History Is on Sutton’s Side, but That’s About All : Pitcher Has Best Stuff of Season, but Angels Give Him No Support in 2-0 Loss

Don Sutton loves to play the numbers. Some players think statistics are often more deceiving than telling, but Sutton is one who believes there is much to be learned from history--and baseball’s history is written in numbers.

So the veteran right-hander had a number of reasons to be optimistic before Monday night’s game against Cleveland at Anaheim Stadium:

--First of all, it’s June. The skies over the Southland may be traditionally gray this time of year, but June is a sunny month for Sutton. Last year, for instance, he was 4-0 with a 2.84 earned-run average in June.

--Second, there’s Sutton’s 6-2 lifetime record against Cleveland. And, maybe even more encouraging, was his career 2.62 ERA against the Indians and the fact that he had pitched into the seventh inning in 12 of 14 outings against them.

So Sutton took the mound Monday night with history on his side. And he pitched his best game of the season. Sutton went eight innings, allowed just six hits and two runs, but the most important numbers of all--the ones on the scoreboard--showed Cleveland 2, Angels 0 when it was over.

The struggling 42-year-old is still 13th on the all-time win list with (312). And he’s now three games behind Phil Niekro, the 48-year-old Cleveland pitcher who picked up the victory Monday night. Sutton is 2-7 with a 5.02 ERA this season.

“That was probably the best stuff I’ve had all year,” Sutton said later. “But it wasn’t good enough, was it? You want to know if I can take consolation in that and the answer, truthfully, is no. Maybe in a day or two, but not tonight.”

Angel Manager Gene Mauch, who noticed a slight flaw in Sutton’s delivery during his last two outings, saw the situation somewhat differently.

“Sutton was outstanding,” he said. “He made one bad pitch the entire night . . . the entire night.”

Sutton gave up two solo homers--a towering fly ball to right by right fielder Cory Snyder in the fifth and a line-drive just inside the left-field foul pole by third baseman Brook Jacoby in the eighth. It was the pitch to Jacoby Mauch felt was a mistake.

“If we had scored eight runs, would you ask me that (if he had made just one bad pitch)?” Sutton asked reporters. “I didn’t think so, so don’t ask me now.”

Sutton may have been unable to put this outing in perspective, but his manager had no trouble finding silver linings.

“Sutton had that look in his eye again tonight,” Mauch said. “I’ve seen that look a lot of times before. He was throwing the hook (curve) hard and it was really breaking.

“What counts is that what he did tonight is current . . . and I believe it’s indicative of what’s coming.”

Sutton may not have been ready to celebrate his return to form on this evening, but there’s little doubt he’d gladly take the same stuff and control to the mound next Sunday in Kansas City.

“Gene and Lach (pitching coach Marcel Lachmann) spotted something and I’ve been working to correct it. I’ve been in and out of sync this year, and they noticed that I was pulling off to the left (during his follow-through) more than I have in the past.

“It’s a small thing and I didn’t really go out there concentrating on not doing it. But I went back and looked at some videos and tried to get a picture in my mind and remember what it felt like when I wasn’t doing it.”

For 22 major league seasons, Sutton has done a lot right. He may have a little trouble remembering it all, but most of his problems could be solved by a little offense.