BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : Velarde Keeps Driving Painful Road

Randy Velarde has had to spend some extra time in the shop lately, but that hasn’t kept the Angel second baseman off the road.

The leadoff batter has patella tendinitis in both knees, and on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being unbearable, he rates the pain “at about a seven.” But of the Angels’ seven games, Velarde has started six, including Wednesday night’s 2-1 victory at Toronto.

“It’s pretty much grit your teeth and get out there,” said Velarde, who spends about 45 minutes before each game in the training room. “It would be nice to just come to the park and prepare for the game instead of having to allot so much time for treatment. It’s a pain in the rear.”

Velarde, 33, has had sore knees for about 3 1/2 seasons, “but this is by far the worst, the longest it has bothered me,” he said. His daily treatments include ultrasound, ice, heat, and anti-inflammatory medication, “but nothing seems to cure it.”

The pain tends to subside when Velarde is warm and loose, so he has to stretch a lot during games. He also needs to be careful when he rises from the bench or a clubhouse chair--the tendinitis flares up when he simulates any stair-climbing motions.

“Where it bothers you is taking off and slowing down--once you hit full stride, the pain is not there,” said Velarde, who went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts Wednesday night. “But I’ve never been a speed merchant anyway, so it’s not going to hurt me.”

Velarde has no intention of coming out of the lineup. He was disappointed when Manager Marcel Lachemann gave him Sunday off.

“I can definitely tolerate it,” Velarde said. “I’ve played with a lot worse. I’ve come to the park when I could barely walk and ended up playing.”

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Infielder Damion Easley, on the 15-day disabled list because of a sore shoulder, will fly to Phoenix tonight to continue rehabilitating at the Angels’ extended spring training camp in Mesa. Anticipating cold weather in Detroit this weekend, Lachemann didn’t want Easley throwing in harsh conditions. Easley will go on a minor league rehab assignment next week before joining the Angels. . . . The Angels batboy Wednesday night was Julian Lee, the son of Getty Lee, the lead singer of the Toronto-based band Rush. Angel pitcher/musician Mark Langston is good friends with Lee.