It’s Trouble Ahead if This Snowballs

It took 122 games, but the J.T. Snow trade finally came back to haunt the Angels Saturday night. First baseman Darin Erstad appeared tentative as he chased down Aaron Ledesma’s sixth-inning foul pop, slowing down as he reached the warning track in front of the wall next to the Baltimore Oriole dugout.

Erstad, not knowing he had two or three steps to go before the wall, made an awkward, lunging stab at the ball, but it glanced off his glove just before he crashed into the wall.

Ledesma went on to draw a two-out, bases-loaded walk from Angel starter Ken Hill for the first run of the inning, and Erstad’s miscue--he was not charged with an error--opened the door for the Orioles to score seven runs in the inning, turning an 8-3 deficit into an eventual 10-9 victory.

Erstad, a converted outfielder, is playing his first season at first base and has been a more-than-adequate replacement for Snow, who was sent to San Francisco for pitcher Allen Watson last winter. But the reason Snow won two Gold Glove Awards as an Angel is he made difficult catches in foul territory.

“That’s a real tough area to make a play,” Manager Terry Collins said, “but I’m sure Darin thought he should have caught it.”

*

Jason Dickson, scratched from today’s start because of shoulder stiffness, threw for about 15 minutes in the bullpen Saturday and experienced no discomfort. Collins said he may plug the right-hander back into the rotation Tuesday against the New York Yankees.

Dickson was supposed to throw today, but the Angels moved up his workout to determine whether or not he would have to go on the disabled list to make room for center fielder Jim Edmonds, who was activated Saturday. The Angels optioned reliever Greg Cadaret to triple-A Vancouver.

*

Collins was not thrilled when an Oriole public relations official called his office about 2 1/2 hours before Saturday’s game to inform him that Baltimore had switched its rotation, starting left-hander Rick Krivda instead of right-hander Scott Erickson.

“And I’ve got a little change for you,” Collins told the official, “we’re starting Nolan Ryan.”

*

File this under the bad-timing dept.: “This Week in Baseball” wanted to film a light-hearted bit in which a comedian asked Collins silly questions Saturday, but Collins, who is dealing with the loss of Tony Phillips because of a drug charge and had to make a roster move Saturday, declined.

“They wanted to ask me stupid questions and lighten things up,” Collins said. “I was in no mood to be funny.”

*

Angel shortstop Gary DiSarcina, suffering from a sore elbow, probably will be given today off. . . . Oriole center fielder Brady Anderson did not start Saturday because of a sore knee. . . . Baltimore put pitcher Shawn Boskie, a former Angel, on the 15-day disabled list because of triceps tendinitis and recalled reliever Esteban Yan from triple-A Rochester.

TODAY’S GAME

ANGELS’ ALLEN WATSON

(10-7, 4.59 ERA)

vs.

ORIOLES’

SCOTT ERICKSON

(14-5, 3.33 ERA)

Camden Yards, Baltimore, 10:30 a.m.

TV--Channel 9. Radio--KTZN (710).

* Update--Jim Edmonds, activated before Saturday’s game, homered in his first at-bat in 16 days, but the center fielder almost became the victim of an Edmonds-caliber catch. Edmonds drove a Rick Krivda pitch to deep center in the second inning, and outfielder Jeffrey Hammonds appeared to make a spectacular leaping catch above the wall. But when Hammonds slammed into the fence, the ball squirted out of his glove and dropped beyond the wall for Edmonds’ 19th homer. Watson’s winning streak ended at two Wednesday when he gave up four runs on five hits in 6 1/3 innings of a 5-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox. The Angels lead the American League in home runs allowed with 148 and Watson has given up a team-high 24.