Howell Hurts Thumb, Hopes It’s Not a Bad Break

For Jack Howell, this has been a thumbs-down kind of a season.

After he hit 23 homers last year and earned a full-time job at one position (he played left field, right field, second base and third base in 1987), the Angel third baseman has struggled at the plate this season. He has just four homers and 32 RBIs.

So, wouldn’t you know it, just when he started to regain the stroke that convinced the Angels to release veteran Doug DeCinces at the end of last year, life throws another bad hop in his direction.

In the fourth inning of Wednesday night’s 2-1 victory over Minnesota, Kirby Puckett ripped a shot at Howell. Somehow, Howell forced himself to stay down on the ball, but it jumped up and caromed off his bare hand, hitting him on the base of the thumb.

Howell, who has a very strong and accurate arm, still had plenty of time to make a play. He reached down, picked the ball up and made a throw to first that wouldn’t have impressed a Little League coach.

“I think he lost all feeling in it, and that’s why he couldn’t grip the ball,” shortstop Dick Schofield said. “That was really a rocket.”

Preliminary X-rays showed no breaks, but Howell will have a bone scan performed at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Orange this morning before the Angels leave for a 10-game trip to Detroit, Toronto and Cleveland.

Howell, with what looked like a small ham wrapped up in an Ace bandage dangling at the end of his right arm, managed a joke as he exited the clubhouse moments after the game.

So how’s the hand?

“I should be OK in a month or two,” he said, smiling. “Seriously, the X-rays were very clean. I think I might be able to play the next game (Friday in Detroit).”

That, of course, would suit Manager Cookie Rojas just fine. He has juggled his lineup enough already this season to earn an honorary membership in the vaudeville Hall of Fame.

“He’s been in this little slump, but he was starting to get out of it,” Rojas said. “It would be a real shame if he was out for three or four days and lost his timing.”

Replacing Howell, who has made just 10 errors in his last 123 games at third base, would not be easy. Utility player Chico Walker took over Wednesday. Rojas said that infielder Gus Polidor, who has been out of action with a rib injury, is close to coming off the disabled list, and that could be an option if the Angels get bad news from the doctors today.

“Jack’s been playing outstanding third base all season,” Rojas said. “The thumb was very swollen, and it puffed up fast. I don’t know what we’ll do if it’s a long-term thing. Right now, I’ll just wait until tomorrow and see what happens.”

Howell, who has eight hits in his last 14 at-bats, boosted his average to .253 with a double to right in the third inning Wednesday. That’s the highest it has been since June 6.

He scored the Angels’ first run later in the inning after Schofield pushed a grounder to second to move him over to third and Johnny Ray singled to center.