ANGELS NOTEBOOK: MOLINA IS QUIET AFTER HIS BAT IS.

Byline: Frank Welch Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - Catcher Bengie Molina waved away reporters without speaking after Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Pitcher Ramon Ortiz, who was solid for seven innings, didn't wave at all. He quickly and quietly departed the clubhouse as the media was allowed access.

Molina sat with his head down at his locker stall after a game in which he twice failed to get a hit with the bases loaded (in the seventh and ninth innings). Molina was 1 for 4 but drove in only one run, on his ninth-inning groundout, in his pair of bases-loaded at-bats.

``I wish we could have given Ramon more support,'' shortstop David Eckstein said. ``And Bengie, we know he's going to come through for us offensively and defensively before the season is over.

``When we got runners on base, their pitchers did a good job of bearing down. We just couldn't pick up the key RBI. It came down to the last pitch, and we had an opportunity to win.''

--Encarnacion hurt: Cincinnati center fielder Juan Encarnacion was a late scratch from the starting lineup after he was struck in the right temple by a thrown ball during batting practice.

Encarnacion went down when he was hit near the protective screen in front of first base. He was able to walk off the field without assistance but was taken to UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange for a CT scan, which did not show a major injury.

Reggie Taylor replaced Encarnacion in the starting lineup and hit ninth in the order.

Ken Griffey Jr., Cincinnati's everyday center fielder, was not available because of tightness in his right hamstring. He suffered a strain in Friday's game while running out a grounder.

--Salmon status: Angels manager Mike Scioscia said right fielder Tim Salmon could be back in the field today. Salmon was not in the starting lineup for the second consecutive game because of a mildly strained right hamstring. He pinch hit Friday and Saturday.

--Balk talk: Ortiz's balk, which led to a Cincinnati run, actually was the work of 17-year veteran shortstop Barry Larkin, who had bluffed down the third-base line.

``That's something (Larkin) works on with (third base coach Tim) Foli,'' Cincinnati manager Bob Boone said. ``That's the only reason Foli gets up in the morning every day. He's looking for that. And (Larkin) did it perfectly. Right after he started, he made a real quick sharp move, and the kid panicked a little bit.''

Scioscia, however, argued his pitcher didn't balk because he wasn't on the rubber.

``I thought that (Ortiz) disengaged from the rubber as he turned toward third,'' Scioscia said. ``I saw him step back and then step toward the runner.''

ANGELS vs. CINCINNATI

Time: 1 p.m., Edison Field.

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net; 830-AM, 1090-AM (Spanish).

Matchup: The Angels will send LH Scott Schoeneweis (4-4, 4.77 ERA) against Reds RH Joey Hamilton (3-3, 4.47). Schoeneweis will try to follow up his effort of Tuesday night, where he shut out Texas over 8 2/3 innings of a 3-0 victory. The Angels' 35-24 record is the franchise's second-best 59-game start. Both the 1970 and 1979 teams were 35-24, and the 1989 club was 36-23.

- Frank Welch

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ANGELS vs. CINCINNATI (see text)