L.A. Times: Bill Shaikin:

The Angels and Dodgers could use a power-hitting third baseman, but neither team called the Toronto Blue Jays about Troy Glaus before the July 31 trading deadline.

No team did, according to Toronto General Manager J.P. Ricciardi.

“We really weren’t asked about him,” Ricciardi said Tuesday. “That was more media speculation.

“We didn’t have anybody call us up and say, ‘Would you move Troy Glaus and what would you move him for?’ ”

The Dodgers, in particular, had concerns about Glaus’ durability. Glaus has battled plantar fasciitis all season, a painful foot injury that forced him onto the disabled list in April and flared up again this week.

“Same thing it’s been all year,” Glaus said. “It gets worse, it gets better, it gets worse, it gets better.”

Glaus is hitting .253 with 15 home runs and 49 runs batted in. The Blue Jays are fighting to stay above .500.

“We haven’t played up to our expectations,” he said. “I haven’t played as often or as well as I would like. Top to bottom, it’s frustrating.”

Glaus, MVP of the 2002 World Series, said he considered it “a compliment” when he hears Angels fans want him back in Anaheim. But he has a no-trade clause and said he doesn’t waste time worrying about trade rumors because the Jays would have to run any deal by him.

“This is my 10th season. I’ve been traded for six of them,” he said. “Before me, it was Garret [Anderson]. Before him, it was Jimmy [Edmonds]. I learned a long time ago not to sit and speculate about what somebody’s wild idea might be.”

Third-round pick Matt Harvey appears headed to college power North Carolina after turning down what a source familiar with negotiations termed “a low-ball offer” by the Angels on Tuesday. The team has until 9 p.m. PDT tonight to sign the highly touted Connecticut high school pitcher.

Harvey, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound right-hander whose fastball has been clocked in the 95-mph range, was a projected first-round pick who fell to 118th overall because most teams feared advisor Scott Boras‘ asking price, believed to be in the $2.5-million range. The Angels’ offer was believed to be well below $2 million.

It’s possible the Angels could bump their offer today, but scouting director Eddie Bane said Monday that “our first real offer is going to be pretty close to our last offer.” Bane also said he thought Harvey “has a chance to be a 21-year-old major leaguer.”

The Angels are keeping an eye on right-handed reliever Rich Thompson, a 23-year-old Australian. After the Futures Game, the Angels promoted him to triple-A Salt Lake, where he has a 2.08 earned-run average in 17 innings, with three walks and 22 strikeouts.

“Thompson has really popped up on our radar,” Manager Mike Scioscia said.

Scioscia said the Angels would increase the pitching staff “from 11 to at least 14 or 15″ when rosters expand in September. Thompson could be a candidate, although the Angels might be more inclined to promote relievers already on the 40-man roster, including Marcus Gwyn and Chris Resop.

Ervin Santana, who could come up from Salt Lake to start one of the games of Friday’s doubleheader in Boston, is expected to come back in September.

Catcher Mike Napoli said his strained hamstring tightened when he tried to run at full speed Saturday. If he can run full speed Thursday and Friday, the Angels could activate him this weekend. If not, Napoli might need a minor league rehabilitation assignment before his activation. . . . Scioscia said he gave shortstop Orlando Cabrera the day off — after the Angels had Monday off — to “let him catch his breath” and pace him on Toronto’s turf. He had played in 113 of the Angels’ first 116 games. Cabrera, less than thrilled, said he felt “perfect.”. . . Gary Matthews Jr.returned to center field for the first time in six days. He said the soreness in his left knee had subsided somewhat. . . . Second baseman Howie Kendrick and outfielder Juan Rivera started rehabilitation assignments.

L.A. Times, Mike DiGiovanna:

There are two ways to look at the Angels’ seven-game trip to Toronto and Boston, which begins tonight against the Blue Jays.

* It couldn’t come at a better time: The Angels just completed a 5-1 homestand in which they played nearly flawless baseball and are carrying maximum momentum east, which should improve their chances in cities where they are a combined 37-71 since 1996.

* It couldn’t come at a worse time: With the Seattle Mariners breathing down their necks and playing this week at home, where they were 37-22 through Sunday, another shoddy showing by the Angels in Toronto and Boston could do grave damage to their American League West title hopes.

“If you want to clinch your division,” shortstop Orlando Cabrera said, “you have to win everywhere.”

The Angels’ struggles in Fenway Park, where they’ve endured enough late-inning horrors to fill a Stephen King novel, are well-known, well-chronicled and somewhat explainable.

The Red Sox have had some powerhouse teams in the last 12 years, their offense is tailored to their park’s quirky dimensions, especially the Green Monster in left field, and Fenway fans produce the most hostile atmosphere in baseball for visiting players.

“They’re loud, they’re drunk, they’re obnoxious, it’s one of the few places where you hear racial comments . . . it’s just different,” Angels center fielder Gary Matthews Jr. said. “They’re passionate about their team, they get into games, and for the most part they’re knowledgeable about the game. I’ve learned to enjoy it, but those things are maybe difficult for players who aren’t accustomed to it.”

The Angels have thrived in similar environs — they are 32-26 in Yankee Stadium since 1996 and are the only visiting team with a winning record in that span.

Which makes their record in Toronto, where small crowds give the dome a library-like feel, and where the Blue Jays, since championships in 1992 and 1993, haven’t been an American League power, all the more befuddling.

Told the Angels are 17-37 in Toronto since 1996, reliever Scot Shields said, “Really?”

Bench coach Ron Roenicke wasn’t surprised.

“I know we don’t play well there,” Roenicke said. “We lose some games we should definitely win there. Some goofy things have happened there.”

On July 28, 2005, the Angels and Blue Jays traded ninth-inning runs before Toronto won, 2-1, in 18 innings to complete a three-game sweep.

On May 24, 2004, the Blue Jays beat the Angels, 6-5, scoring the winning run in the 10th inning when the Angels botched a rundown between third and home.

Two days later, Toronto scored twice in the ninth inning against closer Troy Percival for a 6-5 win, the tying run scoring when third baseman Shane Halter cut off a strong throw from the outfield, spun and fired an accurate throw to the plate . . . and nobody was there to catch it.

On May 25, 1997, with the score tied, 3-3, in the 11th, Toronto’s Ed Sprague led off with a fly to right-center field. Outfielders Tim Salmon and Jim Edmonds each called for the catch and then backed off. The ball dropped for a triple, and Sprague scored the winning run on a bases-loaded walk.

