Clubhouse Talk Is About Texas

Add Alex Rodriguez to a team with a good offense and lousy pitching, and you have a team with a very good offense and lousy pitching. So, after Texas Ranger Manager Johnny Oates resigned Friday before a scheduled meeting with owner Tom Hicks, collective wisdom in the Angel clubhouse suggested Hicks foolishly confused the Rangers with a World Series contender.

“I’m sure there’s expectations, but you have to be realistic,” Angel catcher Jorge Fabregas said. “They don’t have the front-line pitching to run away with it. Look at Seattle. Texas has a much better lineup, but Seattle has great pitching.”

The Mariners have baseball’s best record at 22-7, eight games ahead of the Angels and 10 1/2 games ahead of Texas. Hicks spent $252 million on Rodriguez--and another $10 million on Andres Galarraga and Ken Caminiti--but bought no starting pitchers. The Rangers had the worst earned-run average in the majors last season at 5.54 and have the worst ERA this season at 6.72.

“Tom Hicks has high expectations,” said Angel pitcher Al Levine, who played for the Rangers in 1999. “He bought the [NHL’s Dallas] Stars, and he turned them around.

“The Rangers have a good team. But the bottom line is, Seattle didn’t win [an American League pennant] when [Rodriguez] was there. Look at them now. You can’t say one person is going to change a team. That’s why Cleveland didn’t pay Manny [Ramirez].”

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The Angels appear increasingly comfortable with rookie David Eckstein at shortstop, intrigued by the possibility he could emerge as an everyday player there. In a lineup that included Eckstein and Benji Gil, the shortstop was Eckstein, a converted second baseman, rather than Gil, a career shortstop.

“We want to try to get Eckstein’s feet settled in there and see exactly how the defensive complexion of our team is going to be,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “Benji Gil is still a big part of our middle infield. But Eckstein has shown he can handle the test of playing major league shortstop.”

Gil was the ninth Angel to start at designated hitter this season.

“My job is not to be the starting shortstop or to be the starting second baseman,” Gil said. “My job is to do anything I can to help the team win.”

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Entering play Friday, the Angels’ No. 8 and No. 9 hitters were batting a combined .354, with 31 runs batted in over the first 28 games. The first seven spots in the lineup had combined to bat .226.

“It’s good to know you can help a team when the big guys aren’t hot,” Gil said. “But, when all is said and done, the guys in the meat of our order are going to end up having great years.”

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

RAMON ORTIZ

(3-2, 3.86 ERA)

vs.

TIGERS’

JEFF WEAVER

(2-4, 4.36 ERA)

Edison Field, 7

TV--Fox Sports Net. Radio--KLAC (570), XPRS (1090).

* Update--Scott Spiezio started in right field Friday for Tim Salmon, whom the Angels said had flu-like symptoms.

* Tickets--(714) 663-9000.