Pain and Poor Performance Plague Moore

He’s there on the cover of the 1987 Angel media guide, his hands raised above his head in celebration as the Angels clinched the American League Western Division championship on Sept. 26, 1986.

It was the best of times.

Sunday, Donnie Moore had a different gesture as he left the mound amid a chorus of boos at Anaheim Stadium. He disdainfully thrust the back of his hand toward the crowd after yielding two runs in the 10th inning as the New York Yankees beat the Angels, 10-8.

For Moore, who has been suffering from nagging rib-cage and shoulder pain all season, these are the absolute worst of times.

“It hurts and I’m getting booed and that’s frustrating,” Moore said, punctuating his comments with a wealth of expletives. “It (the gesture) was directed at myself, at the fans, at everyone.

“I’m sick of it. I’m pitching against guys (hitters) out there making all kinds of money and I’m 75-80%. I don’t mind being booed, but I’ve been hurt. Let someone else go out there who’s healthy.

“I can’t go on this way, it’s as simple as that. Something has to be done--some more shots, something.”

Moore could get his wish sooner than he thinks. He received a nerve block treatment--a series of four injections to relieve the discomfort in his ribs--Friday, but was pitching in pain again Sunday. Manager Gene Mauch implied that Moore may be headed for the disabled list.

“He’s still throwing 90-91 miles per hour, but he doesn’t feel good doing it,” Mauch said. “He said he’s hurting, and we may have to do something about his physical condition. We’d thought we’d found it (a cure), but now I don’t know. . . . I just don’t know.”

Moore said no one had mentioned the possibility of his being placed on the disabled list (“My job is on the field, not in the front office”), but he did say he would like to try the nerve block treatment one more time.

“At first I thought they had hit the right spot and it had worked because I was just numb and a little tight back there,” he said, pointing to the spot on the right side of his back where he has been experiencing pain since early in spring training. “But I still can’t bend over, and that’s putting a lot of strain on my arm and irritating the tendinitis in my shoulder.”

Moore, whose popularity with the Angel faithful dropped off the applause meter last fall when he hung a forkball to Boston’s Dave Henderson during the infamous Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, pitched just one inning Sunday.

The Angels had rallied from an 8-2 deficit, and rookie DeWayne Buice had turned in three no-hit innings of relief. The stage was set for another one of those Sunday miracles the Angels concocted with regularity last season.

But Moore walked leadoff hitter Wayne Tolleson. Designated hitter Rickey Henderson advanced Tolleson to second with a check-swing roller to first and Willie Randolph drove in Tolleson with a single to center. Moore intentionally walked Don Mattingly before giving up another run-scoring single to Gary Ward.

Moore wasn’t exactly blown out this time, but he was touched for a couple of key runs . . . again. With Sunday’s loss, he is 2-2 with five saves and a respectable 2.91 earned-run average. But he hasn’t been the stopper Mauch has relied on for the past two seasons. And he has been on the ropes nearly every time out.

“I don’t have much velocity and I don’t have my control, and I’m a control pitcher,” Moore said. “The pitch to Randolph was a batting-practice fastball, waist-high on the inside part of the plate. He didn’t hit it that hard, but he hit it.

“But the walk really bothered me. When I walk a leadoff hitter, you know something’s wrong. I don’t usually walk that many guys.”

Moore, who struck out 125 and walked just 43 last year, has 11 walks and only 10 strikeouts this year.

“I’m getting sick of going out there like this,” he said. “If I’m hurting like this and helping the team, that’s one thing. But if I’m hurting myself and the team, that’s something different. They should just get someone out there who’s healthy.”

The Angels may do just that, reluctantly. But, considering the state of pitching in the Angel organization these days, a less-than-effective Donnie Moore might be better than the healthy alternative.