Starters Will Get Most of At-Bats

A sense of urgency enveloped the Angels on Tuesday, as Manager Mike Scioscia, for the first time in weeks, fielded his likely opening-day lineup -- minus injured third baseman Dallas McPherson -- in a 6-6 tie against Arizona.

Most of the regulars will play again tonight against Seattle, and with less than two weeks before opening day, the starters will get most of the playing time for the remaining 12 exhibition games.

They can use it.

Nagging injuries and flu have led to some uneven performances this spring. First baseman Darin Erstad, the effects of bronchitis still lingering, got his second hit of the spring, boosting his average to .105, and shortstop Orlando Cabrera is batting .167.

Left fielder Garret Anderson, who had tendinitis in his right knee, homered in the fifth inning Tuesday but is batting .185, and right fielder Vladimir Guerrero, the 2004 American League most valuable player, is hitting .231 with one homer and seven runs batted in.

Catcher Bengie Molina finally returned last weekend after sitting out two weeks because of a tight left calf, and Robb Quinlan committed his third error at third. About the only position player having a strong spring is center fielder Steve Finley, who is hitting .480.

“We’re finally getting some guys over the flu,” Scioscia said. “We want to get these guys out there as much as we can now, because they haven’t played together much.”

Erstad, who lost five pounds, has struggled to regain his energy and recently stopped taking antibiotics “because they were making me loopy,” he said. “I’m just trying to make it through practice, let alone trying to accomplish anything. Hopefully these last 10 days will be more normal.”

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Two weeks after being diagnosed with a herniated disk in his back, McPherson went through his first full-speed workout, fielding grounders and throwing to first, taking batting practice and running full speed.

The third baseman seemed to hold back in the cage until his final round of batting practice, when he hit several balls beyond the right-field fence.

“I had to prove to myself I could drive the ball, turn on a few balls,” he said. “It held up great. I was real comfortable by the end of batting practice.”

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Former Angel third baseman Troy Glaus had three singles and three RBIs and made several nice defensive plays for the Diamondbacks. He’s batting .424 with three homers and 17 RBIs but says none of it has to do with motivation to prove the Angels wrong for letting him go.

“It was their decision to make, and they made it,” Glaus said. “I want to play well for the Diamondbacks, to show they made the right decision, not to prove anyone wrong.”

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Closer Francisco Rodriguez’s six-inning hitless streak ended Tuesday when the right-hander gave up a run and three hits in 1 2/3 innings.... Reliever Scot Shields, sidelined by a stress reaction in his right shin, pitched in a game for the first time in nine days, giving up one hit and striking out one in one inning.... Jarrod Washburn gave up five runs and six hits in four innings, then flew home to Wisconsin, where doctors are scheduled to induce his wife into labor today.... It appears that Scioscia will bat speedy second baseman Chone Figgins in the ninth spot, behind the slow-running Molina. That alignment could inhibit Figgins, but Scioscia says the Angels will benefit more from having a speedy table-setter before the top of the order.

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The city of Anaheim let a Tuesday deadline pass without filing a second appeal seeking to overturn the Orange County Superior Court’s refusal to stop the Angels’ name change.

The deadline became all but moot when the California Court of Appeal agreed to hear the city’s case on an emergency basis. That hearing, in which the city will ask the appellate court to block the team from playing as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim until a trial to decide whether that name violates the stadium lease, is scheduled for Monday.

Times staff writer Bill Shaikin contributed to this report.