Erstad’s Resurgence Is Hard to Nail Down

For many baseball players, hitting is a feel thing. Sure, there are plenty of mechanics involved, but if the approach, the stance, the weight shift and the swing feel good, the hits usually flow off the bat.

Which makes Angel center fielder Darin Erstad’s monthlong surge all the harder to explain.

“I can honestly say I don’t feel real good up there,” said Erstad, whose average rose from .204 on May 5 to .286 Wednesday night. “But when I look at myself on video, my bat is taking a better path to the ball. I’m getting my hits, but I’m not driving the ball like I’d like to.”

Erstad did not drive the ball at all for a three-week stretch from mid-April to early May. He was slowed by knee and lower-back injuries, and his average plummeted from .378 on April 12 to .204 on May 5.

Though the back spasms have subsided and the knee has improved, Erstad still isn’t at full strength. But when informed by doctors he could do no further damage to his knee by playing on it, Erstad’s fear gradually dissipated.

“I’d like to feel better, but it’s definitely manageable,” said Erstad, who has had 12 multiple-hit games since May 11. “I’m physically able to do what I want to do, which is put myself in a good position to put a good pass on the ball.”

Angel Manager Mike Scioscia doesn’t have a huge problem with Baltimore’s Cal Ripken leading American League third basemen in All-Star balloting, despite the fact Ripken is batting .216 with three homers and 20 RBIs and Angel third baseman Troy Glaus is batting .289 with 16 homers and 43 RBIs.

“I would hope everyone who deserves to be an All-Star is recognized and that there’s room for guys like Ripken who are still a special part of this game,” Scioscia said. “The game is really for the fans, and they have a great interest in seeing Ripken play.”

The Angels, carrying 12 pitchers and only two catchers, likely will send a reliever, Scot Shields or Mark Lukasiewicz, back to triple-A Salt Lake City this weekend and recall catcher Jamie Burke or infielder Jose Nieves.

If Burke is recalled, his big-league stint probably won’t last very long. Catcher Bengie Molina, sidelined since May 5 because of a strained right hamstring, will test his leg by running the bases full speed today.

If Molina passes the test, he will be sent to Class-A Rancho Cucamonga for a rehabilitation assignment, which is expected to last five or six days.

Oakland outfielder Adam Piatt, who was suffering from severe headaches Wednesday, was admitted to UCI Medical Center where he was diagnosed with viral meningitis. Team officials were not concerned about a possible outbreak in the A’s clubhouse because viral meningitis is not as contagious as bacterial meningitis.

Angel right-hander Ismael Valdes, who was traded by the Dodgers to the Cubs after the 1999 season and then released by the Dodgers after the 2000 season, will face his former team for the first time when the Angels and Dodgers meet tonight. But if Valdes, often criticized in Los Angeles for a lack of courage, holds any grudge against the Dodgers, he’s not letting on. Asked how he felt about pitching in Dodger Stadium tonight, Valdes said, “No comment.”