Injuries Have Taken Toll on Erstad’s Swing

The spasms in Darin Erstad’s lower back have begun to subside, and his strained right knee is feeling better. Erstad’s swing, though, is suffering from general malaise.

The Angel center fielder returned from a two-game absence Tuesday night but did not put a very good pass on the ball in four at-bats, grounding out three times and striking out once. He was 0 for 4 Wednesday night, his average falling to a queasy .222, but he did hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

“I’m stinking it up right now, I’m in a bad rut, but it’s not something physical,” said Erstad, who hit .355 with a major league-leading 240 hits in 2000. “I’ve developed some icky habits that I need to correct quickly.”

With his knee and lower back acting up on the Angels’ last trip, Erstad made several adjustments to compensate for the injuries, and it threw his timing off.

When he’s hitting well, Erstad’s hands and hips fire simultaneously, but because of the injury to his plant leg, Erstad has been opening his hips toward first base too early. That has prevented him from driving outside pitches toward left field, which is usually a strength.

“It’s pretty obvious what I have to do, it’s just a matter of getting it done,” Erstad said. “I’ve got to get it out of my head that I was hurt. I can’t be so conscious of the injuries.”

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Class-A right-hander Chris Bootcheck, a first-round pick last June, was placed on the disabled list Tuesday because of shoulder tendinitis, meaning that four of the Angels’ top six pitching prospects are sidelined.

Left-hander Joe Torres, also a first-round pick in 2000, and right-hander Francisco Rodriguez, a Venezuelan who signed for $900,000 in 1998, are still at the Angels’ extended spring-training camp in Mesa, Ariz., Torres because of shoulder problems and Rodriguez because of elbow problems.

In addition, right-hander Derrick Turnbow recently suffered a broken bone in his right forearm and is out for the season.

“I’m not really concerned about a pattern developing,” Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman said. “We tend to be pretty cautious with these guys. While we prefer everyone was healthy, some aren’t.”

Bootcheck’s injury is not believed to be serious. Torres and Rodriguez are throwing, but no date has been set for them to be assigned to minor league clubs. The Angels are in the process of deciding whether Turnbow will need surgery, a procedure in which a pin would be placed in his forearm.

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Frank Thomas, who has not played since suffering a right triceps strain last Friday, was in the starting lineup Wednesday night but was scratched after batting practice, when he could barely get a ball out of the infield.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

ISMAEL VALDES

(1-2, 2.89 ERA)

vs.

WHITE SOX’S

JAMES BALDWIN

(0-1, 7.36 ERA)

Edison Field, 7, Fox Sports Net

* Update--Angel Manager Mike Scioscia juggled his rotation so Ramon Ortiz, who was scheduled to start tonight, could take two extra days to let the mild sprain in his right ankle heal. In his last start, Valdes was forced out of an April 25 game at Cleveland after five innings because of a nasty blister on the middle finger of his throwing hand. But Valdes threw in the bullpen Tuesday and felt no ill effects.

* Tickets--(714) 663-9000.