DeLucia Undergoes Surgery

Pitcher Rich DeLucia underwent surgery to remove an aneurysm from his right shoulder Monday morning at Northwestern University Medical Center in Chicago, the Angels announced.

Dr. James Yao, a vascular surgeon, removed the aneurysm, which was located in the artery leading into the shoulder. DeLucia had been experiencing numbness in the middle finger of his right hand in recent weeks. Tests Friday revealed the aneurysm.

DeLucia flew to Chicago on Sunday. On Saturday, he did not rule out returning this season. He remains on the 15-day disabled list.

“This is not career-threatening at first glance,� said DeLucia, who is 6-3 with three saves and a 2.41 earned-run average. “It’s just going to set me back a little bit.�

New York Yankee pitcher David Cone had an aneurysm removed from his right arm last season and missed four months.

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Jack Howell, Craig Grebeck, Orlando Palmeiro and Todd Greene have produced off the bench for Manager Terry Collins.

“One of the reasons we have been so successful is our extra players,� Collins said. “Those guys have stayed ready. It has allowed me to rest guys every six or seven days. That’s especially important on Sunday day games. “

Greene is hitting .296, Grebeck .296, Howell .263 and Palmeiro .250. They have had some clutch hits.

Greene homered twice in a 5-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers last week. The next night he had three hits and scored three runs in a 9-4 victory.

Grebeck had a run-scoring double in the ninth inning to beat the Texas Rangers, 7-6, on June 24.

Howell had a run-scoring double in the eighth inning that tied the score, 5-5, against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 16. The Angels won, 6-5.

Injuries to Jim Edmonds (knee), Luis Alicea (back), Darin Erstad (elbow), plus the standard wear and tear of the season, have given the reserves more opportunities.

In 1995, then-manager Marcel Lachemann was criticized for overusing his regulars, which was considered one reason for the Angels’ second-half collapse.

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Who has the best record in the American League if interleague games are removed? The Angels.

They are 52-35 against American League teams. Baltimore is 51-35, New York is 51-36 and Seattle is 50-38. Of course, the Angels’ 2-8 interleague record is the second-worst in baseball. Philadelphia is 1-8. The Angels have six interleague games remaining.

ON DECK

* Opponent--New York Yankees, three games.

* Site--Yankee Stadium.

* Today--4:30 p.m. PDT.

* TV--Channel 9, today and Thursday.

* Radio--KTZN (790)

* Records--Angels 54-43, Yankees 56-41.

* Record vs. Yankees--3-2.

TODAY’S GAME

ANGELS’ DENNIS SPRINGER (5-3, 5.77 ERA) vs. YANKEES’ DAVID CONE (10-4, 2.49 ERA)

* Update--Are these the most difficult and most important nine days on the Angel schedule? In 1989, then-Angel Manager Doug Rader jokingly referred to a similar swing East as a “Bataan Death March.� That was a bit of an overstatement. Still, playing 11 games in nine days against New York, Boston and Cleveland concerns Manager Terry Collins. “This is a test,� Collins said. “You go East you have to deal with the heat and the time change. When I was managing in Houston and we’d come to the West Coast, your body would be telling you it’s 11:30 p.m. and you were still in the second inning.� The Angels prepared for the trip by winning 12 of 13 games. “I feel very comfortable about going on the road the way we’re playing,� pitcher Chuck Finley said. “We’re doing all the small things right.� They will have to tonight. The Angels have missed Toronto’s Roger Clemens, Seattle’s Randy Johnson and Baltimore’s Mike Mussina in series this season, but they will see the Yankees’ best in Cone. Still, the Angels have beaten him three of the last four times.

* Wednesday, 10 a.m.--Allen Watson (8-6, 4.82) vs. Dwight Gooden (3-3, 3.89).

* Thursday, 4:30 p.m.--Jason Dickson (10-4, 3.25) vs. David Wells (10-4, 3.48).