Hill Says His Pain Was Minor, but Now He Won’t Pitch Sunday

Ken Hill was supposed to make 90 pitches during Tuesday night’s rehabilitation start with Class-A Lake Elsinore and then pitch Sunday against Toronto, allowing ace Chuck Finley to open the five-game series in New York on Monday.

But best-case scenarios seldom come to fruition for the Angels these days.

Hill, who gave up four runs, five hits and walked five against Stockton, experienced pain in his surgically repaired right elbow and had to remove himself in the fifth inning after throwing 70 pitches.

“Yeah, we’re pretty discouraged,” Manager Terry Collins said. “It’s a setback--we don’t know yet how big of a setback or for how long. But at least he was smart enough to back off. A lot of guys would’ve said, ‘I’ve got to get to 90 pitches so I can start on Sunday so I’ll deal with the discomfort.’ ”

Hill, who had X-rays taken Wednesday that revealed no new problems, apparently doesn’t think it’s a big setback.

“It’s fine,” he said. “It was a little cold, the temperature was like 65 and that makes a big difference. There was a little of both [stiffness and pain]. I’ve felt it before, it’s nothing that I’m worried about. I feel I can pitch.”

Hill will throw on the sideline Friday, after which the Angels will reevaluate the timetable for his return.

In any case, Finley will get a start against the Yankees. He’ll pitch next Thursday on three days’ rest.

“I let him throw [126] pitches [Tuesday night] because I thought he had an extra day of rest,” Collins said.

“Then I walked back in after the game and found out he didn’t have an extra day’s rest.”

In 15 innings against New York this season, Finley has given up one run.

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With all the injuries the Angels have suffered this year, Collins didn’t hesitate when asked to pick the most devastating.

“Darin [Erstad] is such an important part of the club,” he said. “He’s a huge part of our offense besides being a great defensive player. We’re fortunate to still be in the spot we’re in this time of year.”

Erstad, who returned to the lineup Wednesday night after spending 15 days on the disabled list because of a strained hamstring and drove in the Angels’ first run in the third inning, was just as unhappy about his time on the bench as Collins.

“I sure don’t plan on being on that DL thing very often,” he said. “It was the most miserable two weeks of my life.”

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Garret Anderson, hitting .346 over the last 66 games and fifth in the league in hits (149) and tied for third in doubles (36), got a night off Wednesday. Reggie Williams started in right field and Todd Greene started in left.

“You’re going to see some other guys getting days off this week,” Collins said. “This is the time of year guys start to get worn down, when they’re going on their last amount of energy.”

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Third baseman Dave Hollins underwent shoulder surgery Wednesday. “It was banged up pretty good, but there were no surprises,” Collins said. Hollins will return home to Buffalo in the next couple of days and hopes to be ready to play when spring training starts next year. . . . The Angels will surpass the two million mark in home attendance tonight. They had two million or more for 12 consecutive seasons from 1982-93, but have not reached that total since 1993.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’ OMAR OLIVARES (6-8, 4.13 ERA) vs. TIGERS’ BRIAN POWELL (2-3, 7.08 ERA)

Edison Field, 7 p.m.

Radio--KRLA (1110), XPRS (1090)

* Update--In his last four starts, Olivares has averaged seven innings, 116 pitches and less than three earned runs. He is 1-0 with a 2.85 earned-run average in three starts against the Tigers. Powell, a 24-year-old right-hander who was 10-2 with a 3.07 ERA with triple-A Jacksonville before being recalled on June 27, has made nine starts with the Tigers. He has given up 13 homers, accounting for 21 of the 38 runs he has allowed this season.

Tickets--(714) 663-9000.