Dickson’s Elbow Fine, but Langston’s Isn’t

Jason Dickson’s father, his agent and friends back home in New Brunswick have called, and they all want to know the same thing: What’s wrong with your arm?

Nothing!

“There hasn’t been anything wrong with it for two weeks,” said Dickson, who had a touch of elbow tendinitis in early July and stiffness in mid-July. “Pass the word along. Let’s clear that up.”

Dickson raised some concerns when he got ripped by the White Sox on Thursday night, giving up eight runs on seven hits in 1 2/3 innings, the worst--and shortest--outing of his big league career.

“But that was just one of those nights where I made bad pitches, and my good pitches got hit,” Dickson said. “You’re going to have a couple of those every season, and that was definitely the worst.

“It seems like the elbow is brought up every time I pitch poorly, as if that’s the reason. I don’t like making excuses. I was just bad.”

Mark Langston’s elbow is a different story. The left-hander, who underwent surgery May 27 and made two Class A rehabilitation starts in July, is experiencing stiffness, and bullpen workouts scheduled for Friday and Saturday were postponed.

Langston, who was hoping to return for Saturday’s game against Baltimore, will not make his scheduled start for Lake Elsinore Monday, and pitching coach Marcel Lachemann said there is no timetable for his return.

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Tony Phillips was acquired from the Chicago White Sox in May to be the Angels’ full-time designated hitter, but because of injuries, the versatile leadoff batter has started twice as many games in the field (44) as he has at designated hitter (22). That has been to the Angels’ benefit, though--Phillips was batting .219 (21 for 96) as a designated hitter and .303 (91 for 300) when he plays the field entering Saturday’s game. “When you’re in the field you’re automatically in the flow of the game,” Phillips said. “But it also depends on how I’m swinging. I’m pretty streaky.”

First baseman Darin Erstad didn’t start Saturday because of a bruised right shin, suffered when he was hit by a pitch Friday. But he entered the game as a defensive replacement in the top of the eighth inning. . . . Eddie Murray, on the disabled list but healthy enough to play, has not asked to be activated or released, so he’s apparently willing to serve as an Angel insurance policy until rosters are expanded Sept. 1. “I know this hasn’t been easy for him,” General Manager Bill Bavasi said of the future Hall of Famer. “But he’s been great about it.”

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TONIGHT’S GAME

ANGELS’ CHUCK FINLEY (10-6, 4.42 ERA) vs. WHITE SOX’S JAMES BALDWIN (7-11, 4.98 ERA)

Anaheim Stadium, 5 p.m.

Radio--KTZN (710)

* Update--Finley has won his last seven starts and is three shy of the club record for consecutive victories (10), set by Bert Blyleven in 1989 and Ken McBride in 1962. The left-hander, who was named American League co-pitcher of the month for July with Minnesota’s Brad Radke, gave up only 13 earned runs in 51 2/3 innings during July for a 2.26 earned-run average and struck out 58. Opponents hit .228 against him. Right fielder Tim Salmon, who has 89 runs batted in, is the only Angel among the top 10 in the league’s three major offensive categories--average, home runs and RBIs--but the Angels are still on pace to set franchise records in hits, doubles, average, runs and RBIs. The pitching staff is also on pace to set the team record for strikeouts.