Surgery Scheduled for Langston

Left-hander Mark Langston will undergo exploratory arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow Tuesday, General Manager Bill Bavasi said Thursday.

Dr. Lewis Yocum will perform the operation and no timetable has been announced for the return of Langston, but he’s expected to be put on the 15-day disabled list.

The team would probably call up Matt Perisho from double-A Midland to fill Langston’s spot.

Langston is 2-3 with a 5.01 earned-run average in eight starts this season. He has given up 26 earned runs in 46 2/3 innings.

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Travis Thurmond, a starting pitcher for the Angels’ Class-A team in Lake Elsinore, has been traded to the San Francisco organization.

Thurmond is the player to be named in the April 14 deal that brought pitcher Rich DeLucia to the Angels. Thurmond, who was 3-3 with a 2.52 ERA, will report to the Giants’ Class-A team in San Jose.

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Tony Phillips was acquired from the Chicago White Sox on Sunday to be the Angels’ regular designated hitter, but he has started four games in four positions so far--left field, designated hitter, second base and right field.

But regardless of his position, Phillips likes the view. The Angels have won three of the four games he has played in, capping their 9-1 home stand with an 18-3 thrashing of Seattle on Wednesday night.

This hardly resembles the team that staggered through Boston, Chicago, Baltimore and Milwaukee on a 3-8 trip.

“Well, it’s the same personnel, but they sure aren’t doing the same things,” Phillips said. “I like this a lot better; it’s much better to give the whipping than to get it.”

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Chuck Finley, who sat out a month from mid-March to mid-April because of a broken facial bone suffered in a freak spring-training mishap, is back on track after winning his last two starts.

“I think I’ve caught up with the rest of the guys,” Finley said. “My pitch counts are in the 100s, so my stamina looks good. I have no effects from anything that happened in spring training.”

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Right fielder Tim Salmon, who sat out Wednesday night’s game because of personal reasons, joined the Angels on their trip to Toronto on Thursday.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

ON DECK

* Opponent--Toronto Blue Jays, three games.

* Site--Skydome, Toronto.

* Tonight--4:30 PDT.

* TV--Channel 9 tonight, Saturday and Sunday.

* Radio--KTZN (710)

* Records--Angels 23-20, Blue Jays 23-19.

* Record vs. Blue Jays--2-1.

TONIGHT’S GAME

ANGELS’ DENNIS SPRINGER (2-1, 5.65 ERA) VS. BLUE JAYS’ JUAN GUZMAN (3-3, 4.72 ERA)

* Update--The Angels are living some kind of charmed existence--for the second time this season, they will play a three-game series against Toronto without having to face Roger Clemens, who has a 25-7 record and 2.37 earned-run average against them. The Angels have played two series against Baltimore without having to face Mike Mussina, and they avoided Seattle’s Randy Johnson in this week’s three-game series against the Mariners. They’ll still have a tough task in Toronto, though--Pat Hentgen, the 1996 Cy Young Award winner, is off to another strong start, and Guzman is one of the league’s better pitchers. Jason Dickson, who grew up in New Brunswick, will pitch in Toronto for the first time in his career, and many friends and family members are expected to make the drive to see the right-hander Sunday.

* Saturday, 10 a.m.--Allen Watson (1-3, 7.04) vs. Woody Williams (1-3, 4.09).

* Sunday, 10 a.m.--Jason Dickson (6-1, 3.72) vs. Pat Hentgen (5-1, 2.49).