A Bid for 20 Nears Witt’s End as Swindell Stifles Angels, 5-2

The Cleveland Indians interrupted Mike Witt’s bid for 20 victories Tuesday night for a special bulletin. They have found a pitcher, a young one who doesn’t throw knuckleballs, and he’s a good one.

How good? Good enough to outpitch Witt, 5-2, at Anaheim Stadium while restricting the Angels to four singles--two of them failing to leave the infield.

The name is Greg Swindell. He has spent barely one month in the major leagues and fewer than two in professional baseball. He was drafted out of the University of Texas in June, didn’t sign until July 31 and after three starts in Class A was promoted to the Indians Aug. 21

It was a rapid rise through the ranks, but one must understand the need for good pitching in Cleveland. The Indians lead the world in hitting, batting .281 as a team, but were one game below .500 before coming to Anaheim.

So they force-fed this kid into the rotation, and Swindell responded in kind. You may remember his debut. He pitched the first 3 innings of the major leagues’ biggest rout of 1986, Cleveland’s 24-5 loss to the Boston Red Sox.

Since then, however, Swindell hasn’t lost. He is 4-1 after beating Witt and drawing rave reviews.

From Angel second baseman Bobby Grich: “He’s the hardest-throwing left-hander that we have faced this year, except for (Dave) Righetti.”

From Angel Manager Gene Mauch: “If that is his normal stuff, you are going to be writing about that boy for a long time. He’s as good a young pitching prospect as I’ve seen in a long time. A long time . He has great arm position, classic delivery and just great stuff. He dominated the game.”

From Indian Manager Pat Corrales: “He knows what the hell he’s doing. He’s a very confident and poised young man out there. I mean, he doesn’t rattle at all.”

Swindell swindled Witt out of aquest for victory No. 19, in the process retiring 15 of the last 16 batters he faced. Overall, he pitched to just 31 hitters--four over the minimum--owing in large part to his own pickoff ability. Quick moves to first by Swindell left both Wally Joyner and Mark McLemore hung between first and second base for easy rundowns.

For Witt (18-9), a margin of error no longer remains in his bid to become the Angels’ first 20-game winner since Nolan Ryan in 1974. He needs two more victories and he will get two more starts. Neither Mauch nor the schedule will allow him any more.

Swindell also slowed the Angels’ drive to the American League West title. His win, coupled with Texas’ triumph at Seattle, kept the Angels’ magic number at four games.

The Rangers thus assured themselves of having at least some say in their own destiny. The Angels cannot clinch the West before Texas arrives in Anaheim Friday.

Swindell seemed nearly awe-struck by the night’s events.

“Before the game, I didn’t think I had a chance of winning, to tell you the truth,” he said. “Right now, I think (Witt) is the second-best pitcher in the major leagues. (Roger) Clemens has to be first.

“Witt goes out there and wins games. But Coach (Corrales) said stay with him and get him in the late innings. That’s what we did.”

Witt had a shutout through five innings but lost it in the sixth. In the seventh, he lost the lead. And in the eighth, he lost the game.

The Indians scored runs in each of the last four innings. They ended Witt’s shutout when Brett Butler tripled to right in the sixth and scored on Joe Carter’s double under Doug DeCinces’ glove at third base. They tied the game in the seventh when Chris Bando doubled and Butler singled, scoring pinch-runner Otis Nixon from third.

Cleveland then scored the decisive runs in the eighth. Mel Hall singled and came home on a double by Pat Tabler. Brook Jacoby followed with a single to center, bringing in Tabler and knocking Witt out of the game.

Gary Lucas came on to end the inning but not the scoring. The Indians produced their final run in the ninth when Butler beat out a bunt and scored on Carter’s second RBI double of the night.

The Angels had to scrimp for the two runs they managed off Swindell.

In the third inning, Gary Pettis walked, moved to second on Bob Boone’s sacrifice bunt and stole third. From there he scored on a single to center by Wally Joyner.

The RBI was Joyner’s first since Sept. 10 and his fifth in the last month. It reestablished him as the Angels’ RBI leader, giving him 93 to DeCinces’ 92.

The Angels made it 2-0 in the fourth after Brian Downing beat out an infield single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and took third on a single to left field by DeCinces. Downing then scored when George Hendrick forced DeCinces at second base.

And that was it for the Angel offense. Boone had the team’s only other hit, a single that caromed off the leg of Carter at first base in the eighth inning. McLemore ran for Boone and was promptly picked off by Swindell.

“We haven’t done an awful lot of hitting since the last Kansas City game,” Mauch lamented.

That was last Thursday, Witt’s most recent start. The Angels beat the Royals, 18-3, that night.

Witt could have used some of those runs Tuesday night when he ran into that rarest of Cleveland resources--a pitching prospect who actually fills the billing.

Angel Notes

Wally Joyner’s batting slump was a topic of conversation in the Angel dugout before Tuesday night’s game. Has the shoulder Joyner bruised in Chicago affected his stroke? “I don’t suppose it’s 100%,” Manager Gene Mauch said. “(But) I’m not looking for alibis, he’s not looking for alibis. He’s looking for hits, and so am I.” Mauch likened Joyner’s current struggles (.173 in his last 52 at-bats before Tuesday night) to the slump he encountered in June, before batting .350 during the month of July. “He was hitting .300-something, went down to .280 and came back up,” Mauch said. “Is this similar? Why not? I don’t think he was supposed to walk in here and hit .330.” . . . Tuesday night, Bob Boone caught his 1,800th career game, a feat accomplished by only two other catchers. Al Lopez caught 1,918 in the years 1928-47, and Rick Ferrell caught 1,806 in 1929-47. . . . Cleveland’s Julio Franco injured muscles in the left side of his rib cage while batting during the first inning. Franco was forced out of the game with an 0-and-2 count and was replaced by Dave Clark, who promptly swung at strike three. The strikeout was charged to Franco.

For those who missed it, the Angels did have one highlight during their 7-0 loss in the second game of Monday night’s doubleheader. Devon White took away Joe Carter’s 28th home run with an over-the-wall catch in the top of the fifth inning. Carter’s drive in the fifth inning was already behind the fence, but White, racing to his right, jumped up and reached over the wall--as if he were dipping his arm into a swimming pool. White came down in possession of the ball, a spectacular play. Mauch’s reaction: It’s to be expected. “He caught the ball on the way up--it was an easy catch for him,” Mauch said.