ANGELS NOTEBOOK: KENDRICK HAPPY TO BE BACK.

Byline: DOUG PADILLA 

Staff Writer

DETROIT -- Howie Kendrick said he is glad to be back in the major leagues, where the pitching is less vexing than it is at Triple-A.

Yes, Kendrick claimed to be more comfortable in the batter's box of a major-league game because big-league pitchers have more control and typically have an organized game plan.

"I don't know how crazy that sounds, but once you're here, you go back to something else and it feels different," said Kendrick, who was out of action since April 17 with a broken bone in his left hand.

Kendrick was hurt when he was hit by a pitch from the Oakland Athletics' Chad Gaudin.

He hit home runs in his last two rehab games with Triple-A Salt Lake. Tuesday's home run came off Oakland's Esteban Loaiza, who was making a rehab appearance of his own.

While many players are happy to use a rehab assignment as a chance to see live pitching again, Kendrick was able to fine-tune his swing.

"I felt my mental process was back," Kendrick said. "This last series, we went into Sacramento, and I felt real good. I was on time with all of the pitches, righties and lefties. I feel like I'm close to where I was before I got hit with a pitch."

Kendrick was wearing a protective pad on his left hand when his rehab assignment started, but he got rid of it after a few days. Manager Mike Scioscia said he wasn't completely thrilled to hear the pad had been ditched.

"The bones healed, but you'd like to give it a little more time, a little extra protection to avoid anything happening again," Scioscia said. "It's something you hope guys get used to wearing their whole careers, just to try and absorb so you can avoid some of the things that have happened."

Percival wants release: Troy Percival met with Angels director of player development Tony Reagins on Wednesday and asked to be released from his minor-league coaching contract. The Angels said they will grant the request.

Percival, who is in his first season as a roving pitching instructor, has been working out in an attempt to make a comeback.

While the Angels are not interested in signing the 37-year old as a player, reports indicate that his most recent team, the Detroit Tigers, will take a look at him.

Napoli in six spot: Further validation that Mike Napoli has found his swing came Wednesday, when he was moved up to the No. 6 spot in the lineup. It is the highest he has batted all season.

"It's not going to change anything I do," Napoli said. "I need to keep the same approach. I'm getting more and more of a feel of what I'm doing. I have that confidence when I go up there. I'm not thinking about what's going on with my swing, I'm just trying to hit the ball."

He justified his new spot with a three-run home run in the eighth inning to extend his hitting streak to a season-best 11 games, a run that started after he made some changes to his batting stance.

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- Doug Padilla