Erstad Tries Another Look

It was a clean-shaven Darin Erstad who returned to Anaheim on Sunday night. The beard he grew during April, the one the Angel left fielder claimed had nothing to do with baseball superstition but just happened to sprout while he built a major league-leading .449 average, is gone, reduced to a goatee Thursday in Baltimore and to nothing Sunday in Seattle.

Erstad has one hit in his last 19 at-bats, his average falling to .383, so it was time to try a new look.

“What have I been saying all along?” Erstad said. “This game has a crazy way of working itself out.”

This is why Erstad never got too wrapped up in his hot start, when he racked up 17 multi-hit games and reached base safely in 27 consecutive games. He knew the other shoe--and his average--would drop.

“It’s hard to be consistent when you’re hitting what I was hitting,” Erstad said. “Now it’s time to find something in between.”

As the Angel leadoff batter, Erstad feels responsible for getting on base and igniting the offense, and it’s no coincidence the Angels lost both games this weekend when Erstad failed to reach base.

“But we also need guys at the bottom of the order to get on,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “I don’t want to put all the pressure on Darin. We need a combination of guys getting on base and the guys in the middle of the order to swing the bats well.”

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What Scioscia has called “a bump in the road” seems more and more like a road block for pitcher Tim Belcher, whose recovery from November elbow surgery has slowed considerably since his last minor league rehabilitation start April 25. Belcher threw on flat ground Friday but is still going through what Scioscia calls “a dead-arm phase.” No further throwing sessions or bullpen workouts have been scheduled, and Belcher will be re-evaluated early this week. . . . Shortstop Gary DiSarcina, sidelined since Wednesday because of tightness in his right shoulder, played long toss Sunday and expects to return to the lineup against Oakland tonight. . . . Closer Troy Percival, who was hit on the inside of the left thumb by a line drive Friday night, still couldn’t close his glove Sunday but said he could have pitched if needed.

ON DECK

* Opponent--Oakland Athletics, three games.

* Site--Edison Field.

* Tonight--7.

* 1999 record vs. Athletics--8-4.

* TV--Fox Sports Net tonight and Wednesday night.

* Radio--KLAC (570), XPRS (1090) tonight and Tuesday night; KIK-FM (94.3), KDIS (710) and XPRS (1090) Wednesday night.

* Records--Angels 16-16, Athletics 15-16.

TONIGHT ANGELS’ RAMON ORTIZ (2-2, 5.47 ERA) vs. ATHLETICS’ ARIEL PRIETO (0-0, 0.00)

* Update--Prieto, a 1995 first-round pick, will be making his first big league start since April 19, 1998, after missing most of the past two years because of elbow reconstruction surgery. Former Angel second baseman Randy Velarde is expected to return tonight after missing the first five weeks of the season because of a knee strain.

* Tuesday, 7 p.m.--Ken Hill (3-3, 7.39) vs. Gil Heredia (3-2, 2.65).

* Wednesday, 7 p.m.--Kent Bottenfield (3-3, 3.74) vs. Mark Mulder (1-0, 5.63).

* Tickets--(714) 663-9000.