Rain Puts Angels in Double Trouble

More rain fell on the Angels’ little world Saturday and now, like mushrooms, doubleheaders are springing up all over.

The Angels’ second rainout in five days--and fourth this season--will result in the club’s third makeup doubleheader, all scheduled after the All-Star break. And because the Angels were unable to play Saturday, they will really pay later--adding yet another game to their most demanding trip of the season.

Originally, the Angels’ Aug. 21-Sept. 3 swing through Kansas City, Texas, Boston and New York was to have lasted 13 games and 14 days. Now, they will play 15 games in 15 days. Because of this week’s postponements, the Angels will have an extra game tacked onto their stay in New York and will play a doubleheader in Boston, probably on Wednesday, Aug. 29.

Along with that one, the Angels will also play doubleheaders in Chicago on Sept. 14 and in Toronto on either July 17 or 18.

To Angel Manager Doug Rader’s way of thinking, those are not great days to play two.

“You can’t control it, but hopefully it won’t be a factor later on,” he said. “When doubleheaders pile up like this, the only thing you hope for is that your bullpen’s in the shape ours is in now. Our guys are well-rested.

“But if you go into it with your bullpen tired and your starters struggling, it can really be a problem.”

Another thing Rader hated about Saturday’s rainout: It forced his streaking team to cool its heels for a while.

“This stinks,” Rader said. “You’d just as soon play when things are going well. I wish we could play two tomorrow.”

But it was too late to organize an appeal to the commissioner’s office. According to major league regulations, rainouts during the first half of the season shall be made up during the teams’ second series in that city.

The rainout also prompted Rader to reshuffle his pitching rotation. Bert Blyleven, Saturday’s original starter, will pitch Monday in Milwaukee. Kirk McCaskill, as scheduled, will pitch today in Boston against the Red Sox’s John Dopson.

“Blyleven was warmed up and ready to pitch today,” Rader said. “When you’re emotionally and physically ready, and then you don’t pitch, it’s tough to come back the next day.”

Angel Notes

It’s different in Boston. Early Saturday afternoon, a local sportscaster was on the air, discussing Friday night’s controversial non-interference ruling by umpire Larry Barnett on a double by the Angels’ Claudell Washington. The announcer then noted that this was the same Larry Barnett who ruled on the infamous Ed Armbrister bunt in the 1975 World Series. Fourteen years ago. In Boston, they never, ever forget. . . . Chuck Finley lost a lot of sleep after coming within a Jody Reed bloop single of pitching a no-hitter Friday night. “The phone rang off the wall last night,” Finley said. “For some reason, I was everybody’s friend.” Among the callers were Finley’s parents, who own a satellite dish and watched the game from their home in Monroe, La. “My mom’s probably got no fingernails left,” Finley said. . . . Add Finley: The one-hitters pitched by Finley and Kirk McCaskill this season mark the third time the Angels have had two pitchers throw one-hitters in the same season. Nolan Ryan and Andy Hassler accomplished it in 1974 and Ryan and Chris Knapp did it in 1978.