Hill Knows When He’s Out of Sync

Through the barrage of hits and runs at the Ballpark in Arlington on Monday comes this disturbing news for the Angels: Pitcher Ken Hill is a mess. Don’t believe it? Ask Hill.

“I’m all over the place,” he said after giving up five runs on five hits and walking seven in four unimpressive innings. “My arm slot is in different spots. There are too many things I’m worried about--my mechanics, my pitch selection. There’s too much going on in my head. It’s frustrating.”

Hill labored through a 96-pitch outing that included 48 balls and 48 strikes. At one point in the fourth, in search of rhythm, the right-hander went back to his old motion, bringing his arms above his head to begin his windup. After undergoing surgery to remove bone chips and shave down a bone spur in his elbow last season, Hill went to a more compact motion, keeping his hands near his waist, hoping to relieve stress on his elbow.

Nothing worked Monday. Hill, who felt after his first start that he was close to regaining the form that made him one of the league’s most dominant pitchers at the end of 1997, walked Rafael Palmeiro on four pitches to open the fifth, gave up a two-run homer to Todd Zeile and was pulled. “It seems like I can’t throw a . . . strike,” Hill said. “In that last inning, when I walked Palmeiro, I wanted him to hit the ball. I was basically trying to lay it in there, and I walked him on four pitches.”

*

Todd Greene made his first big league appearance behind the plate since Aug. 20, 1997, catching six innings of the Angels’ victory. Greene, who had an RBI double in the fourth, has had shoulder problems for the last year and a half but hopes to catch two or three games a week.

Greene’s only throw to second, on Tom Goodwin’s stolen base in the first inning, sailed about 15 feet over shortstop Andy Sheets’ head. The Angels took a 7-3 lead in the top of the fourth, essentially shutting down the Ranger running game.

“That throw slipped out of his hand,” Manager Terry Collins said. “He didn’t have a grip, but he knew if he didn’t throw it, people would think he was afraid to throw because of his shoulder. So he let it go.”

Greene admitted afterward that when he released the ball, he started laughing at himself. “I thought it was pretty funny,” he said. “Maybe I can make one of those blooper videos.”

ON DECK

* Opponent--Oakland Athletics, three games.

* Site--Oakland Coliseum.

* Tonight--7.

* Record vs. A’s--(1998) 5-7.

* TV--Fox Sports West Wednesday night.

* Radio--KIK-FM (94.3) tonight, KLAC (570) Wednesday and Thursday.

* Records--Angels 4-3, A’s 2-5.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’ STEVE SPARKS (0-1, 13.50 ERA)

vs.

A’S MIKE OQUIST (2-1, 4.05 ERA)

* Update--The A’s are the consensus choice to finish last in the American League West, but they have some potent left-handed hitters in Ben Grieve, Matt Stairs, Jason Giambi and Eric Chavez. “Unless I saw the wrong team in spring training, they have a real good offense, especially against right-handed pitchers,” Manager Terry Collins said. Brad Rigby was supposed to start for Oakland but was used in relief Sunday.

* Wednesday, 7 p.m.--Chuck Finley (1-0, 6.00) vs. Kenny Rogers (0-1, 5.79).

* Thursday, 1 p.m.--Omar Olivares (1-0, 0.00) vs. Gil Heredia (1-0, 3.55).