Mercker Continues Recovery

Pitcher Kent Mercker, who suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on the Edison Field mound May 11 and was hospitalized for 12 days, will return to Orange County at the end of June for a third angiogram, and if no aneurysm is found, he will resume throwing in hopes of returning to the Angels by August.

The 32-year-old left-hander, who returned to his home in Dublin, Ohio, in late May, has been jogging for more than a week but has had to cut short several runs because of headaches.

“The doctors said that’s normal, and [the headaches] won’t deter me at all,” Mercker said. “There’s not a sharp pain or anything. You can just tell you don’t feel right. You feel like you have to sit down.

“The doctors say that as long as blood is still trapped [between my skull and brain] it will affect the nerves in the brain. And they really can’t put a time frame on how long it will take for that blood to dissipate. It could take one month or two months.”

Mercker’s first two angiograms, in which dye is injected into the body so blood vessels can be examined, were negative, but Mercker wants to undergo a third for his own peace of mind. One of the biggest fears for brain-hemorrhage patients is that the bleeding was caused by an undetected aneurysm.

“When I go out to the mound again, I don’t want to have another scene like I did that night,” Mercker said. “If I didn’t have the test again, I think I might be hesitant. But if everything is clear after a third test, I’ll know if I have a headache or something it won’t be a terminal situation.”

Mercker has not been allowed to throw or lift weights yet, and he said some doctors advised him to take the rest of this season off. But Mercker has no desire to sit out that long.

“I plan on pitching all of August and September, at the very least,” Mercker said. “We have the potential to be in a pennant race, and I want to be part of that . . . but only if I’m helping the team. I’m in a hurry to get back, but I’m not in a big hurry.”

*

The Angels opened negotiations with their top draft pick over the weekend, making their first offer to pitcher Joe Torres, a left-hander from Gateway High in Kissimmee, Fla., who was the 10th overall selection.

With the No. 8 pick, high school pitcher Matt Wheatland, agreeing to a $2.15-million bonus with the Tigers and the No. 11 pick, high school outfielder Dave Krynzel, agreeing to a $1.95-million bonus with the Brewers, it would appear the market for Torres is in the $2.1-million range.

But because Torres is believed to be one of three top 10 picks who did not agree to pre-draft deals with the teams that chose them, the price tag for Torres could rise to $2.5 million or above.

*

Satisfied that Tim Belcher is physically sound after Saturday night’s start for triple-A Edmonton, Manager Mike Scioscia named Belcher as the starter for this Saturday’s game in Baltimore.

The veteran right-hander has not pitched all season after undergoing elbow surgery last November. Because the Angels are using a four-man rotation, a relief pitcher will be sent down when Belcher is activated.

*

Shortstop Kevin Stocker sat out his third consecutive game because of a strained left hip Tuesday, but he should return today.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

BRIAN COOPER

(2-2, 4.15 ERA)

vs.

DEVIL RAYS’

ALBIE LOPEZ

(2-4, 5.15 ERA)

Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla., 4:15 PDT

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

* Update--The Angels survived an injury scare for the second game in a row Tuesday night when catcher Bengie Molina escaped unscathed after being hit in the left elbow by Mike DiFelice’s bat on his backswing after a ninth-inning strikeout. Molina’s fingers went numb for a few moments, but he eventually regained feeling and was able to remain in the game. “We saw what happened to [Met catcher] Mike Piazza a few weeks ago--that can be a serious injury,” Manager Mike Scioscia said.