. He gave up five walks, five hits and eight earned runs in 1 2/3 innings during a 9-1 loss to the Blue Jays, causing his earned-run average to jump more than a point from 3.16. The starters combined for an 8.29 ERA as the Angels lost five of seven on the recently concluded trip.