Ortiz May Not Have to Miss Start

Ramon Ortiz’s right ankle took a turn for the better Sunday, and it appears the Angel right-hander will be able to make his next start or, at the very least, remain in the rotation and have his next start pushed back.

Ortiz was diagnosed with a minor ankle sprain after he hit the first base bag awkwardly in the eighth inning of Saturday’s 4-1 victory over Toronto. The ankle swelled immediately and Ortiz had to be carried off the field, but the swelling subsided Sunday, and Ortiz was able to walk without a limp. He even shagged balls in the outfield during batting practice.

His next scheduled start is Thursday against the Chicago White Sox, but if the blister on the middle finger of Ismael Valdes’ pitching hand has healed by then, Valdes could pitch Thursday, and Ortiz could be pushed back to Saturday.

“It’s fine, it’s feeling very good,” Ortiz said. “I shouldn’t have to miss a start. [Saturday] I was scared, crying, and my heart was pounding when they took me to the hospital because I’ve never had an injury like that. But it’s a lot better now.”

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The Angels hope they can say the same about center fielder Darin Erstad, who will undergo a series of medical tests today to determine the root of the painful spasms in his lower back.

Erstad started at designated hitter Friday night but did not play Saturday or Sunday. He moved very gingerly around the clubhouse, and reaching down to tie his shoes after Sunday’s game seemed like a chore.

“You’re always worried, and you hope it’s nothing serious,” Erstad said. “They’re going to see what’s going on. There was a little bit of improvement [Sunday]. They’re trying to calm everything down.”

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Angel shortstop Benji Gil was glad to leave the SkyDome and its artificial surface Sunday. He committed two errors Saturday and another Sunday, flubbing Carlos Delgado’s grounder to open the sixth inning.

“I absolutely hate turf, and this is one of the worst turf fields to play on because it has a lot of seams,” Gil said. “I think turf is one of the worst things, in general, to happen to baseball. I just completely missed that ball today. I don’t know if the turf has gotten to my head, but I have to find a way to at least feel comfortable on it.”

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Toronto infielder Luis Lopez made his major league debut Sunday, pinch-hitting for catcher Darrin Fletcher in the eighth and being intentionally walked by Angel reliever Mike Holtz in his first plate appearance.

Angel Manager Mike Scioscia then summoned right-hander Shigetoshi Hasegawa to face Jeff Frye, who homered in the seventh. Frye lined a single to right-center field, giving the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead.

“It’s kind of embarrassing when you walk a guy in his first major league at-bat to pitch to me,” said Frye, Toronto’s No. 9 batter. “But I didn’t take it personally.”

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Toronto’s left-handed hitters had one hit in 10 at-bats Sunday against Angel starter Scott Schoeneweis, who has limited left-handers to a .140 average (seven for 50) this season.