Rodriguez, Shields are sharp

TEMPE, ARIZ. — Closer Francisco Rodriguez and set-up man Scot Shields eased any concerns about nagging spring injuries in their first exhibition appearances Friday.

Rodriguez, slowed by a right hamstring strain, struck out the side in the fourth inning, and Shields, slowed by a sore shoulder and shin splints, struck out three of four batters, all looking, in the fifth to highlight the Angels’ 12-4 victory over San Diego.

“We could have the best bullpen in the big leagues, but we have to go out and show it by making pitches and getting people out,” Rodriguez said. “We have a good rotation. We ask them to go five or six innings, and we’ll take care of the rest. To do that, we have to stay healthy.”

Starter Kelvim Escobar was nicked for three runs and four hits, including two home runs, in three innings, but the right-hander, who underwent surgery to remove bone chips and shave down a bone spur in 2005, said “this is the best my elbow has felt in two years.”

The Angels had 16 hits, two each by Vladimir Guerrero and Howie Kendrick, who is nine for 18 this spring. They also stole eight bases.

And you are ...

Republican presidential hopeful Rudolph Giuliani may eventually earn Kendrick’s vote ... now that the Angels second baseman knows who Giuliani is.

The former New York city mayor, who was named Time Magazine’s 2001 person of the year, watched most of Friday’s game with Angels owner Arte Moreno from the first row next to the Angels’ dugout.

Kendrick was on deck before the bottom of the third when Giuliani, on his way from the first base side of the field to the third base side, stopped and shook Kendrick’s hand.

“I didn’t think twice about it,” Kendrick, 23, said. “I didn’t know I was supposed to know him.”

Told Giuliani is a candidate for the Republican nomination, Kendrick laughed and said, “I know who he is now ... but at the time I thought, ‘Who’s this?’ He said hello, I said hey back. That’s my bad. I don’t watch a lot of TV. No disrespect to him or anything, I just didn’t know who he was.”

Manager Mike Scioscia defended Kendrick.

“He’s a New York guy,” he said of Giuliani. “Can you tell me what the mayor of Cleveland looks like?”

Scioscia said Giuliani “was really impressed with our club, but he wouldn’t put an Angels hat on. I said, ‘Mr. Giuliani, just for 30 seconds,’ and he said, ‘No, because I know you’ve got a camera somewhere, and that picture is going right to Joe Torre.’ ”

Rehab report

Jered Weaver took a significant step in his recovery from shoulder stiffness, throwing off a mound for the first time this spring, a 30-pitch session in which he threw only fastballs.

“It felt great, it was nice and smooth,” Weaver said. “Any time you can finally get off a mound and not have any issues, it’s nice. It was kind of a relief.”

Weaver is expected to miss at least one regular-season start, and though he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of opening with the Angels, he’s not obsessing about it.

“You want to be ready for opening day, that’s my goal, but if it doesn’t happen, there’s nothing I can do about it,” he said. “I’m not even looking that far ahead.”

Bartolo Colon, recovering from a rotator-cuff tear, also threw off a mound Friday, his second bullpen workout of the spring, a 35-pitch, all-fastball effort.

“He’s just bringing it right now,” Scioscia said. “He’s excited.”

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