Slow-Healing Salmon on Disabled List

The Angels have played almost two weeks without outfielder Tim Salmon and could play another two without him. After the soreness failed to subside in his badly bruised left hand, the Angels finally put him on the disabled list Thursday.

“You start trying to convince yourself it’s feeling better, but it’s not,” he said.

Salmon suffered the injury when he was hit by a pitch Aug. 10, and the Angels had played one man short since then, hoping he could swing without pain and return. When the pain got worse while he was hitting Thursday, the Angels told Salmon to rest the hand for several days, and Manager Mike Scioscia said he believed it would be “a stretch” for Salmon to be ready next Thursday, when he is eligible to be activated.

The Angels promoted second baseman Chone Figgins from triple-A Salt Lake. Figgins, 24, will serve mostly as a pinch-runner; he is hitting .305 and leads the Pacific Coast League in triples (18), stolen bases (39) and runs (100).

The Angels plan to carry four outfielders--Garret Anderson, Darin Erstad, Alex Ochoa and Orlando Palmeiro--for now and promote another outfielder when rosters expand in nine days, Scioscia said.

*

As expected, the Angels plan to promote Mickey Callaway from Salt Lake to replace injured Aaron Sele in the starting rotation. He will probably start Sunday at Boston and next Friday against the Baltimore Orioles, after which an off day and the roster expansion will allow the Angels to evaluate the rotation.

Callaway, 27, is 9-2 with a 1.68 earned-run average at Salt Lake.

*

When the Angels demoted Scott Schoeneweis to the bullpen in June, Scioscia and pitching coach Bud Black said Schoeneweis could return to the starting rotation. But when the Angels put Sele on the disabled list Wednesday, they did not consider replacing him with Schoeneweis in the rotation.

After posting a 5.38 ERA in 15 starts, Schoeneweis has provided solid relief when the Angels needed it most. His ERA is 4.20 since moving to the bullpen and 1.04 since July 15, the day doctors detected a torn rotator cuff and labrum in the shoulder of the team’s only other left-handed reliever, Dennis Cook.

Schoeneweis has not abandoned his goal of starting again, but said he’s resigned to finishing this season in the bullpen and willing to help the playoff push from there.

“I throw 10 pitches a week,” he said. “It’s not rocket science to figure out I can’t throw 100 right now.”

ON DECK

Opponent--Boston Red Sox, four games.

Site--Fenway Park.

Tonight--4 p.m. PDT.

TV--Channel 9 tonight and Monday (delayed one hour), Channel 11 Saturday.

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

Records--Angels 75-51, Red Sox 72-53.

Record vs. Red Sox--1-2.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’ JARROD WASHBURN

(15-4, 3.24 ERA)

vs.

RED SOX’S PEDRO MARTINEZ

(16-3, 2.20 ERA)

Update--The game matches the top two American League pitchers in winning percentage, Martinez at .842 and Washburn at .789. Martinez was scheduled to start Wednesday against the Texas Rangers, but the Red Sox cited the threat of rain in holding back Martinez to face a team above them in the wild-card standings.

Saturday, 10 a.m.--Kevin Appier (11-9, 3.99) vs. Tim Wakefield (7-4, 3.28).

Sunday, 10 a.m.--Mickey Callaway (0-0, 0.00) vs. Derek Lowe (17-5, 2.19).

Monday, 4 p.m.--Ramon Ortiz (10-9, 4.10) vs. John Burkett (10-7, 4.68).

Bill Shaikin