Gravity of Salmon Injury Sets In

Maybe the Angels are shellshocked by all the worst-case scenarios that have become reality this season, but there is a growing concern in their clubhouse that right fielder Tim Salmon will be sidelined for more--maybe much more--than the five weeks he is supposed to miss.

Salmon suffered a severe sprain of his left wrist May 3. More than half of the fibers in the injured ligament were torn, and the wrist was placed in a soft cast May 12.

He will be reevaluated in early June, and if the wrist hasn’t healed significantly by then, he’ll have to rest for a few more weeks before beginning a two-week rehabilitation program.

And, as with any injured Angel, there is always the chance Salmon might need arthroscopic surgery to repair the ligament, a procedure that probably would sideline the cleanup batter for the entire season.

“Sure, there’s a chance he could be out for the year--it’s a wrist injury, and that’s a sensitive thing, especially with the kind of hitter Tim is,” Manager Terry Collins said.

“Are we worried about him missing the whole year? I don’t know. But I think he’ll be out for more than five weeks. I don’t know that he’ll be 100% by then.”

Collins is trying to remain optimistic until early June, but that’s difficult to do considering the nature of Salmon’s injury.

“This man is really strong, and one of the things that concerns me is that I want Tim Salmon to be as close to 100% as he can be,” Collins said. “To run him out there and say he won’t be able to pull balls or check his swing would not be good.”

Third base coach Larry Bowa believes the loss of Salmon is as severe a blow as losing Mo Vaughn “because they complement each other so well,” Bowa said.

“They go left-right, like [Tampa Bay’s] Jose Canseco and Fred McGriff, and you can’t pitch around one of them when they’re both playing. It has an effect all the way through the lineup.”

*

Troy Glaus hurled his bat after popping up to open the fourth inning Saturday night, the frustration of his lengthy slump growing by the day.

After batting .359 with five homers and 16 RBIs and spraying the ball to all fields in his first 22 games, the third baseman is nine for 76 (.118) with no homers, three RBIs and 24 strikeouts in his last 20 games, his average free-falling to .240.

“He’s trying so hard now, he’s attacking the ball with his swing instead of adjusting to the pitch,” Collins said. “That’s fine when you’re seeing the ball well, but he’s not.”

Despite the magnitude of his struggles, the Angels have no intention of sending Glaus back to triple-A, not with the Gold Glove-caliber defense he has provided. But Collins said it’s possible Glaus will be benched once or twice a week in favor of Tim Unroe.

Collins hoped Glaus’ sixth-inning single and seventh-inning walk were signs of better things ahead. “His last three at-bats were very good,” Collins said. “He swung the bat better and laid off some tough pitches.”

*

The Angels made two defensive gems Saturday night, left fielder Darin Erstad leaping high on the warning track to snag Wade Boggs’ fourth-inning drive--turning a potential double into a sacrifice fly--and second baseman Randy Velarde throwing out Fred McGriff at third with a long relay throw.

Velarde’s play was especially satisfying considering he missed all of 1997 and more than half of 1998 because of reconstructive elbow surgery.

“It’s good mentally to know all that’s behind me,” Velarde said. “If they want to test my arm strength, go ahead.”

TODAY

ANGELS’

CHUCK FINLEY

(2-3, 4.89 ERA)

vs.

DEVIL RAYS’

RYAN RUPE

(1-1, 4.82 ERA)

Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla., 10:30 a.m. PDT

Radio--KIX-FM (94.3), KCTD (1540), XPRS (1090)

* Update--Angel catcher Todd Greene, showing more progress in his recovery from shoulder problems, threw out Kevin Stocker at second in the fifth inning and Quinton McCracken at second in the seventh Saturday night. Greene has now thrown out three of eight would-be base stealers this season, including three of the last four. Angel shortstop Andy Sheets had another solid game Saturday, singling during a two-run third inning, laying down a sacrifice bunt during a three-run sixth and bunting another runner to second in the ninth.