BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Blyleven Comeback Coming Along

Bert Blyleven, trying to come back at 41 after two successive shoulder surgeries, is moving from double-A Midland to triple-A Edmonton, and Manager Buck Rodgers says there is a possibility Blyleven could pitch in the major leagues by the end of May.

“I don’t know how probable it is, but I wouldn’t eliminate it,” said Rodgers, who met with Blyleven on Wednesday. “I’d be lying if I said it was impossible. It’s not impossible.”

Blyleven’s comeback attempt, once considered an extraordinary longshot, is ahead of schedule. He was 2-3 with a 2.73 earned-run average in five starts for Midland. Rodgers said Blyleven, who was given good marks by Whitey Herzog, will probably start for Edmonton on Friday.

“I didn’t think he’d be at this point until probably the first couple weeks of June,” Rodgers said.

Blyleven told Rodgers he believes he is ready to pitch in the majors, but Rodgers does not plan to use a fifth starter again until May 19, and said Blyleven needs to continue to work and be tested against better hitters.

The current contenders for the May 19 start are Don Robinson, who is on the disabled list with an arthritic left hip and is scheduled to throw on the sidelines today, or Julio Valera, tonight’s starter.

Blyleven’s competitiveness at a level higher than double-A is still a question mark.

“That’s what we’re going to find out,” Rodgers said. “Fernando (Valenzuela) had an ERA of 1.29 at Midland, I think, and came up here (last season) and got his brains beat out. He went to triple-A and had a 7-plus ERA.”

Lance Parrish was scratched from the lineup because of pain in his inflamed right elbow, which he said has not responded to a second cortisone injection he received Monday. “I don’t think it’s just a minor deal. It doesn’t seem to be getting any better,” the catcher said. Parrish earlier missed games while recovering from the injections, but he said this is the first he has missed because of pain. Team orthopedist Lewis Yocum examined Parrish and has ordered a CAT scan today.

Pitcher Matt Keough, who underwent emergency brain surgery after being struck by a foul ball during spring training, has medical clearance to throw. “Everything but run,” Keough said. “It’s a pitcher’s dream, never having to cover first or back up a play.” Keough appeared to have made the starting rotation at the time of the accident, but he said he isn’t concerning himself with plotting a comeback yet. “Why frustrate myself?” he said, adding he thinks reconditioning would be a simple matter once he is physically able. “I have three children and a wife. I don’t want to do something stupid, either.”

Von Hayes, who did not play during the eight-game trip because of a strained left hamstring, started in right field. . . . The Yankees’ Danny Tartabull was eligible to return from the disabled list Wednesday, but was not activated. Manager Buck Showalter met with Tartabull before batting practice and said that the outfielder is “very close” and says he wants to play, but is not 100%. Tartabull, recovering from a hamstring pull, will be evaluated daily. . . . Angel second baseman Bobby Rose was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup because of a sore back. Rose will undergo X-rays on his sore lower back today.