Glaus Going in Right Direction

Angel Manager Terry Collins never lost faith in Troy Glaus, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have some serious concerns about his young third baseman, who had 12 hits in 79 at-bats (.152) entering this weekend’s series against the Colorado Rockies.

As far as slumps go, this wasn’t on a par with his 23-game, nine-for-86, no-homer, three-RBI, 27-strikeout skid of May, when his average nose-dived from .359 to .226, but some of the same bad habits of May--mainly Glaus trying to pull everything--were creeping into late June and July.

“The thing I worried about with Troy was, how soon would he get out of this?” Collins said. “I was also worried that he might be saying to himself, ‘Can I hit here?’ ”

Glaus, 22, has eased some of those fears this weekend, smashing two bases-empty home runs in Friday night’s 9-6 victory over the Rockies and a two-run shot, his 15th homer of the season, in the fifth inning of Saturday night’s 9-3 victory. Glaus also singled to spark a four-run fourth inning Saturday night.

“I knew there was light at the end of the tunnel,” Glaus said. “If you put in the time, the effort and work, things will change.”

Things usually change--for the better--for Glaus when he shortens his stroke and drives the ball to the opposite field and lays off pitches out of the strike zone.

His second homer Friday night went to right field, and his homer off reliever Mike Porzio Saturday night landed beyond the right-center-field fence, an estimated 408 feet away.

The beauty of the homer was that, with Garret Anderson on second and none out, Glaus was just trying to hit the ball to the right side to advance the runner.

Glaus also made a quick adjustment in the sixth. After swinging wildly at Curtis Leskanic’s 3-and-1 slider off the outside corner, he laid off the same pitch and walked to load the bases. Orlando Palmeiro’s sacrifice fly then gave the Angels a 9-3 lead.

“Everyone says when I struggle I try to pull the ball too much,” Glaus said. “That’s the case with every position player in this locker room. You can never go the other way too much. I just have to keep my swing short, compact and use the whole field.”

*

Like Scott Schoeneweis before him this season and Chuck Finley long before that, Angel left-hander Jarrod Washburn is discovering the road to the big leagues for pitchers often begins in the bullpen.

Finley spent his first 1 1/2 seasons as an Angel reliever before joining the rotation in 1988, and Schoeneweis, a starter throughout his minor league career, has been a key member of the bullpen this season, with a 1-1 record and 5.24 earned-run average in 28 games.

Washburn, who started seven games for triple-A Edmonton before being recalled July 2, made his third relief appearance for the Angels Friday night, and it was huge.

With two on and one out in the sixth, Washburn retired Neifi Perez on an infield popup and Darryl Hamilton on a grounder to preserve a 7-5 lead. And he liked it.

“When you get yourself in trouble as a starter, you just get mad at yourself,” Washburn said. “When you get someone else out of trouble, it gives you more satisfaction.”

*

Ken Hill, who has been on the disabled list since July 1 because of elbow problems, threw for 20 minutes off a mound Saturday. Collins said Hill “threw fine,” and he expects the right-hander to be ready to return to the rotation after the All-Star break. . . . Jack McDowell made his second rehabilitation start for triple-A Edmonton Saturday night, giving up three runs--all on a three-run homer--on six hits in six innings, striking out one and walking one against Oklahoma City.

TODAY

ANGELS’ MIKE FYHRIE (0-0, 2.57 ERA)

vs.

ROCKIES’ BOBBY JONES (4-7, 5.85 ERA)

Coors Field, Denver, noon PDT

TV--Channel 9. Radio--KLAC (570), XPRS (1090).

* Update--The Angels are tied for the American League lead with a .984 fielding percentage, and they showed why Saturday night, turning two nice double plays behind Omar Olivares. With runners on first and second and one out in the first, Glaus ranged to his left to scoop Dante Bichette’s grounder and start an inning-ending double play, and shortstop Gary DiSarcina turned Hamilton’s wicked one-hopper in the seventh into a 6-4-3 double play. DiSarcina also made a nice play after Olivares slowed Bichette’s eighth-inning shot, charging toward the mound, making a bare-handed grab of the ball and an off-balance throw to first in time to get the runner.