LOS ANGELES -- David Eckstein still is considered the catalyst of the Angels' offense, even though he's struggling at the plate.

According to manager Mike Scioscia, the current lack of production from his leadoff man will not be cause for demotion in the lineup just yet.

Despite the fact that Eckstein entered Friday's showdown with the Los Angeles Dodgers in an 0-for-14 funk and has hit .171 (7-for-41) in June and .237 for the year, Scioscia remained adamant that the Angels have faith that their sparkplug will turn things around.

"There's no time limit on it," Scioscia said of a possible decision to move Eckstein if things don't start clicking soon.

"Eck is a huge part of our club from that leadoff spot and we still believe in him. It's not like, 'As Eck goes, our offense goes.' He's proven what he can do at the top of our lineup. We're going to give it time and he'll be productive."

One of the main reasons Scioscia said he's not worried about Eckstein's recent woes is the fact that he doesn't believe the Angels' inconsistency has been the fault of the offense.

The Angels are hitting .272 compared to their opponents' .260 and are averaging five runs per game.

"I think our offense, although it hasn't fired on all cylinders, it's been there for us," Scioscia said.

"There have been positives. I like what we've done with runners in scoring position. Our problems have mainly come from the inconsistency of our starting pitching."