This Time, Angels Give Hough a Rap on Knuckles

They do things differently in Texas. Even the Angels, who are just passing through.

Think back and try to remember the last time the Angels:

--Scored seven runs against a knuckleball pitcher.

--Received back-to-back saves by the same member of their bullpen.

--Hit back-to-back home runs to break up a no-hitter.

--Received two home runs in the same game from Devon White.

--Won three games in a row.

Tuesday night at Arlington Stadium, the Angels did all this, and more, as they overcame Charlie Hough and the Texas Rangers, 8-6, before a crowd of 32,996.

Hough, who nearly no-hit the Angels last June in Anaheim, was working on getting it right this time as the game entered the sixth inning with the Angels still searching for their first hit.

Hough got two more outs and then readied to face White with a 2-0 lead.

With one swing, White made it 2-1.

Another swing by the next batter, Wally Joyner, and the score was tied at 2-2. The consecutive home runs both wound up in the right-field seats--and finally got the Angel offense wound up against Hough.

Bob Boone singled home two more runs in the sixth and then, in the seventh, an error by Ranger shortstop Scott Fletcher set the stage for a two-run double by Joyner and a run-scoring single by Doug DeCinces.

Hough, who was 2-1 with a 1.01 earned-run average against the Angels in 1986, was out of this game after 6 innings, trailing, 7-4.

Two innings later, Greg Minton was summoned from the Angel bullpen to repeat the job he accomplished Monday--saving a victory. And by completing 1 scoreless innings, Minton became the first Angel reliever to earn saves in consecutive games since Donnie Moore did it last Aug. 24-25.

“I didn’t know that,” Angel Manager Gene Mauch said later. “I’d just as soon see it happen again in 10 days, instead of 10 months.”

Minton presented Mauch with another rarity, a three-game winning streak, something the Angels have managed only three other times this season.

And White, who also homered in the ninth inning for his first two-home run game as a major leaguer, was a major factor in the latest streak. After collecting three hits and throwing out a runner in Monday’s 7-3 win, White went 2 for 4 Tuesday with three runs and two RBIs.

“Devo didn’t show you anything but arm and speed and defense last night,” Mauch told reporters. “He showed you a little something else tonight.”

For White, the home runs were his 12th and 13th of the season. His highest home run total in the minor leagues was 14, last year in Edmonton.

“I’m not a power hitter,” White insisted, seemingly amused by the two home runs and the resultant attention accorded him afterward. “I’m not a Reggie Jackson or someone like that. I hit gappers and steal bases. I could go another 20 games without hitting a home run.”

White’s first home run got the Angels going against Hough, and then Joyner got the Angels tied--and finally, the victory. Hough and Joyner have crossed paths before, on June 16 of last year, with Joyner’s single in the bottom of the ninth helping turn a potential no-hitter by Hough into an Angel victory.

“Tonight, Charlie threw great again,” Joyner said. “The knuckleball has not been good to us. When the weather is hot, the ball tends to move more. That’s the type of weather we have in Anaheim, and it’s the same way here.”

But on Tuesday, the Angels finally broke loose against Hough amid the humid Texas heat. For once, they had this knuckler under their thumb.

It was, after all, a night for many strange things.

Angel Notes

Although Mike Witt was coy about the condition of his arm after pitching just 2 innings Monday night--”No bones were sticking out of it,” he said--Angel trainer Rick Smith said that Witt has been bothered by shoulder tendinitis throughout the season. “He didn’t complain about it last night but he’s had a little soreness in the front of his shoulder,” Smith said. “It’s something he’s had, on and off, through most of his career. When his mechanics are off, the tendinitis sometimes flares up. We stay on top of it, make him do his weights. More often than not, it doesn’t present a problem.” Angel catcher Butch Wynegar, who watched Witt from the bench Monday, said he thought Witt “was trying to overthrow his curveball. He should let it move on its own. He’s got the best curveball there is. How can you improve on that?” Wynegar didn’t know if the curveball was the root of Witt’s physical problems but said: “He’s thrown a lot of games and a lot of innings. Maybe his arm’s a little tired right now.”

After working out before Tuesday’s game, Wynegar said he expected to return to the active roster this weekend in Chicago. “I could pinch-hit right now,” he said. “I could probably catch a few innings right now. My only problem at the moment is cutting on the base paths. But I could get around the bases if I had to pinch-hit. Angel Manager Gene Mauch is toying with the idea of sending Wynegar to Palm Springs to catch Kirk McCaskill Thursday night. Both players are expected to be re-activated within a week.