Tendinitis in Knee Sidelines Anderson

Center fielder Garret Anderson has experienced virtually no ill effects from the arthritic condition in his upper back that sidelined him for six weeks in the first half of the season, but an inflamed left knee has proved troublesome in recent weeks.

Anderson aggravated the injury running out an eighth-inning grounder Thursday in Seattle and did not play Friday night. He was in the original lineup at designated hitter before being scratched, and if he is able to play at all against the Rangers this weekend, it will be as a DH.

“It’s just sore, it’s tendinitis,” said Anderson, who in his last 20 games has five home runs and 26 runs batted in. “It doesn’t take much [to aggravate] it sometimes. It won’t let me run when I need to run.”

Anderson suffered the initial knee injury on Minnesota’s artificial turf Aug. 5 and sat out the next day’s game in Kansas City. He managed the condition well enough to start the next 37 games, but eight of them were at DH.

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With two strikeouts during his three-inning, scoreless relief appearance Thursday against Seattle, Angel right-hander Scot Shields increased his season total to 101 strikeouts and joined Francisco Rodriguez (111) as the first pair of relievers to reach 100 strikeouts in the same season in club history.

The last major league teammates to record at least 100 strikeouts each in relief were Armando Benitez (106) and Arthur Rhodes (102) for the 1997 Baltimore Orioles.

“It comes in handy, when there are guys on second and third and no outs, knowing you can go to the punch-out,” Shields said. “That’s a plus for us in the bullpen.”

Shields’ ability to throw multiple innings several times a week has been invaluable to a team that has used him in a variety of bullpen roles, from middle relief to closer. He is 7-2 with a 3.20 earned-run average and four saves over 98 1/3 innings in 55 appearances.

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Troy Glaus, who underwent shoulder surgery May 21 and is limited to DH for the rest of this season, began a throwing program Friday, tossing 30 times at 45 feet. He is scheduled to throw every other day, depending how he feels, and there is no timetable for when he’ll return to full strength.

Glaus, however, plans to return to third base next season and is not interested in moving to first base or being a full-time DH. Glaus, who will be a free agent this winter, missed more than three months after falling on his right shoulder diving for a grounder at Minnesota in early May.

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An MRI test revealed that Texas second baseman Alfonso Soriano, injured while stealing third against Oakland on Thursday, suffered a strained left hamstring. He will be examined Sunday by Dr. Lewis Yocum, the Angels’ team physician, and might miss the rest of the regular season.

“It’s not a one- or two-day thing, that’s for sure,” Manager Buck Showalter said.