The Angels were 0-6 in Toronto in 1999. Only once in 11 years, when they were 4-2 in 2002, have the Angels won a season series there.

“Any time you’re in a domed stadium, with a change of surface, it takes a little time to acclimate,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “There’s probably more of a comfort level for teams who play their home games in domed stadiums.”

Something about Fenway Park makes the Angels squirm. On July 29, 2006, they blew a 6-3 lead when Shields and closer Francisco Rodriguez gave up three runs in the eighth inning and lost on David Ortiz’s walk-off single in the 11th.

A 4-1 Angels lead on June 3, 2005, turned into a 7-4 loss when the Red Sox scored three in the seventh against Shields and three in the eighth against Brendan Donnelly. On Sept. 6 that year, Ortiz hit a walk-off homer in the ninth against Shields.

Ortiz’s walk-off homer in the 10th clinched an AL division-series sweep of the Angels in 2004. The Angels blew a five-run lead in a 10-9 loss Aug. 5, 2003.

Percival blew a four-run, ninth-inning lead in a 10-9 loss Aug. 26, 2002. After the Angels scored in the 11th inning for a 6-5 lead Aug. 21, 2000, Brian Daubach’s two-run single in the 11th gave Boston a 7-6 win. Mo Vaughn hit a three-run homer against Percival in the ninth inning of a 7-6 win July 26, 1997.

The Angels are 20-34 in Fenway since 1996 and 113-170 there overall.

“You’re always going to your bullpen because the Sox don’t hack at everything — they have patient hitters who go deep in counts,” Roenicke said. “And their offense fits that park.

“Look at Ortiz. He can hit high fly balls for homers to left field, yet he’s strong enough to pull them out to right. You try to pitch Manny [Ramirez] away from the Monster, and that’s his strength, driving the ball the opposite way. They’ve had some great teams there.”

This year is no exception. The Red Sox have the best record in baseball and swept three games from the Angels in April, outscoring them, 25-3.

That was supposed to be a four-game series, but one game was rained out. It will be made up as part of a doubleheader Friday, so the Angels, after playing in Toronto on Thursday night, can look forward to about eight hours Friday with the Fenway faithful.

“It’s different than New York.” Matthews said. “Yankees fans are passionate about their team, but they’re a little more couth, they have a little more class than Boston fans. At least in New York, they appreciate guys who play the game hard and play the game right, and they let you know it. In Boston, they just smash you for three straight days, they’re just dogging you the whole time.”

L.A. Times, Mike DiGiovanna:

After a series of discouraging medical updates on Juan Rivera, the Angels finally got some good news Wednesday regarding the outfielder who has missed the entire season because of a broken leg suffered in a Venezuelan winter-league game.

Manager Mike Scioscia said Rivera “passed a hurdle” in his rehabilitation program this week and could begin playing in games next week, which would greatly improve Rivera’s chances of returning to the majors by late August or early September.

It wasn’t a specific hurdle, such as running the bases or making sharp cuts in the outfield, things Rivera has struggled to do.

“It’s just an overall thing, from how he looks in agility drills to baseball drills to his stamina,” Scioscia said. “He’s been making improvements, and it’s encouraging when you can clear a hurdle and get closer to being in games.”

With minor league seasons ending in early September, Rivera’s window to complete a minor league rehab assignment was beginning to close, and the Angels seemed more and more resigned to him missing the whole season.

They’re still not sure what to expect if Rivera does return, but if Rivera can regain even some of his 2006 form, when he hit .310 with 23 home runs and 85 runs batted in, he could provide a boost to the offense.

Bartolo Colon, on the disabled list since July 24 because of elbow irritation, has progressed enough in his long-toss sessions to throw lightly in the bullpen — “More of a touch-and-feel thing,” Scioscia said — on Friday.

Scioscia said Colon would need two or three bullpen workouts before being considered for a rehab assignment, where the right-hander “would need to test his arm aggressively with all his pitches,” Scioscia said.

Catcher Mike Napoli, on the DL because of a strained right hamstring, began jogging Wednesday and blocked some balls in the dirt. He will pick up his running workouts Friday and will probably be activated Tuesday in Toronto.

Associated Press:

Cleaning crews at Angel Stadium plan to change their postgame schedule after food vendors were cited over 100 times for vermin violations in the past two years.

Until now, cleaning crews wouldn’t start removing leftover food and garbage from the stands until the morning after a game. Nighttime cleanups could begin as early as Tuesday, said Tim Mead, vice president of communications for the Angels.

An investigation by The Orange County Register found Anaheim to be much more infested than any other Southern California baseball venue.

There were 118 major and minor vermin violations since 2005 at Anaheim. An analysis of Dodgers Stadium and San Diego’s Petco Park found a combined total of nine vermin violations in the same time period.

Food safety experts said the violations might be related to Angel Stadium’s practice of leaving discarded food on the ground for 12 or more hours after a game. Stadium officials said the time delay was because of a set work schedule for its cleaning staff.

L.A. Times, Ben Bolch:

With his recovery from elbow irritation progressing at a glacial pace, Bartolo Colon acknowledged Friday that he has never pitched at full strength this season and that he might not play again for the Angels in 2007.

“I know it’s not 100%,” Colon said through an interpreter of his chances of returning from the disabled list, “but I ask God to give me the strength to finish out the season. . . and continue to pitch in the postseason.”

Colon has thrown on flat ground for three days and reported no pain, but there is no timetable for when he might take the next step in his recovery by throwing off a mound.

The right-hander said his second consecutive injury-plagued season has been on the decline since his first start April 21, when he twisted his left ankle while trying to cover first base in the second inning against Seattle.

“When I twisted my ankle, that’s when I started feeling more things falling back from there,” said Colon, who subsequently experienced triceps tendinitis and the irritation in his right elbow. “I was still feeling good enough to compete and win, but I was compensating one thing with another and eventually that led to this elbow irritation.”

The 2005 Cy Young Award winner has been a major disappointment the last two years, and he realizes the Angels might not try to re-sign him after his contract expires this season. He is 6-6 with a 6.72 earned-run average after going 1-5 with a 5.11 ERA during an injury-shortened 2006.

“If I’m given the opportunity to come back here, I want to come back here,” Colon said. “But at this point I don’t know. It’s almost too far to think about that when I’m thinking more about my health.

“But I don’t think my career as an Angel is over because I still have the uniform on.”

Colon said he would be disappointed if his return took more than another month, and that he’d be willing to pitch again at less than 100%.

