Salmon Is Benched, but Angels Flounder

With the offense stuck in neutral for yet another day, the Angels gave their strongest indication that they are no longer willing to keep Tim Salmon in the lineup on the assumption he eventually will hit.

Manager Mike Scioscia benched Salmon for Thursday’s 4-2 loss to the Oakland Athletics and would not say when the right fielder would play again. On the heels of the worst season of his career, Salmon is off to a .143 start this season.

“Our ultimate goal is to get Tim productive and playing well,” Scioscia said. “We’ve tried different avenues going back to last year. We’ve got to consider all possibilities. If it means he doesn’t play for a while, that’s going to be considered.”

Said Salmon: “We’re all looking for answers. I don’t know what the answer is right now.”

Ramon Ortiz, pitching for an Angel team with six home runs this season, gave up three in 61/3 innings Thursday. The Angels rank last in the major leagues in runs scored, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, and their 5-10 start ties the worst in franchise history, a record originally set by the expansion edition of the Angels in 1961.

“What kind of befuddles us is, the season opens, and all the good things we saw in spring training are elusive right now,” General Manager Bill Stoneman said. “It’s not just one guy.”

Scioscia, perhaps casting for ideas, met privately after the game with center fielder Darin Erstad, who had two of the Angels’ seven hits. Scioscia, whose regular lineup this spring had Salmon batting third, has used a different lineup in each of the last six games. Of the Angels’ nine starters, six are batting .225 or below, including Salmon, third baseman Troy Glaus (.178) and second baseman Adam Kennedy (.182).

“There’s more than one reason why our club is stuck in the mud,” Scioscia said. “It’s not all Tim Salmon.”

But with the other hitters unable to carry Salmon, Scioscia decided that keeping him in the lineup was a luxury the team could not afford. Jeff DaVanon played right field Thursday and doubled in four at-bats.

“We need some production,” Scioscia said. “We’re hoping it’s going to be Tim, but we have some options.”

At this point, none of those options include asking Salmon to accept a brief assignment to the minor leagues to regroup, as pitcher Jim Abbott did during a 2-18 season in 1996. Stoneman said that possibility is “not something we’ve discussed.” Scioscia said such a move “doesn’t make any sense” given that Abbott was learning to pitch with reduced velocity while Salmon displayed superior skills as recently as spring training.

“It’s confidence,” Scioscia said. “His confidence has taken a big blow.

“I think he’s dealing with the ghosts of last season. I don’t know if he realizes how strong and how quick his bat is compared to last season.”

The Angels eventually released Abbott and swallowed the $5.6 million owed for the final two years of his contract. The price would be far more prohibitive for Salmon; the Angels owe him $9.25 million this year and $28.75 million over the next three years.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Stoneman said.

After eight seasons of consistent excellence, Salmon, 33, posted career lows last season in batting average (.227), home runs (17) and runs batted in (49), a performance he and the team largely attributed to injuries. He hit .404 in spring training, but Scioscia dropped him in the batting order after one week this season.

Salmon talked his way into the lineup Wednesday but could not Thursday. He and the Angels insist he is physically sound. In a lengthy private meeting before the game, Scioscia told Salmon the time off was intended to allow him to relax, stop pressing and find his lost confidence.

“I have a tendency to beat myself up,” Salmon said. “He sees that. Maybe he’s doing what he thinks is best for me, even if it’s not necessarily something I would do.”