Angels Rally, Win in Ninth

With only one player--the absolute minimum--deemed worthy of status on the American League All-Star team, the Angels have come up with an interesting method of retribution.

If you can’t join ‘em, beat ‘em.

For the second time in as many nights, the Toronto Blue Jays have sent an All-Star pitcher up against the Angels--and for the second time in as many nights, the Angels walked off the field as winners.

First it was Jimmy Key, Friday’s loser courtesy of two home runs by Doug DeCinces. And then, Saturday, it was Dave Stieb, the league leader in earned-run average, who failed to put away the Angels.

Stieb wasn’t involved in the decision, but the men who replaced him, Gary Lavelle and Jim Acker, got in big trouble in the ninth inning, allowing the Angels to rally for a 4-3 victory in front of 42,054 fans in Anaheim Stadium.

Stieb left the game in the eighth inning tied at 2-2. Entering the bottom of the ninth, the Blue Jays held a 3-2 lead, courtesy of a solo home run by Al Oliver in the top of the inning.

But Angel Manager Gene Mauch sent three pinch-hitters to the plate--and all three delivered, producing two runs and keeping the Angels six games ahead of Oakland in the AL West. Pinch-hitter No. 1 was Darrell Miller, who singled through the right side of the infield against Lavelle. He was then forced at second by Brian Downing.

Pinch-hitter No. 2 was Mike Brown, who singled Downing to third and scrambled into second when Toronto center fielder Lloyd Moseby momentarily bobbled the ball for an error.

Pinch-hitter No. 3 was Bob Boone, who greeted Toronto’s second reliever, Acker, with a line drive to left-center, scoring both Downing and Brown with the decisive runs.

That was enough to finally push the won-lost record of Mike Witt, who pitched a complete game, above the .500 level at 7-6. Lavelle (3-3) took the loss.

The Blue Jays scored first when Damaso Garcia led off the game by looping a single to right field, stealing second and coming home on a single by George Bell. And they threatened to wield more damage against Mike Witt in the second.

Ernie Whitt opened the inning with a walk, and Jesse Barfield immediately followed by hitting a drive into the right-field corner, the ball bouncing off the short wall near the foul pole.

Fair or foul? Although the ball appeared to bounce off the right, or foul side, of the pole, the ball was initially ruled in play, with Whitt winding up at third base and Barfield at second.

But then came the Angel protest. Right fielder Reggie Jackson pointed out a divot in the warning track dirt--in foul territory--where the ball had landed after hitting the wall. The umpiring crew decided that was ample evidence and reversed the ruling--bringing Whitt back to first, Barfield back to the plate and Toronto Manager Bobby Cox out of the dugout for another debate.

It proved a critical decision, as Witt promptly wild-pitched Whitt to second. But he escaped trouble by striking out Barfield, getting Tony Fernandez to hit into a fielder’s choice and Garcia to ground to shortstop.

The Angels managed just four hits in 7 innings against Stieb, but got good mileage out of them. Two were solo home runs, one by Brian Downing in the fifth and another by Bobby Grich in the sixth, giving the Angels a 2-1 lead.

Toronto erased it in the top of the seventh. Willie Upshaw and Whitt led off with singles and Barfield walked to load the bases with none out.

Upshaw then scored to tie the game at 2-2 when Fernandez grounded into a double play.

Angel Notes

Al Oliver collected the 2,700th hit of his career when he singled to center in the first inning, placing him fourth on the active players’ list behind Pete Rose, Rod Carew and Rusty Staub. He added a ninth-inning home run, but might have gone 4 for 4 were it not for Carew. The Angel first baseman robbed Oliver twice--diving just inside the foul line to glove a sharp grounder in the fourth inning and hustling to his right to backhand a difficult chopper in the sixth. Carew turned both plays into outs, throwing to pitcher Mike Witt covering first. . . . Career High in Half The Time: Donnie Moore’s save of Friday night’s game was his 17th of season--surpassing his best season total, 16, set last year with the Atlanta Braves. That’s 17 saves in 85 games, meaning that the Angel record of 25 (set by Dave LaRoche in 1978) is in jeopardy. . . . The Angels and the Blue Jays play their final game before the All-Star break today at 1 p.m., with the Angels’ Urbano Lugo (3-1) facing Jim Clancy (6-4).