“At 90% I’d be more than happy to contribute,” he said. “I have to work hard to get back to maybe not where I was before but to be a pitcher that can contribute to win ballgames.”

L.A. Times, Ben Bolch:

Though Jeff Mathis has started every game since Napoli was injured Friday, Scioscia said Ryan Budde probably would start during the four-game series in Oakland that begins tonight.

The possibility of Juan Rivera returning this season from a broken left leg diminishes as the end of the minor league season draws closer. The outfielder still has not begun a rehabilitation assignment that could require several weeks, and there will be few options for him to round into playing shape once the minor league season concludes in early September.

“Hopefully, there will be enough games in a minor league schedule somewhere to get him at-bats to see where he is,” Scioscia said. There is still no target date for the start of Rivera’s rehabilitation assignment.

Scioscia acknowledged that third baseman Dallas McPherson, recovering from lower back surgery that has sidelined him since January, is not expected to return this season. . . . Ervin Santana was rocked for a second consecutive start at triple-A Salt Lake, giving up 13 hits and six runs in six innings, striking out seven and walking one. The right-hander has a 6.05 earned-run average in three starts at Salt Lake.

L.A. Times, Ben Bolch:

General Manager Bill Stoneman said he was not disappointed in his inability to bolster the Angels before the non-waiver trade deadline because the team already possesses the necessary tools to reach the postseason.

“In terms of playing talent we’ve got, it’s good talent and it’s going to be good talent for a while,” Stoneman said.

The Angels started Tuesday in sole possession of first place in the American League West for the 83rd consecutive day. They were tied with Toronto for the fourth-best earned-run average (4.17) in the AL and ranked fifth in runs scored (524).

“I think we’ve got a great group of guys in here that can do the job,” shortstop Orlando Cabrera said. “You never know if a trade is going to help you.”

Stoneman said he was not concerned that division rival Texas used the Angels as leverage to complete a six-player deal with the Atlanta Braves for slugger Mark Teixeira. The Rangers received a pair of coveted prospects in the deal after the Angels refused to part with a package of highly touted players.

“Those are things that are possible but really not within our control, so you don’t worry about it,” Stoneman said. “If you have an objective, if you think there’s a player out there or two or more that might help you, you go for it.”

After failing to acquire Teixeira, Stoneman said a deal for a lesser player wouldn’t have helped because it might have disrupted a winning formula.

“You have to reach a deal that you think will leave you better off, not worse off,” Stoneman said. “With the chemistry we have, we don’t even want to do a neutral deal.”

Manager Mike Scioscia said the best trades are sometimes the ones that are not made, noting that right-hander John Lackey could have been moved in a deadline deal years before he blossomed into one of the top starters in the league.

“A deal would have been made if it was going to make us better now and in the future,” Scioscia said. “It just didn’t materialize. I know Bill made a terrific bid to make this club better.”

Asked if owner Arte Moreno was dissatisfied with no trades, Stoneman said, “No, because you can’t be unhappy if you have a good ballclub.”

Mike Napoli has taken a teammate’s bat across the nose and badly sprained his ankle during a home-plate collision. His latest injury “felt like somebody stabbed me in the back of my leg.”

“Hopefully, it ends here,” the catcher said of his litany of injuries. Napoli began his comeback from the strained right hamstring he suffered last week by playing catch Tuesday and could begin hitting soft toss as soon as today.

Infielder Erick Aybar, recovering from surgery on his right hand, is scheduled to leave for triple-A Salt Lake today and could begin his rehabilitation assignment with the Bees as soon as tonight. Scioscia estimated that Aybar would need to play at least four or five minor league games before rejoining the Angels. . . . Bartolo Colon threw on flat ground for the first time in the first step of his recovery from irritation in his right elbow. . . . With Dustin Moseley having moved from the bullpen to the rotation, Scioscia said the Angels would probably stay with 12 pitchers through at least the weekend. Scioscia confirmed that Moseley would start Friday against Oakland.

O.C. Register, Jeff Miller:

Vladimir Guerrero hasn’t done it in 105 at-bats. Gary Matthews Jr. hasn’t done it since June 17. The Angels, as a group, haven’t been doing it at all lately.

But Luis Castillo did it Saturday, with great flair, timing and recognition.

Turns out, this team has been going about things all wrong. Instead of calling up minor-leaguers from Salt Lake City, the Angels should be relying on Pony Leaguers from Tustin.

They beat the Detroit Tigers largely because of a home run produced by an 11-year-old.

“Thank you,” reliever Scot Shields said in reference to Castillo. “That was awfully nice of him. It was a great catch.”

The score was tied 3-3 in the eighth inning with two runners on when Garret Anderson came up. Detroit’s outfielders were playing deep. Castillo was playing even deeper.

Anderson sent a Tim Byrdak pitch to the top of the wall in right-center. As Magglio Ordonez was preparing to play the carom, Castillo reached out and backhanded the ball. He did so brilliantly — and blindly.

“I turned my head,” the rookie explained of his dazzling big-league debut. “I didn’t want the ball to hit me in the face.”

After Anderson circled the bases and the fireworks had been detonated, the Tigers argued that Castillo had extended his glove into the field of play, suggesting the ball would not have made the stands on its own.

The umpires gathered briefly and decided to stand by their call.

Television replays hinted that the Tigers had a point. Castillo, even as the Angels’ starting designated catcher, flatly said Detroit did.

“I don’t think it was going to be a home run,” he admitted. “I reached over.”

How’s that for candor? In this era of the controversial slugger, with suspicion clouding every long drive, here was some genuine home run honesty. And it took a grade-schooler to provide it.

Naturally, the Angels sided with the umpires, but they also appreciated Castillo’s effort and aggressiveness, which could have earned him a bold glove. Frankly, his play was one of the finest made in all of professional baseball Saturday.

When Anderson hit the ball, Castillo wasn’t even wearing his glove. He put it on while sliding over three seats, then positioned himself expertly to make the grab.

“For an 11-year-old, he showed great range and some great poise under pressure,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “He had to circumvent a lot of people to get there. He took a great route to that ball … but I still think it was a home run.”

The moment was colossal, a 3-3 tie ballooning into a 6-3 Angels lead. As if a cork had been popped, they then scored four more runs — including another homer, by Orlando Cabrera — to bury the Tigers, 10-3.

Realize that the two home runs in the inning matched the total the Angels had hit in their previous 19 games. This is a team that, in order to go deep lately, has needed the wind to be blowing out — all the way to Fullerton.

