Bottom of Order Remains in Flux

TEMPE, Ariz. —  Hitting coach Mickey Hatcher calls it a delightful dilemma, though whoever ends up batting seventh in the Angel batting order might not consider it so pleasant.

David Eckstein, Darin Erstad, Vladimir Guerrero and Garret Anderson are pretty well established as the Angels’ first four hitters, but the five, six and seven spots are still up for grabs.

And Troy Glaus, Jose Guillen and Tim Salmon, the players expected to fill the spots, don’t have much history hitting in the bottom third of the order.

“There’s going to be one guy out of those three that has a seven next to his name,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “But with this lineup, the guy hitting seventh is going to have as many RBI opportunities as anybody because of the talent we have.

“I don’t think it has anything to do with ego. These guys all want to contribute.”

Indeed, Guillen, who has hit second and fifth for much of his career, said he doesn’t care where he hits.

“I’m on a different team and we’ve got some different-type players here,” he said. “It doesn’t matter as long as I’m in the lineup.”

Salmon started 107 games batting third and 37 batting fourth last season but has been dropped to seventh in the past when struggling.

Glaus started 63 of his 91 games batting fifth last year and has the best power statistics among the candidates, averaging 39 home runs a season from 2000-02.

Guillen, who last season hit a career-high 31 homers, also has sufficient power and possesses the best speed among the bunch. Salmon is the slowest and hasn’t hit 30 homers since 2000, but he is the most disciplined hitter.

“There’s going to be different aspects that each player brings,” Scioscia said. “They all hit well with runners in scoring position; that’s important in that part of the lineup.”

Scioscia said he does not anticipate much juggling once his lineup is set.

“I don’t imagine it’s going to be a case where every third day, someone else is hitting fifth,” Scioscia said. “But there are going to be times where if a guy’s in a prolonged dry spell and it’s affecting the continuity of the lineup, especially the pitches Garret will be seeing, then it would be something we’d have to look into.”

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The Angels might allow Anderson to regain his hitting stroke by piling up at-bats in intrasquad games at their minor league camp in Mesa if his biceps tendinitis keeps him out longer than anticipated.

Anderson could lead off every inning in intrasquad games, allowing him to prepare more quickly for the regular season than if he played in regular spring games. He has yet to play in a game this spring.

Scioscia, who expects Anderson to swing a bat as soon as Monday and return to the lineup several days thereafter, said he does not think such a move is necessary at this point.

“When you’re talking about Garret, you’re talking about a guy who needs a lot less at-bats than most guys to get locked in,” Scioscia said. “I’ve seen Garret take 15, 20 at-bats in spring and feel like he’s ready to go into the season.”

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Derrick Turnbow squandered a two-run lead in the ninth inning by surrendering a three-run homer to J.J. Furmaniak, and the San Diego Padres took a 6-5 split-squad victory at Tempe Diablo Stadium. “I think he’s pressing a little bit, maybe trying to make the club,” said bench coach Joe Maddon, who managed the regulars while Scioscia accompanied the other split-squad team to Maryvale. “He’s probably over-thinking it a bit, but he’s going to be fine.” ... The Angel reserves defeated the Milwaukee Brewers, 9-2. Scioscia said he wanted to scout the Brewers, whom the Angels play June 8-10 at Angel Stadium.... Guillen was scratched from the lineup after suffering a strained right rib cage but should return today.... A splint was removed from Brendan Donnelly’s nose and he is expected to pitch in a game by the end of the week.... Broadcaster Rex Hudler received applause as he walked behind home plate before the game. Hudler, suspended in September after being arrested and charged with marijuana possession, was reinstated in November.