BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Anderson Doesn’t Help Cause

There has been apprehension about the fourth and fifth spots in the Angels’ rotation, but the way left-hander Brian Anderson has been pitching, the No. 3 slot might also be a cause for concern.

Anderson, who had a surprising 7-5 season as a rookie in 1994, gave up six earned runs on eight hits in two-plus innings Monday as the Seattle Mariners trounced the Angels, 13-2, in an exhibition game before 1,487 at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

That came on the heels of last Thursday’s not-so-stellar two-inning stint against the Milwaukee Brewers, in which Anderson yielded two runs on three hits in two innings.

“I hope I get these innings out of the way now, because I’ve been giving up runs in bunches,� said Anderson, who turns 23 on April 26. “I’m just not hitting my spots. It’s a matter of refining a few small things and working them out. But if I don’t do that, I’m in trouble.�

Julio Valera, who is bidding for a spot in the Angel rotation, gave up two runs on three hits in two innings in his first major league appearance since 1993. The right-hander missed most of that season after reconstructive elbow surgery and spent ’94 rehabilitating in the minor leagues.

Manager Marcel Lachemann said Scott Sanderson, Shawn Boskie, Mike Bielecki (who gave up one run in three innings Monday) and Andrew Lorraine have the best shots at winning the fourth and fifth pitching spots, with Valera and Joe Magrane still in the hunt.

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The end of the baseball strike has had virtually no effect on the Angels’ season ticket sales. As of Monday, 9,880 had been sold, an increase of 30 since the major league players returned in early April. The Angels had 12,300 season ticket-holders last year but lost 716 because the Rams are moving to St. Louis--those ticket-holders bought the seats that went with the Anaheim Stadium luxury suites--and 300 because radio station KMPC, citing budget constraints, did not renew their tickets.

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Third baseman Eduardo Perez, who hit .209 in 38 games with the Angels last season, has agreed to terms on a one-year contract for $135,000, the same salary he had in 1994.