Injured Anderson Making Big Plays

With a week left in spring training, it seemed doubtful Garret Anderson would be ready to open the season with the Angels, let alone play left field.

But Anderson, who missed three weeks of exhibition games because of a strained arch in his left foot, has not only played in every game so far, he has started in left field for seven consecutive games after starting at designated hitter in the April 3 season opener.

And on Monday night against the Rangers, he sprinted about 60 feet toward the line to make a sliding catch of Brad Wilkerson’s bloop with a runner on first, possibly preventing a big inning in the Angels’ 5-2 victory.

“His ability to play left field is important to us, and he’s shown it the last couple of nights,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “He made a couple of plays down the line to hold guys to singles that were big and he made a nice sliding catch last night.”

Anderson said his foot condition, known as plantar fasciitis, “still hurts, and I can’t tell if it’s going to get better. All I can say is it’s not getting worse. That’s about all I can hope for at this point, because it’s a weight-bearing injury and has the potential to get worse.”

Scioscia said he did not think Anderson, hitting only .231 before Tuesday, had been hampered by his lack of spring training at-bats because “he has the knack of being able to get locked in with as few at-bats as anyone I’ve seen.”

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After starting only two of the first eight games, Jeff Mathis’ workload is expected to increase in the coming days. Scioscia said the rookie catcher would be behind the plate tonight and would probably start two of four games in Baltimore.

“We didn’t put any concrete numbers on who was going to catch more and who was going to catch less,” Scioscia said of a catching rotation anchored by Jose Molina. “We’re going to need them both. Obviously, if Jeff grows in the position and he’s performing better, he’s going to get a lot more playing time.”

Scioscia said Mathis showed improvement from his first game to his second and was working to further hone his skills by reviewing film with bullpen coach Orlando Mercado and developing a rapport with Angel pitchers.

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Texas first baseman Mark Teixeira started at designated hitter Tuesday, one day after a line drive pelted him on the ring finger on his left hand. X-rays were negative.... Ranger outfielder Kevin Mench was sidelined because of a sore foot.... Wilkerson, who had struck out 16 times in 36 at-bats before Tuesday, was dropped from the leadoff spot to seventh in the Ranger batting order.