“That was a big at-bat,” Reggie Willits said. “Those runs were enormous. He came up big.”

He, meaning Anderson? Or he, meaning Castillo?

“I’m talking about Garret,” Willits said.

OK, fine. But who needs Mark “Big Tex” Teixeira now? The Angels have Luis “Little Bart” Castillo.

L.A. Times, Mike DiGiovanna and Ben Boloch:

The Angels essentially abandoned their pursuit of Texas slugger Mark Teixeira because of the Rangers’ steep asking price Friday, leaving them very few options to bolster their offense before Tuesday’s non-waiver trade deadline.

According to baseball sources, the Rangers wanted three players from the Angels for Teixeira, and the teams apparently agreed on the first two, first baseman Casey Kotchman and left-handed pitcher Joe Saunders.

Texas spent a day or two scouring the Angels’ farm system this week, and the Angels were hoping the third request would be for a mid-level prospect or major league reserve such as Terry Evans and Nathan Haynes, both outfielders.

The Rangers gave the Angels a list of four names to choose from Friday. On that list were infielder Brandon Wood, the organization’s top position-playing prospect, double-A right-hander Nick Adenhart, the organization’s top pitching prospect, starting second baseman Howie Kendrick, who is on the disabled list because of a broken finger, and recently demoted right-hander Ervin Santana.

The Angels’ response: No way.

A source indicated there is a slim chance of trade talks being rekindled, but only if Texas lowered its demands or were willing to take only Kotchman and Saunders for Teixeira, who wouldn’t become a free agent until after 2008.

The Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox are also interested in Teixeira, the 27-year-old switch-hitter who entered Friday with a .299 average, 13 home runs and 49 runs batted in after averaging 35 homers and 112 RBIs in his first four years.

The Angels could turn their focus to Chicago White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye or Oakland designated hitter Mike Piazza. They are believed to have called Florida about third baseman Miguel Cabrera, but the Marlins have virtually no interest in trading the slugger.

The Angels didn’t venture far to find a rotation replacement for Bartolo Colon, plucking Dustin Moseley from the bullpen to start Sunday against the Detroit Tigers at Angel Stadium.

Manager Mike Scioscia would not commit to more than one start for Moseley, though, meaning the Angels could bring back Santana to pitch Aug. 3 against Oakland at McAfee Coliseum if they are satisfied that the struggling right-hander has displayed sufficient improvement in the minor leagues.

With Moseley pitching Sunday, the Angels will have their three marquee starters — Kelvim Escobar, John Lackey and Jered Weaver — lined up to pitch in an important series against American League West rival Seattle beginning Monday at Safeco Field. Escobar will pitch Monday and Lackey on Tuesday on an extra day’s rest in the wake of an off day Thursday.

Moseley made two starts in April as an injury replacement and pitched effectively, lasting six innings and giving up five hits and one run in each appearance. The 25-year-old right-hander said he welcomed a return to starting.

“That’s what I’ve done my whole career,” said Moseley, who had made all but one of his professional appearances as a starter before this season. “It’s just a matter of changing the preparation for it and getting ready for it. I know I can do it.”

Moseley pitched in the bullpen Friday in preparation for a start in which he hopes to last 75 pitches or so.

Santana regressed Friday in his second start for triple-A Salt Lake, giving up six runs and 11 hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out four, walked two and was pulled in the seventh inning after Omaha had put runners on second and third with one out.

L.A. Times, Mike DiGiovanna and Ben Bolch:

Though there is an outside chance they could acquire Chicago White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye, it appears to be Mark Teixeira or bust for the Angels, who, according to baseball sources, were rebuffed in their attempts to pry Paul Konerko from the White Sox and have all but given up their pursuit of Cincinnati slugger Adam Dunn.

The Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox are also pursuing Teixeira, the Texas first baseman who in 75 games is batting .299 with 13 home runs and 49 runs batted in, and the Rangers are in the process of leveraging each team against the other in an attempt to drive up the offers for the switch-hitter.

Angels first baseman Casey Kotchman would be part of any package to acquire Teixeira, and the Rangers, who had zeroed in on Ervin Santana before the struggling right-hander was demoted to triple-A Salt Lake on July 18, are believed to be comfortable with left-hander Joe Saunders as part of a deal.

But the Rangers want a third player and are scouring the Angels’ farm system to determine who to ask for. If Texas wants one of the Angels’ elite prospects, such as third baseman Brandon Wood or double-A pitcher Nick Adenhart, trade talks would fizzle. But if Texas would accept a lesser prospect, a deal would be more likely.

The Rangers are also believed to be interested in outfielders Reggie Willits, Nathan Haynes or Terry Evans as the third player in the deal.

What was the downside of losing Santana and Bartolo Colon from the Angels’ rotation again?

The rotation has posted a 45-32 record and 4.17 earned-run average including the efforts of the struggling duo, while going 34-15 with a 3.07 ERA minus their contributions. Santana and Colon combined to go 11-17 with a 6.44 ERA.

“I don’t think it’s a weakness at all right now,” pitching coach Mike Butcher said of the rotation. “It’s unfortunate that Bartolo’s down right now. That’s an impact to us, but I think overall the four guys we have in the rotation right now are going to do a nice job.”

Saunders, who took Santana’s spot last week and pitched seven strong innings in a victory over Minnesota, is 4-0 with a 2.89 ERA in six starts. And reliever Dustin Moseley, who could take Colon’s spot after the right-hander went on the disabled list Tuesday because of irritation in his pitching elbow, pitched effectively in two starts in April.

“It seems like all year we’ve had young guys kind of stepping up and helping out,” Moseley said.

Of course, the Angels would prefer that Santana and Colon were pitching at their pre-2007 levels. Colon won an American League-high 21 games in 2005 en route to the Cy Young Award, and Santana won a combined 28 games his first two seasons in the major leagues.

“I think it’s gone from where we had depth to where now there are some things we have to look at,” Manager Mike Scioscia said of the rotation, “but I think we’re going to have a rotation emerge that still is going to be championship-caliber and is still going to be the type of rotation that is going to give you a chance to win every time that you take the field. That’s all you can hope for.”

Santana is scheduled to pitch for Salt Lake tonight and could rejoin the Angels next week if he continues to show improvement. He gave up two hits and one run in seven innings in his first minor league start Sunday.

“Right now he’s getting his confidence back and is working on some things,” Butcher said. “We’re going to take it one step at a time with him and deal with what we have right here for right now.”

