They Come Off Road Beaten Up

A 6-3 trip through New York, Minnesota and Seattle came at a price: The Angels lost utility infielders Maicer Izturis and Lou Merloni to injuries, and reserve catcher Josh Paul could join them on the disabled list today or Friday.

As he slid into second base while breaking up a potential double play in the sixth inning of the Angels’ 5-2 win over the Mariners on Wednesday, Paul was struck on the base of the right thumb by shortstop Wilson Valdez’s throw.

The initial prognosis was a bruise, but a more telling sign of the severity of Paul’s injury was his description of the pain that ensued.

“It hurt right away, and then it went numb,” Paul said. “It’s like when you’re walking in your bedroom late at night and you just crush your big toe and you want to swear and start screaming. That’s what I was dealing with.”

Paul is expected to undergo X-rays today, but even if no bones are broken and he is listed as day to day, the Angels could be forced to make a roster move because they have only one healthy catcher on the roster, Jose Molina.

Bengie Molina was eligible to come off the disabled list Tuesday, but Manager Mike Scioscia said his starting catcher was not fully recovered from a strained right thigh and probably wouldn’t be activated until Monday at the earliest.

With triple-A catcher Jeff Mathis suffering from a thigh bruise, the most likely candidate for recall is Salt Lake catcher Ryan Budde.

“At first glance, it looks like the ligament in the thumb is OK, but it looks like it will be tough for him to pick up a ball for a while,” Scioscia said of Paul.

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An MRI test revealed that Merloni tore ligaments in his right ankle Sunday in Minnesota, an injury that is far worse than the original diagnosis of a sprain and could sideline him for the season.

Merloni will take a few days to decide whether to undergo surgery, an option that would knock him out for the year. Scioscia said Merloni could be out for months, even without an operation.

“The news is almost bad and worse,” Scioscia said.

Merloni, who was injured when his ankle gave out while he was fielding a ground ball in the third base hole, was not an integral part of the team. But his loss, combined with Izturis’ knee injury and triple-A infielder Andy Fox’s recent retirement, has thinned the utility infield depth the Angels had coming out of spring training.

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Jarrod Washburn, who threw 7 2/3 shutout innings in Monday’s 5-0 win over the Mariners, experienced minor muscle spasms in the middle of his back Tuesday and underwent heat treatments Wednesday.

“It’s nothing huge,” Washburn said. “They’re the first spasms I’ve had this year, but I’ve been dealing with them my whole career.

“If I was scheduled to pitch today, it wouldn’t be a problem.”