Matthews facing painful decision

OAKLAND -- It is highly doubtful Gary Matthews Jr., who aggravated a left knee injury Wednesday in Texas, will play this weekend against the A’s.

That would leave the center fielder with a difficult decision to make by Tuesday or Wednesday: After not playing for a week, is he sound enough to make a positive contribution to the Angels’ division-series effort, or will he be in so much pain he could be a detriment to the team by playing?

And will his judgment be clouded by the fact that he is on the verge of playing his first postseason game in seven big league seasons?

“You’ve got to be honest with yourself,” said Matthews, whose patellar tendinitis flared up five days after returning from a two-week absence because of a sprained right ankle.

“Physically, if I can go, I’ll go. I think I’m mature enough to admit to myself that I’m either really hurt or playing in pain. We’ll cross that bridge when it comes. It’s not going to be pain-free, but I’d like to go.”

Matthews underwent an MRI test Thursday that confirmed patellar tendinitis. A series of treatments has reduced the swelling and increased his flexibility, and Matthews was able to take batting practice before Friday night’s game.

“I’m encouraged by the way it’s reacted,” said Matthews, who re-injured the knee catching a fly ball on the warning track in the first inning Wednesday. “I thought I was done for the year. It swelled up, the pain was excruciating, but I didn’t feel or hear a pop, which is associated with a [major] knee injury.”

Matthews would like to play Sunday to test his knee, but Manager Mike Scioscia is leaning toward resting Matthews all weekend, so Matthews doesn’t risk further injury and has a full week to recover.

“If he doesn’t play this weekend, that doesn’t rule him out for next week,” Scioscia said. “He feels much better today, and that’s encouraging.”

Matthews’ goal over the next few days is to get his knee “as close to pain-free as possible,” though he acknowledges he will have to play with some pain.

“It’s tough because I want to be able to help this team and be able to play the way I want to play, the way I can play,” said Matthews, who is batting .252 with 18 home runs and 72 runs batted in and has played superb defense. “It’s hard when you’re in pain, you know. Hopefully playing in the playoffs takes you to another level mentally and physically, and hopefully that enables you to override some of the pain.”

Vladimir Guerrero, whose sore throwing elbow has relegated him to designated hitter since early September, played catch again Friday, extending his throws to about 120 feet, but is still a longshot to return to right field for the start of the playoffs.

Guerrero’s condition reduces Scioscia’s lineup options, “but if he’s swinging the bat and crushing the ball, it won’t handicap us,” Scioscia said. “It hurts our flexibility a little, but we still have the potential to do a lot of things offensively with Vlad at DH.”

The Angels’ 1 p.m. game against the A’s today will be aired on Channel 13 at 4 p.m. The game cannot be shown live locally because of Major League Baseball blackout restrictions. . . . FSN West will provide 90 minutes of live coverage of the team’s pep rally Monday night in Angel Stadium. The event begins at 7 p.m.

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com