Candelaria, DeCinces Jar Some Memories, Keep Lid on Mariners

Memories.

Ten years ago Saturday: John Candelaria, as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, no-hits the Dodgers.

Four years ago Saturday, minus 24 hours: Doug DeCinces hits three home runs against the Seattle Mariners. It marked the second three-home run game in a week for DeCinces.

They say you can never go home again, but Saturday night before an Anaheim Stadium crowd of 37,373, Candelaria and DeCinces both came close to duplicating those events during a 5-0 Angel victory over Seattle.

For Candelaria, there would be no second no-hitter--but he came close. Putting together his first complete game since last September, Candelaria limited the Mariners to three hits while striking out 10--his highest total in more than two years.

For DeCinces, there would be no three-home run performance--but he, too, came close. After sending Seattle center fielder Mickey Brantley to the wall with a deep fly-out in the first inning, DeCinces delivered his 16th and 17th home runs of the season in the fourth and eighth innings.

“Interesting,” said DeCinces, aware of the historical implications of the evening. “I thought I hit the first ball to center field better than my first home run.

“As soon as I hit the second one, the first thing that popped into my mind was my first at-bat. I just hit that ball to the wrong part of the park.”

There were also flashbacks for Candelaria.

“I was aware of it,” Candelaria said of the anniversary of his no-hitter. “That was a nice time, but that was 10 years ago. I’m not the same person, or pitcher, I was 10 years ago. I threw hard back then. Bad backs and surgery will do that to you.”

Candelaria is 5-1 in the first month since his return after April elbow surgery. His first four wins had required special pacing, close surveillance by pitching coach Marcel Lachemann and the aid of the Angel bullpen.

This time, he did it all by himself--despite cramps in his right leg and left calf.

“He pitched the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth with two cramps,” Angel Gene Mauch said in admiration, “and he just kept going.”

Candelaria was at his best when his legs weren’t. He retired 22 of the last 23 batters he faced, allowing just one single--by Dave Henderson--after the second inning.

The shutout was in its most danger in the first inning--in fact, after the first batter. Brantley, just recalled from Calgary by the Mariners, tripled off the fence in right-center field in his first major league at-bat.

“I was happy for him,” Candelaria said with a wry grin. “It was nice he got a hit on his first at-bat. I just wish it wasn’t off me.

“I thought I made a good pitch, and then I saw the ball carry all the way out there. I thought, ‘Geez, this may be a long night.’ ”

But Candelaria stranded Brantley at third base by striking out Phil Bradley and Jim Presley before getting Ken Phelps to fly to right.

Candelaria gave up a leadoff single to Alvin Davis in the second inning but again pitched his way out of trouble.

And for the next seven innings, Candelaria was never in trouble.

Afterward, Candelaria contemplated the shutout, the three-hitter, the 10 strikeouts. Did he ever figure he’d be this far along one month after returning to active duty?

“No way,” Candelaria said. “And I still think I have a way to go. I’m still not throwing a good breaking ball to left-handed hitters.

“And the strikeouts, I don’t know how they come. Why try to figure it out? If they come, they come, I’m not gonna ask myself why.”

DeCinces, too, played at less than top condition. His bad back had flared up before the game, causing him to consider missing it.

“I thought about scratching myself from the lineup,” DeCinces said. “I had trouble running during warmup, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.

“I was chuckling about it afterward on the bench.”

DeCinces may never again match that memorable month of August 1982, when he hit eight home runs in one week and 11 for the month. But he is having another august August. His two home runs Saturday gave him seven in his last 13 games, and of his last eight hits, five have cleared the fence.

If Saturday wasn’t a renaissance day for DeCinces and Candelaria, it was at least a day of remembrance.

Yes, they did do all those things all those years ago. And, yes, every now and then, they’re capable of nearing, if not clearing, those heights.

For a ballplayer, once he turns 30, that still counts for something.

Angel Notes

In two outings against the Seattle Mariners, Vern Ruhle has allowed three earned runs in 14 innings--good enough to earn at least temporary possession of the No. 5 spot in the Angels’ pitching rotation. And what of Ray Chadwick, who was recalled from Edmonton as the original replacement for Ron Romanick? Angel Manager Gene Mauch denied that the rookie had been shoved into the background. “There’s going to be a time when we need six starters, right after the Detroit doubleheader (Aug. 19),” Mauch said. “If it was early in the year, I’d run somebody out there with three days’ rest, but we don’t want to tamper with things now. We’ll need that extra guy.” . . . Terry Forster worked out before Saturday’s game, throwing for 10 minutes and running through agility drills. “He looked better today than he did two days ago,” team therapist Roger Williams said, “but he can’t really cut and plant on his ankle full out, the way he needs to field his position and cover first base. He never was speedy to begin with. He’s still favoring the ankle.” Williams estimated that Forster remains a week or so away from being physically ready to return to the Angel bullpen. The recovery has been slow, but Forster’s sprained ankle was not of the ordinary variety. “He sprained both the medial (inside) and lateral (outside) ligaments,” Williams said. “Short of breaking it, this is as serious as it gets.”

Brian Downing, still suffering from a case of viral bronchitis, sat out Saturday’s game. “I’m trying to keep him alive,” Mauch said. “The doctors are trying to get him well; I’m trying to keep him alive. Last night, he had one of those coughs where you just lose control. You cough so much, it wears you down after a while.” The illness has lingered for more than a month, but Mauch said he’s satisfied with the doctors’ diagnosis. “(Downing) is just anxious for something to start working,” Mauch said. . . . In his fourth start for Edmonton, Romanick finally earned a victory. Romanick pitched 7 innings in a 10-6 win over the Portland Beavers Friday night, allowing five hits, three earned runs and two walks while striking out four. Romanick is 1-2 with Edmonton.