Answers Still Elude Erstad

Darin Erstad went to Nebraska hoping for a clearer picture, yet all he received were the same old X-rays on his right ankle instead.

Erstad, who played baseball and football at Nebraska, was examined Monday by the medical staff that handles the Cornhuskers’ football team. But the second opinion shed no more light on his ankle injury.

“It mirrored the diagnosis he already had; there’s nothing new,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “There is a little arthritis down there and he has lost some movement in the joint. We’re hoping we’ll see some progress.”

Erstad is expected to return to Anaheim on Wednesday, but there is no clear indication when, or if, he will return to the Angels lineup soon. He sat out six weeks in May and early June with the injury and went back on the disabled list Friday.

Erstad is hoping to avoid surgery, which would end his season.

“We’ll wait and see how he is when he gets back,” Scioscia said. “Hopefully he’ll have a feeling where he’s at.”

The Angels received some better news in regards to other injured outfielders. Garret Anderson and Juan Rivera returned to the lineup Monday, Anderson in left field and Rivera as the designated hitter.

Both sat out Sunday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Anderson because of a sore left foot, while Rivera was still sore from being hit in the shoulder and chin by a pitch Saturday.

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Bartolo Colon, the 2005 Cy Young Award winner, spent his bullpen session Monday trying to work through some of the problems that have hampered him since returning from the disabled list. Colon, who missed two months with shoulder inflammation, has given up six earned runs in 12 2/3 innings since returning to the rotation, though Scioscia saw improvement in Colon’s last outing.

“The ball was not coming out of his hand as well,” Scioscia said. “He was trying to be quick to the plate, and was not finishing his stuff as well. His stuff in the bullpen was electric, it’s in there, he just needs to bring it to the mound.”

Colon gave up four runs in 5 2/3 innings against the Diamondbacks.

“He needs to find that balance where he’s able to load and deliver the pitch in a reasonable amount of time,” Scioscia said. “He’s jumping a little to the plate out of the stretch, and it’s affecting his stuff.”

Colon is scheduled to start Friday against the Dodgers.

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With a broken-bat single in the eighth inning, Angels shortstop Orlando Cabrera reached base for a 54th consecutive game, the fifth-longest streak since 1960. Barry Bonds holds the longest streak in that time, reaching in 58 straight games in 2003.