ANGELS NOTEBOOK: WITH FOREARM OK, APPIER WILL START.

Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - Though he experienced ``tightness'' in his right forearm in his last start, Kevin Appier will make his 13th start of the season tonight against the Pittsburgh Pirates right on schedule.

``I'm just not throwing a certain pitch a certain way anymore,'' said Appier, who has lost his past three starts. ``I've got a different way to throw that pitch to make it just as effective.''

Appier wouldn't say what pitch was bothering his forearm, but when pressed, the former Antelope Valley High star joked it was his knuckleball. Still, manager Mike Scioscia and pitching coach Bud Black will keep an eye on Appier, realizing there's no reason to force things with so much of the season remaining.

So far, the Angels have been fortunate regarding injuries to their starters - they've had none. The Angels are the only team in the American League and one of two in the majors (New York Mets) to have all five starters in their rotation to begin the season make all of their starts.

Every other team in baseball has had at least six pitchers make at least one start. One team - the St. Louis Cardinals - has used 11 starters, and two teams - the Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays - have used 10 starters.

``Absolutely, we strived for that,'' Black said of having all five starters make all their starts. ``We brought those guys together on the first day of spring training and said our goal is to have each and every one of you make all your starts. We've made it a priority to focus on conditioning and delivery mechanics.''

However, Scioscia said using five pitchers exclusively isn't a requirement for winning.

``At some point in the season there might be a time when you have to throw somebody (else) in there,'' Scioscia said. ``Having five guys go the whole way is very uncommon. You want that continuity, but it won't have a major impact if you use seven or eight starters during a season. Where there's an impact is when you have 15 or 16 guys like we had a couple years ago.''

--Levine has MRI: Reliever Al Levine went for an MRI exam on his right shoulder and results were normal. He'll be examined again today by team physician Dr. Lewis Yocum.

Levine gave up three runs in two-thirds of an inning Sunday and has struggled lately in general, as his ERA is up to 4.03.

--Wooten takes some cuts: Shawn Wooten, recovering from a strained muscle in his right side, started swinging a bat, but there is no timetable for when he can engage in full baseball workouts.

ANGELS vs. PITTSBURGH

Time: 7:05 p.m., Edison Field.

TV/Radio: Ch. 9; 570-AM, 1090-AM (Spanish).

Matchup: RH Kevin Appier (5-4, 3.62 ERA) will start for the Angels against Pittsburgh RH Josh Fogg (6-4, 3.44). Appier hasn't won a decision since he beat Kansas City on May 20. He has made two career starts against the Pirates, going 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA. Third baseman Troy Glaus was hitless in nine at-bats when he homered in the first inning Monday. With 13 homers this season, Glaus is on pace for 35 this season.

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