ANGELS NOTEBOOK: MOLINA GOES ON DL, ADDS TO INJURY LIST.

Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer

OAKLAND - Catcher Bengie Molina was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a partially torn left hamstring Wednesday, continuing a rash of injuries to key players at the Angels' most crucial juncture of the season to date.

Molina suffered the injury while popping up in his first at-bat in Minnesota on Tuesday. Wednesday, he had an MRI examination, which trainer Ned Bergert said revealed a second-degree strain, or partial tear. The injury was unrelated to a strain Molina suffered four days earlier.

Bergert said he can't estimate until this weekend how long Molina will be out, but he indicated the injury is probably as severe as the strained right hamstring Molina suffered last season. That injury kept Molina out of the lineup for 45 games.

Molina's injury means the Angels begin a stretch of 11 consecutive games against division rivals Oakland and Seattle without their catcher, center fielder (Darin Erstad, infected blood blister on left foot), closer (Troy Percival, infected left Achilles) and top left-handed and right-handed set-up men (Al Levine, sore shoulder, and Dennis Cook, torn labrum).

Molina refused comment before Wednesday's game. His younger brother, Jose, was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake to replace him on the active roster. Jose hit .270 in 15 games with Anaheim last season and was hitting .307 at Salt Lake.

It's on defense where the Angels will miss the elder Molina more, manager Mike Scioscia said.

``For the job he was doing with the pitching staff, it's big,'' Scioscia said. ``Anytime you lose a player of his caliber for any time, it hurts. Fortunately, we feel we have guys who can step in on the short term and do the job. The combination of guys will get it done.''

That combination is Jose Molina, veteran Jorge Fabregas and utility man Shawn Wooten. Fabregas is most familiar with the Angels' pitching staff, Wooten brings the most offensive upside and Molina, like his brother, is probably the best at nabbing opposing base stealers. With Fabregas hitting just .206 and the recently activated Wooten looking rusty in his only start behind the plate, Molina, at least initially, figures to get most of the playing time.

Erstad was out of the lineup but available to pinch hit for the second consecutive day. Scioscia could not say whether Erstad would be back in the lineup for the weekend series against Seattle at Edison Field. Erstad had fluid drained from the foot on Tuesday.

The news was better on Levine, who is eligible to come off the disabled list Saturday. He pitched a scoreless inning in a rehabilitation appearance with Salt Lake on Tuesday and is scheduled to pitch two innings today. Levine has traditionally taken over closer duties when Percival is on the DL, but Scioscia said he will ease him back with at least one middle-relief appearance before putting him in a key late-inning situation.

--Cook changes his mind: Cook, who said he would probably retire if an MRI showed he had a torn labrum (which it did), had a change of heart. He joined his teammates here Wednesday and will begin rehabilitating his arm with the hope of joining the active roster by Sept. 1. Bergert said that's a viable target date ``if the stars align correctly.'' Cook won't be able to play catch for at least two or three weeks.

``The more I thought about it, the more I thought, 'They're paying me to pitch this year,'' said Cook, who signed a one-year contract last winter but now says he won't rule out a return in 2003. ``Plus, we're winning. This could be my last chance. If in September, I can pitch one or two games a week and help us win, that could be the difference.''

--No date yet: The players' union has yet to set a strike date in its labor showdown with the owners, but Angels player representative Scott Schoeneweis said teams are close to taking the first step toward that end.

The Angels met with union chief Donald Fehr for several hours at their hotel on Wednesday, a meeting Schoeneweis likened to a president briefing his cabinet. Before a strike date can be set, enough player reps must vote to do so, and the Angels, Schoeneweis said, will soon vote as a team on whether to set a date.

ANGELS vs. OAKLAND

Time: 7:05 p.m. at Network Associates Coliseum.

TV/Radio: Channel 9; KLAC 570-AM, XPRS 1090-AM.

Matchup: Aaron Sele (7-6, 5.08 ERA) opposes Oakland's Barry Zito (12-3, 3.30). Garret Anderson's two-run home run in the first inning Wednesday was just the fourth Angels homer in their last 72 innings. Sele earned a no-decision in his lone start against Oakland this season, giving up three earned runs in 6 1/3 innings on April 21. Zito entered Wednesday's games tied for the American League lead in wins and was 10th in ERA. He has a 15-game regular-season winning streak at home. The Angels beat him on April 14, and they're an AL-best 19-7 against left-handed starters.

- Gabe Lacques

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ANGELS vs. OAKLAND (see text)