Collins Looks to Salmon for Spark in Texas

The Angels play an important series the next two days in Texas--two games against the West Division-leading Rangers.

It was with this series in mind that the Angels moved Tim Salmon along quickly on his rehabilitation. Salmon, who made his return to the lineup against the Dodgers, wears out the Rangers, particularly at the Ballpark in Arlington.

Salmon is hitting .424 with 10 home runs and 35 runs batted in at the Ballpark. So it was important to Manager Terry Collins that Salmon, who missed 62 games because of a sprained wrist, get some work against major league pitchers.

“That had a lot to do with how we brought Tim back,” Collins said. “He kills the ball down there, and this is a team we have to beat. We thought we might as well get him ready.”

Salmon made one rehabilitation start at Class-A Lake Elsinore on Friday, then was back in the Angel lineup on Saturday. He went 0 for 10 before lining an eighth-inning double Monday.

“I’m not stupid, I knew that this was going to be a big series,” Salmon said. “I wanted to get ready for it. We have a small window of opportunity over the next month. We have to make up some ground.”

But Salmon downplayed his effectiveness in Arlington, even if he did go seven for 17 with a home run and eight RBIs when the Angels won three of four games from the Rangers in April. In one game, a 13-5 Angel victory, he had four hits and drove in five runs.

“I try not to think about that,” Salmon said. “It’s not like I’m locked in better there than anywhere else. When I’ve hit down there, we’ve usually had two or three guys hitting well. Everyone is hitting the ball hard.

“You usually don’t see one guy get four hits while everyone else is being collared. If they are handling everyone else, they are going to handle me.”

*

Pitcher Chuck Finley shook off a string of five straight poor performances Tuesday. He gave up one run in 7 2/3 innings and received a no-decision.

“I stopped trying to figure out what was going wrong,” said Finley, who had given up 32 earned runs in his last 22 innings. “I think I was getting into a routine with my pitches.”

Finley had only one frustrating moment.

In the sixth inning, Finley thought he struck out Ruben Rivera with a 3-2 pitch. Plate umpire Dan Morrison called it a ball and Rivera walked to load the bases.

Finley tossed his glove in the air in disgust.

“You see so many batters up their crying about pitches, I thought I would give it a try,” Finley said. He then got George Arias to ground out to end the inning.

*

Pitcher Ken Hill said his right elbow felt fine a day after throwing six shutout innings. It was his first start in three weeks because of inflammation in the elbow.

“This is something I going to have to live with the rest of my life,” Hill said. “Not only with baseball, but with my golf game and playing with my kids. Rest is what I needed. I had been testing it on the sideline, so I knew I was OK.”

ON DECK

* Opponent--Texas Rangers, two games.

* Site--The Ballpark.

* Tonight--5:30 PDT.

* TV--Fox Sports West.

* Radio--KLAC (570), XPRS (1090).

* Records--Angels 42-50,, Rangers 53-40.

* Record vs. Rangers--3-4.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’ OMAR OLIVARES (8-7, 3.26 ERA)

vs.

RANGERS’ AARON SELE (8-6, 5.45 ERA)

* Update--Collins makes it real simple. “This will be the most important series we have played so far,” he said. “We have to make up two games fast and this is our chance.” The Angels took three of four games from the Rangers in Arlington in early April, but were bombed in a three-game series in Anaheim last month. The Rangers outscored the Angels, 32-5, in that series. It would have been hard to imagine when the season began, but the Angels do have their ace going in the first game. Olivares has been by far their most consistent pitcher. This is his third start against the Rangers this season. He is 1-1 with a 1.42 earned-run average.

* Thursday--Angels’ Steve Sparks (4-6, 5.17 ERA) vs. John Burkett (2-4, 5.71 ERA), 5:30 p.m.