Ortiz Makes the Most of Chance

Ramon Ortiz was stumped Saturday night. Not by the Astros, but by a postgame question asking the Angel right-hander if he could recall the last time he pitched this well.

“I don’t know,” Ortiz said.

It has been that long.

Ortiz was 11-6 with a 4.41 earned-run average at the All-Star break last season but has been a picture of inconsistency since, going 5-7 with a 6.52 ERA in the second half of 2003 and pitching so poorly in his first five starts of 2004 (1-3, 9.28 ERA) that he was demoted to the bullpen.

Given a second shot at the rotation because of Aaron Sele’s fatigued shoulder, Ortiz made the most of it Saturday, blanking the Astros on three hits in six innings, striking out five and walking two, to help the Angels to a 6-4 victory.

“Ramon’s fastball command was incredible,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “He moved the ball in and out, he had good velocity and life.”

Ortiz was so upset about being moved to the bullpen that he asked for a trade, but the demotion did wonders for his command and confidence. He had a 1.59 ERA in 22 2/3 relief innings and carried that momentum into Saturday’s game.

“There were some positives that come from taking a step back,” Scioscia said. “The biggest thing was to get him off that treadmill where he was banging his head against the wall as a starter. He could work on some stuff, and that helped him.”

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When utility player Shane Halter dislocated the ring finger on his left hand three weeks ago, he didn’t even bother telling Scioscia. With Garret Anderson, Tim Salmon and Darin Erstad on the disabled list at the time, “I wasn’t about to go to Mike and say my finger was hurt,” Halter said. “I tried to play through it.”

But continued swelling and discomfort in the finger prevented Halter from gripping the bat the way he is used to, so he went on the disabled list Saturday for the first time in his seven-year career, clearing roster room for catcher Bengie Molina.

“I’ve never been on the DL before,” Halter said. “That’s another reason I didn’t say anything, because going on the DL because of a finger injury seemed petty and stupid. But it turned into something more. I wish I got it fixed a few weeks ago.”

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Angel reliever Kevin Gregg has gone from pleasant surprise to a concern after giving up four runs and three hits in the seventh inning Saturday, extending a three-appearance slump in which he has given up 10 runs in three innings.

“He might be overthrowing a bit,” Scioscia said. “As good as it is to see him throwing 94, 95 mph on occasion, his thing is hitting spots.”

Gregg, who had a lengthy conversation with pitching coach Bud Black after the game, had a different opinion.

“If anything, it’s the other way around -- I’m trying to throw nice and easy, at different speeds, and now this is happening,” Gregg said. “Right now, it’s a bad week. I have to move on and get back to what I was doing before.”

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Vladimir Guerrero’s seventh-inning home run off Astro reliever Mike Gallo was the 250th of his career, a milestone reached in just eight seasons.

“That’s a lot more than I hit,” Scioscia said. “You can compare what Vlad has done at this point of his career with some incredible players, not only Hall of Fame-caliber players but some all-time greats.”

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And then there was Erstad, who watched the clubhouse television with envy as Dodger pitcher Hideo Nomo hit a home run against the Yankees.

“Nomo has one more home run than I do,” said Erstad, homerless in 148 at-bats this season. “That’s a good feeling.”