No Time to Rest for Erstad

Darin Erstad isn’t about to submit to any medical tests to see whether the injury keeping him out of left field is something more than muscle spasms in his left rib cage.

“What’s the point? There’s really nothing we can do about it right now,” Erstad said. “If it’s still bothering me at the end of October, then we can see where we’re at. I can swing pain-free, and I can help the team as a DH.”

With the Angels in a pennant race, Erstad has no time for any test that might even hint at a serious injury, because Erstad has no time to rest. The muscle spasms kept him out of the lineup for four games, and have limited him to designated hitter for the past five games.

Erstad said he still feels some discomfort while throwing. Manager Mike Scioscia said he hoped Erstad could return to the field this weekend.

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On March 29, the Angels traded for Edgard Clemente and released Todd Greene. In Clemente, according to General Manager Bill Stoneman, the Angels had found their DH against left-handers.

Clemente was nowhere to be found at Edison Field on Tuesday. Greene was the designated hitter--for the Toronto Blue Jays, against left-hander Scott Karl.

Greene, no longer burdened by the Ruthian minor league statistics he posted in the Angel organization, said he has made peace with a part-time role. In 50 at-bats, he is hitting .280 with three home runs.

“When I was here, I was trying to either get in the lineup or stay in the lineup,” Greene said. “Now I know, no matter what I do today, I’m not playing tomorrow. There’s no pressure there.”

In 69 at-bats at triple-A Edmonton, Clemente is hitting .261 with two home runs. In 78 at-bats before the Angels demoted him three weeks ago, he hit .218 with no home runs, no walks and 27 strikeouts.

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Major League Baseball President Paul Beeston denied the Angels’ protest of their Aug. 21 loss to the Boston Red Sox.

“I’m disappointed with the decision,” Stoneman said. “We thought we had a shot.”

The protest stemmed from a play in which second base umpire Derryl Cousins called Tim Salmon out at third base. The Angels argued no umpire was in the proper position to make the call and Cousins should have asked another umpire for help.

According to Stoneman, Beeston ruled the Angels had no grounds to protest because a specific rule had not been violated or wrongly interpreted. Teams cannot protest judgment calls.

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The Angels released infielder Trent Durrington, who was hitting .219 at Edmonton. Durrington jumped from double A to the majors last season to audition at second base, but the Angels have since acquired Adam Kennedy to play there in Anaheim and David Eckstein to play there at Edmonton. . . . The Angels are expected to promote scout Clay Daniel to supervisor of international scouting. On his first trip, Daniel is scheduled to scout Japan and Australia, including next month’s Olympic Games in Sydney.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

MATT WISE

(3-1, 2.93 ERA)

vs.

BLUE JAYS’

DAVID WELLS

(18-5, 4.08 ERA)

Edison Field, 7

TV--Fox Sports Net.

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

* Update--Wells, the American League starting pitcher in the All-Star Game, was 15-2 with a 3.44 earned-run average at the break and is 3-3 with a 5.34 ERA since. Wise defeated Wells and the Blue Jays, 8-4, at Toronto Aug. 15.

* Tickets--(714) 663-9000.