Roland Flores, 22, of La Puente was released on $500 bail after being arrested Wednesday on suspicion of assault and battery in connection with an incident in which he allegedly pelted Oakland designated hitter Mike Piazza with a water bottle while Piazza stood in the on-deck circle at Angel Stadium. The case is being reviewed and charges could be filed, said Sgt. Rick Martinez of the Anaheim Police Dept.

L.A. Times, Helene Elliot:

Entering this season, the Angels told themselves they had enough pitching depth to get by without trading for a big bat.

They don’t.

They knew their home-run production would be modest, but they thought they could single and double and first-to-third their way to a secure lead atop the American League West.

They couldn’t.

With Ervin Santana having pitched himself to the minor leagues and Bartolo Colon on the disabled list, their starting staff doesn’t look so imposing anymore. And with Vladimir Guerrero trudging through a career-worst 24-game home run drought — and opponents learning how to pitch to fast-starting Reggie Willits — the Angels’ strategy of playing small ball and praying for an occasional jolt of power hasn’t been working consistently for about a month.

They had little choice but to play station-to-station ball Wednesday after Manager Mike Scioscia gave Guerrero a day off, and they won almost despite themselves: Francisco Rodriguez blew a save opportunity but got a reprieve when Maicer Izturis grounded a single through the hole between second and third to score Casey Kotchman in the bottom of the ninth and eke out a 7-6 victory over the Oakland A’s.

Izturis’ hit was the Angels 12th single, to go with three doubles. Small ball, indeed.

“This is a big game for us without Vladdy because we always rely upon Vladdy,” Izturis said through an interpreter.

If any good emerged from a hot and tedious day at Angel Stadium, it’s that Scioscia’s beloved table-setters — the one, two and three hitters — were a combined six for 14 with three runs batted in and three runs scored. Willits, restored to the leadoff spot for the first time since Thursday, dipped fractionally below .300 for the first time since April 17 but rebounded for a two-for-four performance that left him at .305.

“I haven’t been getting on base the way I’d like to be getting on base the last few weeks,” Willits said. “Hopefully I can take this and bounce back and start getting on base a little bit more.”

Scioscia had fretted about his team’s poor situational hitting lately and its inability to cash in with runners on base, but the Angels stung four Oakland pitchers for 15 hits Wednesday. Their cleanup and fifth hitters, Garret Anderson and Kotchman, were six for nine with three RBIs and two runs scored. In Kotchman’s case, it was a welcome detour away from a 12-for-73 slump.

“We really did a lot of things reminiscent of what we were doing before the last couple of weeks, and that’s exciting,” Scioscia said.

“That’s what our club needs to be. Do it without the home run and by running the bases well. Seven runs out of a game without Vladdy in the lineup, that’s encouraging.”

It would have been more encouraging if it had restored their lead to the eight-game margin they had a month ago, instead of to 3 1/2 games after slumping Seattle lost to Texas again Wednesday night.

If they are going to stay ahead of Seattle over the final 62 games, the Angels will need an infusion of energy and zest before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. They need a move that would take the burden off Guerrero and carry them through the dog days of August without them becoming the dogs.

But they’re unlikely to get that dramatic boost from General Manager Bill Stoneman, who seems to freeze at the exact moment he should be galvanized into action.

When Stoneman’s paralysis lifted last winter, he signed malcontent infielder Shea Hillenbrand — that really worked out well — and outfielder Gary Matthews Jr., whose five-year, $50-million contract looks more and more like an albatross every day.

Stoneman has reportedly talked to the Chicago White Sox about first baseman Paul Konerko, who passed up a chance to sign with the Angels as a free agent in 2005 and is in the second year of a five-year, $60-million contract that contains a limited no-trade clause. Stoneman is also said to have talked to the Texas Rangers about first baseman Mark Teixeira, who is four years younger than Konerko and is hitting about 30 points higher but might be costlier in the long run.

So far, no movement.

Scioscia said he tries not to become preoccupied with thoughts of what might occur at the deadline.

“You have to go through it assuming nothing is going to happen,” he said, “and I think our team is good enough to reach our goal if nothing happens.”

They thought they had enough pitching too, and that hasn’t proven true.

Teixeira has stirred interest from about a half-dozen teams, which would necessitate a bold move from Stoneman to wrest him away. The catch is that Stoneman doesn’t seem to do bold. He does safe.

This isn’t a time for safe. The Angels don’t need talk, they need action — and not of small-ball dimensions.

L.A. Times Peter Yoon and Mike DiGiovanna:

The Angels put Bartolo Colon on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday, one day after he left a game after one inning because of irritation in his pitching elbow.

He underwent an MRI exam and a CT scan during an evaluation by Dr. Lewis Yocum that revealed a posterior impingement in his right elbow — an overuse injury. He will undergo therapy to try to reduce the irritation, the club announced.

Manager Mike Scioscia said Colon’s elbow was “a little sore, a little puffy” after Monday’s game and that it carried over into Tuesday morning. He expressed concern about the severity of the injury.

“There’s concern because of the nature of where his pain was,” Scioscia said.

It is the fifth trip to the disabled list for Colon, the 2005 Cy Young Award winner. He began this season on the DL after recovering from a torn rotator cuff, but returned April 20 and won his first five starts.

He is 1-6 with a 9.27 earned-run average since then and missed a start June 2 because of tendinitis in his right triceps. Monday night in the Angels’ 12-6 loss to Oakland, he left after the first inning, having thrown 33 pitches and given up four runs and four hits.

Scioscia said he didn’t yet have a plan for who would replace Colon in the rotation. The Angels have a day off Thursday, meaning Tuesday’s starter, Kelvim Escobar, could take Colon’s spot in the rotation Sunday on regular rest.

Long-term possibilities include Dustin Moseley, who has pitched mostly in relief this season, and bringing back Ervin Santana, who was sent to triple A last week because of poor performance.

“Right now we have a day off so we’ll look at a couple of scenarios in our rotation,” Scioscia said. “Ervin is an option, but we’ll take this one step at a time.”

The Angels, who have had trade talks with Texas regarding first baseman Mark Teixeira, have also resumed their pursuit of Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, who turned down a five-year, $62-million free-agent offer from the Angels after 2005 to remain in Chicago.

According to several industry sources, the Angels, looking to add a power bat to their sagging offense, have inquired about Konerko, who is batting .261 with 22 home runs and 61 runs batted in.

