Second Base Remains a Mystery to Team

The black hole that has been second base for the Angels over the years continues.

Since Bobby Grich retired after the 1986 season the position has seen players come and go or come and get injured--from Mark McLemore to Randy Velarde.

Things look particularly iffy next season, unless the Angels make an off-season move.

The in-house choices, Trent Durrington and Justin Baughman, are inexperienced and injured.

Durrington was brought up from double-A Erie in August. He was hitting .218 and had made six errors in 33 games before Friday.

“I learn a lot of things each day,” Durrington said. “This is an opportunity for me to win the position, if I put things together. I don’t think about it all the time, but it is definitely in the back of my mind.”

Durrington has played little in the last week, as Manager Joe Maddon wanted him to take a break.

Baughman was in uniform Friday for the first time this season. He has been recovering from a severely broken leg, suffered while playing in the Mexican League last winter.

Baughman will leave for the Arizona Instructional League this weekend, but he is not sure he will be 100% by spring training.

“I want to work hard during the off-season, come into spring training and win the job,” Baughman said. “I can say I want to win the job, but right now, I just hope to get healthy.”

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The Angels dedicated the Michelle Carew Community Courtyard at Edison Field in a brief ceremony before Friday’s game. Carew, the daughter of coach Rod Carew, died of leukemia in 1996.

“I remember the first time Michelle and I were at the hospital and we saw all these kids running around who had leukemia,” Carew said in a brief statement before a bronze statue of his daughter was unveiled. “We had wanted to keep it private and didn’t want to make a circus out of it. That day Michelle told me, ‘Daddy, we have to go public. If it doesn’t help me, at least it might help someone else.’ She is still creating miracles for a lot of kids.”

Carew has been an active spokesman for the National Marrow Foundation.

Details: (800) MARROW-2.

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Pitcher Shigetoshi Hasegawa has signed a contract with Yoshimoto Kogyo Co. Ltd., one of Japan’s top entertainment agencies. Hasegawa said he hopes to get involved in television and commercials in Japan. . . . Catcher Ben Molina probably will miss the remainder of the season because of a strained left hamstring, suffered while running out a single in Thursday’s game against Kansas City.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’ BRIAN COOPER (1-0, 4.09 ERA) vs. ORIOLES’ SIDNEY PONSON (11-11, 4.37 ERA)

Edison Field, 7

Radio--KLAC (570), XPRS (1090)

* Update--After a brilliant performance in his major league debut, Cooper was hammered by Minnesota on Monday. He gave up four runs in four innings.

* Tickets--(714) 663-9000.