Angels Fly High; Brewers Fall, 5-1

Just how well things seem to be falling into place for the Angels this season could be seen in the fifth inning of Sunday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Anaheim Stadium.

Reggie Jackson hit a pop-up that had out written all over it, but instead it became a two-run double by falling unmolested into shallow left, probably the only place on the field where it couldn’t have been caught.

With things going that well, it is hardly surprising that the Angels rolled to a 5-1 victory, giving them the most wins in baseball and the best record in the American League (17-9).

Clearly, the Angels are flying high and everything seems to be in order.

There was the performance of right-hander Mike Witt (2-3), who certainly didn’t have his best stuff. Witt struggled through seven innings but managed to get the big outs when he needed them. And then, of course, there was the almost-ever-present Donnie Moore, who got the final six outs to pick up his sixth save. He has not been scored on in his last 11 appearances.

Doug DeCinces belted a two-run homer in the third that should have been a three-run shot. Bob Boone was thrown out trying to steal third after a mix-up on the signs, but what might have been an agonizing error became merely a footnote in another victory.

And Jackson lined an opposite-field home run in the eighth for the crowning blow.

“It certainly wasn’t as easy as the score looks,” Angel Manager Gene Mauch said. “Mike Witt was way short of having his best stuff. But he showed you everything you’ll want to see about competitiveness.”

Mauch says that momentum is merely a theory that some sportswriter made up, but he does admit that “winning creates an aura of expectancy . . . you start to expect to win.”

Jackson, who now has 508 career homers and is hitting .429 in his last five games, said the team has finally acquired “believability.”

“This game was indicative of the way we’ve been winning,” he said. “We got good pitching and good defense for the most part. Witt did a good job and then along comes Moore and, bingo.”

Jackson called his bloop double a “personality hit.” With two out and Angels on first and third in the fifth, he lifted a reasonably high pop down the left-field line. Brewer left fielder Ben Oglivie, who was playing Jackson to pull in left-center, didn’t get a good jump, and shortstop Ed Romero came up inches short of making a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch as Gary Pettis and DeCinces raced around to score.

Milwaukee right-hander Danny Darwin, who went the distance and dropped to 3-2 on the year, claimed Jackson’s hit was the turning point in the game. He also said “that was quietest five runs I’ve ever given up.”

Jackson looked a little puzzled when told of Darwin’s remarks, then said, “Well, the last one wasn’t quiet and neither was DeCinces’ (homer).”

It looked for a while as if the Angels were going to need every run they could push across as the Brewers threatened in every inning but the third, fourth and ninth. Witt, however, was able to work his way out of three jams after the Brewers had two on and one out or less. Two double plays and a couple of key strikeouts were the difference.

Milwaukee’s only run came in the fifth after Doug Loman opened the inning with a double to left, took third on Bill Schroeder’s single and scored on Jim Gantner’s ground out to second.

Witt, who threw 30 pitches in the second inning, was “cleaned and pressed,” (a Mauch euphemism for being tired), when he left after yielding an inning-opening single to Dion James in the eighth. Moore gave up a single to Cecil Cooper before retiring the next six Brewers in a row, three via the strikeout.

Moore said he didn’t mind making his fourth appearance in the last eight games. “I feel good,” he said, “and it’s nice to go out there knowing the guy (Mauch) has confidence in you. It really helps.”

Jackson and DeCinces also have a great deal of confidence in Moore and it’s been a long time since the Angel veterans have felt good about their bullpen.

“I worry that we might be pitching him too much,” Jackson said. “He’s a very precious item to this team. He means so much.”

DeCinces thinks the whole staff has played a vital role in creating what Mauch calls the “aura of expectancy.”

“As a (position) player, confidence comes from those outstanding performances on the mound,” he said. “You get the feeling that we’re going to stay close and have a chance to win. And I’m sure the pitchers get the feeling we’ll score if they keep it close.

“The whole feeling can be contagious.”

If such a thing as momentum does exist, the Angels seem to have caught it.

Angel Notes

“You guys thought it was a boring game, right?” Manager Gene Mauch asked a group of reporters as they entered his office Sunday. A few nodded. “Well, you don’t mind if we enjoy it, do you?” . . . A scantily clad Reggie Jackson stopped in front of high-jumper-turned-broadcaster Dwight Stones in the Angel clubhouse and said, “Dwight, what would you do if you had this body?” Stones smiled and said, “Lose 20.” . . . General Manager Mike Port emerged from his box looking a little pale after Saturday’s game. When someone suggested he had to be pleased with the way the Angels were winning one-run games (they are 8-1 this season), he said, “I hate one-run games. Even if we were 100-2 in one-run games, I’d still hate one-run games.” . . . Gary Pettis’ steals of second and third in the fifth inning were his 12th and 13th of the season, giving him 15 in a row without being caught, an Angel record. He also made two strong throws to the plate that had Brewer runners scampering back to third. . . . Cecil Cooper’s sixth-inning triple extended his hitting streak to 10 games.