No Style Points in Angel Win

This one may have been winning ugly, but it also left the Angels sitting pretty.

Overcoming a series of fundamental mistakes, they defeated Milwaukee, 6-5, Saturday night.

They are 10-1 in games decided by one run and 19-11 overall, which represents a three-game lead in the American League West.

Asked his reaction to 10-1, Manager Gene Mauch said: “Don’t run out of gas, Donnie.”

The reference was to Donnie Moore, who shut out the Brewers for 2 innings Friday night, then came back to pitch a scoreless ninth, earning his eighth save, which ties Oakland’s Jay Howell and New York’s Dave Righetti for the league lead.

Does he feel good about that?

“No,” Moore said. “It feels good that we won. I’ll think about personal goals when the season is over.”

He may have a lot to think about.

Moore has not permitted a run in the 19 innings of his last 13 appearances. The Angels are 12-2 in games in which he’s pitched.

He got two quick outs in this one, yielded a single to Ted Simmons, then watched second baseman Rob Wilfong make a sprawling stop of Paul Molitor’s potential hit behind second and flip to shortstop Craig Gerber for the game ending force-out at second.

“Lucky, man,” Moore said of his performance.

It preserved Tommy John’s second win of 1985 and 257th of his career. John, temporarily working out of the bullpen as the Angels take advantage of several days off to use a four-man rotation, pitched 1 innings in relief of Mike Witt.

The latter allowed seven hits and five runs in 6 innings of a seesaw game in which:

--Juan Beniquez, crediting warm weather (it was 75 degrees at game time), snapped a 5-for-38 drought (caused in part by a bone bruise on his right hand) with a double and two singles.

He singled to drive in the Angels’ fourth run in the fifth and singled to break a 5-5 tie in the ninth, delivering off Jim Kern after Ruppert Jones singled and advanced on a Brian Downing sacrifice.

--Reggie Jackson hit a two-run homer off Danny Darwin in the third inning, going to left field as he did on his three-run homer Friday night.

Jackson has seven homers for the season and 510 for his career, one behind Mel Ott, who ranks 12th on the alltime list.

--Gary Pettis, the catalytic leadoff hitter, walked twice, tripled, scored two runs and stole two bases. Pettis has stolen eight bases in the last five games and has made good on all 19 of his attempts this year, running his two-year streak to 21. He leads the league in steals.

This was also a game in which the Angels twice failed to advance runners from second to third by hitting the ball to the right side of the infield, twice had runners thrown out advancing from second to third on ground balls to the shortstop and saw yet another runner, advancing from first base, charge through a stop sign and get thrown out by 10 feet at third.

“This was probably our most incomplete game of the year,” Mauch said later, “but we still won. We played right past them (the mistakes), and that says a lot to me.

“It says they’re capable of saying, ‘Hey, I fouled up, but let’s go get ‘em.”’

Mauch said that 10-1 also says a lot to him.

“It’s one thing to get a lead,” he said, “and another thing to hold it. We’ve done a damn good job of that.

“I remember in ’82 (when Mauch’s Angels won the West) how everyone in the dugout would hunch up nervously even when we had a two-run lead. Now everybody is comfortable with a one-run lead.”

That, of course, is a tribute to Moore. He’s created what Jackson calls believability. He also has Mr. October calling this “the year of the Angels.” Wilfong put it another way. He reflected on the one-run victories and said:

“It’s more of a plus than if you skate to 8-1 wins. The momentum seems to carry over. It says a lot. You win the close games and you generally come out on top.”

Mauch said he would have liked to have seen the inconsistent Witt pitch better and, in fact, made it a point to needle Witt in the clubhouse, asking him, “Five runs isn’t enough? How many do you want.”

Mauch would not reveal Witt’s response but said it seemed to indicate that Witt wasn’t happy with the way he pitched, either.

John survived a number of shots in his brief stint, including a Robin Yount drive that might have decapitated him if he hadn’t ducked his head, thrown up his glove and made an instinctive catch. John said the win was his first in relief since 1979, when he came out of the Yankee bullpen to beat the Angels.

“I enjoy all of them,” John said, alluding to his victories, “because when I sit back with my grandchildren and tell ‘em how good I was, no one will ever know that No. 257 came in relief.”

Angel Notes

Doug DeCinces, forced out of Friday night’s game in the first inning, was penciled in as the DH Saturday night, but one batting practice swing convinced him he wasn’t ready. “Precautionary,” DeCinces said. “Nothing serious. As much as I want to play, I can’t force it. It just didn’t feel right.” . . . DeCinces said the Friday night spasm had popped back in by the time he reached the trainer’s room. Of the recurring problem, he said: “I try to do everything I can to prevent it, but I have to live with it. My intention is to play every day until the day comes when I can’t. My importance (obligation) to the team and to the contract weighs on me.” . . . Rod Carew, who returned to the lineup Friday night after missing five straight games with a bruised left foot, was back on a day-to-day basis Saturday. “It’s really not getting any better,” Carew said. “I’m trying a new tape job tonight, but it still hurts. I can’t put any weight on it.” . . . Carew has had a pair of X-rays but may undergo a scan when the Angels return to Anaheim next Thursday . . . Geoff Zahn, eligible to come off the disabled list May 15, is likely to be sidelined indefinitely. “I tried to play catch off the mound today,” Zahn said, “but it still hurt, it was still inflamed. The tendon still seems to be swollen. I’m discouraged because I don’t know how long it’s going to take. I haven’t done anything and it still hurts.” . . . Will Zahn see another doctor before the trip ends? “I don’t plan to,” he said. “All they can basically do is tell me to sit and rest. I’ve been doing that. It’s getting old.” . . . Kirk McCaskill (0-2) will pitch for the Angels against Moose Haas (2-2) in today’s series finale.