Erstad’s Back Injury Goes Back Quite a While

Asked how long his lower back has been bothering him, Darin Erstad purses his lips and gives a questioner a long, icy stare. This is not a matter he wishes to discuss.

Another approach is tried: What’s worse, the pain in Erstad’s back or talking about it? “That’s a toss-up,” he said.

Erstad hates discussing injuries because some might perceive that as an excuse. But with some prodding, Erstad acknowledged his lower back first locked up while fielding a hit during an interleague game at Dodger Stadium in 1999, and he has been battling spasms ever since.

The pain was so intense Thursday night that Erstad pulled himself from a 6-5 loss to Cleveland in the eighth inning. He started at designated hitter instead of his usual center-field spot Friday night against the Blue Jays.

“When I got to the park [Friday] I couldn’t even stand up,” Erstad said. “They popped my back into place. It’s just a matter of it staying there.”

Erstad had his lower back adjusted periodically last season, but it has become part of his daily routine this season.

“I’ll feel OK to start the game, but there’s no guarantee it will stay in place,” Erstad said. “I’ve had this in the past and have responded to treatment, so it shouldn’t be a [long-term] problem.”

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The Angels’ spring training decision to release Jose Canseco and trade for Glenallen Hill hasn’t paid dividends. Hill batted .135 in 13 games before going on the disabled list because of a strained left oblique muscle last weekend.

General Manager Bill Stoneman’s decision to claim middle infielder David Eckstein off waivers from Boston last August has worked out much better. The ultra-intense Eckstein is batting .322, has played well defensively and is now batting leadoff when he plays.

“He’s turned out to be a perfect image of the reports we had on him,” said Stoneman, who joined the team in Toronto Friday. “Scouting isn’t an exact science, it’s an art. But in this case, you could come to the conclusion that scouting is an exact science.”

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Reliever Rendy Espina, an off-season Rule 5 acquisition who was designated for assignment by the Angels Monday, was reclaimed Friday by the Blue Jays, who optioned the left-hander to double-A Tennessee. Under Rule 5 guidelines, the Blue Jays returned $25,000 of the $50,000 the Angels paid Toronto to select him. Espina opened the season on the disabled list because of inflammation from a bug bite on his knee and never appeared in the big leagues with the Angels.

TODAY

ANGELS’

RAMON ORTIZ

(2-2, 4.62 ERA)

vs.

BLUE JAYS’

CHRIS MICHALAK

(3-0, 1.62 ERA)

SkyDome, Toronto, 10 a.m. PDT

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

* Update--This is a key start for Ortiz, who needs to get back on track after a subpar two-game stretch in which he gave up nine earned runs on 17 hits in 11 innings in losses to Oakland and Seattle. Ortiz was dominant in his first two starts, both wins over Texas, but had trouble commanding his pitches in his next two games. Michalak is a 30-year-old rookie left-hander who is not overpowering but changes speeds well.