Anderson May Be Close to Returning

While the Angels wring their hands over Steve Finley -- should they permanently bench the struggling center fielder or play him in hopes his bat will come around? -- there was some encouraging news on the offensive front Saturday.

Garret Anderson, who has missed seven straight and nine of the last 11 games because of tendinitis in his left knee and irritation in his lower back, hit soft toss before Saturday’s game, the first time the left fielder has swung a bat in a week.

Anderson also ran, played catch and did agility drills, and Manager Mike Scioscia said as long as Anderson has no setbacks today, “he feels like he’s at a level where he should be able to get in the lineup during the Baltimore series.”

The Angels begin a three-game series against the Orioles Tuesday. Anderson will return as a designated hitter and could be relegated to DH for the rest of the season, but the Angels are confident his bat will make a difference.

In Anderson’s absence, cleanup batter Vladimir Guerrero has been intentionally walked eight times in the last nine games, including in the third inning Saturday.

Anderson, who missed 43 games last season because of inflammatory arthritis in his upper back, last week underwent a series of blood tests, which came up normal, and doctors don’t believe his current injuries are related to last year’s condition.

If Anderson is limited to DH, the Angels could move first baseman Darin Erstad back to the outfield and use Casey Kotchman at first base.

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Third baseman Dallas McPherson, on the disabled list since July 8, will travel to Nashville today for a Monday appointment with Dr. Thomas Byrd, the Tennessee Titans’ team physician who is an expert on hip injuries.

Doctors at the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic in Colorado recommended McPherson have surgery to shave down a bone spur and remove cartilage from his left hip, a procedure that would require a three-month recovery.

But McPherson wants a second opinion. And if he doesn’t like what he hears Monday? “I might seek a third opinion,” he said. “I might get eight opinions.”

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After two scoreless innings Friday, Angel right-hander Kevin Gregg has not yielded a run in 13 consecutive innings over seven appearances, a potential boon to a bullpen that has suffered nine blown saves in 22 games and four of the Angels’ last five losses.

“He probably has a chance to pitch deeper in games than he did before,” Scioscia said of Gregg. “He’s throwing the ball the way he did at the beginning of last year, which should give us a lift. He could help Brendan [Donnelly] and Scot [Shields] stay fresher.”