Day Off May Get Him Back in Swing of Things

Closer Troy Percival needed Thursday off to rest his weary arm. Third baseman Dave Hollins needed it to rejuvenate his sore knee and battered body. Second baseman Luis Alicea? He needed it to rest his tired swing.

Alicea may be over the sore hamstring that bothered him a week and a half ago, but his bat has been ailing. The switch-hitter has four hits in 40 at-bats in his last 14 games.

The Angels, who open a three-game series against the American League East-leading Baltimore Orioles tonight in Anaheim Stadium, don’t need Alicea to hit .350 and drive in 100 runs, but they do need more production than they’ve been getting lately.

“I’ve been getting under the ball--that’s what I usually do when I go into slumps,” said Alicea, whose average has slipped from .290 to .264. “But I think the day off will come in handy.

“I’ll watch some tapes at home, see what I’m doing, and come back fresh [tonight]. As bad as I’m going, I’m still hitting over .260, and that’s not bad. It could be a lot worse.”

It would also be much worse if Alicea were playing shoddy defense and the Angels were losing, but neither has been the case. Alicea has been steady at second, mixing in several outstanding plays, and the Angels are in first place.

“It’s a lot easier to go home when you win,” Alicea said. “When you’re not hitting, you try to do something defensively. I’ve just got to quit worrying about it and stay aggressive.”

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Wednesday’s performance against Milwaukee was significant for Percival, but not because he dominated the Brewers. The right-hander gave up two hits before striking out Jeromy Burnitz to end the Angels’ 8-6 victory, giving Percival his fourth save in five days.

He didn’t have his usual 96-mph fastball or much of a curve, but unlike that July 28 game in Cleveland, when a physically drained Percival overthrew everything and walked all three batters he faced in a wild ninth inning, Percival persevered.

“I adjusted to not having good stuff [Wednesday],” said Percival, who has 18 saves and a 3.96 earned-run average. “If all I’ve got is a 90-mph fastball, I can’t try to throw 95 mph. I just told myself to stay back, throw quality pitches and not try to blow the ball by anyone.”

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Though this weekend’s three-game series will show how the Angels measure up against the league’s best team, the Angels are not attaching any extra importance to the games. “Right now I don’t care who we play--every game, every series is big,” Manager Terry Collins said. “We are in an absolute dogfight, and whether it’s Baltimore or the last-place team in the league, we’ve got to win.” . . . Mark Gubicza, sidelined since April 12 because of a shoulder injury, has thrown off a mound six times now and hopes to throw a simulated game on the next trip. If he can make a few rehabilitation starts later this month, he may be able to provide some relief innings in September.

ON DECK

* Opponent--Baltimore Orioles, three games.

* Site--Anaheim Stadium.

* Tonight--7.

* TV--Fox Sports West tonight.

* Radio--KTZN (710).

* Records--Angels 65-49, Orioles 70-40.

* Record vs. Orioles--3-2.

Tonight’s Game

ANGELS’ DENNIS SPRINGER (7-4, 5.57 ERA) vs. ORIOLES’ MIKE MUSSINA (12-4, 3.19 ERA)

* Update--The Orioles, whose offense has been bolstered by trades for Harold Baines and Geronimo Berroa, do not have one player among the league’s top 10 in batting average, home runs, runs batted in, runs, hits or doubles, but have six players with 55 RBIs or more and nine with 10 homers or more. They also have apparently feasted on middle relievers, outscoring opponents, 223-126, in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. A balanced offense and superb starting and relief pitching--the Orioles have the best team ERA in the league--is why Baltimore has the best winning percentage in baseball since the end of the 1983 season, when the they won the World Series. The Orioles and Angels will be without key players for the series--Baltimore second baseman Roberto Alomar is on the disabled list because of a strained groin, and Anaheim center fielder Jim Edmonds is on the disabled list because of a strained lower back.

* Saturday, 7 p.m.--Chuck Finley (11-6, 4.24) vs. Scott Kamieniecki (7-5, 4.10).

* Sunday, 5 p.m.--Ken Hill (6-9, 5.25) vs. Jimmy Key (13-6, 2.57).