Howell Takes a Hint and Shows He Can Hit Against Left-Handers, Too

Jack Howell had seven hits in nine at-bats coming into Wednesday night’s game at Anaheim Stadium, but the Chicago White Sox countered with the sure cure for a Howell hitting streak: a left-handed pitcher.

Howell hit .124 against left-handers and .269 against right-handers last season. All but one of his 23 homers were off right-handed pitchers.

Dave LaPoint, Chicago’s starting pitcher, already had showed the Angels that he was more than just any left-hander. He beat them, 2-1, in Comiskey Park last Thursday while striking out 7 and retiring 15 in a row over one stretch. Howell was 0 for 2 in that one.

LaPoint looked equally sharp this time out. The Angels managed just three hits off him in the first six innings. And things were proceeding pretty much according to schedule during Howell’s first two at-bats. He struck out swinging both times.

Then veteran Bill Buckner, who has spent the past 17 years spraying line drives off left-handers and right-handers without any prejudice, gave Howell a little hint.

“Buckner noticed that I was having trouble with LaPoint’s off-speed stuff, so I decided to just lay off it and wait for a fastball the next time,” Howell said.

The third at-bat was charmed. Howell broke LaPoint’s spell and broke open a scoreless game in the seventh inning with a two-run homer into the right-field bullpen as the Angels defeated the White Sox, 5-2.

“You try to put it (the first two strikeouts) out of your mind,” Howell said. “I just wanted to stay away from the changeup. I was looking for the fastball and I got one. . . . I think he was trying to sneak one by me to get ahead in the count.”

LaPoint: “I made one mistake tonight, on the pitch to Howell in the seventh. And it cost me the game.”

Howell, who hit a two-run homer to left-center in eighth inning Tuesday night, has five RBIs in his last two games. He became the starting third baseman when the Angels released Doug DeCinces last September, and he says that playing every day will make that can’t-hit-left-handers rap just a bad memory.

“Hitting against left-handers is just a matter of seeing them a little more often,” he said. “It’s just a matter of confidence.”

Howell, who played second base, third base, left field and right field last season, didn’t face many left-handers, and when he did, he often walked away muttering to himself. That could have been the case Wednesday night after he waved at a couple of LaPoint changeups and walked back to the dugout.

“Now, I know that if I mess up today, I’ll get a chance to correct it tomorrow,” he said. “For the last three years, I’ve never been in that situation. But that’s part of baseball. Everybody has to wait their turn.”

Howell’s determined to make the most of this opportunity, and now he’s getting a chance to go against the left-handers when he’s hot.

“Before, if I got in a real good groove, they might throw two lefties in a row and I’m out of the lineup for two days,” he said.