McPherson Might Open the Season in the Minors

SURPRISE, Ariz. â€”  The Angels acknowledged Tuesday that Dallas McPherson, who lost the third base job to leadoff batter Chone Figgins and does not appear to be in the designated hitter mix, could open the season at triple-A Salt Lake.

“There’s still an opportunity for him to make the club,� Manager Mike Scioscia said, “but if he’s not going to have a significant role, we’re going to be best served having him play every day.�

The potential for such a demotion did not thrill McPherson, who was considered the Angels’ third baseman of the future after hitting 40 minor league home runs in 2004, but whose stock seems to have slipped.

“Do I feel that would help me? No, because I don’t have anything else to prove at triple A,� said McPherson, who missed much of 2005 because of hip and lower-back injuries. “I’m healthy. If they send me down, it’s going to have to be for baseball reasons.�

McPherson began spring training in 2005 knowing he was the starting third baseman. He has spent this spring in limbo, his frustrations mounting quicker than his at-bats; slowed by a rib-cage strain and a rash earlier in camp, McPherson has two hits in 19 Cactus League at-bats for a .105 average.

“I don’t know if there’s a role for me here, and no one has told me anything,� said McPherson, who has gotten extra swings in minor league games. “I come in, do my work, hope people take notice and go from there. I have my thoughts, but I don’t want to go on the record with them.�

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Jeff Weaver, whose 15.43 earned-run average in his first three spring starts caused consternation for some Angel fans, threw five shutout innings, giving up three hits, striking out five and walking none in a 9-0 win over Texas, which started all of its regulars.

“I mixed in some breaking balls, and those are the pitches that make my sinker better,� Weaver said. “Once you incorporate all your pitches, the results will follow....

“Fans want something to be accomplished, which is understandable, but it’s a long season and I have to prepare the way I usually do. I want to make sure my mechanics are sound.�

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Garret Anderson, out since March 7 because of strained plantar fascia tissue in his left foot, said there is “no schedule� for his return. “If it’s not healthy,� Anderson said, “what’s the use in setting a date?� The Angels have a more definitive timetable. Scioscia said Anderson, who has been hitting and throwing but not running, would return as a DH on Thursday and gradually work his way back into the outfield. “If he’s out there Thursday, there’s enough time for him to get to where he needs to be to open the season,� Scioscia said.... X-rays on the left hand of catcher Jeff Mathis, who was hit by a pitch in a minor league game Monday, were negative.