Konerko has a limited no-trade clause and is signed through 2010, but he has a good relationship with Scioscia and would probably waive the clause to come to Anaheim. But the White Sox, who are 14 1/2 games back in the American League Central and are in a selling mode, haven’t decided whether to trade Konerko or right fielder Jermaine Dye, who can become a free agent at the end of this year.

The Sox have made it clear they don’t plan to tear down the team and don’t want to completely strip their lineup.

They are shopping pitcher Jose Contreras but are getting more inquires about pitchers Jon Garland and Javier Vazquez, all of whom could be of interest to the Angels.

The team brought up two relief pitchers, Marcus Gwyn and Greg Jones, from triple-A Salt Lake. Infielder Kendry Morales was optioned back to Salt Lake City to make room on the roster.

Jones, a right-hander, was 4-1 with three saves and a 3.94 ERA, and Gwyn, also a right-hander, was 1-0 with 13 saves and a 2.78 ERA, but Scioscia said their stay in the big leagues probably would be short.

“This roster right here that we’re looking at is certainly short term,” the manager said. “We’ll make some adjustments here within five, six, seven days as soon as things stabilize.”

L.A. Times, Mike DiGiovanna:

Ervin Santana’s struggles not only hurt the Angels this season, they may have wrecked the team’s chances of acquiring Texas slugger Mark Teixeira before the July 31 trade deadline.

According to a baseball source, the Angels, in great need of a power bat, and the Rangers held substantive trade talks this month regarding Teixeira, the first baseman who sat out almost a month of the season because of a leg injury and entered Monday with a .301 average, 13 home runs and 47 runs batted in.

The Angels hoped to build a package around Santana and first baseman Casey Kotchman, two players the Rangers had great interest in, but when Santana was demoted to triple-A Salt Lake last week with a 5-11 record and 6.22 earned-run average, talks between the teams cooled.

According to a source familiar with the Rangers’ thinking, if they’re going to trade their franchise player, a 27-year-old switch-hitter who averaged 35 home runs and 112 RBIs in his first four seasons and is signed through 2008, they need to make a deal their fans and the industry would applaud.

Kotchman is a promising young first baseman, but Santana’s value has plummeted since the 24-year-old right-hander went 28-16 in his first two big league seasons.

Santana did have a sharp outing at Salt Lake on Sunday, giving up one run and two hits with six strikeouts in seven innings.

“The word we got on Ervin was that if he brought that stuff last night into a major league game, he would have success,” Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. “He’s getting in that road of consistency that will get him into a major league rotation. The talent is still there, he just needs to re-emerge.”

It’s possible talks could heat up again, but it’s doubtful the Rangers would deem left-hander Joe Saunders attractive enough to warrant dealing Teixeira, and the Angels have virtually no interest in trading John Lackey or Kelvim Escobar.

Angels first base coach Alfredo Griffin said he was shocked when he heard the news that Mike Coolbaugh, a first base coach for double-A Tulsa, died after being struck in the head by a batted ball.

“It’s something that never crosses your mind,” Griffin said. “You got so many things going on when you’re down there coaching and you just never expect to see a guy get hit in the head.”

Griffin said that when there is a runner on first, the base coach must keep an eye on the first baseman as the pitch is delivered to see if there is a pickoff play on where the first baseman sneaks behind the runner for a snap throw from the catcher.

“This is a reminder not to take your eye off of the batter,” Griffin said. “If you stay in the coach’s box, it’s hard to do that, so I try to move further down the line, but they yell at me to get back in the box.”

Howie Kendrick, on the disabled list because of a broken left index finger, said X-rays taken Monday showed nothing that would allow him to resume baseball activities.

“There’s no difference in my status,” Kendrick said. “It’s frustrating, but it’s a broken bone and there is nothing you can do but wait.”

It’s the second time this season Kendrick has been on the disabled list because of a broken bone in his left hand. He is batting .297 with four home runs and 18 RBIs in 51 games.

This injury occurred while he was swinging a bat July 3 at Texas, but he didn’t go on the DL until July 13.

“I thought it might be just a jam or a sprain,” he said. “Right now I just have to let it heal.”

From Jeff:

What a horrible and painful first inning for Bartolo Colon and us fans. 33 pitches in one inning and 5 runs. NICE!!! Bart will be seeing Dr. Yocum tomorrow to have his elbow examined. Don’t be surprised to see him sent to the DL. again. Amazing. It was only two seasons ago that he was wining 21 games and looking relevant. Now he looks like dead weight.

I have been saying it all season that he is hurt and should not be out there. Look how well things went last night when Ervin Santana did not start. I don’t care how much money you make — how hot a prospect you are — perform or get out. It is about wining.

O.C. Register, Bill Plunket:

Angels shortstop Orlando Cabrera has studied video and come to one conclusion about his slump this month.

“I (stink). That’s the only way to say it,” said Cabrera who broke an 0-for-17 stretch with a single Friday.

That was the deepest part of a month-long struggle. Cabrera went 4 for 14 in the series against the Twins but is still batting only .161 (10 for 62) in July, a decline made more startling by the fact that it followed the best two-month stretch of Cabrera’s career. Through May and June, Cabrera hit .378 with 84 hits, 38 RBIs and 35 runs scored in 53 games.

It’s a reversal of fortune that was actually forecast by a statistic popular among baseball’s numbers-focused analysts – batting average on balls put in play (BABIP). BABIP discounts walks and strikeouts (neither of which Cabrera does often) and calculates the frequency at which balls put in play find holes.

Through June, Cabrera’s BABIP was far above his career average (and still is at .333 going into Sunday’s game).

But the Angels shortstop said he didn’t need any complicated formula to realize he was due for a rough stretch at some point.

“What? Did you think I was going to hit .340? Not going to happen,” said Cabrera, a .269 career hitter coming into 2007. “You go through ups and downs during a season.”

Cabrera said he has watched video “a lot lately” in search of a clue that will help him turn things around again. He hasn’t found any glaring swing changes that need to be made, just some general rules that he has been violating.

”I think I’m not swinging through the way I’m supposed to,” he said. “I’m pulling off the ball. I’m getting too anxious with my swing.

“I’m forcing things. I’m not letting my ability take care of it.”

The solution, Cabrera said, is to get back to basics. He showed signs of emerging from the slump Sunday with two hits (his first multi-hit game since July 6) – both through the middle of the infield.

“I’m just trying to stay through the ball, hit the ball up the middle,” he said. “When you struggle, you try to pull everything. You’re going to miss a lot of pitches that way. Even though, I’m getting pitches I can hit I’ve got to get it in my head to stay up the middle. Then the hits will start coming again.”

