Angels Use a Little Defense to Beat Mariners : California Pulls Within 1 1/2 Games of First Place With 4-3 Victory Over Seattle

With first place beckoning once again--the deficit is just 1 1/2 games after Saturday night’s 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners--the Angels are beginning to remember how they won the American League West in 1986.

They did it with defense.

A year ago, the Angels tied the franchise record for team fielding percentage (.983). Gary Pettis and Bob Boone won Gold Gloves. Silver could have been awarded to Dick Schofield, Doug DeCinces and Wally Joyner.

This year, the highlights have been fewer, but they can still come in bunches. And Saturday night, presented with another opportunity to pick up another game on the division-leading Minnesota Twins, the Angels took to glove and arm to turn back the Mariners for their fourth straight victory.

A rundown:

--Second inning: First baseman Joyner, risking his still-tender ribs, dived in the dirt to backhand a sharp one-hopper by Alvin Davis. From his knees, Joyner threw to pitcher Willie Fraser for the out.

--Fourth inning: New right fielder Jack Howell, making only his second start of the season at the position, staggered back to the warning track, leaped and took an extra-base hit away from Gary Matthews.

--Eighth inning: Second baseman Mark McLemore cut short a budding Mariner rally by snaring a Davis line drive inches off the ground and, still in a crouch, firing to second base to double up Phil Bradley, then representing the tying run.

But the coup de defense for the evening came in the fifth inning, with Fraser struggling to protect a 2-1 lead.

He allowed three straight hits, the last a single by Donnell Nixon that brought home Rey Quinones and sent Harold Reynolds toward the same destination.

Nixon had lined the ball to center field, and with two outs, Reynolds was running from second base. Reynolds leads the American League in stolen bases, so he knows his way around the basepaths. But he was erased at the plate by a near-perfect throw by Devon White, who charged the ball and fired home a relay that reached catcher Boone as soon as Reynolds did.

As Boone caught the ball, Reynolds’ chest barreled into the glove. Sudden impact . . . and Reynolds was out.

A run was negated, an inning ended and the Angels were on their way to heights they hadn’t visited since early in the season.

Coupled with Minnesota’s 3-2 loss to the Oakland Athletics, the Angels’ victory enabled California to move within 1 1/2 games of first place. The last time the Angels were that close was May 16, 2 1/2 months ago.

Back then, Jerry Reuss and Greg Minton were still National Leaguers. Bill Buckner was entrenched as the first baseman in Boston, Pettis was batting leadoff in Anaheim, and no one knew anything about a nine-game losing streak.

The Angels are not quite all the way back, but they are in a position to do something about that soon. Monday night, Minnesota comes to Anaheim for a three-game series.

And the Angels knew going into their game with Seattle that the Twins had lost. Good news, Manager Gene Mauch said, although the timing would have been better if it came later.

“You can’t be thinking about that when you’re out there trying to hit Mike Moore or field a ground ball,” Mauch said.

The Angels hit Moore (3-14) well enough, totaling nine hits, including run-scoring singles by McLemore and Gus Polidor. But they fielded better.

As Mauch put it: “It was defense and the ‘pen again.”

Mauch was referring to reliever DeWayne Buice, who replaced Fraser (7-7) in the seventh inning and earned his 12th save of the season.

Fraser left shortly after being hit by a line drive in the sixth inning. Phil Bradley led off the sixth by drilling Fraser in the side with a smash to the mound. Shades of Wade Boggs, who battered Fraser with a line drive in Boston two weeks ago!

“I should wear a magnet out there,” Fraser said. “This one got me in the back. It just grazed me. I should have caught the thing.”

Fraser remained in the game to complete the sixth inning but failed to get an out in the seventh. After opening that inning by serving up his second home run of the night to Jim Presley, Fraser gave way to Buice.

Buice got two quick outs, surrendered an infield single to Reynolds, then struck out Nixon.

He completed the last two innings with three strikeouts while allowing one hit, a double by Phil Bradley in the eighth. McLemore’s double play helped bail Buice out.

Buice worked 3 innings, one day after Greg Minton went 3.

“That’s not the ideal way to use a bullpen--3-plus innings one night and 3 innings another,” Mauch said. “But you gotta do what you gotta do.

“It might be a pretty good idea for (Kirk) McCaskill to go a long, long way tomorrow (Sunday).”

McCaskill starts today’s series finale.

Fraser, meanwhile, was thankful he escaped without serious injury--and thankful for the support of those Angels armed with gloves.

“The defense did a heck of a job behind me,” Fraser said. “They came up with the plays in the tight situations when I needed them--Howell’s catch, Devo’s throw, Wally, everybody.”

Joyner’s stab in the second inning kept Davis off base--two outs before Presley hit his first home run. Howell’s catch against the wall came with two outs and Phil Bradley breaking from first base. And White’s throw wiped out what appeared to be a certain run in the sixth inning.

Those plays spared Fraser at least three runs.

The defending division champions defended well. Because of it, first place could now be as close as Monday night.

Angel Notes John Candelaria’s return to the Angels’ starting rotation could come as soon as Wednesday. Candelaria threw a five-inning simulated game Saturday and is not scheduled for another. Meanwhile, Jerry Reuss, originally set to start Wednesday’s game, is undergoing treatment for a pulled calf muscle that forced him out of Friday’s game in the second inning. “According to the trainers, he showed a slight improvement today,” said Manager Gene Mauch, who was noncommittal about Reuss making his scheduled start. “I don’t know,” he said. “Either way, somebody’s gonna pitch Wednesday. We’ll see how things develop.” . . . Pitching coach Marcel Lachemann indicated that things might develop in Candelaria’s favor. “He’s close,” Lachemann said. “He’s the kind of guy who gets a lot out of a simulated game. He seems to get ready quickly. Last year, Candy came back from surgery, threw a couple of simulated games and then won four or five games right off the bat.” Saturday, Candelaria threw 78 pitches in what was the equivalent of five innings. “His fifth inning was better than his first,” reported Mauch, who said Candelaria had some control problems with his breaking pitches. Added Lachemann: “His velocity was not as good as the time before (Tuesday), but that was about as good as I’ve seen Candelaria throw in an Angel uniform. His velocity today was similar to what he’s pitched with and won with before.”

With three hits and two RBIs in Friday night’s 8-2 Angel victory, Gus Polidor raised his batting average above .200 (.206) for the first time this season. “For two months, I was at .048,” Polidor said. “I got tired of seeing that in the paper. It’s good to finally get over .200. Now, I’m going to go for .300.” Since replacing injured Dick Schofield at shortstop, Polidor has hit safely in 12 of 15 games. This, Mauch has noticed. “You know what he can do with the glove,” Mauch said. “But I have been pleasantly surprised with his bat, because it’s not easy sitting around that long with no ABs and then going up there and doing what he’s done.”