Callaspo looks to break out of slump at plate

ANAHEIM -- While the majority of the focus has been on Josh Hamilton's inability to live up to expectations, Angels third baseman Alberto Callaspo has been mired in a slump of his own.

Callaspo was 2-for-10 in the weekend series against the Yankees and had not had a multi-hit game or an extra-base hit since June 8.

"Alberto's struggling," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "It looks like he's just trying to find a balance in the box. He's feeling for some pitches, he's out in front of some pitches."

In the past 20 games Callaspo is hitting just .169 and has seen his batting average drop from .273 to .234.

"He's just a solid hitter that can go line to line and hit line drives all over the field and he's not in that comfort zone right now," Scioscia said.

Prior to this recent skid, Callaspo had a 10-game stretch in which he hit .286 with six extra-base hits and four multi-hit games.

In Monday's 11-3 victory over the Mariners, he appeared to make major progress. He matched a career high with four hits.

The Angels third baseman went 4-for-5 and raised his batting average from .234 to .250.