Demotion Stuns Greene

Three weeks ago, Todd Greene was a big league cleanup batter with a .275 average who was among team leaders in home runs and runs batted in. Today, Greene will be on a plane to Oklahoma City, where he will join the Angels’ triple-A Edmonton team.

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Greene said Wednesday, still stunned by Tuesday night’s demotion. “I had no inclination this was coming.”

How could he have? Third baseman Troy Glaus went nine for 86 from April 30-May 27 and wasn’t sent down. Shortstop Andy Sheets has five hits in his last 63 at-bats since May 23 and is still in Anaheim.

Greene hit a few ruts this season, but it wasn’t until June 20 that he went into a complete tailspin, going five for 47 with 14 strikeouts, many of them on wild swings of pitches well out of the strike zone, in 12 games.

Even after striking out three times against Seattle Monday night, Greene said Manager Terry Collins “has had great patience with me, and that gives me confidence I’m going to get this fixed.”

That patience expired. Because Greene is essentially a designated hitter who doesn’t save the team several runs a week with his glove, the Angels felt it was best for him to work out his problems in the minor leagues. Greene doesn’t agree, but he stopped short of voicing his opinion.

“If you don’t have something good to say, say nothing it all,” Greene said. “I’m going to go to Edmonton and play hard. It doesn’t matter what color my uniform is. If I wasn’t going to play hard and do the best I can, I wouldn’t be going.”

Rod Carew, Angel batting instructor, said Greene needs to “refocus and track the ball.” Greene is a dead-pull hitter who has been fooled badly by outside breaking pitches, which he hasn’t been able to lay off or drive to the opposite field.

“He’s willing to go the other way, but not with the pitches he should go that way with,” Carew said. “He wants to crush every pitch. He has to understand there are certain pitches you can hit hard and some where you take what they give you. Once he starts applying that he’ll be OK.”

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As expected, closer Troy Percival was the only Angel named to the American League All-Star team Wednesday, but with his team stuck in last place for most of the first half, it was hard for the right-hander to take much pleasure in the honor.

“I don’t play the game for personal achievement or money, I play the game to win,” said Percival, who pitched in the 1996 and ’98 All-Star games. “So in that respect, yeah, it’s somewhat hollow. The other games were cool because I went with [Chuck] Finley and [Darin] Erstad and could share it with them.”

Percival, who will receive a $25,000 bonus for his selection, has a 2-2 record, 2.25 earned-run average and 22 saves in 23 opportunities, striking out 35 and walking eight in 32 innings.

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With his eighth victory Tuesday night, Angel setup man Mark Petkovsek became the only reliever in baseball to lead his team in wins. The major league record for wins by a reliever is 18, set by Pittsburgh’s Roy Face in 1959. “I just kind of walk right into them, I guess,” said Petkovsek, who is 8-2 with a 1.69 ERA in 32 appearances. . . . X-rays of the broken pinky finger on Tim Belcher’s pitching hand Wednesday showed the bones are still aligned and healing properly. . . . Mike Fyhrie, who gave up two runs in seven innings in his Angel debut Tuesday night, will start Sunday in Colorado.