Cabrera, Molina Now Among Team’s Ailing

It’s never a good sign when your shortstop is pulling on jeans and a T-shirt and your catcher is bolting for the team hotel just 10 minutes before pre-game warmups are supposed to begin.

But that was the scene in the Angel clubhouse Monday, Orlando Cabrera leaving to undergo an MRI test on his ailing right elbow and Bengie Molina leaving because of a stomach virus.

Neither was available Monday night. With third baseman Dallas McPherson sitting out his second game because of tightness in his left groin and center fielder Steve Finley on the disabled list because of a shoulder strain, that left the Angels without four starters for the opener of a four-game series against Texas.

The Angels were also left with only two healthy position players on the bench: outfielder Curtis Pride, who has six major league at-bats this season, and catcher Josh Paul, who has gone 32 games without an at-bat.

“Every team is banged up,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “Even though some guys are banged up, we feel we have enough to do what we have to do.”

McPherson played catch Monday, is scheduled to hit today and could return by Wednesday or Thursday; Molina will be out for at least a day.

The bigger concern is Cabrera, who sat out three games against the Rangers last week because of an inflamed elbow, played in three weekend games against the Dodgers but aggravated the injury.

The MRI showed no structural damage, but there was inflammation and fluid in the back of his elbow. Cabrera might receive a cortisone injection today -- he said he’s allergic to cortisone -- and will be out at least until this weekend.

“I shouldn’t have played those three games against the Dodgers, but I was just too excited,” Cabrera said. “I need rest. It seems like when I don’t play, we score 10 runs, so I’m going to stay out of the way.”

Cabrera said the elbow bothers him more when he’s swinging than throwing. With several injured starters and the Angels expecting to play short-handed beginning Friday, when reliever Brendan Donnelly will probably begin a suspension, the Angels may have no choice but to place Cabrera on the disabled list.

“If we have to make a move to reestablish some depth, we have some options,” Scioscia said. “But we have depth, and we’re going to use it.”

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Ranger ace Kenny Rogers was scratched from today’s scheduled start because of small fracture of a bone in his right hand.

Rogers, who is 9-3 with a 2.46 earned run average, suffered the injury when he punched a water cooler in frustration during a June 17 game against Washington. Rogers yielded for six runs and 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings of his next start last Wednesday, a 6-0 loss that ended his string of nine straight winning decisions.

With catcher Rod Barajas out because of a strained back muscle, Texas recalled catcher Gerald Laird from triple-A Oklahoma and demoted infielder Marshall McDougall.

“We roll with the punches,” Manager Buck Showalter said, no pun intended. “No one is going to feel sorry for us, and we won’t either. We’ll keep grinding.”

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Vladimir Guerrero took a significant step toward a starting spot in the July 12 All-Star game, moving into second place behind Boston’s Manny Ramirez -- and ahead of Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki -- in voting for American League outfielders. Scioscia is confident the Angels will be “well-represented” in the game, saying outfielder Garret Anderson and pitchers Bartolo Colon, Scot Shields and John Lackey should warrant strong consideration.... Left-hander Corey Lee, who was 6-2 with a 2.84 ERA at triple-A Salt Lake, was released Monday so he could sign with the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan.