Kendrick Hopes to Succeed at First

When Darin Erstad moved from the outfield to first base in 1997, he had the whole winter and a month’s worth of exhibition games to get a feel for his new position.

As tough as that transition was, it’s mind-boggling for Erstad to think of what Howie Kendrick, a second baseman by trade, is going through, learning first base on the fly, in his first extended big league stay, on a team with World Series aspirations.

“I had all winter and spring -- what’s he had, five games?” said Erstad, who won a Gold Glove at first in 2004. “I can’t imagine going through that, to be in the middle of a playoff race, playing a new position and hitting the way he is. It’s amazing. I think he’ll be fine. He’s a good athlete. He’ll make the adjustments.”

Not without some lumps. Kendrick, who started his ninth game -- and sixth in a row -- at first base Thursday, made two errors in his previous four games, and his mental lapse Wednesday against Oakland, when he looked for an umpire’s call instead of throwing to the plate, might have cost the Angels a run in a 3-2 loss.

But Kendrick is taking it in stride, not letting the stress of a position he has never played before affect him at the plate, where in 12 games entering Thursday he hit .458 (22 for 48) with 11 runs batted in.

“I don’t expect to be a Gold Glove first baseman -- I just expect to give a good effort and make the plays,” Kendrick said. “Every position has its ups and downs. Even at second, I learned from my mistakes. We fail and learn from what we did wrong.”

The problem for Kendrick isn’t the routine plays; it’s the new situations you can’t prepare for in batting practice, the ones he must deal with under fire, the split-second decisions that can make the difference between an out and a run.

“I try to think ahead of time, to prepare for situations, but that’s tough to do at a new position,” Kendrick said. “When things happen, you’ve got to think right away. I had a brain cramp Wednesday. It happens.”

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The Ducks’ agreement Thursday with radio station 830 to broadcast the club’s 2006-2007 season seems to pave the way for a similar move by the Angels, who have one more year on their current deal with 710 but are expected to move to 830, a 50,000-watt station owned by a partnership led by Angels owner Arte Moreno.

But Tim Mead, vice president of communications, said the hockey deal does not necessarily mean the Angels will opt out of their 710 deal to jump to 830 in 2007.

“Our intention is to honor our contract ... but I can’t look in a crystal ball,” Mead said. “We’ll continue to explore the best possible options for this organization.”

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Erstad, limited to five games since May 1 because of a bone spur and torn ligament in his right ankle joint, will remove the walking boot he has worn for almost two weeks and try to jog this weekend.... Dallas McPherson, who was shut down when his lower-back injury flared up July 23, resumed his rehabilitation assignment with triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday, going hitless in two at-bats and playing first base.