Angel Notebook : Witt Looks Sharp in Fifth Spring Start

Mike Witt, the Angels’ designated opening-day starter for the fifth consecutive season, has spent most of his 1989 training camp filling a new and unusual role:

Opening act for Jim Abbott.

Linked by Angel pitching coach Marcel Lachemann’s master schedule, Witt and Abbott have become pitching partners, always working on the same day, always working in the same order. Witt, the Angels’ No. 1 starter, gets the first few innings, followed by Abbott, the Angels’ No. 1 draft choice and camp curiosity.

The intent was to break in Abbott as smoothly and as painlessly as possible, with Witt serving to break the ice.

The result, however, has been a spring of virtual anonymity for Witt, who customarily turns in his four or five innings and then retires to a clubhouse crowded with reporters jostling for prime position around Abbott’s locker.

While Abbott addresses reporters, there to hang on his every syllable, Witt dresses alone.

At least until Monday.

In a first for Camp Rader, Witt outdrew Abbott in the postgame interview department after completing six shutout innings against the Cleveland Indians. Such an outing was something of a newsbreak for Witt, who took a 0-1 record and a 5.40 earned-run average into the game.

In this, his fifth spring start, Witt limited the Indians to three hits, struck out three and led, 2-0 . . . before Abbott came on to let it slip away in an eventual 3-2 Angel loss.

“If I could take this kind of outing into the season, I wouldn’t want to change too much,” Witt said. “This is how I’d like it to be. Instead of having a good outing and then a bad outing, I’d rather progress every game--and that’s what I’ve been doing. Every game, I’ve pitched better and better.”

Such an upturn could not have come at a better time for Angel Manager Doug Rader, who has grown weary of the shellings his pitching staff has endured en route to a 5.38 spring ERA.

“Mike Witt was outstanding,” Rader proclaimed. “He was everything we’d been hoping for all spring long.

“That was 20-game-winner stuff he had today. Great composure, great confidence, great stuff.”

Witt said it has taken him time to adjust to new Angel catchers Lance Parrish and Bill Schroeder. Starting his ninth major league season, Witt had spent seven of his first eight throwing primarily to one catcher--Bob Boone.

“At first, I was leery about the situation of having to work with new catchers,” Witt said. “But I like the way they’re catching now. I have no problems throwing to either of them.”

Angel Notes

After Monday’s game, Manager Doug Rader, General Manager Mike Port and the Angel coaching staff discussed the club’s personnel, including Jim Abbott. Right now, Rader said, the thinking is to keep Abbott a starting pitcher--if not with the Angels, then in Edmonton--instead of breaking him in as a reliever. “I initially thought starting Abbott in the bullpen was a pretty good idea, but I’m being pushed away from that,” Rader said. “The consensus is that he should either start here or in triple-A. And for him to start for us, something would have to happen to one of our five starters. Of course, that’s still subject to two more weeks of spring training. The bottom line, I guess, is that it still hasn’t been settled.”

Wally Joyner took batting practice for the second straight day, did some light running and told Rader he should be ready to play today. “Wally says he thought he could go (Monday),” Rader said. “He ran in the outfield and took some turns on the ankle. Nothing radical, but Wally was never a real good turner, any way.”