Anderson Back in Lineup at DH

After sitting out three games because of a sore back, Garret Anderson had a productive batting practice session Saturday and was in the Angel lineup as the designated hitter.

“If Garret is feeling good, we need him in the lineup,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “The quicker he gets in the lineup, with the rough edges, the quicker he can work through them.

“We need him swinging the bat well. Part of that is being healthy.”

Anderson went one for four with a run-scoring, ground-rule double. He is on pace for 16 home runs after hitting 14 last year, his fewest since 1997, when he hit eight. Still, he is on track for 94 runs batted in. His .285 batting average, though, would equal a career low.

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Hitting coach Mickey Hatcher served his one-game suspension for his heated argument with umpire Larry Young on Sept. 8. Hatcher was ejected from that game.

“Any time a coach is not in the dugout [it’s different],” Scioscia said before the game. “I bounce stuff off all the guys ... so I’m not going to get some feedback. But it shouldn’t be anything that impacts too much, not as if it was 10 games.”

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Whether Bartolo Colon starts Thursday’s series finale at Oakland on three days’ rest depends mostly on how the right-hander comes out of today’s outing and, to some degree, on where the Angels stand in their divisional race with the Athletics. Regardless, rookie left-hander Joe Saunders said he is ready to start at a moment’s notice.

“I have to stay sharp,” Saunders said. “They know I want the ball.”

Saunders has made two spot starts for the Angels this season. In his last outing, Sept. 14 at Seattle, he gave up six runs in two innings.

The Angels tentatively listed their rotation for the four-game Oakland series as John Lackey starting Monday, followed by Ervin Santana, Paul Byrd and Colon.

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Reliever Brendan Donnelly could not remember if he had ever pitched in an inning where he did not have to get a batter out, and it was a good thing.

“I threw two pitches; they weren’t even good pitches,” Donnelly said with a laugh in recounting that the final out of the seventh inning Friday was made when catcher Jose Molina threw out Aubrey Huff attempting to steal second base. Donnelly was then replaced by Scot Shields to begin the eighth.

“I’ll take it, though, especially since we won the game.”

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The Angels need a crowd of only 12,725 in today’s regular-season finale to eclipse last season’s record attendance of 3,375,677.... Playoff tickets for the Angels will go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. through the club’s official website, www.angelsbaseball.com.