Injury Didn’t Hurt DaVanon

Not many baseball careers have been enhanced by torn shoulder cartilage, but the flight path of Jeff DaVanon, the newest Angel, may be one of those rare exceptions.

DaVanon suffered a torn labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder diving for a ball in the outfield during spring training in 2000 and missed the entire season. A major setback? Hardly.

“Getting hurt may have been one of the best things that happened, because I watched the Angels play on television every night and studied all their great hitters,” said DaVanon, who was recalled from triple-A Salt Lake Friday to replace Glenallen Hill on the roster.

“Being out for so long also gave me a burning desire to come back and play. That’s why my off-season workouts were so intense, because I wanted to get back here.”

DaVanon, 27, has been here before, playing seven games after a September callup in 1999. His first big league stint was short. It was not sweet.

He was the Angel leadoff batter in his first big league start in Minnesota on Sept. 11, 1999, the day Twin left-hander Eric Milton threw a no-hitter. DaVanon, a switch-hitter, struck out three times and flailed at a Milton fastball for strike three to end the game.

“I was the Play of the Day on every highlight show,” DaVanon said. “That was the one time you don’t want to watch ‘SportsCenter.’ It can’t get any worse than that.”

DaVanon’s 2001 debut, in which he also hit leadoff, was more pleasant. He lined a two-run homer to right in the seventh inning of Friday night’s 7-1 victory over the Royals, a shot that earned him another start at DH, in the seventh spot, Saturday night.

DaVanon, who hit .335 with nine homers and 40 runs batted in at Salt Lake, will likely share the DH spot with Scott Spiezio and Orlando Palmeiro, and he could see some time in the outfield.

“This is the most fun I’ve ever had playing baseball,” DaVanon said. “I can’t come to the park early enough, and I can’t leave late enough. It’s like being in Little League again.”

On May 8, Troy Glaus was batting .230 with seven homers and 17 RBIs and Darin Erstad was batting .207 with one homer and 13 RBIs. In the next 20 games through Friday night, the two combined to hit .368 (67 for 182) with 10 homers and 37 RBIs, Glaus lifting his average to .291 and Erstad to .283. . . . Catcher Bengie Molina, out since May 5 because of a strained right hamstring, will try to run full speed next weekend. If he passes that test, Molina, who has been taking batting practice and running half-speed, probably will begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment next week. . . . Backup catcher Jose Molina, out since May 21 because of a broken left thumb, took batting practice for the first time Saturday but is still a week or two away from returning.

TODAY

ANGELS’

RAMON ORTIZ

(3-4, 4.50 ERA)

vs.

ROYALS’

MAC SUZUKI

(2-3, 3.86 ERA)

Edison Field, 1 p.m.

TV--Channel 9.

Radio--KLAC (570),

XPRS (1090).

Update--Through Friday night, the Angel pitching staff had given up only 41 home runs, second fewest in the major leagues behind Boston (39). Ortiz gave up two runs on five hits in five innings of his last start against Minnesota, gaining a no-decision in the Angels’ 6-5, 11-inning loss Tuesday night, but it was not the right-hander’s most efficient start of the season. Ortiz threw 101 pitches, walked four and struck out only one. Suzuki recently returned to the rotation after spending two weeks in the bullpen.

Tickets--(714) 663-9000.