Angels Flash Their Reserve Claws

Right fielder Tim Salmon hobbled off the field after smashing a foul ball into his ankle. Shortstop David Eckstein watched from the bench, his bruised hand preventing him from swinging a bat with any authority. Catcher Bengie Molina took the night off, resting before a day game in the heat and humidity here. And center fielder Darin Erstad was thousands of miles away, in Utah, playing the final game of his minor league rehabilitation assignment.

Even with a lineup that had a junior varsity feel to it, the Angels still won Saturday, with signs of encouragement on several fronts. In a 9-2 victory over the Florida Marlins, Aaron Sele pitched his best game of the season so far, closer Troy Percival returned from the disabled list and pitched a scoreless inning, Garret Anderson hit his sixth home run in five games and the supporting cast provided ample support.

The night, so close to perfect, was almost ruined when Salmon fouled a ball off his left ankle and left the game one inning later, as the ankle swelled. Although X-rays ruled out a broken bone and the injury was diagnosed as a deep bruise, Salmon said he did not expect to play today and was unsure how many days he might miss.

“My thoughts are, how am I going to sleep? This is going to be throbbing all night long,” he said.

The Angels play the final game of a two-week trip today. They’ll feel good getting home and even better if Salmon and Eckstein can play Monday, when Erstad rejoins the team.

They felt pretty good about Sele, who won consecutive starts for the first time this season. In seven innings, he gave up two runs and four hits, a quality effort anytime and all the more impressive since opponents had been hitting .333 against him. He also executed a perfect slash play -- fake the bunt, pull the bat back and hit a single through an infield hole -- in his third at-bat in 12 months.

Sele and Manager Mike Scioscia used the term “work in progress” to describe the season of a pitcher six starts into his return from shoulder surgery. No one would be so bold as to predict the troubles of a pitcher with a 6.60 earned-run average are over.

“I don’t know if I feel any stronger, but I’m definitely more consistent,” Sele said. “That’s what you’re shooting for.... I’m still going to have some ups and downs, but tonight was a good night.”

Percival was thrilled after his first outing in two weeks. In the interim, he was diagnosed with a degenerative hip, embarked upon a rigorous rehabilitation program to strengthen the joint and surrounding muscles, and revamped his delivery, eliminating his signature high leg kick to relieve stress upon the hip.

The Angels were concerned that batters would pick up the ball a split-second earlier, since Percival no longer presented a tangled mess of arms and legs, and that his velocity would decline. But Percival said the former concern did not turn out to be an issue, and the latter concern was eased by radar-gun readings of 95 to 97 mph on his fastball.

“And my arm takes much less stress doing it this way,” he said.

The batting averages of veterans Benji Gil, Eric Owens and Jose Molina all are floating near the Mendoza Line, but the reserves shined Saturday. Gil, replacing Eckstein at shortstop, stole a base, scored a run and started two double plays. Owens, replacing Eckstein atop the lineup, had two hits. Molina doubled, his first extra-base hit this year, and had an RBI.

The Angels hope Salmon might return in a couple of days. He sat out three weeks last year because of a badly bruised hand, so you never know. If the first three names in Monday’s lineup are Eckstein, Erstad and Salmon, these Angels will feel blessed indeed.