Salmon Is Sixth in New Order

Last season, Angel Manager Mike Scioscia waited seven weeks before dropping Tim Salmon in the lineup. This season, Scioscia waited one week.

Scioscia dropped Salmon from third to sixth in the batting order Wednesday. In a lengthy meeting with Scioscia and hitting coach Mickey Hatcher, Salmon was told that his swing is fine and that he needs to relax.

“Maybe the psychological burden that a lot of people perceive comes with the No. 3 spot can be taken off his shoulders for a little bit,” Scioscia said.

For the first eight seasons of his career, Salmon’s performance was predictable and excellent--.290, 30 home runs, 90 runs batted in. He hit .227 with 17 homers and 49 RBI last season, a poor season he and the Angels attributed largely to injuries.

In the first seven games of this season, he hit .125, with no home runs and nine strikeouts in 24 at-bats. He is sound, and Scioscia insists the bat speed that Salmon lost last season has returned.

By dropping him in the order so soon, Scioscia might do more to shatter Salmon’s confidence rather than rebuild it, but the poor offensive performance of the rest of the team convinced Scioscia he could no longer afford to hit Salmon third.

“You have to balance what Tim’s confidence level is with what the needs of the club are,” Scioscia said.

Said Hatcher: “This does not mean Tim is not going to hit third for us any more.... I think he’s going to be fine. I really do. We’re just trying to get him to relax.”

Salmon said he must fight a tendency to second- and third-guess his at-bats. “I analyze every night. I’ve got to get to the point where I quit analyzing,” he said.

“I wanted to get off to a good start. In the first week, it didn’t happen,” he added. “Now we’re playing Seattle and Oakland, and maybe I am pressing a little bit. I’m trying to keep it in perspective. It’s a week into the year.”

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First baseman Casey Kotchman, the Angels’ top prospect and their top draft pick last June, played in 11 games before a sprained wrist ended his first pro season. He is fine this season, hitting .389 at Class-A Cedar Rapids.

The Angels’ Class-A Rancho Cucamonga affiliate will give out Kotchman bobblehead dolls Aug. 23, regardless of whether Kotchman has been promoted to the Quakes by then.

“That’s pretty funny,” said Kotchman, 19. “It might be nice to look at later on, but it’s not going to help me perform.”

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Pitching coach Bud Black left the team after his mother, Helen, died Tuesday night. She was 83. Black is expected to rejoin the team Friday.... Outfielder Gary Johnson, the lone power-hitting prospect at triple-A Salt Lake, has a torn rib cage muscle and is expected to miss one month. Johnson hit .400 in spring training, with a .714 slugging percentage that trailed only Salmon and Troy Glaus.... The hot rumor in Seattle is that Ken Griffey Jr., whose image deteriorated from happy-go-lucky superstar in Seattle to selfish and injury-plagued star in Cincinnati, would like to return to the Mariners. If Griffey did return to Seattle, how would that affect the balance of power in the AL West? “Wouldn’t matter,” one Angel said. “He’s always on the DL.”

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

SCOTT

SCHOENEWEIS

(1-0, 1.08 ERA)

vs.

MARINERS’

FREDDY GARCIA

(0-2, 6.57 ERA)

Edison Field, 7

Radio--KPLS (830), XPRS (1090).

Update--Garcia dominated the Angels last season, with a 5-0 record and 0.96 ERA against them. The Mariners dominated Schoeneweis last season; he went 0-3 with an 8.85 ERA against them.

Tickets--(714) 663-9000.