So Far, These Two Feel Good

One guy sits in front of his locker, quietly staring at his bat, curly hair, childlike face.

He was supposed to be Miguel Tejada.

He is, instead, Maicer Izturis.

He does not apologize.

“They give me confidence here,” he says through an interpreter. “I take it.”

The other guy sits at a clubhouse table, flipping through a catalog of bats, tightened lips, hardened stare.

He was supposed to be Alfonso Soriano.

He is, instead, Juan Rivera.

He does not apologize.

“I never expected this, but who knows?” he says through an interpreter. “After everything that’s happened, anything can happen, right?”

See, the Angels did make a deadline trade this week.

They traded a clear shot at the World Series for a murky one.

They traded the proven bats of Tejada or Soriano for the emerging abilities of Izturis and Rivera.

They traded a shot at the game’s best players for two of their team’s hottest, yet still most unproven, players.

Two players acquired two winters ago in a good trade that Bill Stoneman did make.

It’s ironic, it’s strange, it’s scary.

Jose Guillen to the Washington Nationals for Izturis and Rivera.

Izturis and Rivera to third base and left field/DH for the rest of the 2006 season.

Stoneman to the Tabasco-sauced seat if it doesn’t work.

“I like our club,” Stoneman says with the usual straight face after failing to make a big deadline deal for the fourth consecutive season since the club’s world championship.

But what about the hitting, ranking 10th in the league in runs scored, 11th in total bases, the same vacancy that bankrupted in October?

“It’s been proven, getting to the World Series is about momentum,” Stoneman says. “If you have that feel-good feeling, the bats get warm, everything falls into place.”

In failing to add feel-good hitting, Stoneman is indeed relying on that “feel-good feeling.”

Which brings us back to Izturis and Rivera, two Venezuelans who have been riding its wave for a month.

Says Izturis: “I’m feeling like, a sensation.”

Says Rivera: “I’ve been shocked myself.”

Occupying the third base spot that would have been taken by Tejada, Izturis is playing out of position, but out of his mind.

Can he keep it up? This recent 22-game stretch during which he batted .359? A current stretch in which the club is 22-11 in games that he starts?

“I’m pushing myself, I’m learning more every day,” he says. “I’m trying to show them my whole game.”

He showed some of that in Tuesday’s 3-2 win over the Oakland Athletics, scoring the winning run in the seventh inning after a single, a dash to second on a bad pickoff attempt, and a sprint home on a deep single to shortstop by Orlando Cabrera.

Izturis dived around Jason Kendall to touch home plate, then calmly jumped up and slapped the hands of his celebrating teammates.

But can he do this for the rest of the season? He has only 101 career at-bats in September, and he’s used them to hit only .208.

“Third base is an intimidating place for a guy who isn’t used to it, but Maicer has handled it well,” says coach Alfredo Griffin. “I don’t know why he can’t keep handling it.”

Then there’s Rivera, previously known as Just Another Career Yankee Prospect, spending time in a couple of Bronx postseasons before finally coming west and making like Babe Ruth.

Every day last month was his own personal Fourth of July, as he tied a club record with 11 homers while adding 25 RBIs in 26 games.

He has started the last 28 games, during which the Angels have gone 20-8.

But, like Izturis, is he for real?

He is on a pace to have more than 400 at-bats for the first time in his career. How will he hold up? He is a career .313 hitter after the All-Star break, so this is not exactly a fluke, but he’s never played this much in a pennant race before.

“I played in New York,” he says with a grin. “Every day is pressure there.”

Like Izturis, he showed how he handled it Tuesday night, after picking up Frank Thomas’ single down the left-field line.

On the run, he sailed a perfect one-hop throw to catcher Mike Napoli, who blocked the plate and tagged out Mark Kotsay trying to score what would have been the go-ahead run.

With everyone around him standing and cheering, Rivera simply put his hands on his hips and spit a wad of tobacco out of his mouth.

“You know how people are always saying, ‘Oh, this player would be great if he only got the chance?’ ” says coach Ron Roenicke. “Well, Juan is getting the chance, and we’re seeing just how good he can be.”

So far, the Angels are hanging-around-first-place good.

So far, the Angels are making-things-happen good.

So far.

“C’mon, when you’re talking about trades, it’s all a crapshoot,” says Stoneman, holding the dice out just far enough for Maicer Izturis and Juan Rivera to breathe on them.

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Bill Plaschke can be reached at bill.plaschke@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Plaschke, go to latimes.com/plaschke.