DeCinces, Corbett Give Joyner a Hand; Angels Win, 5-4

Perhaps tiring of the nightly monotony of watching Wally Joyner smack home runs, the Angels said enough was enough Tuesday night.

Sure, Joyner got his now almost obligatory homer of the evening--a third-inning, two-run shot that gave the Angels an early lead over the Boston Red Sox. That makes 13 home runs, 3 in two nights and 5 in the last 6 games for Joyner.

But, for a change, the Angels let some of the older folks join in the fun. When it was over, when the Angels had defeated the Red Sox, 5-4, in front of an Anaheim Stadium crowd of 27,420, third baseman Doug DeCinces and reliever Doug Corbett could have asked for raises and most likely received them.

DeCinces, 35, and in the last year of his contract, went 3 for 4, including a home run and two runs batted in. He also added several noteworthy defensive plays.

And the 33-year-old Corbett? All he did was enter the game in the eighth inning with the one-run lead and men on first and second with no outs. He walked the first batter he faced and then, almost magically, escaped without a run scoring. He retired the side in the ninth to record his fourth save in four tries.

“This is the best I’ve pitched in a California Angels uniform and the best I’ve felt,” Corbett said.

As is fast becoming a trademark, Corbett punched at the air with his fist as his underhand toss of a Tony Armas grounder settled gently into Joyner’s mitt for the final out.

Corbett’s pitching helped preserve a lead for starter Ron Romanick (3-1), who lasted until the top of the eighth. Romanick hadn’t earned a decision in his last three starts. And twice Romanick had left games with leads only to see them wilt away when the Angel bullpen went to work.

Not so Tuesday night, though there were some anxious moments, most notably the ever-exciting eighth inning when the Red Sox threatened to undo Romanick’s earlier efforts. Corbett, who replaced Terry Forster in the eighth, used a 5-2-3 double play on a Don Baylor grounder to DeCinces and then a Rich Gedman strikeout to get out of trouble.

“I just feel like I’ve got home plate zoned in and the defense is taking care of everything else,” Corbett said. “The imagery I’ve been using worked when I threw Don Baylor a sinker. I threw the pitch exactly where I imagined it and it went to third base.

“The third strike to Gedman was a ‘sanker,’ I call it,” Corbett said, “a nasty pitch he wasn’t going to do anything big with. We got the call, got the out and got the guys fired up.”

Corbett’s four saves are as many as he collected for the Angels in his last three seasons.

Better yet, Corbett also allowed Donnie Moore and his sore right shoulder another night of rest and rehabilitation, as well as give the Angels sole possession of first place in the AL West.

There were other benefits, some obvious, others subtle. For instance, DeCinces’ .234 batting average at game’s beginning stuck out on the daily statistics sheet. Now it reads, .250, which isn’t great but at least it’s a start. DeCinces will settle for any improvement, however slight.

“I’ve been struggling,” he said. “I’ve been jumping at the ball.”

That explains why he took extra batting practice Tuesday and also reviewed videotapes of his swing. As for his contract, DeCinces tries not to review those details.

“I’ve tried to put that behind me, but I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say it hasn’t added to the problems,” he said. “It’s something you have to think about. It’s part of the game. And when you’re not going well, you start digging at yourself and get frustrated.”

Romanick, too, might know about frustration. He was doing fine until the third inning. He had retired the first six batters with relative ease.

But Marty Barrett started the third with a line drive to right that skipped past Ruppert Jones’ outstretched glove and rolled to the wall. By the time the ball was returned to the infield, Barrett was on third.

Romanick almost worked out of the jam, getting two quick outs.

Dwight Evans walked, which is OK, except that Wade Boggs is next in the order. Boggs, who began the game hitting .350, promptly singled to center, scoring Barrett and giving the Red Sox a 1-0 lead.

The Angels answered with three runs in what is becoming standard operating procedure: Someone gets on base, in this case, Jones, on a walk, followed by a Joyner home run. This one landed in the right-field seats.

After Reggie Jackson lined to right, DeCinces homered to left, his 17th RBI of the season.

But, in a game where leads were short-lived, Romanick allowed the Red Sox two runs in the fourth.

The Angels regained the lead in the fifth when Gary Pettis, who had singled, later scored on a DeCinces broken-bat single to center.

They added a fifth run in the sixth without the benefit of a hit. Rob Wilfong walked, moved to second on a wild pitch by Mike Brown and to third on a ground ball to second. He scored on Bob Boone’s line drive to center.

Angel Notes

If the soreness in his right shoulder persists, reliever Donnie Moore said he will meet with Angel trainers today to discuss the possibility of a cortisone shot. Moore, who said he has never received a cortisone shot, hasn’t pitched since last Thursday. On Tuesday, Moore told Manager Gene Mauch that he could pitch if he was needed. “I don’t think I’d worsen it any if he pitched an inning or two,” Mauch said. . . . Urbano Lugo will be sent to the Angels’ Double-A Midland, Tex., team to pitch, General Manger Mike Port said. The length of his stay hasn’t been determined. Lugo will report to the team Thursday. . . . Asked if rookie Wally Joyner will let early season success affect how he plays, Mauch said: “I think he’s much more stable than the average rookie.”