DiSarcina Wants Answer

Gary DiSarcina is confused, frustrated and worried. The Angel shortstop would never admit to being scared, but his situation is getting a little scary.

An MRI test on DiSarcina’s sore right shoulder revealed normal wear and tear for a 32-year-old baseball player but did not reveal the cause or origin of his discomfort.

Numerous other tests were also inconclusive, and today DiSarcina will undergo an arteriogram, a test of the circulation system in which a dye is injected in the shoulder and films taken of the arteries.

“I can’t speculate until they’re done with all the tests,” said DiSarcina, who was put on the 15-day disabled list Monday night for the second time this season.

“But any time you miss one game because of injury, it worries you. If you’re not capable of throwing the ball across the infield, of course you’re worried.”

There is a growing concern DiSarcina’s injury could be more serious than the “tightness” initially diagnosed. Manager Mike Scioscia said Thursday that DiSarcina probably would be sidelined for more than 15 days.

DiSarcina, who was sidelined earlier this season because of a bruised left thumb, sat out five games last week because of his shoulder and tried to return Monday night. But two of his throws to first bounced about six feet in front of Mo Vaughn, and it was obvious DiSarcina wasn’t sound.

“I don’t feel any better, and they’ve looked everywhere,” DiSarcina said. “I’ve been poked, prodded, zapped, cricked, nuclear tested . . . you can do all the tests you want, but I don’t need a test to tell me I’m hurt. I have a sore shoulder. That’s the best indicator. . . .

“When I know what the problem is, it will re-energize me to fix it, to do whatever it takes to get better. It will remove the emotion from the injury, and I’ll be excited. Until then, it’s mentally draining. It’s confusing more than anything.”

*

Tim Belcher, whose rehabilitation from elbow surgery was sidetracked in late April because of inflammation, hopes to get back on course by throwing off flat ground some time in the next few days, but the right-hander is still several weeks away from a possible return. . . . Scioscia said Ken Hill, who went on the disabled list Tuesday because of a strained rib-cage muscle, will be out two to three months.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

SCOTT SCHOENEWEIS

(4-1, 3.99 ERA)

vs.

RANGERS’

DOUG DAVIS

(0-1, 9.00 ERA)

Edison Field, 7

Radio--KMPC (1540), KIKA (1510), KIK-FM (93.3),

XPRS (1090)

* Update--For the fourth consecutive game, the Angels found themselves in an early hole Thursday night, a trend that is beginning to disturb Scioscia. “Though we’ve come back and won some of these games, we’re going to have to get out in front early or stay closer,” Scioscia said. “We have to step it up, put some pressure on other teams, and that will help take pressure off us.” Davis is a left-hander who replaced Mark Clark in the Ranger rotation and made his first big league start Sunday. He was the organization’s minor league pitcher of the year in 1999.

* Tickets--(714) 663-9000.