Reduced Role Frustrates Donnelly

The jam Brendan Donnelly stepped into Sunday -- bases loaded, two outs, top of the sixth inning -- was familiar. The situation was not.

The score was 10-1 when the right-hander replaced Esteban Yan, a far cry from the tense, eighth-inning situations Donnelly thrived on in 2002 and 2003 and the meaningful late-game situations he was accustomed to in 2004 and 2005.

There were extenuating circumstances. The team’s top three relievers, closer Francisco Rodriguez, setup man Scot Shields and left-hander J.C. Romero, pitched Friday and Saturday, and Manager Mike Scioscia wanted to avoid using them Sunday. And he didn’t want to burn long man Hector Carrasco too soon because Carrasco may have to start in place of Kelvim Escobar Wednesday.

Donnelly is far from being a mop-up man -- Yan has a lock on that role -- but the addition of Romero has knocked Donnelly down another peg in the bullpen pecking order, a demotion he’s not happy about but one he’s coping with.

“Everybody wants the ball; everybody wants to compete, but this year is a little different because we have such a strong and deep bullpen,” said Donnelly, who retired the four batters he faced Sunday. “Not everyone is going to get the ball when they want.”

As frustrated as he is, Donnelly is not about to lash out at Scioscia. Though he went 9-3 with a 3.72 earned-run average last season, Donnelly knows his inconsistency contributed to his reduced role.

“We’re going to do whatever it takes to win; that’s all I have to say,” Donnelly said. “The bottom line is winning games. However that plays out, it plays out.”

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The numbers don’t seem to add up: In three games, Rodriguez has a 6.00 ERA and has given up two home runs in three innings after giving up seven homers in 67 1/3 innings in 2005, but the closer couldn’t be more pleased with how his season has started. Rodriguez has converted all three of his save opportunities, breaking Troy Percival’s club record for consecutive saves with his 21st Saturday night. He also has thrown his relatively new third pitch, a changeup, effectively, and he has not walked a batter.

“I’d rather give up a home run than a walk,” Rodriguez said.

Ah, the beauty of a two-run lead. Both times Rodriguez was nicked, he had room for error, closing out Seattle after Roberto Petagine’s ninth-inning homer April 3 and the Yankees after Hideki Matsui’s ninth-inning homer Saturday night.

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Shields was still in awe Sunday of the blistering line drive Gary Sheffield hit for a ground-rule double to left field in the eighth inning Saturday night.

“That thing might have gone 200 mph,” Shields said of the shot that almost hit third baseman Chone Figgins. “It almost went out. It’s a good thing everyone got out of the way of that one.”

Sheffield’s laser was reminiscent of a wicked Dave Winfield liner in Anaheim in the 1980s. Witnesses said then-Angel shortstop Dick Schofield leaped to try to catch the ball, which carried over the left-center field wall for a home run.

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Although Carrasco threw two innings and 33 pitches Sunday, Scioscia said he would still be in line to start Wednesday if Escobar, who split a nail on the middle finger of his pitching hand Friday, can’t go.

Escobar played catch Sunday and reported no discomfort in the finger, and he said there was a “50-50 chance” he could start Wednesday against Texas.