Angels Are Left in Tough Spot : With Minton Out, They Can’t Stop Indians for Abbott

Greg Minton said it was “my damn spot,” but because of a strained tendon in his right elbow, Willie Fraser got the call.

With the score 1-1 and Indian baserunners on second and third in the eighth inning Wednesday night in Cleveland Stadium, Fraser unleashed a wild pitch that gave Cleveland a 2-1 victory in front of 11,211.

A few minutes later, General Manager Mike Port and Manager Doug Rader told Minton that he had been placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to June 23.

“I didn’t exactly lose it in there, but I certainly didn’t agree with their decision,” Minton said after the meeting. “What they said made some sense, logically, I guess. But I’d rather be pitching. I threw some today and my arm felt fine.”

“They said they need me to pitch in 30 games in the second half of the season, but that was my damn situation tonight. That’s what they pay me a ton of money for.”

The same injury--a strained flexor tendon in his right elbow--caused Minton to miss nine weeks at the beginning of the 1988 season. He hurt the elbow again Friday night while warming up in the bullpen when he tried to snap off a slider without warming up enough.

Cleveland team physician John Bergfeld examined Minton before Wednesday’s game and told the Angels that he should not touch a baseball for at least three or four days. Minton will be eligible to come off the disabled list in 10 days.

“It’s in exactly the same place that kept him out in ‘88, so for six days, we’re not going to compromise it,” Rader said.

“He has virtually no pain and it bothers him to go on the DL, but if he injures it again, we’re talking about eight weeks minimum.”

Minton has five saves and a 1.84 earned-run average--and Wednesday night was a classic case in point.

Starter Jim Abbott pitched a strong 7 2/3 innings, giving up only four hits. Tony Armas hit an eighth-inning home run into a strong wind and the Angels had a shot at winning their fifth consecutive game.

Abbott got the first out of the bottom of the eighth and then gave up a ground-ball single to Felix Fermin. Jerry Browne, who scored the game’s first run in the first inning when the Indians got two singles and a walk off Abbott, followed with a line-drive single to center. Danny Sheaffer then hit a roller to third that resulted in the second out, but the runners advanced to second and third.

Fraser had the count at 1-and-1 on Joe Carter when he bounced a forkball that eluded catcher Lance Parrish, and Fermin sprinted home with the winning run.

“I was trying to throw a strike down,” Fraser said. “It was just a bad pitch, period. There’s nothing else to be said about it.”

Parrish, however, had considerable comment.

“I’ve blocked that ball lots of times before,” Parrish said. “I’ll take the blame. I definitely should have blocked it. I should have anticipated that and gotten down and out on it faster.”

Rader blamed the Angel offense. Left-hander Scott Bailes (3-3) hit the outside corners against the right-handed Angel hitters all night.

“We just can’t seem to get over the hump with those guys (left-handed finesse pitchers),” Rader said. “We’re very vulnerable to those types of pitchers. His stuff looks fat and we were overswinging instead of just redirecting the ball up the middle and into the gaps.”

The Angels had better luck with closer Doug Jones, who pitched the ninth inning and picked up his 18th save in 21 opportunities. Dick Schofield led off the inning with a single to left and two outs later, Wally Joyner’s single put runners on first and third. But Brian Downing lined out to shortstop to end the game.

Abbott made 94 pitches, 63 of them strikes.

“He was pitching really well, obviously well enough to win,” Parrish said. “I didn’t think anyone could hit it out in this wind, especially to the opposite field, so we were pitching a lot of guys up and away.”

The strategy worked as seven Indian hitters flied out to right. But when Abbott neared the 100-pitch mark and his deliveries began to sail high, Rader decided he had to make the move to Fraser.

“(Abbott) did a fantastic job,” Rader said. “You love to see him pitch like that. We just didn’t score and then we gave them the win in the ninth.”

Said Abbott: “It was a tough loss for me and the whole team. It’s difficult to lose when you’re in a pennant race, no matter how early it is, and especially the close ones.”

Angel Notes

Brian Downing’s ninth-inning walk Tuesday night was the 1,000th of his career, making him one of five active players to reach that milestone (Darrell Evans, Dwight Evans, Keith Hernandez and Willie Randolph are the others). “Two years ago, when I figured I only had a few years left in my career, that was one of my goals,” Downing said. “But the only time I ever go up there thinking about trying to get a walk is if it’s the ninth inning and we’re a couple of runs down. When I’m leading off, I do try to make a pitcher throw 25 to 30 pitches to me during the course of the game, hoping that will benefit us in the last third of the game.” Downing also said all those walks are partly due to his hitting style. “I look for specific pitches,” he said. “A lot of guys just look for the baseball, but I can’t hit that way. I’m not good enough.” He is, however, good enough to have a .297 average with 13 extra-base hits in June.

Claudell Washington, who has missed three games because of an infection on his left shin, said the swelling has gone down but the pain has not subsided. “It feels fine in the morning when I first get up,” he said, “but if I walk a block, it hurts. Right now, the treatment is just to elevate it and stay off it. It’s getting better. I don’t think I’ll be out more than a day or two more.” . . . Tony Armas extended his hitting streak to 82 days with a single to center in the third inning Wednesday night. The streak dates to April 8, but spans only nine games. It also includes two stints on the disabled list totaling 65 days. Armas is hitting .423 with three homers and five RBI during the “streak.”