Gil Has to Sit While Palmeiro’s a Hit

Orlando Palmeiro started at designated hitter for the fifth consecutive game Tuesday night, leaving Benji Gil wondering if he has fallen out of favor with Manager Mike Scioscia.

“I guess I’m back to not being able to hit right-handers,” said Gil, who is batting .324 with eight homers and 37 runs batted in this season and has a .308 average against right-handers. “I don’t know what to think. I certainly don’t know what to expect.”

Gil started six of seven games in the first week of August, but four were against left-handers. With regular designated hitter Shawn Wooten absent since Friday because of the illness and subsequent death of his father, Gil figured he would get some more at-bats. Instead, Scioscia has used Palmeiro in the ninth spot.

“O.P. has given us a boost at the bottom of the lineup, and we’ve done a good job offensively the last three days,” Scioscia said before Tuesday’s game. “I want to keep that together.”

Palmeiro had a bunt single during the Angels’ three-run second inning Tuesday night and walked and scored during a three-run fourth. But his play wasn’t the only factor in Scioscia’s lineup decisions.

An MRI test Monday revealed a slight tear in reserve infielder Jose Nieves’ throwing shoulder, and Nieves was put on the 15-day disabled list after Tuesday’s game.

Nieves’ availability was limited over the weekend. If Scioscia would have started Gil at DH, then needed him as a late-game defensive replacement, the Angels would have lost the DH and the pitcher would have had to hit. So Scioscia had to hold Gil out of the starting lineup.

The Angels recalled outfielder Jeff DaVanon from triple-A Salt Lake to replace Nieves.

Ramon Ortiz, who left Saturday night’s game in the second inning because of a sore right shoulder, threw a regular between-starts bullpen workout Tuesday, and Scioscia declared the right-hander fit enough to start Friday against Cleveland.

Ortiz was concerned the injury might be serious, but an examination by team physician Lewis Yocum revealed nothing more than inflammation and stiffness.

“Ramon has had a full workload in the minor leagues, and he knows he’s not going to be 100%, whether his mechanics are out of sync, his arm is a little stiff or he doesn’t have good stuff,” Scioscia said.

“The toughest thing to learn is when you need to step back and miss a start. That gets blurred with the competitiveness of the major leagues.”

Right fielder Tim Salmon received a cortisone injection in his irritated left shoulder after Sunday’s game but started Tuesday night. Salmon, who had off-season surgery on the shoulder, was on the disabled list from July 2-19 because of a left shoulder strain. . . . Leadoff batter David Eckstein has been hit by pitches 15 times, tying him for first in the American League with Oakland’s Frank Menechino and leaving him two shy of the AL rookie record of 17, set by Detroit’s Heinie Manush in 1922. . . . Former Angel left-hander Chuck Finley is not scheduled to start for the Indians this weekend against his old teams.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

ISMAEL VALDES

(8-6, 3.61 ERA)

vs.

TIGERS’

STEVE SPARKS

(8-7, 4.34 ERA)

Comerica Park, Detroit, 4 PDT

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

Update--Knuckleballer Sparks limited the Angels to two runs and three hits in eight innings of a 3-2 Angel win on May 6 but gave up five runs and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings of a 7-6 Tiger win on May 11.