Angel Timing Still Fine, but Davis’ Isn’t

All of sudden, things were starting to go the Angels’ way. They were winning, catching a few breaks, getting some clutch hits, displaying some solid pitching and even playing decent defense.

Sunday’s game at Anaheim Stadium appeared to be reaffirmation of the Angels’ recent ascension from the depths of the American League West. They beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 4-2, before a crowd of 34,569 to record their 8th victory in the last 10 games. And Willie Fraser--that’s right Willie Fraser, the starter with an earned-run average that resembles a Swiss bank account number--pitched seven innings of four-hit ball to pick up his first win as a starter since April 27.

This was a banner day in a bummer of a season . . . or so it seemed. But this year, apparently, the Angels can’t win for winning.

General Manager Mike Port met the media outside the Angel clubhouse with a short announcement. Right fielder Chili Davis, the club’s RBI leader who is in a 1-for-16 slump, was so upset after popping up to lead off the fourth inning that he kicked a chair in the runway and dislocated the fourth toe on his right foot.

“He had X-rays taken at St. Joseph Hospital and is on a day-to-day basis,” Port said. “It’s an unfortunate thing to have happen, but it was borne out of frustration from someone who wants to win.”

Davis’ explanation--not surprisingly--was considerably more colorful.

So, Chili, why didn’t you just smack that punching bag installed for this very purpose by Manager Cookie Rojas?

“I socked that first and I almost broke my . . . wrist,” Davis said after returning from the hospital. “Then it (the bag) came swinging back at me and I saw the metal chair sitting there. A little man jumped up on my shoulder and said, ‘Go ahead.’ So I did.

“I never kicked anything before but my dog . . . don’t print that or the Humane Society will be after me.”

If he misses more than a day or two, the Angels’ kangaroo court may issue its first death sentence. After all, these guys are looking forward to coming out to the ballpark for the first time in a long while.

Fraser, for one, was lifted from a deep depression by this outing. The last time he took the mound--last Wednesday at Minnesota--he was pulled from the game by Rojas after yielding two earned runs in three innings.

After starting out 3-0, Fraser had just one win and seven defeats. And his no-decisions were even scarier. His ERA in those outings was 11.57.

So he experimented with about six different windups, he wore new shoes and different underwear. Friday, he even shaved off his beloved mustache in an attempt to change his luck.

You’ll be seeing a clean-shaven Willie Fraser for a while.

“After the last time out, I wasn’t sure if Cookie had any confidence left in me,” Fraser said. “I was pretty down on myself, too. I put a lot of pressure on myself.”

Sunday, he kept the pressure on the Brewers by getting ahead in the count and challenging hitters with his fastball.

Milwaukee got two runs in the third inning, one of which was cheap and one that was well-earned. Catcher Bill Schroeder got the Brewers on the board with a prodigious blast to left-center that sailed well beyond the 386 sign. Then Darryl Hamilton walked, stole second and took third when catcher Bob Boone’s throw sailed into center field. Hamilton scored on Jim Gantner’s ground-out.

Rojas brought in Bryan Harvey to start the eighth, and the rookie reliever responded again, giving up only a hit in the eighth and a walk in the ninth to pick up his seventh save.

Milwaukee starter Teddy Higuera, who has been bothered by back and shoulder problems lately, obviously didn’t have his best stuff or his best command this time around. But he bobbed and weaved his way through the first four innings without allowing a run.

The Angels finally zeroed in on the Brewer left-hander in the fifth. Tony Armas and Boone hit consecutive doubles down the left-field line for the Angels’ first run. Boone, who also had a single, has a hit in seven of his last eight games and has driven in a run in six of the last eight. He has six hits in his last 12 at-bats.

With one out, Dick Schofield lined a shot to left field that landed about 10 rows up in the bleachers for his third home run of the season and a 3-2 Angel lead.

The Angels scored again in the eighth when George Hendrick, who replaced Davis in right, bounced one out in front of the plate that went so high in the air he reached first before the ball came down in the glove of shortstop Dale Sveum. Hendrick took second on a ground-out and scored on Devon White’s single to center.

Davis, who played one more inning in the field before realizing he had done some damage, admitted it could have been worse.

“If it feels fine tomorrow, then I can play tomorrow,” Davis said. “That’s what I’m shooting for. I’m counting on it feeling good.”

Angel Notes

Manager Cookie Rojas isn’t revealing exactly what he said to center fielder Devon White after White failed to make it out to his position in time for the first pitch of Saturday night’s game. But if Rojas did lecture White, you can bet he was feeling a little sheepish Sunday afternoon. Rojas, playing second base for the American League West team during the Equitable Old-Timers’ game, made a nice pivot while turning a double play and then started to jog off the field. Oops. There were only two outs. “I was hurt,” Rojas deadpanned, pointing to a scrape on his knee. “I was coming out to go on the DL.” That defense didn’t work on the Angels’ kangaroo court. “They fined me $1 as soon as I came off the field,” he said.

The AL West squad won the game, 6-0. Five West pitchers--including former Angels Bo Belinsky and Dean Chance and Angel broadcaster Ken Brett--held the East team to four hits. Tony Oliva had a run-scoring single and a sacrifice fly to lead the West. Rojas was 0 for 2, lining to first and grounding to third. . . . Robin Yount’s single off third baseman Jack Howell’s glove in the fourth inning Sunday was the 2,300th hit of his career. The Brewer outfielder, who graduated from Taft High School in Woodland Hills, has played all 15 of his major league seasons with Milwaukee. He is 88th on the all-time hit list.