ANGELS NOTEBOOK: ROOKIE BACK IN LINEUP.

Byline: BEN VILLA Staff Writer

After not playing the past two games because of some early season struggles, Angels first baseman Casey Kotchman returned to the lineup on Tuesday night against the Detroit Tigers.

Kotchman entered Tuesday's game batting just .155 with five RBIs and no home runs. Robb Quinlan, who's batting .353, has been starting at first in place of Kotchman.

"I think sometimes when you sit back and observe for a day or two, it can be beneficial for a player," manager Mike Scioscia said. "It can clear some cobwebs and I think that's the case with Casey.

"He's just being a little aggressive at the plate trying to hit home runs and trying to knock down the right-field wall. But we have no doubts he'll be fine."

After a hot spring last year, Kotchman was sent down to Triple-A and got off to a slow start before the Angels called him up Aug. 4. Once he returned, he wound up hitting a respectable .278 with seven home runs and 22 RBI in just 47 games.

On Tuesday, Kotchman said getting off to a slow start is nothing new to him.

"It seems like every year I start off slow," Kotchman said. "In 2002 at Cedar Rapids, in 2003 at Rancho Cucamonga and so on and so on. But it's still early in the season. If a couple more bleeders fell in, this wouldn't be an issue because my average would be higher but you can't always control that."

--Strikeouts a bonus: Ervin Santana struck out a career-high 10 batters in only six innings of work in a 3-0 win Monday over the Tigers.

Jose Molina, who was catching Santana, said Tuesday that wasn't necessarily the gameplan.

"We weren't looking to strike people out, we were just trying to get outs any way we can," Molina said. "But he threw the ball well and we won and that's all that matters, not how many people struck out.

"I've caught (Santana) before and I don't know if that's the best I've ever seen him pitch, but his stuff was good."

--Colon update: Colon is scheduled to come off the disabled list May 1 and start at home against the Oakland A's. But Scioscia said that if the 2005 Cy Young award winner needs more time, then he'll get more time.

"We're not going to put any target date on it," Scioscia said. "When he's ready to pitch, he'll pitch. We're confident we'll turn the page on this injury but we're only going to do that if we do it the right way and that's to get the strength back in his shoulder.

"He played catch on Tuesday and he'll expand his throwing as the week goes on."