Kent Bottenfield

Boos? At Edison Field? The typically placid fans of Orange County tend to enjoy their games in peace, occasionally interrupted by an ovation for a Mo Vaughn home run or an appearance by the New York Yankees. But those were boos, several rounds of them, directed toward Angel starter Kent Bottenfield during Sunday's 10-6 loss to the Kansas City Royals. Welcome to arena baseball, where endless offense means you never pull a quality starting pitcher too soon.

Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman gave his offense a boost and his young starting pitchers another shot in the arm Sunday when he traded veteran right-hander Kent Bottenfield to the Philadelphia Phillies for outfielder Ron Gant, a right-handed power hitter who should solidify the designated hitter spot. Gant hit .254 with a team-leading 20 home runs and 38 runs batted in in 89 games for the Phillies, but after a slow start, in which he hit .220 in April and May, the 35-year-old is batting .

ANGELS' KENT BOTTENFIELD (4-5, 5.15) VS. GIANTS' RUSS ORTIZ (3-6, 6.30) Edison Field, 7 * TV--Fox Sports Net * Radio--KMPC (1540) and XPRS (1090) * Update--Bottenfield's goal is to rediscover the command of his earlier starts with the Angels. He has one win since May 5. * Tickets--(714) 663-9000

ANGELS' KENT BOTTENFIELD (4-5, 5.15) VS. GIANTS' RUSS ORTIZ (3-6, 6.30) Edison Field, 7 * TV--Fox Sports Net * Radio--KMPC (1540) and XPRS (1090) * Update--Bottenfield's goal is to rediscover the command of his earlier starts with the Angels. He has one win since May 5. * Tickets--(714) 663-9000

The Angels have yet to enter into negotiations with pitcher Kent Bottenfield on a contract extension, though Bottenfield can become a free agent when the season is over. "I like the team," he said. "I like the coaching staff. But, I haven't given it a thought. As far as I know, I'll be making those decisions in October." Bottenfield, who came from St. Louis with Adam Kennedy in the Jim Edmonds trade, will earn $4 million this season.

Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman gave his offense a boost and his young starting pitchers another shot in the arm Sunday when he traded veteran right-hander Kent Bottenfield to the Philadelphia Phillies for outfielder Ron Gant, a right-handed power hitter who should solidify the designated hitter spot. Gant hit .254 with a team-leading 20 home runs and 38 runs batted in in 89 games for the Phillies, but after a slow start, in which he hit .220 in April and May, the 35-year-old is batting .

Is Kent Bottenfield a one-year wonder? Is Adam Kennedy ready to play big league second base? Hey, 10 days before the start of a season that carried all the signs of another Angel train wreck, let's not quibble. Bill Stoneman pulled the trigger Thursday, news in itself. He may have been able to get more for Jim Edmonds in November or December when a raft of big league pitchers--young and old-- were being traded or signed as free agents, but this 11th-hour deal with the St.

The Angels did not acquire a four-time Cy Young Award winner when they traded for St. Louis right-hander Kent Bottenfield Thursday. Just a facsimile thereof. "Not to put myself on the same level, but I'm a Greg Maddux-type pitcher," Bottenfield said in a conference call from Florida on Friday. "Guys will walk away from the plate wondering how I got them out. "I watch eight to 10 hours of videotape before each start and try to learn hitters better than they know themselves.

Kent Bottenfield is expecting some good news today. "I bought my tickets for Boston last week," he said after Mark McGwire's 27th home run helped Bottenfield become the National League's first 13-game winner in the St. Louis Cardinals' 6-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night at St. Louis. Bottenfield (13-3) thinks it's likely he will be notified that he has been picked for the NL All-Star team by San Diego Manager Bruce Bochy.

Kent Bottenfield did not arrive in Anaheim this spring with a nickname. Control specialists with fastballs in the 85-mph range do not inspire much in the way catchy monikers. That could change with a few more outings like Friday night's. The Express, he was not, and no one was about to insert a "Big Train" or "Rocket" between his first and last names, but Bottenfield definitely put the "fast" back in his fastball. The right-hander who was acquired from St.

Boos? At Edison Field? The typically placid fans of Orange County tend to enjoy their games in peace, occasionally interrupted by an ovation for a Mo Vaughn home run or an appearance by the New York Yankees. But those were boos, several rounds of them, directed toward Angel starter Kent Bottenfield during Sunday's 10-6 loss to the Kansas City Royals. Welcome to arena baseball, where endless offense means you never pull a quality starting pitcher too soon.

Kent Bottenfield did not arrive in Anaheim this spring with a nickname. Control specialists with fastballs in the 85-mph range do not inspire much in the way catchy monikers. That could change with a few more outings like Friday night's. The Express, he was not, and no one was about to insert a "Big Train" or "Rocket" between his first and last names, but Bottenfield definitely put the "fast" back in his fastball. The right-hander who was acquired from St.

Kent Bottenfield did not arrive in Anaheim this spring with a nickname. Control specialists with fastballs in the 85-mph range do not inspire much in the way of catchy monikers. That could change with a few more outings like Friday night's. The Express, he was not, and no one was about to insert a "Big Train" or "Rocket" between his first and last names, but Bottenfield definitely put the "fast" back in his fastball. The right-hander who was acquired from St.

Kent Bottenfield pulled an inside job Sunday on the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The visitors swore the Angel right-hander had an accomplice in home plate umpire Doug Eddings, who had either the most liberal interpretation of the inside corner in history or the world's greatest strike zone, depending on who you asked.

Several times since the March 23 trade that brought him to Anaheim from St. Louis, pitcher Kent Bottenfield has stressed the need to gain his new teammates' respect, not through words but through actions. After throwing seven superb shutout innings Saturday in the Angels' 3-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox before 14,135 at Comiskey Park, the Angels were virtually bowing in reverence to the right-hander.

The Angels have yet to enter into negotiations with pitcher Kent Bottenfield on a contract extension, though Bottenfield can become a free agent when the season is over. "I like the team," he said. "I like the coaching staff. But, I haven't given it a thought. As far as I know, I'll be making those decisions in October." Bottenfield, who came from St. Louis with Adam Kennedy in the Jim Edmonds trade, will earn $4 million this season.

Kent Bottenfield did not arrive in Anaheim this spring with a nickname. Control specialists with fastballs in the 85-mph range do not inspire much in the way of catchy monikers. That could change with a few more outings like Friday night's. The Express, he was not, and no one was about to insert a "Big Train" or "Rocket" between his first and last names, but Bottenfield definitely put the "fast" back in his fastball. The right-hander who was acquired from St.

Right fielder Tim Salmon was so upset after the Angels let Chuck Finley go without offering the pitcher a contract in December that, at the time, he spoke openly about his desire to play out the remaining two years of his contract and sign with his hometown Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Angels did not acquire a four-time Cy Young Award winner when they traded for St. Louis right-hander Kent Bottenfield Thursday. Just a facsimile thereof. "Not to put myself on the same level, but I'm a Greg Maddux-type pitcher," Bottenfield said in a conference call from Florida on Friday. "Guys will walk away from the plate wondering how I got them out. "I watch eight to 10 hours of videotape before each start and try to learn hitters better than they know themselves.