Angels Win, 9-5, but Candelaria Leaves in Pain

The Kingdome laid waste to another handful of pitchers Wednesday night. Seattle pitchers Mark Langston and Paul Mirabella came away with earned-run averages hurting after a 9-5 loss to the Angels. John Candelaria came away hurting, literally, after barely making his way through two shaky innings.

In a game in which Brian Downing hit two home runs and rookie Wally Joyner went 3 for 6, including his first major league homer, the most significant development for the Angels may have involved the bone spur in Candelaria’s left elbow.

The pain that limited Candelaria to four spring appearances resurfaced in his initial start of the regular season. He faced 11 hitters, allowing seven to reach base and four to score, before leaving the game with what the Angels announced as “a tender left elbow.”

Candelaria yielded six hits--two of them doubles--and walked one. He had no strikeouts.

He was in trouble from the outset. Danny Tartabull, the first batter Candelaria faced, doubled to center field, and when Gary Pettis bobbled the ball on the bounce, Tartabull wound up at third. The next batter, Phil Bradley, singled, and Candelaria was instantly behind, 1-0.

Needing and getting a double play to finish the first inning, Candelaria received no such assistance in the second. He walked David Henderson, who stole second and scored on a single by Steve Yeager, who scored on a double by shortstop Spike Owen. Owen then came in on Tartabull’s second hit in as many at-bats, a single to left.

Candelaria got Bradley for the third out and then left the game with a 4-1 deficit and an aching arm, giving way to Slaton.

This is what the Angels had feared as they broke camp. They already have one pitcher (Gary Lucas) on the disabled list and another (Stewart Cliburn) on what is essentially a rehabilitative assignment with Edmonton. Candelaria had appeared fit in his last two spring outings, but he was counted out after two innings in the first one that counted.

The Angels tried to take their minds off it with some batting practice. Sending 11 batters to the plate in the third inning against Langston and Billy Swift, they scored five times on four hits. Joyner hit his homer, with Bobby Grich on base. Doug DeCinces doubled, and Downing hit his first home run of the night. Bob Boone made it 6-4 by hitting into a force play with the bases loaded, scoring George Hendrick, who had singled, from third base.

The Mariners closed it to 6-5 in the fourth. Barry Bonnell singled and advanced to second when left fielder Darrell Miller’s relay into the infield skipped past Joyner at first. Tartabull drove in Bonnell with a single, his third of four hits.

The Angels put it away with three runs in the eighth inning. DeCinces opened the inning with a single against Mirabella, and Downing followed with his second home run. One out later, Miller doubled to left-center and Rick Burleson singled him home.