It’s Reggie’s Turn to Slam the Indians--Angels Win, 10-6

Maybe it’s a case of cause and effect, but against the Cleveland Indians the past two nights, the Angels have discovered an element that has been missing from their offense most of this season.

The grand slam.

Gene Mauch may swear by Little Ball--it is, after all, the reason why the Angels occupy first place in the American League West despite a .237 team batting average--but there’s nothing like a few flashbacks to the Angels’ power past to ease a manager’s mind and enliven a brief homestand.

After Ruppert Jones’ 13th-inning grand slam dramatically ended Tuesday night’s game, Reggie Jackson delivered his 11th career grand slam Wednesday, fueling the Angels to a 10-6 victory over the Indians before an Anaheim Stadium crowd of 28,768.

That’s two bases-loaded home runs in two nights, doubling the team total the Angels took into this three-game series.

And Jackson’s was particularly productive for the Angels, enabling them to maintain their first-place lead to 3 games over the Oakland A’s, who beat the Chicago White Sox, 10-0, to move into second place.

It was Jackson’s 11th home run of the season and it came in the sixth inning, after his first three at-bats had ended in the same manner--with strikeouts.

Upon returning to the dugout following him slam, Jackson grinned and told Mauch: “I must be a real joy to manage.”

That’s how it has been going for the Angels recently--a recurring feast-or-famine routine. The Angels lost, 2-1, Monday against Bert Blyleven, scored two runs through the first 12 innings Tuesday and then erupted with a couple grand slams.

But Mauch will take it, especially with his team embarking to Kansas City for a three-game weekend series against the Royals.

“Everyone is in a better frame of mind when you’re swinging the bats, wherever you’re headed and wherever you’ve been,” Mauch said.

The manager stopped short of declaring a full-fledged return of the offensive form the Angels displayed while winning a divisional title in 1982. Those were, after all, Cleveland Indian pitchers on the mound.

“I’ll tell you after we face (Bret) Saberhagen, (Bud) Black and (Mark) Gubicza,” said Mauch, referring to the three Kansas City pitchers scheduled to face the Angels.

Mauch, however, did see something that brought back memories of ‘82: 3 innings of scoreless relief by Luis Sanchez, who pitched in relief of Kirk McCaskill. It was the first victory of 1985 for Sanchez (1-0), who has been plagued by a neck injury.

“It’s nice to have Luis back,” Mauch said. “He’s supposed to get people out.

“He’s had some pretty good pitching streaks for me. We wouldn’t have done anything in ’82 without him.”

The game was tied, 5-5, when Bobby Grich got things started in the sixth with a leadoff walk. He then tooked second on a sacrifice bunt by Craig Gerber, moved to third on a single by Bob Boone and scored on a sacrifice fly by Juan Beniquez.

Rod Carew followed with a single, and Doug DeCinces added a walk, loading the bases for Jackson. Jackson was the first batter Cleveland reliever Bryan Clark faced--and the only one that mattered.

The Indians got three runs in a hurry in the first inning, with Brett Butler working McCaskill for a leadoff walk, stealing second and scoring on a single by Brook Jacoby. One out later, the slump-ridden Andre Thornton, taking a .144 average into the game, delivered his third home run of the season to give Cleveland a 3-0 advantage.

The Angels cut into that lead in the third inning. Rookie Gerber, starting again in place of .194-hitting shortstop Dick Schofield, opened the third with a soft single to center, scoring on Boone’s line-drive double down the left-field line.

Boone moved to third as Beniquez grounded out to second. Then, he tagged on Carew’s sinking fly to center and scored when Cleveland catcher Jerry Willard failed to hold Butler’s relay from the outfield.

The teams were at it again in the fourth inning, the Indians scoring twice in the top half and the Angels responding with three in the bottom half to force a 5-5 tie.

Pat Tabler began the Cleveland fourth with a double and scored on Tony Bernazard’s single to left. George Vukovich followed with a double to right and the Indians had a 5-2 lead.

The Angels chipped away at starting pitcher Vern Ruhle in their half of the fourth with four singles, a walk and a sacrifice fly.

The first run was manufactured by an infield single by Brian Downing, a right-field single by Jones and a sacrifice fly by Gerber.

Another single by Boone and a walk to Beniquez accomplished two things: loading the bases and prompting Ruhle’s departure. Jeff Barkley came in from the Cleveland bullpen and immediately yielded a two-run single to Carew.

Cleveland’s lead was gone for good.

Angel Notes

Late Wrap-up: The Angels’ 7-3 victory in 13 innings Tuesday night improved the team’s record in extra-inning games to 5-0 this season. Ruppert Jones’ second career grand slam decided it after Gene Mauch had nearly cleared out his bullpen--using relievers Doug Corbett, Pat Clements, Donnie Moore and Stu Cliburn in support of Ron Romanick. If Mauch had to go to the bullpen again, his next choice would have been Wednesday night’s starter, Kirk McCaskill. “I told him, ‘Get that thing hanging out of your right sleeve revved up and keep it revved up for tomorrow,’ ” said Mauch, who admitted he never expected to be confronted with such a situation. “I was so sure that we had the game under control, that we’d win it in the ninth,” he said. “If I wasn’t so sure, why would I bring in Donnie in the ninth?. . . . You don’t like to use so many pitchers, but think how tough it’d be if you use your bullpen like that and don’t win.” Tell Cleveland Manager Pat Corrales about it. He used five relievers and came up empty. . . . Gary Pettis’ sore left hand kept him out of the starting lineup for the second night in a row. . . . A scoring change in the 11th inning of Tuesday’s game took an error away from Cleveland catcher Jerry Willard and credited Rod Carew with a single. That, coupled with Carew’s third-inning single Wednesday, moved the Angels’ first baseman past Sam Crawford into 17th place on the all-time career hits list at 2,965. . . . Vern Ruhle started for the Indians in place of Rick Behenna, who had to be scratched because of stiffness in his right shoulder. . . . The Angels are off today and begin a six-game trip in Kansas City Friday. . . . The Angels’ last grand slam before Jones’ was by Jerry Narron, pinch-hitting May 15 against the Toronto Blue Jays.