Guerrero said he noticed increased swelling in the area near his right armpit after Wednesday's game and took his concerns to the Angels' training staff. He was sent for an MRI on Thursday. The preliminary diagnosis is a strained right pectoral muscle, but Guerrero left the team in Seattle on Thursday in order to fly to Los Angeles, where he will be examined by Dr. Lewis Yocum on Friday.
"It doesn't bother me to hit," Guerrero said through an interpreter Thursday. "My concern (Wednesday) -- because I want to play the outfield -- is that it is not going in the right direction. So the trainers said let's have it checked now."
Yocum's evaluation will go a long way toward determining when Guerrero can rejoin the Angels and whether he needs to continue to be limited to playing DH. Guerrero maintains the pectoral problem only bothers him when he throws.
The Angels are prepared to have Guerrero only as a DH, if that's the direction this goes, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.
"I think we're going to have to be," Scioscia said. "The lion's share of what he brings to the team is hitting in the middle of our lineup. That goes a long way toward building the offense. If he's limited to that, then it's something we have enough depth to work around.
"If it's something where it needs a little bit of time to bounce back, we'll consider that (the disabled list)."
ANGELS 5, MARINERS 1: The Angels finally broke through with some timely hits after starting the season 15-for-75 with runners in scoring position. All of their runs scored with two outs in the sixth inning on a string of four consecutive hits with runners in scoring position -- a two-run single by Mike Napoli followed by RBI singles from Gary Matthews Jr., Juan Rivera and Maicer Izturis. The win helped the Angels (4-5) avoid a sweep in Seattle.
--Several members of the Angels organization attended the private funeral for Nick Adenhart in Maryland on Thursday, including team owner Arte Moreno, manager Mike Scioscia, pitching coach Mike Butcher, GM Tony Reagins and RHPs Jered Weaver, John Lackey and Dustin Moseley. The three pitchers went on to Minnesota and will meet the team there. Reagins, Scioscia and Butcher made the cross-country round trip and got back to Seattle in time for Thursday night's game.
--OF Torii Hunter had a double and scored a run in four at-bats Thursday. Hunter has gone 6-for-15 in his past four games (not including Sunday's game, when he was ejected in the bottom of the first inning) with five extra-base hits -- three home runs and two doubles.
BY THE NUMBERS: 0.00 -- RHP Nick Adenhart's ERA for 2009.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We are all in shock. Obviously, seeing Nick pitch last night and do so well -- such a bright future, such a bright kid. It's difficult at this time to put into words just how deeply Nick will be missed." -- Angels GM Tony Reagins, on the death of RHP Nick Adenhart.
The Angels' inventory of starting pitchers was already depleted with John Lackey, Ervin Santana and Kelvim Escobar starting the season the disabled list. The death of Nick Adenhart further depleted the rotation. The Angels shuffled their rotation for the weekend series against Boston, allowing them to put off the issue of how to replace Adenhart on the mound until Saturday in Minnesota. Though the options are limited, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said the team will stay within the organization to fill the short-term need until Lackey, Santana and/or Escobar are able to return.
