Angels name Minasian GM

The Los Angeles Angels announced the hiring of the Atlanta Braves’ assistant general manager Perry Minasian to replace Billy Eppler. Minasian got a four-year contract.

“His background in scouting and player development along with his unique understanding of roster construction were the leading factors in our decision,“Angels owner Arte Moreno said in a statement.

Minasian spent the past three years in the Braves’ front office with GM Alex Anthopoulos, including the past two seasons as Atlanta’s vice president of baseball operations.

Minasian also worked for Anthopoulos during nine seasons with Toronto.

The 40-year-old Minasian has been in baseball since he was an 8-year-old batboy for the Texas Rangers, where his father, Zack, was the team’s clubhouse manager.

In other news:

• The Chicago White Sox are sticking with new manager Tony La Russa, saying they understand the “seriousness” of his latest drunken driving case and will have more to say once it plays out in court.

“Tony deserves all the assumptions and protections granted to everyone

in a court of law, especially while this is a pending matter,” the team said in a statement. “Once his case reaches resolution in the courts, we will have more to say. The White Sox understand the seriousness of these charges.”

La Russa, a Hall of Fame manager who won a World Series with Oakland and two more with St. Louis, blew out a tire on the grey Lexus he was driving in a collision with a curb that left the vehicle smoking when he was arrested on misdemeanor DUI charges in February, according to an affidavit filed by the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

The case was filed on Oct. 28 — one day before his hiring — after tests taken the night of his arrest showed his blood alcohol level was .095 — above the legal limit of .08. He pleaded not guilty.

La Russa pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in Florida in 2007 after police found him asleep inside his running sport utility vehicle at a stop light and smelling of alcohol.