Edmonds’ Pain Is Also His Gain

Jim Edmonds may have inadvertently found a key to good hitting, but he’s hardly celebrating the discovery.

Edmonds, who sprained his wrist a month ago, has been swinging in pain ever since, especially when he swings and misses. But while he may be hurting, his batting average certainly isn’t.

In 10 games going into Wednesday night, Edmonds had 16 hits in 39 at-bats with four doubles, three homers and nine runs batted in. His average was up to .318.

“From over here [in the dugout], you can really see that he’s cut down his swing, especially with two strikes,” Manager Terry Collins said. “He’s so darned strong, that if he makes good contact, he’s still going to drive the ball.”

Edmonds, who recently discontinued ultrasound and electric-stimulation therapy and now just tapes the wrist before games, would prefer not to talk about his wrist at all. “It’s nothing I can’t deal with,” he says.

But when pressed, he admits there is some soreness “when I take a bad swing.”

Does he think the therapy helped?

“Do I think it helps? They think it helps,” Edmonds said, smiling. “And I just do what I’m told.”

*

General Manager Bill Bavasi says prospects are the ones who decide when it’s time for them to be promoted through the minor-league system and Troy Glaus has been so decisive, he’s now in triple-A Vancouver.

Glaus, 21, the former UCLA standout the Angels drafted in the first round (third overall) last year, has been pounding Texas League pitching all year at double-A Midland. Before Wednesday’s promotion, he was batting .309 with 51 runs scored, 11 doubles, two triples, 19 home runs and 51 RBIs in 49 games for Midland.

He leads all minor leaguers in runs scored, extra-base hits (32), home runs, total bases (130), RBIs and walks (39).

*

Todd Greene--on schedule to return to the Angel lineup this week before suffering a setback in the rehabilitation of his right shoulder Saturday in Vancouver--was back in Anaheim on Wednesday night. But Greene was only at Edison Field to take batting practice because the Canadians had been rained out on two consecutive nights.

Greene, who had to come out of a game in Vancouver after making three throws to second base in the seventh inning, will continue to test his surgically repaired shoulder with the Angels’ Class-A affiliate in Lake Elsinore. Greene will catch on Friday and then DH on Saturday, Sunday and Monday before trying to again on Tuesday.

“He’s feeling better every day, but it’s obvious he’s not going to be able to catch every day,” Collins said. “So we’re going to try and determine just what he is capable of.”

The Angels will have to make some sort of decision after Tuesday’s game. Greene’s 20-day rehabilitation assignment expires Tuesday.

Collins pitched batting practice to the pitchers in preparation of interleague play which begins next month when the Angels play host to Colorado June 5-7 and play at Arizona on June 9-11. “Actually, it’s tough to hit against him,” reliever Mike Holtz said. “He brings it up there about 80 miles an hour and we haven’t seen anything like that since high school.”. . . Right-hander Jack McDowell is pitching Sunday in Minnesota, followed by Omar Olivares on Monday in Kansas City, Collins said. He hasn’t made a decision about a pitcher for Tuesday, however. Right-hander Jason Dickson is a likely choice unless he has to come in for McDowell on Sunday. McDowell gave up six hits and two runs in five innings May 21 before leaving with elbow pain. He was replaced in that game by Dickson, who pitched four scoreless innings, giving up only two hits.