Fernandez Schooled by Carew

Angel batting instructor Rod Carew has flashbacks of his own Hall of Fame career when he watches Blue Jay third baseman Tony Fernandez hit, and not just because Fernandez, as Carew did with the Twins in 1977, is flirting with .400 this season.

“He reminds me of myself more than any other player,” Carew said of Fernandez, the 36-year-old switch-hitter who played his 2,000th game Wednesday night. “He does the things I used to do with my swing. He has the same discipline and focus.”

There’s a good reason. About 10 years ago, when Fernandez was struggling to find his stroke, he went to Carew’s batting school in Orange County. Fernandez watched Carew work with a young softball player, teaching her how to hit with her hands, not her body, and he incorporated that into his own swing.

“From that point on, every time Tony came to town, he’d always call me to get some work done,” Carew said. “We’ve always been good friends.”

Like Carew, Fernandez, who has a .405 average, seems to flick his wrists at the ball, his hands coming through the hitting zone before the barrel of the bat, and he serves many of his hits to the opposite field. Like Carew, Fernandez, who homered in the fourth inning Thursday night, is still very productive at an advanced age.

“He’s not a power hitter, and he uses the whole field,” Carew said. “He doesn’t try to do too much. When you find that discipline where you’re staying within yourself, it makes it easier.”

*

The Angels held a 45-minute team meeting after Tuesday night’s loss to Toronto, but third base coach Larry Bowa said it was nothing compared to some of the meetings former Philadelphia manager Dallas Green had in 1980, the year Bowa’s Phillies won the World Series.

“They were vicious,” Bowa said. “There was finger-pointing. He’d say, ‘Bowa, you’re not moving runners worth a crap! You better start or you’re going to be watching!’ I made six All-Star games, and he’d rip . . . me. He’d rip Mike Schmidt, Pete Rose, Bob Boone.

“At the time you’d be ticked off, but it made you accept constructive criticism better, and it made you less vain. His favorite line was, ‘If you think you’re better than this team, get out.’ He made you check your egos at the door.”

*

Exactly 12 weeks since surgery to repair torn cartilage in his throwing shoulder, Angel pitcher Jason Dickson played catch for the first time Thursday, throwing for about five minutes from 45 feet. “It felt better than I thought it would,” said Dickson, who remains hopeful of a September return.

ON DECK

* Opponent--New York Yankees, three games.

* Site--Yankee Stadium.

* Tonight--4:30 PDT.

* Record vs. Yankees--3-0.

* TV--Channel 9 today and Sunday, Fox Sports West Saturday.

* Radio--KLAC (570), XPRS (1090), KCTD (1540).

* Records--Angels 29-36, Yankees 37-27.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’ CHUCK FINLEY (4-6, 4.31 ERA)

vs.

YANKEES’ ANDY PETTITTE (3-5, 5.90 ERA)

* Update--The Yankees are powered by hot-hitting shortstop Derek Jeter (.373, 12 homers, 46 runs batted in), designated hitter Chili Davis (.319, 10 homers, 42 RBIs) and center fielder Bernie Williams (.318, eight homers, 40 RBIs). But Finley could be the Angels’ equalizer--the left-hander has a 16-8 record and 3.52 earned-run average against New York, including an eight-inning, three-hit, 11-strikeout performance in a 1-0 victory in Yankee Stadium on May 12.

* Saturday, 4 p.m.--Omar Olivares (6-4, 3.22) vs. Hideki Irabu (3-3, 4.94).

* Sunday, 10:30 a.m.--Tim Belcher (4-6, 6.95) vs. David Cone (7-2, 2.77).