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Angels’ Power in Short Supply

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Times Staff Writer

From the perspective of an opposing clubhouse, the thought is a silly one: What’s wrong with Garret Anderson?

With the Angels leading the Oakland Athletics by 1 1/2 games in the American League West, the A’s aren’t exactly following the Angels on television and crossing their fingers that Anderson comes to bat.

“He’s solid,” Oakland third baseman Eric Chavez said. “He’s killed us over the years so many times.”

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Vladimir Guerrero carried the Angels on his back and into the playoffs last September. But unless Anderson recovers the power that has all but disappeared in recent weeks, opponents might turn this month into a festival of intentional walks for Guerrero and dare the rest of a weakened lineup to push the Angels into October.

“Any time you have two bats in the middle of the lineup to pitch around, it makes it difficult,” Chavez said. “They need both of them, to be honest with you.”

Since the All-Star break, Anderson has been little more than a singles hitter. The 33-year-old outfielder has not homered since Aug. 2, and he has three doubles since then. He is batting .252 since the break, with a .331 slugging percentage.

Those numbers represent a staggering reversal of fortune for a player who developed into one of the elite sluggers in the American League, one who clinched the Angels’ 2002 World Series victory with a three-run double in Game 7 and won the All-Star game home run derby in 2003.

From 2000 to 2003, Anderson twice led the league in doubles, averaging 30 home runs, 46 doubles and a .519 slugging percentage. He is on pace for 15 home runs and 31 doubles this season, with a .425 slugging percentage that would be his lowest since 1997.

The power slump baffles the Angels. Hitting coach Mickey Hatcher said injuries have affected Anderson’s swing. Bench coach Joe Maddon said the swing “looks the same” to him.

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“I don’t have an answer,” General Manager Bill Stoneman said. “The best answer is going to come from Garret.”

“It’s hard to say,” Anderson said. “You can’t say everything is a lock every year. I really don’t know. It just hasn’t happened, for whatever reason.”

The Angels identified a reason last season, when he sat out seven weeks while doctors ran numerous tests and finally diagnosed him with arthritis. The condition is under control with medication.

When irritation in his back flared last month, along with tendinitis in his right knee, the Angels sent him to the rheumatologist who diagnosed the arthritic condition, checking for any flare-up. He found none, and Anderson said he feels fine.

“The nagging injuries have affected him,” Hatcher said. “He’s kind of changed his stance a little bit to help him get through some hard times.”

With the right knee hurting, Hatcher said, Anderson struggled to put as much weight as usual on his right leg. That, in concert with the sore back, hampered him from driving the ball with authority and consistency.

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“When you don’t have your legs and your back, you’re not going to do that,” Hatcher said.

With Steve Finley, Orlando Cabrera, Dallas McPherson and a cast of designated hitters failing to provide expected power, and Darin Erstad and Adam Kennedy not expected to provide any, there isn’t much beyond Guerrero. In an effort to jump-start Anderson’s power, the Angels recently moved him ahead of Guerrero in the lineup.

“For most of the season, he’s been hitting behind Vladimir,” Maddon said. “He isn’t seeing as many hittable, home run-able pitches. There’s no protection behind him -- that’s the perception, at least. They don’t have to come after Garret. In the past, we’ve had three or four power guys in the lineup.

“The opponents have taken some of his power away. I don’t see anything markedly different with him. Nobody is really challenging him very much with the fastball. That might speak to the power numbers as much as anything.”

The declining numbers might concern Stoneman most of all, because the Angels owe Anderson $36 million beyond this season, on a contract that extends through 2008.

“Is it attributable to injury? It doesn’t seem like it,” Stoneman said. “It could be this is one of those years. We know what happened last year. That’s all behind him. The doctors have confirmed that.

“Things don’t happen in perfect patterns in sports. You can’t necessarily judge next year by this year. You can’t necessarily judge this year by last year. Something very explainable got in the way last year. I can’t tell what it is right now.”

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Neither can the A’s. But, the way they figure it, Anderson could find his power stroke any day now.

“You can’t take anybody for granted, especially with his track record,” Chavez said. “You never like to see the middle of that lineup come up.”

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Downward trend

A look at Garret Anderson’s declining numbers the last two seasons, compared with the four seasons before that:

*--* Season G AB H 2B HR RBI AVG OBP SLG 2000 159 647 185 40 35 117 286 307 519 2001 161 672 194 39 28 123 289 314 478 2002 158 638 195 56 29 123 306 332 539 2003 159 638 201 49 29 116 315 345 541 2004 112 442 133 20 14 75 301 343 446 2005 121 487 140 26 13 76 287 316 425

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