Valdes Ready to Reap Rewards

For the umpteenth consecutive season, the Angels’ winter shopping list includes a top-quality veteran starter. This season, though, they might already be employing that man.

The Angels plucked Ismael Valdes from the unemployment line last winter, for $2.5 million plus incentives, after he won two games with a 5.63 earned-run average. But he has posted an ERA under 4.00 in each of the other seven seasons of his career, including this one.

“No doubt he has reestablished himself as one of the top pitchers in the game,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “He’s only 28. He’s very talented. I don’t think there’s any manager in the league that wouldn’t love to have him.”

Valdes figures to command a lucrative long-term deal in free agency, and toward that end he recently hired agent Scott Boras. That doesn’t necessarily rule out the Angels, in large part because Valdes credits much of his resurgence to his comfort level with Scioscia, his former coach with the Dodgers.

“He gave me all the confidence, all the trust and all the belief I needed after the bad season I had last year,” Valdes said. “He’s a great guy. I feel so great here.”

In the first few weeks of the season, Alfredo Amezaga was the shortstop of the future and David Eckstein the converted second baseman filling the temporary hole at shortstop. Now, in the final few weeks of the season, Amezaga is struggling to hit triple-A pitching and Eckstein has anchored himself as the starting shortstop for another season.

“I’m very comfortable with him as our shortstop,” General Manager Bill Stoneman said. “He’s not your prototypical shortstop, but he makes all the plays you want a shortstop to make, and he does it consistently. And, offensively, he’s a heck of a lot better than a lot of other shortstops.”

Scioscia moved Tim Salmon up to the fifth spot in the lineup and said he would remain there against left-handers, dropping first baseman Scott Speizio from fifth to seventh because of his .230 average against left-handers.

Salmon, who has hit anywhere from second to seventh during his mystifying and miserable season, was surprised to climb higher in the order.

“We’ve been winning with the lineup the way it’s been, so you usually let it ride,” Salmon said. “To be able to stay where you’re at and have the same people around you, there’s a comfort in that.”

Even with his .300 average this month, Salmon is on pace to hit .226 with 17 home runs and 47 runs batted in, a far cry from his typical season (.291, 32 homers, 106 RBI).

“Hey, the market had a bad year, and there are a lot of stockbrokers struggling,” Salmon said. “I’m having a bad year but hopefully I’ll be back.

“Not hopefully. I’m confident I will be back at that level next year.”

ON DECK

Opponent--New York Yankees, three games.

Site--Edison Field.

Tonight--7.

TV--Fox Sports Net tonight.

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

Records--Angels 67-61, Yankees 75-53.

Record vs. Yankees--2-2.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

JARROD WASHBURN

(11-6, 3.53 ERA)

vs.

YANKEES’

ANDY PETTITTE

(14-7, 3.61 ERA)

Update--With games tonight and Saturday nearly sold out and more than 40,000 tickets already sold for Sunday, the Angels expect to challenge the Edison Field record for attendance in a three-game series.

Saturday, 1 p.m.--Ismael Valdes (8-7, 3.80 ERA) vs. Roger Clemens (16-1, 3.60 ERA).

Sunday, 5 p.m.--Scott Schoeneweis (10-9, 4.98 ERA) vs. Orlando Hernandez (0-6, 6.00 ERA).