Molina is sitting, not squatting

It’s normal for Jose Molina to go four consecutive days, sometimes five, without playing, but when the Angels backup catcher was not in the lineup for the seventh straight game Saturday, he couldn’t help but think something was wrong.

“I don’t know what I’ve done,” Molina said. “Something bad, I guess. I don’t know what’s up.”

Mike Napoli’s batting average, home runs and runs batted in, that’s what. The starting catcher was hitting .183 on May 6 but was 17 for 48 (.354) with four homers and 12 RBIs in his next 14 games, raising his average to .259 last Monday before an 0-for-13 skid dropped him to .231 before Saturday, when he singled and homered in his first two at-bats.

“Mike was swinging better, so we wanted to give him a stretch of games to see if he could get back to where he was in the first half last year,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “When Mike struggled early, Jose got more playing time, but Mike has picked it up. Jose is still a big part of what we need to do.”

He’ll be a bigger part today -- Scioscia said Molina will catch the series finale against the Orioles. But that did little to appease the career backup, who turns 32 today and is frustrated that he has never been an everyday catcher like his brothers -- Bengie with the Angels, Blue Jays and now the Giants, and Yadier with the Cardinals.

When the Angels allowed Bengie to go as a free agent after 2005, they handed the catching job to rookie Jeff Mathis, who fumbled it and was sent to triple-A five weeks into the 2006 season.

Jose Molina thought he’d step in as the starter, but Napoli was called up and seized the job by hitting .286 with 11 homers and 27 RBIs before the All-Star break and developing a good rapport with Angels pitchers.

“I’d be lying if I told you it wasn’t bothering me,” Molina said. “Sometimes it’s hard to take when you’re never given a chance.”

Molina, who will be a free agent when his two-year, $2.1-million contract expires after this season, has one of baseball’s best throwing arms; since the start of 2004 he has thrown out 63 of 137 (46%) base-stealers.

Pitchers have a 3.66 earned-run average in 167 innings throwing to Molina this year; Napoli’s ERA was 3.82 in 325 1/3 innings before Saturday.

Molina has never been much of an offensive threat -- he’s a .238 hitter over his career with very occasional power -- and at times throughout his career, the Angels have been concerned with his conditioning.

“I wish I could write my name in the lineup,” Molina said. “There’s nothing I can do.”

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Garret Anderson returned from his rehabilitation stint with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga, worked out with the Angels and was activated after the game. He is expected to start today in left field, with Reggie Willits playing right and Vladimir Guerrero at designated hitter.

Scioscia said Gary Matthews Jr. will remain in the cleanup spot behind Guerrero, and Willits will continue to bat leadoff. Anderson probably will bat fifth or sixth and split time between left field and DH.

“Right now, Reggie and [Orlando Cabrera] are setting the table before Vlad,” Scioscia said. “That gives us the luxury to add depth behind him.”

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Second baseman Howie Kendrick, in a one-for-21 slump, was given Saturday off. ... Infielder Maicer Izturis will start a rehab assignment with Rancho Cucamonga Monday before being activated this week.

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com