Angel Rookie Is on Thin Ice in a 6-4 Loss

Kirk McCaskill, once an All-American hockey player at Vermont, had made many trips to the venerable Boston Garden, envisioning a career in the National Hockey League.

McCaskill made his first trip to venerable Fenway Park Tuesday night and may have felt his dream had come true.

He was on thin ice from the start of his second major league appearance with the Angels.

Unlike his debut against the Toronto Blue Jays, when the 24-year-old right-hander gave up only two hits in six innings and then five more in a five-run seventh, McCaskill allowed eight hits and five runs in a starting stint of four-plus innings, drawing his second defeat as the Red Sox went on to register a 6-4 victory.

“You can’t keep falling behind on the count in any league,” he said afterward. “And against these guys in this park, that’s magnified. I’m disappointed. I felt like I was coming home tonight. I just wish I had done a better job.”

A walk and consecutive singles by Jim Rice, Tony Armas and Mike Easler contributed to a two-run first.

A walk, single by Rice and sacrifice fly by Easler produced another run in the third.

McCaskill left in the fifth when Rice got his third single and Armas launched his seventh home run, a mammoth shot that caromed off the light tower high above the famed Green Monster in left.

Pat Clements came on to yield another run in the sixth on Wade Boggs’ single after a Jackie Gutierrez double that blooped off the wall.

The Angels, losing for only the third time in their last 12 games, were restricted to eight hits, only five off starter Roger Clemens, who went seven innings for his third win against three defeats.

The Angels have won five of the first eight games in a run of 32 straight against the East, but their own effective pitching has camouflaged an inconsistent offense. They are hitting only .220 over the eight games and averaging 3.5 runs.

Clemens, a 22-year-old right-hander who was 9-4 as a 1984 rookie, struck out seven, including Reggie Jackson three times.

He was scored on only in the fourth, when Brian Downing hammered a two-run homer, his second of the season and 11th of his career at Fenway.

Clemens was replaced by Bob Stanley after Jackson opened the eighth with a double and Bobby Grich walked. Pinch-hit singles by Jerry Narron and Rob Wilfong ultimately produced two runs, but Stanley retired Gary Pettis on a two-out, two-on fly to left, then pitched a flawless ninth.

McCaskill sat at his locker later and estimated that there had been between 20 and 25 friends and relatives helping to welcome him back to New England.

Asked if he felt pressure because of it, he shook his head and said:

“There were a few more distractions trying to get ready, but that’s part of it. I felt confident going in because I had the good start last time. It was neat to be out there.”

Manager Gene Mauch, comparing this start to the McCaskill debut, said: “One good. One not so good. He had too many deep counts and not as many first-pitch strikes (this time).”

It’s likely that McCaskill, recalled to replace the injured Geoff Zahn, will miss his next turn. Three off days over the next nine will allow Mauch to use four starters. He will either skip McCaskill or skip Tommy John, employing John out of the bullpen. The probability is that McCaskill will sit.

Mauch sat behind the desk in his clubhouse office late Tuesday night and talked about Fenway Park.

“Everyone sees the home runs here,” he said. “The big things are obvious. But it’s the little things that happen here and nowhere else that kill you. The subtle things aren’t as obvious.”

Mauch cited the Gutierrez double that would have been an easy out in most parks, and the pinch-hit single by Narron that caromed to right fielder Dwight Evans off a corner of the stands that jut within a foot of the foul line. The hit scored one run, making it 6-3, but would have been a two-run double in most parks, making it 6-4 and putting Narron in position to score on Wilfong’s ensuing hit.

Mauch also said that Bob Boone was thinking of the Green Monster when he went after a pitch in his eyes in the sixth, flying to center fielder Armas, who then threw out Downing as he attempted to score after the catch. Rich Gedman, the Boston catcher, made a brilliant play, coming up the line to make the catch and a sweeping, one-handed tag on Downing.

It added up to the end of the Angels’ seven-game road winning streak, but a reluctant Mauch sighed and said: “I love this park and always have.”

Angel Notes

Geoff Zahn, who had a second cortisone shot Thursday for the tendinitis in his shoulder, has not thrown yet but said: “If I can throw by the end of the week, I think I can be ready in another five or six days, barring a setback.” . . . Ken Forsch, who also had a cortisone shot for his elbow inflammation, suggested that it will be several weeks before he is ready. “I won’t even throw off a mound until next week,” he said. “It’s going to be awhile. I’m taking it very slowly this time.” . . . Rod Carew, expected to play, missed his fourth straight game because of a swollen left foot. “I came out early to try to take extra hitting and infield,” Carew said, “but I still can’t bend my instep enough to move in the field or put weight on it at the plate. I’ve still got to take it day to day.” . . . Kirk McCaskill said he received a telegram before his first start in Anaheim last week from Wayne Gretzky, saying: “You earned the start. Good luck.” Said McCaskill: “That was really a classy thing. The only time I talked to him was for about 20 minutes in Edmonton last year when I had him sign a couple of balls.”