Baseball Notebook

TEXAS: RHP Chan Ho Park is happy to be reunited with C Chad Kreuter, who was always behind the plate when the two were with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Rangers signed Kreuter as a free agent in January. ``It's going to be a big help, not only for me but for the young guns,'' Park said. ``He knows how to make pitchers comfortable.'' ... There were only nine players on Texas' opening day roster from last year, including former Anaheim RHP Ismael Valdes, who was making his first opening day start, opposing the Angels' John Lackey. The Rangers' other returnees are Park, RHP Colby Lewis, INFs Hank Blalock, Rafael Palmeiro, Alex Rodriguez and Michael Young; and OFs Carl Everett and Juan Gonzalez. By contrast, the Angels kept their same lineup and starting rotation. ... New manager Buck Showalter was 5-2 in openers heading into the game against Anaheim, including going 4-0 in 1992-95 with the New York Yankees, and 2-1 with Arizona in 1998-2000.

ANAHEIM: LHP Jarrod Washburn, who went 18-6 last year and would have been the opening day starter against the Rangers, instead pitched in a minor league game in Arizona Sunday as he continued to come back from a shoulder injury. Washburn hurt his shoulder in a collision during camp, which set back his conditioning. He is scheduled to start Saturday when the Angels are at Oakland. ... 3B Troy Glaus, the World Series MVP who missed six spring games because of tendinitis in his right wrist, was scheduled to hit sixth in the lineup against Texas instead of his usual No. 5 spot. DH Brad Fullmer instead was batting fifth. Manager Mike Scioscia said there's obviously no way to hide a hitter in the lineup, but that he wanted Glaus to get relaxed and ``back to where he needs to be.'' Scioscia added, ``Once he gets healthy, he's going to be in the middle of the lineup.'' ... Scioscia's theme all spring was that the Angels were starting at the bottom of the ladder again despite having won the World Series. Asked before the opener if he felt they were finally putting their feet on the bottom rung, he said yes, then smiled and added, ``Except for David Eckstein. He's doing chin-ups on it.'' SS Eckstein is 5-foot-7. ... Heading into the game against Texas, the Angels had lost their last three openers. Last year, they went on to lose 14 of their first 20 games, an all-time franchise worst. They finished the year, however, with a team-record 99 wins.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)