Angels’ Brandon Wood has night off

In Brandon Wood the Angels trust … for now. That will change in the very near future if the struggling third baseman doesn’t emerge from a season-opening slump in which he’s batting .087 with four singles and 15 strikeouts in 46 at-bats.

Wood was not in Friday night’s lineup, but Mike Scioscia is not at the point where he will give him three or four days off to “clear his head,� as the Angels’ manager has done with slumping hitters.

“That’s an option we’ll look at closely,� Scioscia said of a possible extended bench stay for Wood, “but he’s going to play Saturday, and we’ll keep tracking him. … You can see the talent. The frustration level is something we’ll monitor.�

How?

“There’s a frustration machine he wears on his hip,� Scioscia said, trying to lighten the mood. “You can sense it with some of his swings, the pitches he might take or swing at. Brandon doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, but you can see he’s gritting his teeth.�

Hitting coach Mickey Hatcher is trying to keep things simple.

“A lot of it is trying to erase his brain — I think his computer is overloading,� Hatcher said. “We’re talking about hitting, not so much about mechanics. … I just want to see good swings from him. Don’t worry so much about working counts. Get a good pitch and put that good Woody swing on it. Get in the box and compete.�

Wood, whose power potential and defensive ability made him the organization’s top prospect for the past few years, is trying to remain confident. That gets tougher each day you’re hitting the weight of a female Olympic gymnast.

“Obviously, the way I’m playing now is not ideal for me, for the team, for anybody,� Wood said. “It’s up to me to get myself out of it. This is not the player I am. I know I have some success in me.�

Wood hit 76 home runs in 313 triple-A games the past three years, but how do the Angels know he can handle big league pitching? Time — more of it, in Wood’s case — will tell.

“You never know until a player goes out there and does it,� Scioscia said. “It’s like an astronaut. You can train all you want, but you won’t know what happens once you go into outer space.

“It won’t happen one day, where there’s an epiphany. But we’re all confident Brandon is going to be a special offensive player.�

Just enough

Asked to assess his play in left field Thursday night, Hideki Matsui, the designated hitter who has made two starts in the outfield this season, said through an interpreter, “Let’s just say I was able to do the minimum.�

Matsui, who has arthritic knees, looked a bit shaky retrieving Magglio Ordonez’s run-scoring double in the first inning and dropped the ball on the warning track.

But Matsui, who did not play in the outfield for the Yankees last season, said his knees “feel stable,� and it appears that the Angels will continue to play him in left field once every 10 days or so.

“I don’t have a number of games in my head,� Matsui said, when asked how often he can play the field. “Every day, I make sure I’m prepared to do what I’m asked to do.�

Spank the Yanks

Howie Kendrick entered Friday’s game with a .409 average (47 for 115) against the Yankees. According to Stats LLC, he is the only player, going back to 1952, to hit over .400 against the Yankees.

The next two highest averages against the Yankees belong to Dick Stuart (.380) and a guy by the name of Ted Williams (.373).

Asked about the statistic, the Angels’ second baseman said, “I don’t want to talk about it.�

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