"Hideki Matsui was given Sunday off in part "to take a break," Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said, the third time in the last seven games that the designated hitter was out of the lineup.

Matsui could soon find himself on an extended leave unless he pulls out of a slump in which he has hit .204 with four home runs and nine runs batted in in his last 27 games.

Scioscia offered his most forthright assessment of Matsui's season before the game, saying, "His downturns have been a little longer this year than we would have anticipated. It certainly doesn't mean that he's not going to be close to some of the projections we had; it's that right now obviously there are some things he needs to get in gear in the batter's box, and we're confident he will."

Though he maintained the 35-year-old Matsui's bat speed was adequate, Scioscia said Matsui's comfort level, balance in the box and timing were out of whack. Matsui acknowledged he wasn't being the offensive force the Angels expected.

"I'm not satisfied at all, to be honest with you," Matsui, who is hitting .244 with 14 homers and 55 RBIs overall, said through an interpreter. "I haven't really been able to help contribute to help the team win, so in that sense I'm not satisfied."

The next two days would be a good time for Matsui to start bolstering a lineup missing outfielder Torii Hunter, who will serve the final two games of a four-game suspension when the Angels return to Southern California to play Kansas City.

Scioscia said Matsui will play fewer games in left field over the season's final two months because the recent addition of center fielder Peter Bourjos has given the Angels five other outfielders."