ANGELS NOTEBOOK: SCIOSCIA STIRS THE POT.Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer SAN FRANCISCO San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden - Ranking 11th in the 14-team American League American League (AL) One of the two associations of professional baseball teams in the U.S. and Canada designated as major leagues; the other is the National League (NL). in runs scored, the Angels continue to search for ways to score. Manager Mike Scioscia Darin Erstad Darin Charles Erstad (born June 4, 1974 in Jamestown, North Dakota) is a first baseman/center fielder in Major League Baseball currently with the Chicago White Sox. Prior to 2007, he had played his entire career with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim franchise (1996-2006). , who was moved from leadoff to No. 2 in the order on April 24, was moved another notch to the No. 3 spot. Adam Kennedy For other people with the same name, see Adam Kennedy (disambiguation). Adam Thomas Kennedy (born January 10, 1976 in Riverside, California) is a Major League Baseball player. He currently plays second base for the St. Louis Cardinals. Kennedy attended J.W. was in the No. 2 spot Wednesday, and Tim Salmon ``With the loss of Mo (Vaughn) and with Timmy (Salmon) not swinging the bat, we've felt the impact,'' Scioscia said. ``It was really a luxury to have (Erstad) hitting leadoff (last season), but we really need more production in the middle of the lineup.'' Scioscia also said the changes aren't ``putting everything on (Erstad's) shoulders.'' But with Erstad as hot as any Angels hitter (he's hitting .368 in June), Scioscia doesn't have many other options. Salmon has fallen into another minislump, going 2 for 22 heading into Wednesday's game. He's even tried bunting for base hits recently in an effort to get himself going. ``It's just between the ears, it's become mental and it snowballs,'' Salmon said. ``But this year's not over. I can't concede anything. We've got 3 1/2 months to go.'' --Molina home: Catcher Bengie Molina Benjamin José ("Bengie" or "Ben") Molina (born July 20 1974 in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico) is the starting catcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. After being initially regarded as a "good glove, no hit" catcher, Molina has developed into one of the better has postponed his rehab assignment and returned home to Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (pwār`tō rē`kō), island (2005 est. pop. 3,917,000), 3,508 sq mi (9,086 sq km), West Indies, c.1,000 mi (1,610 km) SE of Miami, Fla. to be with his family after the death of his grandmother. Molina had begun a rehab assignment at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday and played in one game. He will return to Anaheim on Friday to work out with the Angels, then resume his rehab assignment with the Quakes on Saturday. He'll need to play in four or five games before he can rejoin the big-league club. Molina has been out since May 4 with a strained right hamstring. --NBA intrusion: Just outside the press box at Pac Bell Park is a row of televisions mounted above a walkway used by fans. Though the televisions are there for members of the media, fans can see them, too. On Friday, the Lakers-Philadelphia 76ers game was being shown on a few of the TVs, and a crowd of fans gathered to watch. After a while, the fans started chanting, ``Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!'' confusing others in the ballpark because the San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California that currently play in the National League West Division. New York Giants history Early days and the John McGraw era were playing the Montreal Expos. --Taking his lumps: Shortstop David Eckstein went into Wednesday's game ranking second in the league in being hit by pitches with 10, one behind Oakland's Olmedo Saenz. ``My job is to get on base,'' he said. ``People throw inside and if they miss I might get hit. But it's not something you look forward to when you come up to the plate.'' ANGELS vs. SAN FRANCISCO Time: 12:35 p.m., at Pac Bell Park TV/Radio: Ch. 9; 570-AM, 94.3-FM, 1090-AM (Spanish) Matchup: Ismael Valdes (4-3, 3.51 ERA) will start for the Angels against San Francisco's Mark Gardner (1-5, 5.90). Much of Valdes' success this season has to do with his control - he ranks fourth in the league in fewest walks per nine innings (1.8). He's coming off a win over the Dodgers on Friday, when he threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings Friday. -Joe Haakenson CAPTION(S): box Box: ANGELS vs. SAN FRANCISCO (see text) |
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