Ortiz Injury Puts Angels in Quandary

The Angels sent ailing pitcher Ramon Ortiz to Los Angeles to be examined by their team physician Tuesday but issued no medical report, no update Tuesday night.

No news was definitely not good news. The team revealed Wednesday that a slight tear had been discovered in Ortiz’s right labrum, the thick, fibrous tissue found in the shoulder joint.

The Angels are optimistic that through rest and rehabilitation, Ortiz will return in a week to 10 days and be sound enough to open the season.

But these are the Angels, the star-crossed team that for years has been devastated by major injuries. So there is always the chance Ortiz could need surgery, which would sideline the franchise’s top prospect for four to six months and put a major dent in a shaky rotation already filled with injuries, inexperience and struggling pitchers.

The surprising development--Ortiz was initially diagnosed with a mild case of tendinitis in his upper biceps--probably will add a new sense of urgency to trade talks involving center fielder Jim Edmonds, whom the Angels have dangled in front of the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals and Colorado Rockies in an effort to acquire starting pitching.

There also have been reports the Angels and Twins have discussed a trade involving Minnesota ace Brad Radke and Angel outfielder Darin Erstad.

The Angels have assigned advance scout John Van Ornum to cover the Yankees for the next week--in part because they open the season against New York--but they will also have a second scout in Florida following the Yankees, who have been reluctant to part with pitcher Ramiro Mendoza.

Bill Stoneman, Angel general manager, has not been satisfied with offers for Edmonds. But if Ortiz’s condition does not improve in the next week or two and there is a perception among general managers the Angels are desperate for starting pitching, Stoneman will lose leverage in trade talks.

“Obviously, this raises your concern when you see a diagnosis like this,” Angel Manager Mike Scioscia said. “The fact that this could be an old injury, something he’s pitched with for a while, maybe that means it’s manageable, and that he can pitch for us.”

The Angels, though, must weigh the need for Ortiz today--he was projected as the team’s No. 2 starter--against the need to preserve the future of a 24-year-old from the Dominican Republic who has drawn comparisons to Pedro Martinez because of his 95-mph fastball, above-average slider and improving changeup.

Dr. Lewis Yocum said through a team spokesman that other pitchers have played with such an injury, and Stoneman said outfielder Larry Walker played for almost two seasons with a slight labrum tear. But as Arizona pitcher Brian Anderson said Wednesday, “A small tear can become a big tear if you continue to pitch with it.”

Former Angel left-hander Matt Perisho tried to pitch for the Rangers with a slightly torn labrum in 1998, and he wound up with a major tear that required surgery and sidelined him for nine months.

Some scouts also believe that because of Ortiz’s slight stature--he’s 6-feet and 175 pounds--and his slingshot-type delivery that relies on his upper body and arm a lot more than his legs, Ortiz might be more susceptible to major injury if he tries to pitch with a torn labrum.

“My question is, is there a chance he could do irreparable harm if he pitches?” Stoneman said. “It’s not a major tear that would require surgery, and if he can get his arm loose and we treat him properly, maybe he can get through it. . . . But if we have the slightest doubt about the wisdom of his participation, we’ll step in.”

A big key is how honest Ortiz is with Angel coaches and medical personnel about his condition. There is a tendency for young players with big league aspirations to hide the severity of injuries so as not to hinder their chances of making the team.

“But if I feel something is wrong, I’ll say something right away,” said Ortiz, who went 2-3 with a 6.52 earned-run average in nine starts for the Angels last season. “I won’t pitch with an arm problem.”

Scioscia and Stoneman are encouraged that Ortiz, who missed most of 1998 because of a stress fracture in his right elbow, was up front with coaches Monday, when tightness in his shoulder forced the Angels to scratch him from a start against the Chicago Cubs.

“It takes a while for a young pitcher to make the distinction between discomfort and pain,” Scioscia said. “We want to make sure he feels good about himself before he tries to compete again.”

Scioscia can’t be feeling too good about his current rotation--Tim Belcher is out until May while he recovers from elbow surgery, Jarrod Washburn could miss a month because of a strained rib-cage muscle, and Jason Dickson is struggling (12.46 ERA) in his return from shoulder surgery.

If Ortiz is not ready by April, the Angels probably will open the season with a rotation of Ken Hill, Kent Mercker, 42-year-old knuckleballer Tom Candiotti and youngsters Scott Schoeneweis and Brian Cooper.

Scioscia’s reaction: What, me worry?

“We still have some good options,” Scioscia said. “I’m very optimistic, to say the least.”

Angel Notes

In an offensive outburst that was about five years too late, the Angels ripped Arizona ace and former Mariner nemesis Randy Johnson for 11 runs and 12 hits in three innings of a 15-9 victory over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday at Tucson Electric Park. Tim Salmon and Bengie Molina homered for the Angels, who scored 12 runs on seven hits and three errors in the fourth inning, sending 14 batters to the plate. “I pretty much sleep-walked today,” said Johnson, who dominated the Angels in a 9-1 victory in a one-game playoff to determine the 1995 American League West title. “I’m willing to give back my meal money this week, because I didn’t earn it.”

There was one comical moment in the fourth, when Angel second baseman Trent Durrington, who is 5-9, exchanged words with the 6-10 Johnson after the two bumped into each other at home plate, as Durrington scored on Gary DiSarcina’s double. “I thought I was looking up at a light tower,” Durrington said. Johnson, trying to back up home, said the Angels “were having a team meeting around the plate. I was trying to do my job and told him to get out of the way, that’s all. No disrespect to him. It was no big deal.”

Kent Mercker gave up three runs and six hits, including three solo homers, in four innings, and Jason Bates also homered for the Angels. Seth Etherton was rocked for four earned runs and six hits in 2 1/3 innings.

Times staff writer Tim Brown contributed to this story.