Salmon’s Pace Is Worse Than Even Last Year’s

Tim Salmon passed the 100 at-bat milepost Wednesday, and his statistics are no better this season than they were last season.

He hit .180 in his first 100 at-bats this year, with three home runs, 15 runs batted in and 18 walks. He hit .240 in his first 100 at-bats last year, with four homers, 12 RBI and 22 walks, en route to the worst season of his career. He and the team attributed that miserable season largely to injuries, but he says he is sound this season, and Manager Mike Scioscia insists Salmon’s strength and bat speed are much improved.

“Confidence is a big part of the equation with Tim,” Scioscia said. “But it’s a Catch-22: You need the hits to get confidence, and you need the confidence to get hits.”

Said General Manager Bill Stoneman: “I think it will happen for him. But baseball is a production business, and players are there to produce. We’re looking for that from Tim as well as from everybody else.”

Salmon’s contract makes him virtually impossible to trade, even for a minor leaguer. The Angels owe him $9.25 million this year and $28.75 million over the next three years, so their only hope would be to trade the 33-year-old for a similarly paid and similarly unproductive player.

“It would be Darren Oliver for Carl Everett. If he goes, it would be that kind of deal,” said an executive from another major league club, referring to the mutual salary dump between the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers last December.

Stoneman said the Angels can’t afford to add to a player payroll already at a team-record $60 million.

“We spent beyond what we thought we were going to spend early on, to get [Brad] Fullmer and [Aaron] Sele,” Stoneman said. “We’re probably as high as we’re going to go.”

The Angels are not presently trying to trade Salmon, several sources said. Scioscia dropped him back to seventh in the batting order Wednesday and again removed him from right field and used him as the designated hitter.

“I can’t say I’m getting used to it,” Salmon said, “but from an approach standpoint it’s not going to mess me up. It’s not like I’m hitting great either way.”

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

AARON SELE

(2-2, 5.71 ERA)

vs.

TIGERS’

MARK REDMAN

(0-3, 6.03 ERA)

Edison Field, 7

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

Update--Sele has not lost in his last four starts. Redman has not won in eight starts since the Tigers acquired him from the Minnesota Twins in July.

Tickets--(714) 663-9000.