ANGELS NOTEBOOK: AGGRESSIVENESS WORKS FOR ERSTAD.

Byline: Ben Villa Staff Writer

PEORIA, Ariz. - After moving back to center field this season, a lot of people think it's only a matter time before Darin Erstad gets hurt again because of his all-out style of play.

Mike Scioscia isn't one of them.

The Angels manager said Monday that Erstad's aggressive nature might be the best way to prevent injury.

``When you play tentatively, that puts you more at risk than you are playing naturally,'' Scioscia said. ``I believe you should have one philosophy when you're playing baseball.

``It doesn't matter if it's a spring-training game, a playoff game or the World Series, it's still a baseball game and you should play hard and that's the way Erstad treats it.''

Erstad has had a history of leg injuries and that was one of the reasons he was switched to first base two years ago.

Sunday, Erstad was up to his old tricks.

With runners and second and third and one out in the third inning, Erstad raced into the left-center gap to make a diving catch off the bat of Bobby Crosby, even though it was a meaningless exhibition game.

``I just play, that's ll,'' Erstad said. ``I can't control injuries or any of that other stuff. I've been playing this game the same way my entire life. I'm not going to change now.''

--Winning ways: After not playing at all last year, Tim Salmon is trying to earn a spot on the Angels' roster this season and one of the reasons he said is the state of the organization.

``There's no doubt, winning is part of the allure,'' Salmon said. ``I can honestly say if this team was heading in the opposite direction, I might not be here. It's a great time to be in the organization. We have great ownership, great leadership and a lot of talent on the field.

--Fast learner: Just like any prospect, Angels shortstop Brandon Wood is hoping to reach the majors as fast as he can and the two guys sitting next to him are a pretty good pair to ask how to get there.

His locker sits between Erstad's and Vladimir Guerrero's.

``It's a great opportunity for me to learn how they take care of business,'' Wood said. ``I've only had a couple of seasons in the minors; they've been in the majors for 10 years. I want to pick their brains as much as possible to learn not only what it takes to get here, but also what it takes to stay here.''

--Start of something special? Jered Weaver had his best outing of the spring on Sunday against the Chicago White Sox and the right-hander said it did wonders for his confidence.

The former Long Beach State star pitched four scoreless innings in a 6-1 win.

``I felt good,'' he said. ``Finally, my nerves calmed down and I had good command. After coming out of the bullpen my first two appearances, it was nice o get a start under my belt.

``It was a confidence booster, especially with guys like Paul Konerko, Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye in their line-up.''

--Injury update: Garret Anderson was held out of action Monday because of a sore left heel and its been a week since he's played in a game. Scioscia said it's possible he could play by the weekend, but isn't putting a target date on it. ``It's a short term thing rather than a long-term thing,'' Scioscia said. ``If it takes a couple of more days for him to get ready, then it does.

Ben Villa, [phone]

ben.villa(at)presstelegram.com

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- Ben Villa