Angels in Outfield Help Witt Survive to Beat Twins, 5-1

Baseball doesn’t award style points, so no one in the Angel clubhouse was quibbling about the details of Mike Witt’s 5-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins Thursday, even though Witt had spent most of the afternoon giving his outfielders the runaround.

Through five labored innings, Witt was barely more effective than a batting tee. The Twins launched nine potential extra-base hits into the outer reaches of the Metrodome. That only four wound up in the score book was testament to Devon White’s speed, George Hendrick’s stamina and Witt’s good fortune.

In the first inning, White saved two runs by racing into the gap in left-center field to pull down a drive by Gary Gaetti. White’s catch accounted for the third out, stranding Minnesota baserunners on second and third.

In the second, with two more runners on base, Steve Lombardozzi sent right fielder Hendrick back on the first of four jaunts to the warning track, producing the second out of the inning.

In the third, Witt surrendered consecutive rockets to Randy Bush, Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek and Gaetti.

Bush’s bounced off the wall above Hendrick’s head for a double. Puckett’s sent Hendrick crashing into the fence for the first out. Hrbek’s landed just inside the left-field foul line for a run-scoring double. Gaetti’s drove Hendrick back to the track for another out.

Witt recovered then and struck out Tom Brunansky for the third out, but joggin’ George wasn’t through running yet.

With two out and the bases loaded in the fifth, Gene Larkin tagged what initially appeared to be a grand slam. Or at least a three-run double. Hendrick kept fading back until he was pressed against the blue vinyl wallcovering.

Finally, he reached up and brought the ball down for the third out.

Witt, doubled over with his hands on his knees and watching the play out of the corner of his eye, simply shook his head.

Hendrick, meanwhile, staggered off the field, veered toward the Angel bullpen and feigned hyperventilation. Gaspin’ George collapsed on the bullpen bench, where backup catcher Darrell Miller fanned him with a towel and relief pitcher DeWayne Buice handed him cups of water.

“I gave him a little rubdown, too,” Buice said. “Anything to revive him. I had to get the blood flowing again.”

Once refreshed, Hendrick returned to his position in the bottom of the sixth.

“He didn’t want to stay in the bullpen long,” Buice said. “He might have got hit if he stayed there. Everywhere he went, the ball was following him.”

But no matter. The Angels beat the Twins for the second time in a row, pulling California within 2 1/2 games of American League West leader Minnesota. It might have been the most important ugly game Witt has ever won for the Angels.

He lasted eight innings-- survived might be a better word--while allowing nine hits. He allowed two hits in each of the first three innings and yielded doubles in the first four.

Yet, with assistance from Buice, Witt limited the Twins to one run and won for the 14th time in 22 decisions.

That was all that seemed to matter to Manager Gene Mauch.

“That was the biggest 18 hours of 1987 so far,” Mauch said, alluding to the Angels’ consecutive victories in the Metrodome, Witt following Kirk McCaskill’s successful outing of Wednesday night.

Mauch didn’t even care that Witt had struggled, as one writer put it.

“Mike Witt has a tendency to spoil people,” Mauch said. “In 1986, he spoiled everybody. Every time he went out there, he’d go eight-plus innings--and nine a lot of the time.

“There’s been an adjustment for Witt and all of us this year. But, that day will come back.”

Witt, who has battled shoulder tendinitis and mechanical inconsistencies all season, said he felt very fortunate to win. “To say that I pitched well and got everything I deserved is not a true statement,” he added.

“Devon White saved two runs in the first inning. George Hendrick made several great plays out there. (The Twins) hit balls all day right at guys. Anywhere else and it would have meant five or six more runs.

“Basically, the defense got me through this.”

Meanwhile, the Angel offense got Witt enough runs on 10 hits in 7 innings off Minnesota starter Steve Carlton, who has a 6-11 record.

Doug DeCinces, snapping out of his recent slump, hit a home run and a run-scoring single, finally getting his 50th RBI of the season. Gus Polidor added yet another RBI, his fourth in two days; Hendrick had a run-scoring single, and Dick Schofield, returning to the lineup for the first time since the All-Star break, had two doubles and a single and drove in the other run.

The victory gave the Angels two of the three games during their final 1987 visit to Minnesota and an 8-5 advantage in the season series with the Twins.

It also made a believer out of at least one Angel.

“We’ve got a better team than they do,” Buice said. “Look at the ERAs. I know they play in this cracker-box dome, but they’ve got only two pitchers with ERAs under 4.00. We’ve got a better bullpen, a much deeper bench. They have some good hitters but if we hit like we can, our hitters are just as good.

“I think we’re the team to beat.”

In this mid-August series, Minnesota was the team to beat. The Angels had to win at least two of these games and, after faltering in the opener, came back to outscore the Twins in the next two games, 13-3.

So the West Division race really is a race again.

Angel Notes

A trade between the Angels and the Boston Red Sox involving designated hitter Don Baylor has apparently been held up by the Angels. According to Boston sources, the teams have tentatively agreed on the compensation--a minor league pitcher--with Angel General Manager Mike Port giving Boston’s Lou Gorman his choice of three names. However, Port and Angel Manager Gene Mauch still want to see if Brian Downing’s strained right shoulder can withstand the rigors of playing outfield every day. If Downing is restricted to duty as a designated hitter, Baylor would be excess baggage on a team that already has a DH-in-waiting named Bill Buckner. Baylor has complained about a lack of playing time in Boston, but doesn’t want to leave for a similar situation.

So far, the Angels have gotten away with playing Downing in left field. Downing started all three games in Minnesota in the outfield and was not once required to try to throw out a runner at home. . . . Thursday, the Angels tried out another new designated hitter--Dick Schofield. Schofield, a defensive specialist who has yet to hit above .249 in the major leagues, is not exactly prime DH material, but Mauch wanted to find a way to ease Schofield back into the lineup without removing hot-hitting Gus Polidor. In Schofield’s first appearance since separating his left shoulder July 12, he went 3 for 4 with two doubles and one RBI. A new Schofield? Not quite. Afterward, he was still as reticent an interview as ever. “You don’t want to talk to me, do you?” Schofield asked when approached by one reporter. Schofield said he “didn’t figure on DH. I’d never been one before. I don’t like it. I’d rather play in the field.” He also said the three hits surprised him but “I wasn’t surprised that I hit the ball hard twice. I hadn’t seen real pitching for a month so I just went up there and took my hacks.” Schofield was asked if Mauch was still apprehensive about using him in the field. “You’ll have to ask him,” he said. Another question: Was Schofield apprehensive then? “No,” said Schofield, who didn’t care for the question or any others. “Get out of here,” he said with a grin before retiring to the trainer’s room.

Mike Witt said he pitched with a sub-standard curveball (“I don’t think I found it until the seventh inning,” he said), which prompted Mauch to credit catcher Bob Boone for his pitch selection. “By the looks on the faces of some of those Twins hitters, they’d have liked to turn around and hit Boone on the top of the head,” Mauch said. “They’re thinking fastball and he calls a curveball. They’re thinking fastball and he calls a curveball. I think he was frustrating them.” . . . Mauch on the way Witt pitched the seventh and eighth innings: “By that time, he was dazzling them with his footwork. His best stuff wasn’t there any more.”