ANGELS NOTEBOOK: IZTURIS MOVED TO TOP SPOT.

Byline: BEN VILLA Staff Writer

ANAHEIM -- There's no denying that when Chone Figgins gets on base, he puts a lot of pressure on opposing defenses with his speed. But getting on base has been a problem for Figgins all season long, and Wednesday, he finally paid for it.

Despite getting two hits, including the game-winner in the bottom of the sixth inning in the Angels' 8-4 victory over Baltimore, Figgins learned before the game that he lost his leadoff spot in the batting order to Maicer Izturis.

And judging by the way Izturis played Wednesday, Figgins might not get it back.

``Izturis had a good day today batting leadoff, and he set the table for the guys in the middle of the lineup,'' Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. ``Figgins batted ninth today and he'll bat in that spot when we play Toronto on Friday.

``But if Figgins gets back into a groove and starts getting on base more consistently, he'll be back in the leadoff spot. But I think both players have the potential to be good leadoff hitters.''

Traditionally, the job of a leadoff hitter is to take a lot of pitches, get on base and score runs, and Izturis did that Wednesday. He went 3 for 5 with three runs scored and an RBI to raise his batting average to .303 on the season. He also entered Wednesday's game with a higher on-base percentage than Figgins, .365 to .327, and although he doesn't have the same type of speed that Figgins does, Izturis does run well enough to have stolen 11bases this year.

Even with his two hits against the Orioles and his 47stolen bases, good enough for the lead in the American League, Figgins is still batting just .255, and he entered Wednesday's game in a 4-for-42 slump.

And to compound matters, he leads the team with 91 strikeouts, too many for a player without much power.

To his credit, Figgins took the news in stride.

``If it's something that needs to be done to help the team win, I'm all for it,'' he said. ``This has been a rough slump, but there's nothing I can change. I'm going to stick with it and keep taking batting practice until I snap out of it.

``It was tough news to hear ut it's not like I'm being benched. I'm still in the lineup.''

Also: Scioscia said that Juan Rivera, who has a strain in the back of his left hand, could return to the lineup Friday. ... The Angels have won five in a row and are a season-high 10 games above .500. ... Vladimir Guerrero had two hits and two RBIs on Wednesday and has reached base safely in 32 of his past 33 games. Guerrero also has 20 RBIs in his past 21 games.