Angel Notebook : Perspective Is Needed on Candelaria’s Elbow

The results of the CAT-scan on John Candelaria’s left elbow are in, and although the news wasn’t enough to write Candelaria out of the Angels’ April roster plans, it wasn’t exactly worth writing home about, either.

The good news for the Angels is that the scan didn’t show any bone chips or loose fragments in Candelaria’s elbow.

The not-so-good news is that some calcification, or bone spurring, was located.

There are two ways to view this development.

One is the sunny side, as Angel General Manager Mike Port ceaselessly espouses. Sunday, Port described the update on Candelaria as “a lot brighter than some we’ve had in the past.

“The good news is that the radiologist didn’t phone us and say, ‘There is evidence of a large bone chip.’ There is some calcification, but the doctors say that isn’t unusual for someone whose thrown a baseball for as many years as Candy has.”

Then, there’s the dark side, as Ken Forsch can well recount. The calcification notice was the same one he received last spring--and Forsch did not pitch in 1985. The bone spurs eventually developed into bone chips, which eventually required surgery in June.

For Candelaria, the next step is to compare film of the scan he underwent Sunday with film of his elbow from previous years.

“The doctors are interested in looking at older film to see if the calcification was always there, or if it has built up,” Port said.

Should the comparison show little change, Port indicated that Candelaria could receive a cortisone injection and try to pitch again this week. His next scheduled turn is Wednesday.

Amid the pounding of the injury wave that has hit much of the Angels pitching staff, the steady progress of relievers Doug Corbett and rookie T.R. Bryden has been shoved into the background.

But after combining to pitch the final four innings in the Angels’ 6-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs Sunday, Corbett’s spring earned-run average remains at 0.00 with Bryden lowering his to 1.00.

Bryden pitched three innings against the Cubs, allowing two hits and an unearned run. In 10 innings this spring, he has surrendered one earned run and nine hits while saving one game.

Corbett pitched a hitless ninth inning to boost his scoreless streak to 6.1 innings in five appearances.

At 33, Corbett is the forgotten man in the Angels bullpen. Once, the Angels thought enough of his game-closing ability to give up a young power-hitter named Tom Brunansky for him. But Corbett has never fully justified that 1982 trade--producing just 12 saves in four years after saving 40 games in 1980-81 with the Twins.

And after injuring his knee last season, he began this spring trying to break into a projected 10-man pitching staff that didn’t include his name.

“There have been negative voices,” Corbett said. “I was hurt last year and they had to make plans with the people they could count on.

“But I’ve shown I can get major league hitters to hit ground balls. That’s my forte. That’s my job.”

His longest outing thus far was a three-inning stint in Scottsdale against San Francisco. “There, I had the best slider I’ve shown in two or three years,” Corbett said.

And his best pitch, the sinker, has been effective in intensified, one-inning bursts. “I have as much confidence in it now as I’ve ever had,” Corbett said.

But the men who will ultimately decide Corbett’s fate by April 8 are Port and Manager Gene Mauch. Said Port:

“If today was opening day, we’d have some difficult decisions to face--in a positive sense. Doug Corbett is a name we’d have to consider . . . and I don’t know if T.R. Bryden is too, too far down the line, either.”

Angel Notes

Ken Forsch allowed more hits (12) in five innings Sunday than he had in three previous outings (11) and gave up five of the Cubs’ runs--including a home run by Keith Moreland and a run-scoring triple by Ryne Sandberg. Major setback? “Just my typical spring training,” said Forsch, who claims to be a notoriously slow starter. “One spring with the Houston Astros, I gave up 21 runs in two innings. Denny LeMaster started and went five scoreless innings with nothing. I come in, throwing hard, and couldn’t get anyone out. It isn’t fun to get hit around, but the main thing is how you throw. My ball was moving pretty good, I was fairly able to hit spots. (The Cubs) just have good hitters. My good pitches got hit and my bad pitches got hit further.” . . . Mike Port on Forsch: “I look at it from the health factor. Today was one of those spring outings. But for him to come back to this extent and throw the way he did is impressive.” . . . A home-plate collision in the ninth inning battered a couple of catchers. Darrell Miller was racing home on Gary Pettis’ triple, only to find the Cubs’ Steve Christmas waiting with the ball. Miller plowed into Christmas, striking him in the temple with his knee and knocking the ball loose. Miller came away with a run scored and a bruised knee. Christmas had to be helped off the field and was later sent to the hospital for precautionary X-rays after complaining of blurred vision. . . . Pettis also had a single and stole his fourth base of the spring. Doug DeCinces hit his second home run in as many games. . . . Wet Paint: The outfield fences at Angels Stadium are now decorated with a montage of advertisements--hawking everything from hamburgers and pizzas to air conditioners and local radio stations. Painters applied the finishing touches before Saturday’s game, which prompted Pettis to crack, “It’s a good thing (Jim) Slaton ain’t pitching.”