Glaus to Have His Injuries Examined

An Angel team already decimated by injuries added another key member to the triage unit Wednesday when Troy Glaus was scratched from the starting lineup because of a sprained right knee.

Glaus, the third baseman who has been relegated to the designated hitter spot for the last two weeks because of a sore left shoulder, will return to Southern California today to have his knee and shoulder examined by Dr. Lewis Yocum.

Glaus, who has an American League-leading 11 home runs and is tied for the lead with 28 runs batted in, will sit out the weekend series in Baltimore, and there is an outside chance he could join center fielder Garret Anderson, designated hitter Tim Salmon, first baseman Darin Erstad and reliever Brendan Donnelly on the disabled list.

“We’re going to take a step back and see where he is,” Manager Mike Scioscia said.

“Hopefully it’s just a minor tweak and he can get back to work, at least swinging the bat.”

Glaus appeared to twist his knee while coming out of a soggy batter’s box on a grounder to third base in the sixth inning of Tuesday night’s rain-delayed, 8-7 loss to the Yankees. During an eighth-inning strikeout, Glaus grimaced after swinging and missing and limped back to the dugout.

He remained in the game, striking out in the top of the 10th, and Glaus was penciled into the cleanup spot again Wednesday night.

But Glaus experienced too much discomfort to play, and Scioscia had to juggle his lineup in several spots to replace him.

Glaus injured his left shoulder diving on the new artificial surface in Minnesota’s Metrodome on April 30, and he has also experienced pain in his right shoulder.

“It’s been responding slowly” to treatment, Scioscia said of Glaus’ left shoulder. “We have every confidence that it will heal, but we want to make sure he’s on the right path.”

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Yankee catcher Jorge Posada left Wednesday night’s game in the second inning when he was struck in the left shoulder and the face by Angel shortstop Alfredo Amezaga’s relay to first on Hideki Matsui’s potential double-play ball.

Posada was taken to a nearby hospital for X-rays, which revealed a broken nose, which was surgically set. Yankee Manager Joe Torre took offense to Amezaga’s approach to the play, saying, “I didn’t think he had to go underhand -- it was a simple double play. He could have gone over the top.”

But Amezaga said he had no intention of hurting Posada.

“If I don’t protect myself I’m going to get spiked or taken out -- that’s how they teach you to turn that double play,” he said. “He was a little late in sliding, and I couldn’t go over the top. I want to talk to him and tell him I’m sorry, that that’s part of baseball. I want him to know I didn’t do it on purpose. That’s the first time that’s ever happened to me.”

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You know you’re in a pretty bad slump when half your starting lineup is on the disabled list and your manager still gives you the night off to “catch your breath.” Such was Angel shortstop and leadoff batter David Eckstein’s lot Wednesday night.

Mired in a five-for-39 rut that dropped his batting average from .280 on April 24 to .228 on Tuesday night, Eckstein was benched in favor of Chone Figgins at the top of the order and Amezaga at shortstop.

Eckstein and batting instructor Mickey Hatcher have been unable to pinpoint a specific flaw in Eckstein’s swing, which has made his struggles -- Eckstein is hitless in his last nine at-bats and has a .290 on-base percentage -- all the more frustrating.

“They keep telling me to swing the way I’m swinging, and things will fall,” Eckstein said.

“It’s definitely frustrating to hit the ball the way I did the last week and have nothing to show for it. But I promise you, my confidence has not dropped at all.”

Hatcher isn’t so sure.

“We have to keep his confidence going -- that’s the thing that’s killing him now,” Hatcher said.

“It’s not as bad as he thinks it is, because he’s had so many great at-bats. But so much of confidence depends on luck.

“You have to feel like you’re having some luck, and right now, he needs the four-leaf clover. He needs the jam-shot hit that makes you feel something good is going to happen.”

If the Angels were at full strength, Eckstein might be in jeopardy of losing his job to -- or at least having to share it with -- Figgins, who has excelled in a utility role.

“I don’t even think about that,” Eckstein said.

“The goal now is to win games. I’m concerned with tonight. I don’t look into the future.”

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Leading the Way

Troy Glaus is on top of the American League in home runs and RBIs:

*--* Home Runs Troy Glaus, Angels... 11 Carlos Beltran, Kan. City... 10 Hank Blalock, Texas... 9 Eric Chavez, Oakland... 9 David Ortiz, Boston... 8 Magglio Ordonez, Chicago... 8 Jermaine Dye, Oakland... 8 Jorge Posada, New York... 8 Jason Giambi, New York... 8 Manny Ramirez, Boston... 8

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*--* Runs Batted In Troy Glaus, Angels... 28 Carlos Beltran, Kan. City... 28 Magglio Ordonez, Chic.... 28 Ivan Rodriguez, Detroit... 28 Hank Blalock, Texas... 27 Jose Guillen, Angels... 27 Vladimir Guerrero, Angels... 27 Rondell White, Detroit... 27

*--*