Erstad Gets Extra Swings

Darin Erstad, in a hitting funk much of the season, has been taking early batting practice to shake loose. The Angel leadoff hitter has three hits--all infield singles--in his last 20 at-bats.

“I’m trying to get comfortable,� Erstad said. “That’s the big part of it. It’s all about how you feel up there. It’s something that could take just one swing and you find it.�

It’s a new challenge for Erstad, who, before this season, was a .330 hitter in April and .298 hitter in May. A year ago, Erstad was hitting .317 with 12 home runs and 37 runs batted in by the end of May. He is hitting .244 with three home runs and 12 RBIs this season.

“You don’t worry about guys like Darin, they are workaholics,� Manager Terry Collins said. “They don’t sit still and wait for a slump to end. They work and work and don’t let down.

“Sometimes you get up there and start thinking about where your hands are and where your feet are instead of just swinging. Those are things you work on in batting practice.�

It is also where Erstad looks for his comfort zone.

“You want to get in a flow with the pitcher,� Erstad said. “You don’t want to think about things too much up there. You’d rather have a loss of memory, kind of selective amnesia.�

Of course, Erstad isn’t the only Angel having trouble at the plate. Troy Glaus doubled Sunday, snapping an 0-for-12 streak, but he has only four hits in his last 47 at-bats.

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Catcher Todd Greene made a perfect throw to catch Quinton McCracken stealing to end the third inning Sunday. It was the first runner Greene has thrown out in five steal attempts this season, and the first since 1997, before he had elbow and shoulder surgery.

Greene did have a couple of problems catching too, although it was understandable with Steve Sparks’ knuckleball dancing. One mistake proved costly.

With Dave Martinez on third base in the third, Sparks struck out Jose Canseco, but Greene allowed the pitch to get past him. He threw Canseco out at first, but Martinez scored and Greene was charged with a passed ball.