Angels : McCaskill Returns, So Does the 9th-Inning Rally in 7-3 Win Over Padres

Comebacks, both planned and unexpected, were the order of the day for the Angels Saturday. Not only did Kirk McCaskill successfully take the first step in his return to the starting rotation, but the Angels, in the first major upset of the spring, took a 3-1 ninth-inning deficit and turned it into a 7-3 victory over the San Diego Padres.

In so doing, the Angels equaled their ninth-inning comeback output of the 1987 regular season--one. Last year, the Angels entered the ninth inning of games while trailing 74 times. Their record in those games: 1-73.

“That’s a nice quality to have,” Angel Manager Gene Mauch said after watching his team rally for six runs against San Diego pitchers Ed Vosberg and Joel McKeon. “That used to be a trademark of Angel teams--before last year.

“Last year, our patent ran out.”

But while exhibition victories are good things to have, the long-term significance of Saturday’s ninth inning paled in comparison to what the first three innings meant to McCaskill and the Angels. McCaskill, perhaps the biggest key to Angel aspirations in 1988, allowed four singles and one run, completing the stint without pain.

“McCaskill was fine,” Mauch pronounced. “He was throwing all four pitches without a problem--fastball, slider, curve and a couple changeups. He got a couple of double plays with the sinker.

“I feel about Kirk McCaskill, this minute, the same as I did during the spring of ’86.”

That spring was the prelude to McCaskill’s finest season--a 17-10 finish that went a long way toward helping the Angels win the 1986 American League West championship. But that promise gave way to the surgeon’s knife in 1987, with McCaskill undergoing an elbow operation in April and never coming close to his earlier form.

The task this spring for McCaskill is to unearth the past, or at least 1986, while maintaining his health. And after McCaskill encountered some worrisome stiffness in his elbow while pitching batting practice last week, health was again a concern before his start Saturday.

Except, McCaskill claims, in his own mind.

“I don’t think this is a big deal,” he said. “I don’t have any real concern. My arm has felt strong all spring except for the one time in batting practice. And, knock on wood, my arm will continue to get stronger.”

Performance-wise, McCaskill was less than enthralled with his start, however. He didn’t particularly care for the pitches he delivered to Tony Gwynn and Randy Ready in the first inning, resulting in back-to-back singles and, eventually, a San Diego run.

“I wasn’t satisfied with my curveball or my ability to keep the ball down,” he said. “I wasn’t happy with my changeup, either.

“Basically, I wanted to be real good today. Anytime you go out there, you want to be as good as you can be. I don’t think this was a great performance. But, you take what you can from this and try to build on it.

“Now, it’s time to work on fine-tuning it.”

Angel Notes

The Angels sent 12 batters to the plate during their ninth-inning rally, including eight against the pitcher who started the inning, Ed Vosberg. Seven hitters had hits, including Angel reliever Terry Clark, whose double down the right-field line proved the last straw for San Diego Manager Larry Bowa. As soon as Clark’s slicing fly ball touched down in front of right fielder Shawn Abner, Bowa could take no more, almost beating Vosberg back to the mound to escort him back to the dugout. For Clark, a non-roster pitcher previously in the Chicago Cubs’ organization, it marked his first plate appearance since 1985. “I just found an acorn,” Clark said with a grin. . . . Other Angel hits in the inning included RBI doubles by Jack Howell and Darrell Miller, and run-scoring singles by Dick Schofield and Butch Wynegar. Howell’s double ended an 0-for-7 skid in Yuma, including three consecutive strikeouts Saturday. . . . The Angels’ first run of the game came on an off-balance, lunging swing by Tony Armas that somehow lifted the ball out of the park in the fourth inning. “It was a low hook” Angel Manager Gene Mauch said of the pitch, and it appeared to fool Armas. But Armas, leaning over the plate, was still able to muscle the ball over the fence for a home run that prompted much talk in the Angels’ clubhouse afterward. ‘That was pretty,” Mauch said. “That’d be out of a lot of ballparks.” . . . Add Armas: Asked about the outfielder’s seemingly long odds of making the Angels’ opening-day roster, Mauch said, “Whatever happens will happen. All I know is that he’s in good shape and he’s intent on impressing somebody. He’s certainly impressed me already.”