Long Wait Over for Erstad

When Angel first baseman Darin Erstad saw that left-hander Scott Schoeneweis would be starting for the White Sox on Wednesday night, one thought went through his mind: “I’ve been waiting 10 years for this.”

Only once, at any level, from Little League to the major leagues, has Erstad struck out four times in a game. It happened in 1994, when Erstad, after his sophomore year of college, was playing for the Falmouth Commodores in the Cape Cod Summer League, and Schoeneweis was pitching for the Chatham A’s.

“Four at-bats, four strikeouts,” Erstad said. “It was the first time in my life I saw a sinker from a left-handed pitcher. I had no idea what hit me. I never had a chance.”

Erstad was so upset about his performance that he tossed his batting gloves, shoes, socks, T-shirt and several other items he wore or used in the game into the trash.

“I threw everything away but the team-issued uniform they gave me,” Erstad said. “We never forget those things.”

Not until Wednesday did Erstad have another shot at Schoeneweis. The two were Angel teammates from 1999 until last July, when Schoeneweis was traded to the White Sox. Erstad did not face Schoeneweis last season, and he was on the disabled list when Schoeneweis pitched against the Angels on May 30.

As for revenge, Erstad didn’t exactly exact it. He walked in the first inning and grounded to short in the third, his only at-bats against Schoeneweis, who was pulled after five innings of the Angels’ 12-0 victory.

“We won, that’s all that matters,” Erstad said. “And I didn’t strike out.”

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It’s been an anxiety-filled week for Angel reliever Francisco Rodriguez, and it has nothing to do with the bases-loaded jam in which the right-hander found himself in the eighth inning Tuesday night.

Rodriguez expects to find out by Friday whether his grandmother -- whom he refers to as his mother, because she raised him -- two brothers and a sister will be able to obtain the necessary visas to travel from his native Venezuela to Houston for Tuesday’s All-Star game.

“They’ve never seen me play here, not even during the [2002] World Series,” said Rodriguez, whose 1.02 earned-run average and 69 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings earned him a spot on the American League team. “It would be great if they could come.”

Because of the unstable political climate in Venezuela, the government is not issuing visas as freely as it did in the past.

“They have to go through the embassy and interview with the consulate,” Rodriguez said. “It’s hard to get visas, because the government thinks people who come here are going to stay here, that they’re going to visit and never come back.”

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Left fielder Jose Guillen hit a pair of home runs Wednesday and threw Paul Konerko out at the plate in the second inning Tuesday. Which was the bigger thrill? That’s a tossup.

“I love to throw people out like I love to hit home runs,” said Guillen, who continues to prove he has one of baseball’s best arms. “There’s a lot of excitement, the fans get real pumped. It’s a blessing from God to have a good arm.”

Said Manager Mike Scioscia: “I knew he had a great arm, and as you see it, you’re more impressed every time he throws. He’s on the money, he has a great release, great mechanics and great velocity.”

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Pitching coach Bud Black declined to elaborate on Tuesday’s pre-game meeting with Angel starters, when, according to right-hander John Lackey, Black said, “If we’re going to win consistently, a lot of it’s going to be on us.”

Said Black: “It’s not that big a deal. What I did say, I’d rather keep between me and the pitchers.”

Was it a pep talk?

“Nah,” Black said. “I didn’t throw any chairs, though.”