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Back in the groove

After a sub-par '99, Angels' Erstad tearing up the league

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Posted: Tuesday June 06, 2000 09:17 PM

By John Donovan, CNNSI.com

	• Storylines • Series to See • All Thumbs • Heroes & Bums • Short Hops • Yogi-isms

LOS ANGELES -- No one knew quite what to expect out of Darin Erstad when this season started.

And now, as the summer starts to heat up, the AL West race gets even hotter and Erstad stays positively sizzling, people still aren't quite sure what to make of the American League's leading hitter.

Erstad, the No. 1 pick in the 1995 free-agent draft, barreled into the season with a lot of question marks nagging at him. Pegged as a future star from the outset, the Anaheim Angels' left fielder baffled himself and just about everyone else with a paltry .253 batting average in 1999 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs.

When the baseball statisticians added up his on-base and slugging percentages (.638) after the '99 season, they found out it was the fourth-lowest in the American League.

Hardly the stuff stars are made of.

But Erstad, renowned for his work ethic and hard-nosed approach to the game, came out this season and quickly quieted any naysayers who might have had the nerve to speak up.

He smacked 48 hits in April, a major league record for that month, and was hitting .449 by the end of the month. Since then, he hasn't gone more than two straight games without a hit. In fact, since May 8, he hasn't gone hitless in back-to-back games.

He has 31 multi-hit games in the 56 games he's played, including his last four straight (with Monday night's 2-for-5 thrown in). He's hitting .405 in his last four games, with nine hits in his last 20 at-bats. He's hitting .423 for the season at Edison Field.

His average has dropped -- it had to -- but he's still hitting .378 on the season, with 10 home runs and 37 RBIs. The Angels' leadoff man also has 10 stolen bases in 14 tries.

He's back, if he ever went anywhere.

"Winning cures everything," Erstad told The (Fargo, N.D.) Forum. "Right now we have a good offense, good pitching and good fielding. When you put those three things together, good things are going to happen."

Whether he can stay this hot ... well, it's a long season. Erstad is traditionally a fast starter. September, when he has hit .263, has been the toughest month of his career, though it was the best month of a dismal 1999.

September 2000, though, is too far ahead for Erstad to look. "Right now," he says, "the hits are just falling."

And that's good enough for him. And the Angels.

On to the Week at a Glance, which respectfully submits this question: Too much Rocker?

The answer: We know, we know.

Interleague play One more week. For this round, anyway. If anyone out there cares.
John Rocker You know, some guys just never learn. The Braves' thick-skulled reliever was sent to the proverbial corner -- minor league Richmond -- to work out control problems (ostensibly), or to get him out of the rest of the world's face (the real reason). Will he be back? Ahh, goodness, will this never end?
The Red Sox Can any team vying for a title -- especially a team in the American League East, for Pete's sake -- afford a sweep at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies? It's rhetorical. The answer is "Of course not." It's only June, but that's sure a bad sign.
The Yankees Still the best team in baseball, much to the chagrin of the BoSox. And the Braves. The Yankees won two of three in Atlanta over the weekend. That kind of says it all.
New York Mets at New York Yankees, June 9-11 This is why baseball -- read Bud Selig -- put together interleague play. The Yankees (see above) are a cut above the Mets. Maybe more. But it's New York, it's Yankee Stadium. OK, it's only June. But it's something.
Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox, June 9-11 Well, the White Sox are in first place. It ain't Yankees-Mets, but it's a crosstown thing. And Comiskey ain't Wrigley, but ... hey, we're trying, here.
The Big Red Machine was back, if only for a weekend, in Cincinnati for the 25th anniversary of maybe the best team ever. True, one of the key members wasn't around -- can you believe Pete Rose didn't get baseball's invitation? -- but it was still a chance for the Queen City to fete its favorite sons.
Interleague play is starting to lose its luster. If it ever had any. Attendance for the Dodgers-Angels series was down, for one. But we pick on the "concept" too much ...
Live ball? Only if you can hit the darn thing. The Indians struck out 16 times against the Cardinals in Cleveland on Sunday -- 16! -- and still won. The two teams combined for 26 K's that day, 25 whiffs the day before. That's one nasty, nasty nor'easter coming in off Lake Erie.
The Orioles have lost 20 straight games in Canada. Not only do the Blue Jays own them, now -- thanks to the wonders of interleague play -- so do the previously lowly Expos. Talk about a ridiculous exchange rate.
Hero -- Nomar Garciaparra: A .619 batting average for the week, two home runs, six RBIs. The AL Player of the Week was the best thing the Red Sox had going for them.
Bum -- Deivi Cruz: The Detroit shortstop had one hit -- a single -- in 19 at-bats, a .053 average. That's not good ...
Hero -- Dante Bichette: The surging Reds showed they don't need Griffey Jr. as long as Bichette is hitting -- like he was last week (.522, four homers, nine RBIs).
Bum -- Ken Griffey Jr.: But the Reds could get a little more from the struggling Griff (.118, one homer, one RBI, seven K's).
Bum -- Derek Bell: The Mets' right fielder continues to slide after a .105 week. He's down to .304 now after hitting .360 on May 21.
Hero -- Barry Bonds: The Giants' left fielder had four home runs, seven RBIs and punched out a .478 average. Some call him the best in baseball. Who are we to argue?
There have been more major league Triple Crown (12) winners than horse racing Triple Crowns (11).
Cincinnati's Danny Graves improved to 8-0 after the Reds beat the Twins on Sunday. He also has nine saves in as many chances.
There have been 105 home runs in 29 games this season at Enron Field. Last year, there were a total of 118 at the Astrodome.
During Derek Jeter's 13-game stint on the disabled list, the Yankees went 4-9, averaging just 4.3 runs per game. With Jeter in the lineup, the Yanks are 26-14 and average 5.1 runs per game.
Colorado's Todd Helton became only the third player since 1990 to post at least 50 at-bats and hit .500 or better in a single month when he ended May at.512 (42-for-82). Roberto Alomar (September 1997) and Larry Walker (September 1998) were the others.
Our tribute to the banal banter of baseball "When you blow people out, it's not as much of a test as these close ones." -- Paul Konerko of the White Sox after a 1-run win over the Reds.

Statistics are through Sunday's games unless otherwise noted.

CNNSI.com baseball producer Lonny Krasnow contributed to this report.

The Baseball Week at a Glance appears every Tuesday.

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