Angels Cut Hill, Topple Royals

The Angel offense has struggled all season to score runs, but that’s nothing compared to the team’s front office, which is zero for two in designated hitters after releasing Glenallen Hill before Friday night’s 7-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals before 30,783 at Edison Field.

Hill, 36, was acquired from the New York Yankees on March 28, the same day the Angels released Jose Canseco because of concerns about Canseco’s nagging injuries and potential lack of production.

But Hill was all the Angels thought Canseco would be . . . and less.

A streaky slugger who hit four homers in a four-game series against the Angels last August, Hill got off to a horrendous start in Anaheim, batting .135 with one home run, no walks and 18 strikeouts in 13 games before going on the disabled list because of a strained left oblique muscle on April 21.

While Hill was rehabilitating his rib-cage injury, he suffered a strained right hamstring. When he returned Tuesday night, some five weeks after his first injury, he went two for 14 with two strikeouts in three games and was pinch-hit for in crucial situations Wednesday and Thursday.

Hill’s final line: .136, one homer, two runs batted in, no walks, 20 strikeouts in 16 games for the price of $1.5 million, a salary the Angels will have to eat once Hill clears release waivers.

“I don’t know what kind of message this sends other than we can’t have a position as critical as DH and not get any production,” Angel President Tony Tavares said. “There was no vindictiveness to this move. We tried it. It didn’t work. We’re moving on. You can’t have a .136-hitting DH who you have to pinch-hit for because you don’t have confidence in him.”

The Angels are 16 games behind Seattle in the American League West and 10 games behind Cleveland for the wild-card spot. Although the recall of outfield prospect Jeff DaVanon to fill Hill’s roster spot hints of a rebuilding mode, Tavares said the Angels are far from raising the white flag.

“We’re not writing off the season just because Seattle has jumped on a horse and run away,” Tavares said. “This team has to start winning consistently. While it’s improbable someone is going to overtake Seattle, the wild card is not out of the question.”

The Angels rank 11th in the league in runs, 12th in doubles, 10th in home runs and ninth in on-base percentage. Right fielder Tim Salmon (.207) has struggled and Darin Erstad and Troy Glaus slumped in April before surging in May, but no one has underachieved more than Hill, a .271 lifetime batter with 186 home runs, 27 of them last season.

“We got Glenallen for one reason, offense,” General Manager Bill Stoneman said. “We’re at June 1 and I know he was out for a while, but he had one home run in 66 at-bats. He didn’t give us the production we expected.”

Attempts to reach Hill through his agent, Adam Katz, were unsuccessful. Stoneman wasn’t sure how Hill took the news because he didn’t see Hill or talk to him.

Stoneman set up a 2:30 p.m. appointment to meet Hill and called Hill’s wife and agent for Hill’s cell phone number. By the early afternoon, Hill and Katz figured the DH was going to be released, so Hill went to Edison Field and cleaned out his locker before being officially informed of the move.

“He was a no-show, so I told his agent,” Stoneman said. “It’s not the right way to handle it, but it wasn’t my intent.”

Katz said Hill was surprised and disappointed.

“He felt if he had more plate appearances he would have contributed at a high level,” Katz said. “He feels he can do the job and that the Angels made a mistake.”

Hill joins a long and distinguished--but past-their-prime--list of DHs the Angels have banished, a group that includes Eddie Murray, who was released during the 1997 season, Cecil Fielder, who was released during the 1998 season, and Canseco, who was released in spring training.

Manager Mike Scioscia said he will use Scott Spiezio, Shawn Wooten, Orlando Palmeiro, Wally Joyner and DaVanon in the DH spot. DaVanon led off Friday night and smashed a two-run home run in the seventh inning, giving him as many homers in three at-bats as Hill had in 66 at-bats.

Glaus also hit a two-run homer in the third inning, his 15th, and Erstad added three hits, two runs and a run batted in to back the strong pitching of Ismael Valdes, who went the distance on a six-hitter, striking out seven and walking one.

Valdes’ complete game was the 11th of his career and first since Aug. 27, 1999, when he went the distance for the Dodgers against the Chicago Cubs.