Molina Frustrated by Injury

The moment Bengie Molina felt that all-too-familiar twinge of pain in his leg -- this time in the right thigh -- as he slid into third base in a game at Oakland on April 17, he was overcome by self-doubt.

All that work he’d put in over the winter to lose almost 25 pounds, all the extra conditioning that was supposed to eliminate a fifth trip to the disabled list in five years ...

“I don’t know if I can explain it in words,” the Angel catcher said when asked about the frustration accompanying his latest trip to the DL. “It was unbelievable. Right when it happened, I asked myself, ‘What else can I do to stay healthy?’ I thought I did everything I could.”

So did the Angels, but maybe the link between the catcher and leg injuries, which have caused four of his five trips to the DL, is impossible to break.

“We’ve banged our heads against the wall,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “There’s a lot of theories he’s addressed, in terms of hydration and stretching. Maybe he’s more prone to little injuries here and there, but I think he’ll bounce back.”

Molina, who is hitting .323 with eight runs batted in, is confident he’ll be ready to return when he’s eligible to come off the DL on May 4, but he has never hurt his thigh muscle before. “It’s a little tougher to come back from because that’s a muscle you’re using for every movement as a catcher, whether you’re squatting, blocking a ball, or coming up to throw,” Molina said. “But I still have [nine] more days. I’ll be all right.”

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Jeff DaVanon, the left-handed hitting side of the Angels’ designated hitter platoon, started Tuesday’s game batting .220 with no homers and four runs batted in. Meanwhile, left-handed hitting outfielder Curtis Pride, who delivered several clutch hits last September, is tearing up triple A with a .413 average, five homers and 20 RBIs in 15 games at Salt Lake.

Scioscia said he was not considering lineup changes now, but he did not rule out a roster move in the near future.

“We have some depth, and Pride is hitting well -- there are some guys [at Salt Lake] who we could certainly look at, options to go to if we want to jump-start something,” Scioscia said. “But I don’t anticipate any changes now.”

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Adam Kennedy’s rehabilitation from right knee surgery gained momentum this week when the second baseman had three hits, scored two runs, drew two walks and stole a base for Salt Lake against Portland on Monday, and went three for four with an RBI Tuesday, giving him seven hits in 13 at-bats and three RBIs in three games.

Kennedy served as DH in Monday’s game but has looked good when he has played second base, fueling the Angels’ confidence that he will return during the team’s next homestand, beginning May 6.

“His range looks good, he’s making plays,” Scioscia said.