****
The minor-league pitcher obtained from the New York Yankees in Saturday’s trade for veteran catcher Jose Molina was suspended for violating the minor-league steroid policy in 2005. Jeff Kennard (who will turn 26 next week) served a 15-game suspension (the penalty for a first-time offense) in June and July 2005. He was pitching in the Class-A Florida State League at the time.
Angels GM Bill Stoneman said the team was “aware” of Kennard’s history.

“But that’s ‘05. Nothing’s happened since that time,” Stoneman said. “Hopefully, he’s learned his lesson.”

Kennard (a native of Centerville, Ohio) told the Dayton Daily News at the time of the suspension that his positive test result was caused by an over-the-counter product, glutomine, which he purchased at GNC. He said he was unaware that glutomine contained a derivative of androstenedione which is on baseball’s list of banned substances.

Stoneman also said there has been no dropoff in Kennard’s velocity or performance that would indicate he had been relying on performance-enhancing substances.

“He’s still throwing the ball very well,” Stoneman said. “That thing was two years ago. It happened. It’s over. He’s moved forward from it. We should too.

“You can’t get answers to all the questions you might have (before acquiring a player). What you rely on is that he’s a guy who has been tested since ‘05 and nothing has come up positive since ‘05.”

****
Gary Matthews Jr. and Reggie Willits were not in the starting lineup Saturday. Both have been slumping recently. Matthews was 4 for 19 on the road trip. Willits was 3 for 18 on the trip and is batting .157 (8 for 51) this month.

“We want to give Reggie every opportunity to get back on track,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “He’s been a big part of our push in the first half and we need what he can bring in the final third of the season.

“Right now, he’s not on track and maybe a day off will get him back on track. It’s not that we’re giving up on him (as an every-day player). We’ve seen what his piece to the puzzle means to us.”

Matthews was also feeling sore from his collision with the outfield wall Saturday night. Matthews ran into the wall while trying to run down Joe Mauer’s game-winning, three-run, inside-the-park home run.

“It’s like the morning after a car accident, like you just got rear-ended,” Matthews said. “The coconut’s okay. If the coconut’s okay, I’m good.”

From Jeff:

FINALLY! Garret Anderson took a hanging slider and hit a monster shot above the baggy in right field of the Metrodome. 1976 was the last time the club went this many games without hitting a dinger.

Just hope he didn’t pull something, strain something, tweak something or otherwise injure himself with that swing.

Don’t let it elude you that this “should” have been an Ervin Santana start. However with Santana being sent down and Joe Saunders taking his place in the pitching rotation we were not trailing by 6 runs at the time of G.A.’s homer. Having a competent pitcher on the mound takes a lot of pressure off of the hitters.

I still hate domes.

L.A. Times, Ben Bolch:

Only hours after saying he would not acquire a fringe player before the trading deadline, Angels General Manager Bill Stoneman did exactly that Saturday night, obtaining minor league pitcher Jeff Kennard from the New York Yankees for catcher Jose Molina.

The deal severs another link to the Angels’ 2002 World Series title and signals the organization’s growing confidence in rookie Jeff Mathis, who will now split the catching duties with Mike Napoli.

“We set our sights fairly high,” Stoneman said before the trade. “The clubs that we’re talking to, we’re trying to obtain a player that would definitely make us a better ballclub. We’re not talking exchanging an extra player for an extra player…. Our focus is more on something a little bigger than that.”

Kennard, who was 1-4 with six saves and a 2.73 earned-run average in 31 games for double-A Trenton, will report to double-A Arkansas. The 23-year-old had 47 strikeouts and 17 walks in 52 2/3 innings.

The trade continues Stoneman’s penchant for making minor trade-deadline moves, though he still has 10 days to construct a bigger deal. In 2002 he acquired reserve outfielder Alex Ochoa for Jorge Fabregas, and in 2003 he got reliever Gary Glover and two minor leaguers for Scott Schoeneweis.

Molina was informed of the move in the Angels’ clubhouse Saturday night after playing in a 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome. He hugged teammates and team officials and appeared teary as he met with reporters.

“It’s still a shock,” said Molina, who was hitting .224 with no homers and 10 runs batted in in 40 games this season. “It’s hard sometimes to take it because you’ve been here for so many years. You always expect to end up your career where you’re at. But the way I have to see it is that it’s a good opportunity in New York, one of the best places to play.”

Mathis is starting to show the flashes of promise that the Angels had hoped would emerge last season, when he fumbled the starting job and was demoted to the minor leagues in early May after hitting .103 in 39 at-bats.

“The way Jeff has come on in the last eight weeks of the season, in triple A and now the way he’s bringing it up here, he’s a guy that can help us,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. Mathis is hitting .154 with one RBI in seven games with the Angels.

O.C. Register, Bill Plunket:

If nothing else, Garret Anderson is well-rested for the second half of the season.

The Angels veteran spent 46 games on the disabled list in the first half recovering from a hip injury. It might have taken two trips to the DL to completely heal from the torn flexor tendon. With two hits, including a two-run single, Thursday against Tampa Bay, Anderson is 16 for 42 (.381) in 11 games since returning from his second down time. That includes seven multiple-hit games.

“That’s all hitting is, timing and rhythm,” Anderson said. “I have to get some at-bats together, get a string of days together. That’s generally when it comes.

“It (the hip) feels fine. I would say the second time on (the DL) helped. The whole time on the DL helped a lot.”

Angels manager Mike Scioscia has started Anderson in left field just four times in the 11 games since he was activated, using him as the designated hitter in the other seven games. But Scioscia said he can see a difference in Anderson this time around.

“I think he’s moving better than the first time he tried to come back, what, a month ago?” Scioscia said. “I think he’s more comfortable with where his legs are.”

Anderson’s two RBIs Thursday, however, were his first since returning to action. Scioscia had slipped him into the seventh spot in the lineup when he first returned but recently moved him up to sixth. Thursday, Anderson batted fifth.

With the Angels’ offense seriously lacking power — 28th in the majors in home runs with none in their past 12 games — Anderson is one possible source for improvement in that area. He has just three home runs this season, none since June 9.

CABRERA RESTS

Thursday’s early start (12:10 p.m. locally) after a night game Wednesday was a convenient excuse for Scioscia to get shortstop Orlando Cabrera out of the lineup. He was given the day off after starting 91 of the Angels’ first 93 games.

Cabrera is hitless in his past 17 at-bats and is batting .125 (6 for 48) in July after hitting .385 in June.

