Freese exits after getting hit by pitch

ANAHEIM -- David Freese suffered a small, non-displaced fracture in his right middle finger on a hit by pitch on Friday night, a postgame X-ray confirmed. Speaking after the Angels' 5-2 loss, the veteran third baseman was hopeful of avoiding a stint on the disabled list, but it'll hinge largely on how he feels over the weekend.

"It's going to be one of those things where I'll come in tomorrow and the next day and see where I'm at," Freese said. "If you're going to get a slight fracture, it's in a good spot. I guess that's a positive way to look at it. We'll know more tomorrow and the next day, how I react."

Freese suffered the injury in the bottom of the third, when he took a fastball from Rangers starter Colby Lewis off his right hand. He jogged to first base and briefly stayed in the game, after getting checked on by the Angels' medical department, but was replaced by Ian Stewart at third base for the top of the fourth.

The 31-year-old is batting .202, but he has six hits in his last 13 at-bats. His injury -- like Josh Hamilton's and Kole Calhoun's -- comes at a time when he's getting hot offensively.

"I was starting to feel it a little bit," Freese said, "but I think I figured out a few things that when I come back, hopefully I can jump back into it -- whether it is a week or after a DL stint. But it was nice to see things come together, for sure."