A Striking Pattern for Hitters

In spring training, the Angels emphasized that their hitters needed to work the count, take more pitches and take more walks. The Angels began Friday’s game ranked last in the major leagues in walks and on-base percentage, and batting coach Mickey Hatcher wonders if his hitters are so worried about taking pitches that they are letting the most hittable ones go by.

As opposing pitchers suspect the Angel hitters might be prone to taking a pitch, Hatcher says, they might leave a first-pitch fastball over the plate. Too often, Hatcher says, the hitter takes the strike, falls behind in the count and makes an out.

“We can’t take a first-pitch batting-practice fastball at 88 mph,” Hatcher said. “We’re not a good two-strike hitting team. I don’t want them going up there and giving up pitches they should hit. You might only get one good pitch to hit in an at-bat, and they’ve got to be ready to hit it.”

The remedy, of course, is for the Angels to start hitting, so that pitchers fear putting that first pitch over the plate. The Angels began play Friday hitting .220; they hit 16 fly balls for outs Thursday.

“You can’t hit 16 fly balls and expect to win the game,” Hatcher said. “I told them, get your mind off your average and let’s make some adjustments. I don’t see adjustments being made. We’ve got a lot of guys who work hard, but there’s a difference between working hard and applying it in the game, and that’s what is not happening.”

The lack of results has bred a crisis of confidence among the hitters, Hatcher said.

“The confidence level of a lot of guys is down,” he said. “We’re trying to build it up. It’s tough to see what’s happening. A lot of it is mind-boggling to me. We don’t see the confident approach we saw in spring training.”

*

One day after benching right fielder Tim Salmon and suggesting he could miss a few games, Manager Mike Scioscia returned him to the lineup, batting seventh. Salmon began play Friday hitting .143.

“Our ultimate goal is to get Tim Salmon productive.... It’s hard to be productive unless you have a chance to get at-bats,” Scioscia said.

“It’s not a case where Tim will come in every day and wonder whether he’s playing. We’re not going to pull the plug on a guy 40 at-bats into the season. If he starts swinging the bat well, that’s not going to be an issue. If there’s a prolonged production shortage, we’re going to mix and match.”

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

KEVIN APPIER

(1-1, 2.37 ERA)

vs.

ATHLETICS’

BARRY ZITO

(0-1, 3.38 ERA)

Oakland Coliseum, 1 p.m.

Radio--KLAC (570), XPRS (1090).

Update--Appier and the Angels beat Zito and the A’s, 4-1, at Edison Field Sunday. Matt Wise, the Angels’ top pitcher at triple-A Salt Lake, gave up one hit and struck out 11 in a six-inning start Thursday.