Need for Relief Is in Outfield

If the Angels acquire one player by Wednesday’s trading deadline, he might be an outfielder rather than a relief pitcher.

While the Angels remain interested in adding a hard-throwing veteran reliever to help set up closer Troy Percival, concerns about organizational depth have prompted them to add outfield help to their shopping list.

The current roster includes one reserve outfielder, Orlando Palmeiro. Two other potential reserve outfielders, Jeff DaVanon and Julio Ramirez, are out indefinitely because of injury, so an injury to one of the starting outfielders could be devastating.

Palmeiro bats left-handed, so a right-handed hitter who could add pop to the bench, and start if necessary, would be ideal. Infielder Jose Nieves, who has looked shaky in outfield trials and has started one game since Shawn Wooten returned 16 days ago, could be expendable.

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After Friday’s game, the Angels activated Percival from the disabled list and optioned reliever Lou Pote to triple-A Salt Lake, where they want him to work as a starter.

Pote said the Angels had refused his request to be removed from the 40-man roster, which would have allowed another team to claim him on waivers.

“I don’t see a future here,” he said. “If I had a future here, I wouldn’t be going down.”

Pote had a 3.23 earned-run average, but he had given up seven runs in his last seven innings and had appeared four times in the last 23 games. The Angels were more impressed with Brendan Donnelly and Scot Shields in relief.

“It wasn’t a surprise. I didn’t pitch, ever,” he said. “I’m just an insurance policy.”

The Angels’ bullpen shined in Percival’s absence. The Angels went 8-3 with Percival on the disabled list, with Ben Weber converting all four of his save opportunities.

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Dr. Lewis Yocum, the Angels’ medical director, said catcher Bengie Molina could be activated Thursday, after a minimum 15-day stay on the disabled list for a hamstring injury that was originally expected to sideline him for at least one month. Molina has responded exceptionally well to treatment, Yocum said, and has been running, catching and hitting. The Angels won’t count on Molina to return this week until they see how responds to more vigorous workouts, but the possibility he could return so soon is thrilling news to Manager Mike Scioscia.

“If you would have asked me that three days ago, I would have said you were crazy,” he said.

TODAY

ANGELS’

JARROD WASHBURN

(12-2, 3.22 ERA)

vs.

MARINERS’

JOEL PINEIRO

(10-4, 3.00 ERA)

Safeco Field, 1

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

Update--Washburn will try to beat the Mariners for the second time in six days and extend his winning streak to 13 games. The Angels expect reliever Scott Schoeneweis (back stiffness) to be available.