Callaway Sharp, Schoeneweis Struggles

Mickey Callaway knew this might be his year to make the Angels’ starting rotation out of spring training, so he intensified his off-season training regimen to prepare for the most important audition of his career.

So far, so good.

The right-hander pitched four scoreless innings during the Angels’ 5-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants at Tempe Diablo Stadium, giving up only two hits and striking out four. Though the Angels are still several weeks away from deciding on their rotation, Callaway has emerged as a top contender.

“Hopefully, if that’s an indication of where he is, that’ll be big for us,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “We haven’t made any determinations, but any time a guy goes out there and pitches as well as Mickey did today, it doesn’t hurt.”

Callaway, who spent most of last season at triple-A Salt Lake City before joining the Angels’ staff in late August, has a 1.00 earned-run average in three spring appearances, striking out seven without a walk in nine innings.

Scott Schoeneweis, also bidding for a starting slot, appears headed in the opposite direction. He was drilled for six hits and four runs -- all earned -- in two innings of relief. It was the third consecutive forgettable outing for the former starter who moved to the bullpen halfway through last season.

“It’s not been a whole lot of fun so far,” said Schoeneweis, who earned the victory as the beneficiary of the Angels’ rally in the fifth and sixth innings. “I don’t know what to attribute it to. I don’t think it’s any one thing.”

Schoeneweis’ ineffectiveness has been especially troubling because he normally has fared better in the spring than during the regular season.

“Maybe I’ll have a real bad spring and a real good year,” he said.

After the game, Schoeneweis underwent treatment for a hamstring injury he said has been bothering him. But the left-hander said the injury wasn’t serious.

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Documents obtained Tuesday confirmed that major league officials discussed folding the Angels as part of baseball’s ill-fated contraction plan, although the Walt Disney Co. probably would have vetoed any such effort.

Those documents, obtained by Newsday and Associated Press, indicated that an eight-team list of possible contraction targets -- Arizona, Florida, Kansas City, Minnesota, Montreal, Oakland, San Diego and Tampa Bay -- was expanded in 2001 to include the Angels. With Disney eager to sell the Angels, baseball officials floated the concept of buying back the Angel franchise, then disbanding it and moving the Athletics from Oakland to Anaheim.

Tony Tavares, then the Angel president, told Associated Press two ideas were floated, one involving folding the A’s and selling the Angels to the Oakland owners, the other involving folding the Angels and moving the Oakland franchise, players and all, to Anaheim. But Tavares said the talks were “not that serious” and said Disney officials and Oakland owners never discussed the ideas. Bob DuPuy, baseball’s chief operating officer, told Newsday the concept of eliminating the Angels was “one of dozens and dozens” of contraction-related ideas, one that never got very far.

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The Angels and San Diego Padres played without incident Monday, but Angel first baseman Scott Spiezio said the two brawls that erupted between the teams in a game one year and one day earlier remain etched in his mind.

The first melee broke out when Angel pitcher Aaron Sele plunked Ryan Klesko with a pitch to the back, and the second came after San Diego pitcher Bobby Jones retaliated with a brushback pitch to Troy Glaus. The fallout contributed to the Angels’ club-worst 6-14 start, as Spiezio was suspended for six games and Glaus for two. Sele was fined an undisclosed amount but was not suspended.

“It definitely hurt us at the beginning of the year,” Spiezio said. “Who knows, maybe if we were all able to play early in the season we would have gotten off to a better start and had a better record and won our division.”

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Tim Salmon keyed the Angels’ rally against the Giants with a two-run double in the fifth inning off reliever Joe Nathan. Garret Anderson followed with a sacrifice fly to tie the score, 4-4. An inning later, Chone Figgins drove in the winning run with a double to left.... Barry Bonds did not play.... The Angels optioned left-hander Eric Cyr to double-A Arkansas and sent right-hander Brandon Emanuel to minor league camp.