“On the offensive side, he’s not as comfortable. His swing is maybe a little long,” Scioscia said. “He was in such a good stretch for such a long time, working the whole field. Probably his last 30 at-bats or so, maybe he’s gotten out of his game a little bit.”

COLON ON SANTANA

Right-hander Bartolo Colon can relate to what Ervin Santana is going through. Colon said when he heard the news Wednesday that Santana had been demoted to Triple-A, the veteran immediately thought of what he went through with the Cleveland Indians in 1997. Colon, a 24-year-old rookie that year, was sent down to Triple-A five times by the Indians.

“You don’t want to see a teammate go through what he’s going through with his record and confidence,” Colon said through an interpreter. “But overall, this is something he can really use to fire himself up.

“This is an opportunity to get the mental side straightened out. I know when I was sent down in ‘97, the message was clear that if I didn’t get it done down there I wasn’t going to get called back up.”

From Jeff:

It was clear to me that Mike Scioscia set up the rotation to give Ervin Santana one final opportunity to turn around his horrible season. Scioscia could have given Santana a start at home, where he has pitched (a little) better. With the highest ERA among MLB starters, Santana is an embarrassment and we have viable options in Joe Saunders and Dustin Mosely. Somehow the rest of the media had Mike giving Ervin a few more chances. Three cheers for Scioscia for doing the right thing!
From Angels Website:

It appears for now, at least, Ervin Santana’s chances to snap out of his funk have run out.

The 24-year-old right-hander was optioned by the Angels to Triple-A Salt Lake prior to Wednesday’s game in order to make room for catcher Mike Napoli, who was activated from the disabled list.

Santana, a 16-game winner last season, is 5-11 with a 6.22 ERA in 19 starts so far this season. He had struggled mightily lately, dropping his last four starts and compiling an 11.64 ERA during that time.

The news followed Santana’s most recent disappointment on Tuesday, when he allowed 14 hits and seven earned runs in a loss to Tampa Bay. The 14 hits were the most allowed by an Angels pitcher this season, and just one shy of the club record set in 1976 by Paul Hartzell.

Napoli has been disabled since he sustained a high left ankle sprain in a home plate collision July 1 at Baltimore. He was hitting .243 (43-for-177) with eight homers and 29 RBIs at the time of the injury, which led to the first time the 25-year-old had been on the DL in his two-year career.

O.C. Register, Bill Plunket:

Ervin Santana has become the problem child of the Angels’ pitching staff.

Santana — winner of 28 games before his 24th birthday, including a team-leading 16 in 2006 — has become a frustrating tangle of potential and puzzling inconsistency this season. Going into his scheduled start tonight against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Santana is 5-10 with a 5.97 ERA — numbers that in no way reflect the potential in his right arm.

Two lurking presences — that of the Seattle Mariners (2 1/2 games back in the AL West) and Triple-A left-hander Joe Saunders (3-0 with a 2.97 ERA in five spot starts and clearly major-league ready) — make it likely that each start is critical for Santana if he is to retain his spot in the Angels’ rotation. A continuation of his recent trend — winless with a 9.90 ERA in his past four starts — could exhaust the patience Santana already has taxed.

“We’re not going to talk about leashes,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said when asked if Santana was on “a short leash” in the second half. “We’re not going to talk about dates and say a guy has to pitch here, or say he has one more start or two more (before being removed from the rotation). We need production from all five guys, obviously. We’re looking for Ervin to give it to us. With any player, if there are options that come up that are going to make you a better team, you consider them.”

The Angels have done it before under Scioscia, deciding they no longer could send an underperforming starter to the mound every fifth day. In 2003, it was veteran Kevin Appier, cut loose at midseason with a 7-7 record and 5.63 ERA despite $16 million in contract obligations.

Last season, it was Jeff Weaver, 3-10 with a 6.29 ERA when he was designated for assignment and traded in July, with younger brother Jered providing the same kind of alternative Saunders now represents.

“Mike and I talk daily,” Angels general manager Bill Stoneman said. “It (Santana’s situation) is not something that there is a timeline on. We want our best 25 men here.”

With Santana struggling, however, and Saunders available as a replacement, the question is whether the Angels have the right man.

Tired of prodding by reporters, Santana has become snappish and defensive at times when questioned about his poor record on the road (1-8 with an 8.59 ERA) or mounting home run total (a major-league-high 23 allowed in 18 starts).

Of his expectations for the second half, Santana said: “Nothing different. I know if I keep working hard, I’m going to be fine.”

But it’s obvious to anyone observing Santana’s demeanor on the mound, particularly when trouble arrives, that his confidence has been drained by this season’s struggles.

“I think anybody who goes through a rough stretch, whether you’ve had 10 years in the big leagues or just a few, I think your confidence gets broken a little bit,” Angels pitching coach Mike Butcher said. “We need to find a way for him to get it back. I know he can do it. He’s done it in the past.”

Despite his success last season, some self-doubt might have put Santana on the road to his current crisis. Scioscia and Butcher said they feel the root of Santana’s inconsistency is an attempt to expand his repertoire beyond the four-seam fastball, hard slider and occasional changeup that won him games last season. It was something Santana wasn’t ready for — nor was necessary — at this point in his development, they said.

“I think by trying to create some stuff he got away from some other things that are important to him,” Scioscia said. “One thing is a consistent breaking ball, the other is the great life he has on his fastball. Maybe he’s been trying to manipulate it too much to force some movement that isn’t really where his game is right now.”

Butcher said his focus with Santana in recent side sessions has been on “just letting it fly.”

“As a 24-year-old right-hander in this league, all he has to do is go out there and trust the things he already has,” Butcher said. “Once he matures in this game and develops as a major-league pitcher, he can add those things four, five years from now. But right now, he doesn’t need to be that pitcher. He’s a power pitcher with a nice, four-seam fastball, real good slider and a changeup that’s still developing. He just needs to get back to those pitches that got him here instead of trying to manipulate or add to those things.”

Veteran right-hander Kelvim Escobar’s locker is next to Santana’s in the Angels’ home clubhouse, but Escobar said he has tried to keep his offers of advice to a minimum because Santana would “get crazy” from all the people trying to tell him what he needs to do. But Escobar’s advice echoes the back-to-basics sermon Scioscia and Butcher have been preaching.

“The one thing I tell him is, ‘Don’t think too much,’ ” Escobar said. “He’s young. It’s a learning process. It doesn’t come easy.”