Going on Disabled List Frustrates Anderson

DETROIT —  He has been an All-Star game most valuable player, has delivered the winning hit in Game 7 of a World Series and has been among baseball’s most consistent run producers for a decade. But in 10 big-league seasons, Garret Anderson had never experienced life on the disabled list.

Until Wednesday.

The Angel center fielder, sidelined since April 22 because of stiffness in his upper back, was put on the 15-day disabled list, but his disappointment was superseded by the frustration of not being able to pinpoint the source of his discomfort.

“I’ll be more at ease when they find out what it is,” said Anderson, who will return to Southern California today to undergo more tests. “Not knowing drives me more crazy than anything else.”

Anderson, who signed a four-year, $48-million contract extension April 13, was batting .339 with two home runs, five runs batted in and 12 runs when he came to the park April 22 and realized he was too sore to play.

The cleanup batter experienced tightness in his neck and upper back, and the pain caused irritation in his shoulders. Anderson, who was sidelined for two weeks in spring training because of right biceps tendinitis, didn’t have his normal hand strength.

For the last week, he would come to the park thinking he could play one day, only to experience a setback the next.

“It’s hard to get a clear understanding of the situation,” Anderson, 31, said. “There have been peaks and valleys; one day I feel good, the next day I don’t.... I don’t know exactly what it is.”

Anderson will undergo a CT scan and an MRI test. He will be examined by Lewis Yocum, team physician, and by Robert Watkins, a back specialist. He is not sure if he’s having muscle or nerve problems, and he can’t recall jarring his neck or back on a specific play. A new mattress may have contributed to his discomfort.

“Muscle problems subside and go away, but if you’re dealing with nerves, they can affect a lot of things and be delicate,” Anderson said. “If it’s a nerve thing, I’m sure there’s something they can do to make it subside.”

Anderson is eligible to return May 7, but he’s not sure how serious his injury is. He is encouraged by the fact his pain is not excruciating.

“I’d be concerned if I couldn’t move something, but I can do normal, every-day functions,” Anderson said. “I just can’t play baseball. It’s just enough to keep me from playing.”

Anderson, who has played in 157 games or more in each of the last five seasons, admitted it “would have been cool” to play his entire career without going on the disabled list, but he didn’t seem concerned about his reputation as an iron man taking a hit.

“I’m not going to let something like this put a damper on my career,” he said.

Still, the news was a bit of a shocker to teammates.

“I never thought this day would come,” first baseman Darin Erstad said. “I guess he’s human, huh?”

*

Late Tuesday night, shortstop David Eckstein “couldn’t even sit up” on a training-room table after straining his right groin against the Detroit Tigers, and he left Comerica Park thinking “there was a good shot of going on the DL.”

But the leadoff batter woke up at 6 a.m. Wednesday “feeling good,” and when he got to the park in the afternoon Eckstein was able to do his normal stretching exercises and calisthenics and take batting and infield practice. Instead of going on the disabled list, Eckstein is confident he’ll only be out for a couple of days.

“I couldn’t have even imagined this Tuesday night,” Eckstein said. “I feel it a little bit going side to side, but running straight ahead, it feels pretty good.”

To bolster their infield depth, the Angels recalled shortstop Alfredo Amezaga from triple-A Salt Lake to take Anderson’s roster spot.

*

Manager Mike Scioscia took offense to the Comerica Park official scorer charging Erstad with an error Tuesday when Erstad raced about 90 feet into foul territory and failed to make an over-the-shoulder catch of Ivan Rodriguez’s pop-up.

“That was a terrible call,” Scioscia said.

Scioscia spoke with scorer Steve Lysogorski on Wednesday in an effort to have the call overturned, but Lysogorski held his ground, saying Erstad had stopped after his long run and was in position to make the catch.

*

Right-hander Kelvim Escobar’s next start was pushed back to Saturday to give him an extra day to recover from a split fingernail on his pitching hand. Scioscia used Monday’s off day to move Ramon Ortiz’s start from Saturday to Friday....First-base umpire Brian O’Nora left Wednesday night’s game in the bottom of the fourth inning because of a leg injury.