How Do Angels Spell Relief? H-A-R-V-E-Y

On any other 9-13 team, Johnny Ray would have been the toast of the clubhouse Friday night. His 3 runs batted in triggered a 9-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays and his two doubles--with a single thrown in for good measure--extended his hitting streak to 13 games.

Right now, a .421 hitter walks among the Angels. That’s 12 points higher than the club’s winning percentage of .409.

But, remember: To be an Angel, in these modern days, is to pray, first and foremost, for relief. And for that reason, Bryan Harvey was the first name on most Angel lips after the Angels’ victory in front of 23,483 at Exhibition Stadium.

Harvey, the 24-year-old rookie relief pitcher recalled from triple-A Edmonton nine days ago, not only earned his first major league victory but worked three scoreless innings to do it.

That’s a first for the Angel bullpen this season.

And amid a relief corps listing earned-run averages of 8.53 (Stewart Cliburn), 7.11 (Donnie Moore) and 7.07 (DeWayne Buice), Harvey maintained an unblemished mark of 0.00 after 4 appearances and 6 innings. And including the five innings he pitched in 1987, Harvey has yet to yield an earned run in a big league game.

“We needed help in the bullpen,” Angel Manager Cookie Rojas said, “and he’s the one who’s done it. One guy can make a big difference in our bullpen--and Harvey’s been it.”

After easing into Rojas’ bullpen rotation with three low-pressure appearances, Harvey entered this game in the seventh inning of a 5-5 tie.

Harvey set the side down in order in the seventh. Then, after surrendering a bloop single to George Bell in the eighth, he got Fred McGriff to ground into a double play before striking out Jesse Barfield on five pitches.

By the time Harvey stepped to the mound in the ninth, he was pitching with a 9-5 advantage. And with an assist from first baseman Wally Joyner, who dove to rob Rick Leach of a leadoff hit, Harvey protected it--recording the final two outs by striking out Kelly Gruber and Manny Lee.

Even Ray, who doubled and scored the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning, came away impressed.

“Relief pitching has been our Achilles’ heel this season,” Ray said. “Any time you get some strong relief pitching, it helps. For him to come in and shut them down like that, that’s a big plus.”

This was the sort of experience the Angels expected from Harvey after his wondrous winter in the Puerto Rican League. Pitching for San Juan, Harvey saved 18 games, fashioned a 2.03 ERA and was voted the league’s most valuable player.

Still, Harvey wasn’t on the 24-man roster at the end of spring training.

“Coming off winter ball, he came into spring training with a tired arm,” Rojas explained. “He just was not popping the ball. He was throwing in the 84-85 (m.p.h.) range, and that’s not Bryan Harvey.

“We thought it would be better for him to go to Edmonton and get his arm strength back.”

Said Harvey: “They told me to go down there and work on getting in a groove. And I did that. I got back sooner than I ever thought.”

Since replacing rookie Frank DiMichele on the roster with Harvey, Rojas has noticed a distinct change--in both his bullpen’s effectiveness and in Harvey.

“He’s gained a lot of velocity,” Rojas said. “He’s now back in the 90-91 range, and his forkball is popping again. He’s done one excellent job since coming back up. And the big thing is, he’s be able to give the other guys some rest and let them recuperate.”

Harvey earned his first big league victory when the Angel offense, led by Ray and Chili Davis, finally wore down another bullpen. Against Toronto relievers David Wells and Duane Ward, the Angels scored four times in the eighth and ninth innings.

Ray broke the 5-5 tie by doubling off Wells in the eighth and scoring on a triple by Devon White. In the ninth inning, Davis doubled in two more runs against Wells before Ray drove him in with a single off Ward.

Thus far, Ray has been the Angels’ hot hitter, no doubt. Harvey, however, could be the Angels’ ray of hope.

Angel Notes

With Wally Joyner and Devon White hitting .237 and .240, respectively, Manager Cookie Rojas moved Johnny Ray from the No. 2 position in the Angel batting order to No. 5 Friday night in an attempt to beef up the middle of the lineup. “The way Joyner and Devo have been struggling, I wanted to get a guy hot like he is in the fifth spot and get us some runs,” Rojas said. Ray concurred with Rojas’ logic but prefers to bat in the No. 2 position whenever possible. “I’ll probably end up hitting second once Devo and Wally get going,” Ray said. “And that makes me a valuable player. I get on base and then they can hit the ball out of the ballpark.” . . . Someone asked Ray if, after hitting in 13 straight games, he has begun to think about the streak. “What streak?” Ray deadpanned. Although he has doubled 10 times and driven in 17 runs in those 13 games, Ray insisted he has enjoyed a similar streak before. “In ’86 with the Pirates, I started out the same way,” he said. “I was batting third in the lineup, Barry Bonds was getting on base and I was driving him in. I was in a good groove. Then, I hit a double against the Dodgers and pulled a hamstring running into second base. I missed some time and then when I came back, I had lost that groove.” Ray grinned. “Maybe that’s why I’m out of Pittsburgh,” he said.

Dan Petry stomped off the mound when Rojas asked for the ball with one out in the sixth inning. Petry had just walked Ernie Whitt and yielded a single to George Bell and a triple to Jesse Barfield--and was about to lose a 5-4 lead when Stewart Cliburn came in and surrendered a run-scoring single to Rick Leach. “I was mad at myself,” Petry said. “You get a 5-2 lead like that, and when you’re feeling as strong as I was, you should protect it. I walked the leadoff hitter, I walked five guys in the game. You try not to let it bother you, but it does make you mad.” Petry ended up allowing 5 runs on 5 hits and 5 walks in 5 innings. . . . So far, Bryan Harvey’s Angel career has consisted of 6 appearances and 11 innings. He has allowed 8 hits, 5 walks, no runs and has struck out 7.