Youngsters May Get Recalled

Manager Mike Scioscia said the Angels are looking at “some creative ways” to add offense, and among the in-house options being considered are the recall of triple-A infielder Howie Kendrick and outfielder Tommy Murphy.

Kendrick, the Angels’ top pure hitting prospect, is batting .396 in 51 games for Salt Lake, with nine home runs, 23 doubles and 48 runs batted in. He hit .115 in 10 games for the Angels from April 26-May 14 but didn’t get enough regular playing time to find a groove.

“During his little stretch up here, even though he had limited exposure, he made adjustments and took them down there,” Scioscia said. “As we keep going and need bats, he’s a guy we’re going to look at.”

Though Kendrick has played second base almost exclusively at Salt Lake, the Angels are not necessarily looking at Kendrick as a possible replacement for struggling second baseman Adam Kennedy. Kendrick has played five triple-A games at third base and started two games at first for the Angels.

The Angels could also move Dallas McPherson from third base to first to replace the struggling Kendry Morales, who was hitless in 15 at-bats entering Tuesday, and use Kendrick at third.

Murphy, who provided some spark during a six-week major league stint in May and early June, could be up as soon as this week, because it appears more and more likely that center fielder Darin Erstad, who aggravated his ankle injury Saturday, will return to the disabled list.

“He hasn’t made much progress, so we’ll look at it, see if he’s moving in the right direction,” Scioscia said of Erstad. “He has to be able to do some things on the field, and right now he’s not there.”

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Morales ended his drought with a soft single to left-center in the second inning Tuesday night, but his average had slipped from .279 on June 7 to .216 entering Tuesday.

Rookie catcher Mike Napoli entered Tuesday with three hits in his previous 21 at-bats, his average slipping from .314 on June 10 to .275, and McPherson had three hits in his previous 18 at-bats, his average falling from .281 on June 12 to .262.

“The last thing we want is for these kids to go 0 for 20 or three for 30, but sometimes that’s what you deal with when you have young kids,” batting instructor Mickey Hatcher said.

“They’re in there thinking that any day they could get sent down, and putting more pressure on themselves. The biggest thing we can do is keep their confidence up.”

The struggles at the bottom part of the order may have contributed to Vladimir Guerrero’s slump -- the slugger had six hits in 45 at-bats entering Tuesday.

“At times, he’s gotten more aggressive,” Scioscia said of Guerrero. “The natural inclination when there’s not a lot happening around you is you want to achieve. He’s just trying a little too hard, trying to do too much.”

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Nick Gorneault, who is batting .288 with 12 homers and a Pacific Coast League-leading 59 RBIs at Salt Lake, was also among those being considered for a promotion, but the outfielder fractured his left patella when he fouled a ball off his kneecap Monday and will be out for about a month.