Salmon Looked a Little Rusty

It was a simple question without a simple answer: Did Tim Salmon’s recent inactivity finally catch up to him Wednesday night?

The veteran designated hitter looked overmatched in a key seventh-inning at-bat, striking out against Red Sox reliever Mike Timlin with the bases loaded in an eventual 5-4 Angels loss.

“That’s a tough question,” said Salmon, who turned 38 Thursday. “If I answer it one way, I’m making excuses; if I answer it another way, it’s complaining. Any at-bats I get now, I’m happy with. This is what I’ve got.”

Salmon battled back from knee and shoulder surgeries that sidelined him for all of 2005 to become a regular contributor in the first three months of 2006; he was batting .287 with six home runs and 18 runs batted in on June 25.

But then Juan Rivera got hot, and nagging injuries to Garret Anderson and Vladimir Guerrero forced Manager Mike Scioscia to rotate those three players through the two corner outfield positions and DH spot, sending Salmon to the bench.

Since July 2, Salmon has had only 40 at-bats in 48 games, with all 11 of his starts coming against left-handers. His fielder’s choice grounder against Julian Tavarez in the sixth inning Wednesday was his first at-bat against a right-hander in weeks, and he had trouble tracking the ball against Timlin in the seventh.

After taking a slider for strike one and looking at a ball, Salmon looked at two straight strikes, both hard sinkers on the outside corner.

“If I was playing every day, I might have a better approach or a better feel for what his sinker is like,” Salmon said. “But facing a bullpen guy like that is tough whether you’re playing every day or not.”

As much batting practice as Salmon takes, it’s impossible to simulate game conditions, and the less Salmon plays, the harder it is to find any rhythm at the plate.

“The reality is, when you’re a bench guy, you have to get up to speed pretty quick to have good at-bats,” Salmon said. “It’s tough for anybody, whether you’re pinch-hitting or playing once a week.”

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Darin Erstad has not tested his injured right ankle by running at full speed or taking aggressive turns around the bases, but the first baseman will begin a rehabilitation assignment at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga tonight in hopes of being activated for next Friday’s game in Detroit.

The Angels plan to use Erstad as a late-game defensive replacement for first basemen Howie Kendrick and Robb Quinlan in September, so they don’t need his ankle to be strong enough to play an entire game.

“The stress on his ankle at first base is going to be less than it would be in the outfield or running the bases,” Scioscia said. “He won’t have to play with a governor on at first, but when he bats, he’ll have to peel back. With his defensive presence around the bag, there’s a role for him here.”

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After Thursday night’s game, the Angles recalled infielder Erick Aybar from triple-A Salt Lake and optioned reliever Greg Jones back to Salt Lake.... Dallas McPherson played for triple-A Salt Lake Thursday after missing two weeks because of a rib-cage injury and singled twice in four at-bats.... Boston’s Manny Ramirez did not start Thursday because of patellar tendinitis in his right knee.