ANGELS NOTEBOOK: STONEMAN REFLECTS.

Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer

TORONTO - Angels general manager Bill Stoneman is in town for the series against the Blue Jays, having come from Little Rock, Ark., where he watched the Angels' Double-A club, the Arkansas Travelers.

His focus for now will switch to the big-league club, which is off to a slow start. Some of Stoneman's preseason moves have turned out better than others:

--Infielder David Eckstein cost the team nothing when they claimed him off waivers from the Boston Red Sox last August, and he has become team's surprise of the year.

``When you make a move, you don't know how it's going to turn out,'' Stoneman said. ``But in the case of Eckstein, it turned out to be a perfect image of our (scouting) reports.''

--Pitcher Ismael Valdes was signed to a one-year deal worth $2.5 million, and though he has pitched well, he's made only three starts because of blister and fingernail problems.

``It's nothing new to him,'' Stoneman said. ``He's been able to throw a couple hundred innings and do it effectively in his career. We didn't think (the blister problems) would magically disappear. But if he could find a way to pitch through it in the past, we figured he could do it this year.''

--Glenallen Hill was acquired in a trade with the New York Yankees when the Angels decided he would be a better fit than Jose Canseco, who was released. Canseco's history of injury problems played a role in the decision, but it is Hill who now is on the disabled list.

``It wasn't durability,'' Stoneman said of the decision to go with Hill. ``It was performance.''

--Toronto claims Espina: Rendy Espina, whom the Angels selected from the Blue Jays in last winter's Rule V draft, was returned to the Blue Jays on Friday when they claimed him off waivers. The Angels were required to keep him on the major-league roster all season or risk losing him, but he began the season on the disabled list.

After Espina came off the DL, the Angels needed his roster spot to promote designated hitter Jose Fernandez, and consequently designated Espina for assignment. The Blue Jays took him back and assigned him to Double-A Tennessee.

--Erstad a DH: Darin Erstad, suffering from back spasms, was the Angels' designated hitter Friday. Garret Anderson moved from left to center and Orlando Palmeiro played left. ... Going into Friday's game, Angels designated hitters were hitting a combined .116 (10 for 86) with one homer and two RBI. Including Erstad, the Angels have used eight players in the designated-hitter spot this season. ... Valdes has bleached his hair blond.

ANGELS vs. TORONTO

Time: 10:05 a.m., at SkyDome

TV/Radio: No TV; 570-AM, 1090-AM (Spanish)

Matchup: Ramon Ortiz (2-2, 4.62 ERA) will start for Anaheim against Toronto's Chris Machalak (3-0, 1.62 ERA). Ortiz won his first two starts of the season with impressive performances against the Rangers. But he has struggled since, drawing criticism from his catchers, who say Ortiz sometimes loses focus.

-Joe Haakenson

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Box: ANGELS vs. TORONTO (see text)