Byrd Hopes It Goes Right Off the Bat

You get one chance to make a first impression, and Paul Byrd will have his tonight when the veteran right-hander makes his Angel debut against Kansas City. Bret Prinz got his Wednesday night and, unfortunately for the new Angel reliever, he won’t get a do-over.

Prinz, acquired from the New York Yankees last week, entered in the 12th inning of a 2-2 game, and his third pitch was lofted by Texas second baseman Alfonso Soriano just beyond the 330-foot sign in right field for a game-winning home run.

A prodigious blast it wasn’t, “but it doesn’t matter if it’s the deepest or shortest part of the park -- when they go over the fence, they round the bases,” Prinz said Thursday. “Whether he crushed it or not, you come to a new club and you want to make a good first impression.”

Byrd went 3-0 with a 2.42 earned-run average in six exhibition starts, with excellent command of an array of pitches. Tonight, he hopes to show Angel fans the same stuff.

“I would like to show them they got a great starting pitcher,” said Byrd, 34, who signed a one-year, $5-million deal in December.

*

Manager Mike Scioscia said he would not use closer Francisco Rodriguez Thursday “unless something bizarre happens, like a 22-inning game.” Rodriguez threw 10 pitches in one inning Tuesday, 22 pitches in two innings Wednesday, and Scioscia said he didn’t want to risk over-using him this early in the season.

Setup man Scot Shields, who also pitched Tuesday and Wednesday, supposedly was also in emergency-only mode Thursday, with Brendan Donnelly penciled in for closing duty. But after Donnelly pitched the seventh and eighth innings, Shields worked the ninth, giving up Michael Young’s game-tying single. Shields got the victory when Steve Finley singled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth.

*

Kelvim Escobar will put his sprained right elbow through its first major test today when he throws off a bullpen mound. If all goes well, Escobar will throw another bullpen workout early next week and could make a minor league start as early as next weekend. ... Second baseman Adam Kennedy will report to extended spring training camp in Arizona Sunday to begin playing games.

*

Representatives of the Angels and the city of Anaheim met for a second time to discuss terms of a possible settlement of the lawsuit against the team, but the two sides are not close to a deal, a source familiar with the negotiations said.

After a court hearing last week, Anaheim co-counsel Mike Rubin said the city would consider settlement if the team, which now calls itself the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, would drop “Los Angeles” from its name and compensate the city for damages from eliminating references to Anaheim. The team might consider a payment in exchange for the right to drop “of Anaheim” and play as the Los Angeles Angels.

ON DECK

Opponent -- Kansas City Royals, three games.

Site -- Angel Stadium.

TV -- FSN West tonight and Sunday; Channel 9 Saturday.

Radio -- 710, 1020.

Records -- Angels 2-1, Royals 1-2.

2004 Record vs. Royals -- 7-0.

Tonight, 7 -- Paul Byrd (8-7, 3.94 in 2004) vs. Denny Bautista (0-4, 8.49 in 2004).

Saturday, 7 p.m. -- Jose Lima (0-1, 15.00) vs. Kevin Gregg (5-2, 4.21 in 2004).

Sunday, 1 p.m. -- Bartolo Colon (1-0, 1.35) vs. Brian Anderson (6-12, 5.64 in 2004).