Big-Shouldered Breeze Helps Angels Blow by Chicago

Told that Wednesday’s 12-11 Angel victory over the Chicago White Sox had set season records for runs scored and base hits, Manager Gene Mauch promptly asked: “For and against?”

Mauch can be forgiven. Fresh in his mind were the images of Angel relief pitcher Doug Corbett and his ninth-inning battles with three foes, one worse than the next:

--First, Corbett faced the heart of the White Sox lineup, which included Carlton Fisk, Harold Baines and Greg Walker.

--Then there was a weary arm.

--Finally, there was a frisky Comiskey Park wind that not only cooled the afternoon audience of 14,177 but also turned ordinary fly balls into arching doubles, triples and home runs.

By the time Chicago second baseman Julio Cruz lined to left fielder Brian Downing to end the game with one on, Corbett was seated on the bench and Terry Forster was earning an improbable save. But that’s what happens when a 12-6 lead becomes 12-8, then 12-11 in an inning’s time.

“It happened to me one time,” said Forster, who spent six seasons in a White Sox uniform and knows well the capricious Comiskey winds. “I gave up eight runs in the top of the eighth inning with a five-run lead against Detroit. It got rained out in the bottom of the eighth, so they took away the eight runs and I got a W instead of an L . Stuff was blowing out; big storm.”

The Chicago skies were rain-free Wednesday, but the assembled pennants and flags were busy snapping and crackling, and most of the time they were pointed toward center field. That might explain the Angels’ suddenly potent offense, an offense that produced a season-high 16 hits, including 3 triples, 2 home runs and a double.

“It turned out us needing every home run, every bloop, every everything,” Mauch said. “That’s not unusual here. Comiskey Park is dangerous territory when the wind is blowing like that. There ain’t no place for the pitcher to hide the ball.”

Corbett allowed a leadoff double to pinch-hitter Jerry Hairston in the ninth. Fisk flied to center, but Baines homered to left-center. Then Corbett walked Walker, and Bobby Bonilla singled to right for his third hit of the day. Third baseman Tim Hulett, who had just 2 homers in 162 times at bat, lined one of Corbett’s pitches over the wall in left-center for Chicago’s 11th run.

“I ran out of gas after that,” Corbett said.

Forster arrived and coaxed Wayne Tolleson into a pop-up to second, hit pinch-hitter Ron Kittle, then got Cruz to line to Downing. Easy.

“My theory about pitching is that I fear nobody,” Forster said. “I don’t care if the wind is blowing. But I respect anyone with a bat. Hey, I pitched here for six years. I know what the wind can do.”

Only Forster, who earned his third save, left the mound without a run charged against him, but he was exposed for just two-thirds of an inning. The others--Angel starter Kirk McCaskill (5-4) and reliever Corbett; White Sox starter Rich Dotson (4-6) and relievers Dave Schmidt, Joel McKeon and Bill Dawley--were not so fortunate.

The Angels, like bullies, picked on Dotson, chasing him after just 3 innings. The Angels scored seven runs, six of them earned, and accumulated eight hits in the process.

During Dotson’s stay, Gary Pettis singlehandedly improved the Angels’ leadoff batting average during the past 20 games from .216 to .243 and scored three times. He reached base twice on bunt singles--tying him for the team lead with Wally Joyner at five--stole a base and drove in a run.

And Ruppert Jones, who started the game in place of Downing, hit his fourth homer of the season. Third baseman Jack Howell, playing in place of Doug DeCinces, added an RBI double, and designated hitter Reggie Jackson, who raised his average to .308, had an RBI single.

In the Angels’ previous three games, they had scored 10 runs.

By the middle of the fifth inning, Dotson was gone and McKeon was in. Jones added an RBI triple, and Joyner followed with a single for his 46th RBI of the season.

In the meantime, however, McCaskill wasn’t exactly fooling the White Sox, who finished with 14 hits. They scored a run in the second on Tolleson’s grounder that sent Bonilla home after he had doubled. Two more runs scored in the third on a sacrifice fly by Walker and a single by Bonilla. And in the fifth, Fisk, Bonilla (again) and Tim Hulett had RBIs.

Then in the sixth, the Angels scored a ninth run when Dick Schofield tripled and was later knocked in by Joyner’s hard bunt that was called an RBI single, although second baseman Cruz appeared to have mishandled the ball.

And in the eighth, Howell tripled and scored on a single by Schofield to left. One batter later, Downing, who had injured his ankle the night before and began the game in the dugout, homered to straightaway center, 410 feet away. It was the 1,300th hit of his career.

“Whoop-dee-do,” he said.

Downing wasn’t impressed with the achievement; nor did the home run, his sixth of the season and only his first in 41 games, excite him. “I think it would have stayed in the park on a normal day,” said Downing, who played here for five seasons before joining the Angels.

The Angels (29-29) now must face the Kansas City Royals for the first time this season. The Angels will arrive in Anaheim with a 3-3 record for the trip and the knowledge that their offense still beats fast on occasion, even if it is wind-aided.

“It’s important that we find out how we match up against them,” Mauch said. “It’s important that we show an ability to match up against Kansas City pitching better than we did last year. They didn’t beat us in that last series, they beat us all year.

“The most important thing of all is to keep in good position until we’re physically strong, that we keep in range,” he said. “Then, when we’re physically intact, physically 100%, we’ll make a run.”

Angel Notes

Reliever Donnie Moore continues his shoulder-strengthening program. He tossed the ball about 120 to 130 feet with pitching coach Marcel Lachemann on Tuesday. “(Moore) said he felt pretty good,” Manager Gene Mauch said. Moore was eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list Monday. Pitcher John Candelaria’s expected return date is supposed to be in late June or early July. “If he’s ready by the All-Star game, I’ll be tickled to death,” Mauch said. “If he’s ready before then, I’ll be even more tickled to death.” Mauch said he intends to have Moore, if he’s still on the disabled list, and Candelaria remain home on the next trip and work exclusively with team physical therapist Roger Williams. “Overall, it just seems like a better way to handle it,” Mauch said. . . . Left fielder Brian Downing was missing from Wednesday’s starting lineup after straining his left ankle in the first inning of Tuesday night’s game. He told Mauch that he could start, but Mauch chose Ruppert Jones instead. Downing had promised to talk his ankle out of feeling hurt by game’s beginning. “I talked it out,” Downing said, “but I didn’t talk my way in.” Downing later replaced Jones in the sixth inning.