Scioscia Opts for Changes

With the Angel offense “stuck in the mud,” as Mike Scioscia likes to say, the Angel manager, tired of watching the same lineup spin its wheels, did some tinkering Friday night.

Slick-fielding shortstop Alfredo Amezaga and his .159 average were benched, third baseman Chone Figgins moved to shortstop, and Robb Quinlan, who was batting .282 in a part-time role, made his first major league start at third. Darin Erstad moved from sixth to leadoff, Figgins dropped from leadoff to second, and Quinlan hit sixth.

Radical changes these weren’t, but with the Angels having scored 31 runs in their previous 11 games for a 2.8 average, Scioscia said it was time to sacrifice a little defense for the potential of more offense.

“We put more stock than anyone in the importance of defense, but there are times -- and now seems like one of them -- when you have to pressure teams more offensively,” Scioscia said. “Hopefully, this will give us a spark.”

It didn’t. The Angels managed only five hits in a 5-0 loss to the Astros.

The Angels have missed leadoff batter David Eckstein, who has started only twice in the last 13 games because of a strained right hamstring, and catcher Bengie Molina, sidelined because of a strained calf muscle. The loss of the designated hitter in National League parks this week has also stifled the offense.

But the heart of the order -- Vladimir Guerrero, Garret Anderson and Jose Guillen -- has remained intact for more than a week, and the Angels still have only 17 extra-base hits in the 11 games.

Of greater concern to Scioscia is that he hasn’t been able to find a good blend of table setters to align with run producers. That’s why when Eckstein returns -- he’s planning for Monday night’s game against Oakland -- Scioscia said he probably would use Eckstein and Figgins in the top two spots and keep Erstad, who hit second for the first month of the season, in the sixth or seventh spot.

“If Eck and Figgy continue to do the job setting the table, it gives us the luxury of slotting Ersty in a good RBI spot,” Scioscia said. “But right now, the way things are going, we need to generate things at the top of the order.”

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Minute Maid Park may have the most challenging center field in the major leagues, a 20-foot berm that runs up to the wall, which is 436 feet away from home plate, and a flagpole in front of the wall adding another degree of difficulty.

The Astros call it “Tal’s Hill,” in honor of former General Manager Tal Smith, and it has been the subject of much debate, with some pushing for its elimination, claiming it is too treacherous.

The Angels didn’t seem to want any part of it. Outfielders playing in a park for the first time will usually focus their pregame workouts on quirks such as Tal’s Hill, but Ron Roenicke, the Angel outfield coach, did not have center fielder Anderson going up the hill to fetch a bunch of fly balls before Friday night’s game.

“You run up there, you never know what’s going to happen,” Roenicke said. “It’s not worth practicing. Especially with that pole

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Molina will be activated for today’s game, and utility infielder Shane Halter, who has been slowed by a dislocated ring finger on his left hand, probably will be put on the disabled list. Eckstein will spend the weekend resting in hopes of returning by Monday. He will be used only in an emergency against Houston.... Aaron Sele will throw off a bullpen mound today for the first time since going on the disabled list because of shoulder fatigue June 11.