These Moves Also Fizzled

BOSTON — For all the heat General Manager Bill Stoneman has taken this season for signing Steve Finley and letting Troy Glaus go, there were two other under-the-radar winter decisions that panned out just as poorly.

The Angels will be reminded of one tonight when they play the Chicago White Sox, whose bullpen includes flame-throwing right-hander Bobby Jenks, a former Angel prospect who was claimed off waivers in December and has emerged as one of Chicago’s primary set-up men.

“That’s one of the things I’ve been looking forward to since being called up” from double-A Birmingham in July, Jenks told Chicago writers Thursday. “It was one of the first things I looked at, to see when the Angels were coming to town.”

While the Angel bullpen has lacked quality depth all season and entered Thursday with a 4-11 record and 10 blown saves in 23 chances since the All-Star break, Jenks compiled a 2.16 earned-run average in his first 20 games with the White Sox. He struck out 31 and walked 10 in 25 innings, his fastball occasionally hitting 100 mph.

Jenks, as well as hard-throwing right-hander Derrick Turnbow, would have been fine additions to the Angel bullpen this season, but both were left unprotected on the 40-man roster last winter. Turnbow was claimed by Milwaukee and is 6-1 with a 1.73 ERA and 29 saves in 58 games as the Brewers’ closer.

“You look at a lot of things when you make those decisions, and you’re not always right,” Stoneman said. “Sometimes you win on those guys, sometimes you don’t. [Former Angel shortstop David] Eckstein was a waiver claim, as well. We’ve been on both sides of it.”

Jenks was considered one of the Angels’ top pitching prospects but had several off-the-field problems, some of them alcohol-related, and tested the Angels’ patience with his immaturity.

He also pitched in only three games for triple-A Salt Lake last season before suffering a season-ending elbow injury. Jenks underwent surgery in May 2004 to have several screws inserted in his elbow.

Turnbow’s history of elbow problems also contributed to his departure, but some still questioned the wisdom of not retaining two potential power arms on the 40-man roster while protecting catchers such as Wil Nieves and Josh Paul and pitchers Tim Bittner, Matt Hensley and Scott Dunn.

“You make your decision at a certain point of time with the best information you have,” Stoneman said. “Once you start second-guessing yourself, you’re going to be in a lot of trouble. There were a lot of factors that went into it, but I’m not going to get into the details of any of them.”

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If ace Bartolo Colon (pain in lower back) can’t make Saturday’s scheduled start against the White Sox, rookie left-hander Joe Saunders -- and not Kelvim Escobar -- will probably pitch.

Escobar, who could emerge as one of the Angels’ primary set-up men, warmed up in the eighth inning Thursday night, and Manager Mike Scioscia said he would be available in relief tonight.

“He could be a valuable piece to the bullpen, and you’d hate to bypass that for an opportunity to start Saturday,” Scioscia said of Escobar.

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Angel slugger Vladimir Guerrero and Red Sox slugger David Ortiz each pledged $50,000 to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.