Cookie’s Moves Crumble as Angels Lose to Yankees

It isn’t often that Cookie Rojas’ Team of the Weak is featured on the Game of the Week, so Saturday afternoon offered a national television audience a rare glimpse of Cookie Ball--along with this quote from the Angel manager, which was superimposed twice over images of a forlorn Angel dugout:

“I’m trying everything I can do to get us a win. But I’m not Houdini.”

Immortal words, no, but telling ones, nonetheless. As Rojas demonstrated during Saturday’s 6-2 Angel loss to the New York Yankees, he is apt to try anything, including:

--Having George Hendrick pinch-hit for Chili Davis, the club’s home run leader and clean-up hitter, against left-hander Dave Righetti with two out and the bases loaded in the ninth inning.

--Opening the ninth inning by having Chico Walker, the recently recalled Edmonton utilityman, pinch-hit for Dick Schofield.

--Having Gus Polidor pinch-hit for Jack Howell in the eighth inning after Howell singled and doubled in his previous two at-bats.

-- Not pinch-hitting for Bob Boone in the sixth inning and letting the .222-hitting catcher strand runners at second and third with the Angels trailing, 5-1.

With these decisions, Rojas batted .250, Polidor producing a single. Hendrick popped out to shortstop, Walker grounded out to second and Boone bounced out to third.

But .250 isn’t bad when contrasted with how Rojas’ players hit with runners on base. Before a Yankee Stadium crowd of 33,119, the Angels parlayed 13 hits into 2 runs, leaving 12 runners on base.

And that helped make Tommy John, one week shy of his 45th birthday, a winner despite placing 15 Angels on base in 8 innings.

“We put a lot of men on the bases and we left them standing,” Rojas said. “We just couldn’t put the hits together. Most of them seemed to come with two outs.”

This pattern was played out eight times--the Angels had at least one runner on base in every inning against John--before Rojas decided to shake things up in the ninth.

First, Rojas sent up Walker to bat for Schofield, replacing a right-handed hitter with a switch-hitter who would bat right-handed against John. Walker, batting .214 in 14 Angel at-bats, grounded out.

Brian Downing doubled, and Mark McLemore singled him to third. Righetti came on to strike out Johnny Ray and walk Wally Joyner to load the bases for Davis.

Or so it appeared. Davis leads the Angels in home runs with 3, is second to Ray in runs batted in with 21 and is batting .294 against left-handers. But Rojas called Davis back and instead sent up Hendrick, a .235 hitter best known for his performance as the judge in the Angels’ kangaroo court.

Here comes the judge . . . and there goes the ballgame. Hendrick, representing the tying run, popped up weakly, and the Angels lost for the seventh time in 10 games.

Afterward, Rojas cited Davis’ recent hitting slump (1 for 16 before Saturday) as rationale for the decision.

“I don’t think Davis is going too well with the bat,” Rojas said. “It’s late (in the game), Chili hasn’t been hitting like he can. I decided to use Hendrick against the left-hander.

“I don’t see why Hendrick can’t get a basehit or a home run off Righetti any more so than Davis, who’s struggling. I think Hendrick has faced Righetti more times than Davis has.”

A National Leaguer before this season, Davis has never faced Righetti. So, in terms of experience, Hendrick has Davis there.

Davis claimed he wasn’t surprised to see Hendrick grab a bat in the ninth.

“To tell you the truth, when Cookie called George to pinch-hit and didn’t hit for Wally--and you figure he’s not going to hit for Tony (Armas)--yours truly was the only one left,” Davis said.

And, Davis claimed, he couldn’t blame Rojas.

“I stink right now,” he said. “I’m stinking so bad, I’d better go back to the shower and put a ton of deodorant on. I’m not going to stink forever . . . but right now, I’m thinking a little too much up there; I’m not aggressive; I haven’t been patient.”

Of course, the other guys in the Angels’ starting lineup haven’t exactly been cranking out the clutch hits, either. Take away Downing’s solo home run in the seventh inning and Armas’ RBI single in the sixth, and John (2-0), the only active pitcher to have faced both father and son in the Schofield family, would have been working on a shutout.

“He gave up a lot of hits, but he got the big double play when he needed it,” Downing said of John. “But that’s the kind of pitcher he is. He’s a guy who’s going to give up a hit an inning. But he can wipe out a mistake with his next pitch, coming back with a sinker and getting a double-play grounder.

“That’s his style. And that’s translated into a career of 20-plus years.”

Angel Notes

Add pinch-hitters: Cookie Rojas defended his decision to have Chico Walker bat for Dick Schofield this way: “Schofield’s hitting .230 (actually .227). I’m just trying to get some offense off the bench, like (Gus) Polidor did for (Jack) Howell. I was trying to get something going.” As for letting Bob Boone bat with runners on second and third with two out in the sixth inning, Rojas could point to Boone’s track record against Yankee pitcher Tommy John--.323 (10 for 31). Saturday, however, Boone went 0 for 3 with a sacrifice.

Dan Petry (2-3) started and lost for the Angels, allowing 5 runs on 6 hits through 4 innings. Two of those hits were home runs by Don Mattingly and Dave Winfield, but another was a generously scored triple off the bat of Rafael Santana--and under the glove of Angel left fielder Johnny Ray. Ray slipped as he tried to field the ball, and it bounced past him for two gift runs in the fifth inning. “That was an error,” Rojas said. “It went right through him.” Santana eventually scored on a double by Mattingly, the last batter Petry faced.

Rojas used three relief pitchers, including Greg Minton, making his debut in 1988. Minton worked 1 innings, surrendering the Yankees’ sixth run on a double by Mattingly and a single by Jack Clark. “I’ve still got a little work to do yet,” Minton said. “I threw my first, last and only changeup to that little kid who plays first for the Yankees. The letter-high changeup doesn’t work in the major leagues. I also threw two changeups in A ball (with Palm Springs last week) and both went for base hits. So, I don’t think I’ll be throwing another one of those for a while.”

More opinions from ex-Angel, new Yankee John Candelaria: On Gene Mauch, the former Angel manager whom Candelaria blasted during spring training: “I assume Gene is still running the team. He still goes to the (home) games. What does that tell you?” On Chuck Finley, Candelaria’s replacement as the only left-hander in the Angels’ starting rotation: “He could probably learn a lot from me. There’s no one to teach him there now.” And on the Yankees: “The best team I’ve ever played for. As far as potential goes--far and away.” Angel General Manager Mike Port rebutted the Mauch remark, saying, “If Gene is (running the team), he’s amazingly well-disguised and using an amazingly unique sleight of hand.” According to Port, Mauch has attended “three or four Angel games” this season and is spending more time observing and instructing the club’s Class A team in Palm Springs. “He’s working with the young players on philosophy and technique, helping them with the proper mental approach” Port said. “Having attended the Palm Springs games and doing the things he’s doing, Gene is well occupied. Knowing John, I just think John was trying to stimulate controversial conversation. I don’t aspire to be as controversial as John might like me to be.”

After much delay and deliberation, Yankee Manager Billy Martin finally named his starting pitcher for today’s series finale. It will be Charles Hudson, who is 3-1 with a 4.40 earned-run average.