Petry Picks His Spot in Angels’ 2-1 Win

They used to have names such as Ray Chadwick, Mike Cook, Urbano Lugo and Terry Clark. They were the Angels’ spot starters, who filled in when one of the top five was unable to pitch.

They came from the triple-A Edmonton team with lofty aspirations and often equally high earned-run averages. They lived up to their statistics, not their ambitions. Chadwick was 0-5 in 1986. Lugo was 0-2 in ’87. Cook had a 9.00 ERA in ’86. Clark managed a 5.07 in ’88.

But when rookie Jim Abbott made the rotation this spring, it gave the Angels the luxury of having a quality starter waiting in the wings.

Dan Petry may have struggled last year and lost his starting job this spring, but at least he has had success in the major leagues.

The 30-year-old right-hander finally got his first start of the season Tuesday night and picked up his first victory as a starter in nearly a year when the Angels edged Cleveland, 2-1, before 22,586 fans at Anaheim Stadium.

Petry wasn’t sharp by any means, but he kept his poise and battled for five-plus innings.

“I’m just happy we won,” Petry said. “It was nail-biting time all the way. I threw some good pitches, and they hit them. But I guess it was good enough to give up just one run.

“I guess I’m a long reliever and short starter.”

Petry scattered nine hits and had no walks. The only run he was charged with crossed the plate in the sixth inning after reliever Greg Minton yielded a run-scoring single to Mark Salas.

“It was a tremendous effort,” Manager Doug Rader said. “He gave up some hits but considering how little work he’s had and the fact the Indians are a very good-hitting club, maybe the proper word for his performance is heroic. “

Cleveland starter Rich Yett was doing his part, too, but a solo homer by Claudell Washington in the first inning and two singles and a walk in the fifth were enough to spoil his first complete game in more than a year and a half. His record dropped to 4-4.

The Indians had at least one baserunner in every inning but the first. They even had a runner on in the ninth--via a walk--when Bryan Harvey struck out the side to record his sixth save.

“We had baserunners on all night,” Indian Manager Doc Edwards said. “All we needed was one base hit to break the game open. And we sure had a lot of opportunities.”

But Petry, who last won as a starter on June 10, 1988, when he shut out Kansas City, didn’t give in without a struggle.

This was, after all, his opportunity to contribute.

“I’d just like to get to the point where I can help the ballclub,” Petry said last month. “But it’s tough to stay sharp. You just try to stay positive and wait for your chance.

“Right now, I’m in long relief, which means I’m helping the team by not having to pitch.”

But Rader finally summoned Petry’s services and the Angel manager did so with little reservation.

“It’s a very comfortable feeling, knowing you have a guy like that to step in,” Rader said before Tuesday’s game. “And it’s important that he does feel part of it, so I’d like to see him do well, as much for Danny Petry as for the team.”

Did Petry do well? In this game, he did well enough.

He worked a 1-2-3 first inning, but it took a couple of double plays--one of them questionable--to get out of the next two innings unscathed.

The questionable play came in the third. Oddibe McDowell led off with a bunt single but was caught stealing. Joel Skinner and Jerry Browne followed with singles to left field and then Felix Fermin, hit a bouncer to second. Johnny Ray tagged Browne, with an empty glove, while throwing to first base to complete the double play.

Television replays showed the ball in Ray’s right hand while he swiped at Browne with his glove--and his throw to first appeared to be late--but the Indians didn’t argue, so Petry escaped.

The Angels opened a 2-0 lead in the fifth when Jack Howell singled and Brian Downing walked. Washington’s high fly ball to center advanced Howell to third base, and he scored when Ray lined a single to center.

When Petry gave up a leadoff double to Pete O’Brien in the sixth, Rader went to Minton. Minton got the next two batters to ground out, but Salas’ run-scoring single cut the Angels’ lead in half.

Snyder led off the eighth with a single to center and took second on Salas’ sacrifice, but Minton struck out Jacoby and got McDowell to ground out to end the threat. And then Harvey took care of the ninth.

“The whole thing worked out well tonight, from the pitchers’ standpoint,” Rader said.

Not bad from a standings’ standpoint either as the first-place Angels stayed a few percentage points ahead of the Oakland Athletics in the American League West.

Angel Notes

For most of the last five seasons, Mike Witt has been the centerpiece of the Angels’ pitching staff. But it appears that if he doesn’t get his act together soon, he may not have a spot in the rotation. Witt has lost his last three decisions, including Monday night’s 4 1/3-inning, three-homer, seven-run blow-up. But his struggles go back much further than that. Witt is 19-30 with a 4.41 earned-run average since May 3, 1987. Witt apparently is not in danger of being bumped from the rotation immediately, but for the first time, Manager Doug Rader admitted the possibility of such a move. “Based on performance, there comes a time for everyone when you’re going to have to do something,” Rader said. “When a guy gets in a (batting) slump, you rest him. When a guy doesn’t get the job done for a certain number of starts. . . . “

Rader said that Witt’s next start is not in jeopardy. “This would not be a form of punishment,” Rader said. “It would be to do something constructive with that time, to work on mechanics, or delivery or maybe to make a change that would increase the chances for success down the road.” Witt, once a power pitcher who averaged close to 200 strikeouts for four seasons (1984-87), has just 33 so far this season. Rader refused to say whether he thinks Witt needs to change his approach. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to discuss that,” he said. “The only thing I can do is cloud the issue and make it more difficult for him.” Witt, who was not available for comment after Monday night’s loss, also managed to elude reporters Tuesday. “When you’re not going well, the hardest part is the day after,” Rader said. “You wake up with the same burden.”

That Daring Young Man With the Sprained Trapezius: Catcher Bill Schroeder, who hurt his left trapezius (the muscle connecting the neck and shoulder) Monday night while making a diving stop of a shot by Mark Salas, said he was stiff Tuesday but available if needed. “There are ways to dive and ways not to dive,” Schroeder said. “Some guys dive gracefully and some guys just kind of pile up. Basically, I piled up. But the bottom line is the guy was out. And if I could’ve gotten up a little sooner, I would’ve gotten two (outs).”

The Angels announced after the game that first baseman Jim Eppard was being optioned to triple-A Edmonton and right-hander Rich Monteleone was being recalled from the Trappers. Eppard was 0 for 2 with the Angels. Monteleone was 1-5 in eight starts with Edmonton, but he had two complete games, a 3.35 earned-run average and 42 strikeouts with only 16 walks.