Erstad May Go on Disabled List

Center fielder Darin Erstad’s hamstring injury has stubbornly persisted for a week, to the point that he expects doctors to consider today whether the Angels ought to put him on the disabled list.

Erstad expressed frustration after a Friday workout in which he continued to experience discomfort in his right leg.

“Not good,” he said. “You want to test it, but not so hard that you set yourself back. I pushed it as far as I could. I’m not ready to play.”

Erstad is unlikely to play before Tuesday, and by then he would have missed nine of the 15 days necessitated by a stint on the disabled list. The Angels play on the artificial turf of Toronto’s SkyDome next week, which means that they would want to add an outfielder by then if Erstad is not ready so Tim Salmon can serve as a designated hitter.

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Players cherish their few free hours during the season, but shortstop David Eckstein will be up early this morning, appearing at a charity run/walk that benefits the National Kidney Foundation. The event is designed in part to spread the word about medical advances that enable increasing numbers of people -- not just the closest relatives, Eckstein said -- to serve as organ donors.

The cause is near and painfully dear to Eckstein’s heart. His father Whitey is on the waiting list for a kidney transplant. His brother Ken and sisters Christine and Susan already have undergone kidney transplants.

“Hopefully, we can help raise awareness of how this can change a person’s life,” Eckstein said. “To see my brother and sisters, you wouldn’t know anything was wrong with them.”

The event starts at 8:30 a.m. at Cal State Fullerton. Eckstein said he regrets that his schedule will not permit him to stay through the post-race festival. Information: www.giftoflifeoc.org.

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Scot Shields makes his second major league start tonight, a spot start in place of the injured Kevin Appier. Shields has thrown as many as 63 pitches in an outing this season and said it would be “no problem” for him to throw 90 tonight.

Shields said he would love to be considered for any vacancy that might arise in the starting rotation but said he understands why the Angels might prefer to keep him in relief.

“I’ve got what some people call a rubber arm,” he said. “I can pitch every day, and I think that’s better suited to being a reliever.”