Angels Win on Strange Bounce : Washington’s fly ball provides winning run against White Sox, 6-5

As they stood on the mound, waiting for reliever Bobby Thigpen to make his way in from the bullpen, Donn Pall, Carlton Fisk and Ozzie Guillen watched the replay on the screen high above the wall in left field.

They couldn’t have liked what they saw.

A throw by first baseman Ivan Calderon had glanced off the left shoulder of the Angels’ Dick Schofield, who had laid down a sacrifice bunt, and the ball had bounced over the glove of second baseman Steve Lyons and carried down the line, allowing Jack Howell to reach third base in the ninth inning.

A few moments later, Claudell Washington scored Howell with a fly to left field, giving the Angels a 6-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox in front of a crowd of 32,620 at Anaheim Stadium.

It made a loser of Pall, who relieved starter Richard Dotson in the sixth and had retired seven straight batters before the ninth.

The win went to Angel reliever Bryan Harvey, who was the beneficiary of the Angels’ 23rd come-from-behind victory.

Greg Walker gave the White Sox a 1-0 lead with his a home run the second inning, a no-doubt-about-it drive that off Angel starter Bert Blyleven landed about five rows deep in the football seats beyond the wall in right field.

The Angels pulled even in the fourth, when center fielder Devon White, who took an extra-base hit away from Ivan Calderon with a running catch in the first inning, switched his attention this time to offense.

White lined a pitch through the gap in right-center field, then sprinted around the bases, sliding head-first into third base ahead of a relay throw from second baseman Steve Lyons for a leadoff triple.

The All-Star center fielder used his sprinter’s speed again moments later, scoring easily on a shallow fly to center by Wally Joyner.

A lot less spectacularly, but just as efficiently, Walker stretched a single into a double to lead off the fifth. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound first baseman moved to third on a groundout and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ozzie Guillen to put the White Sox ahead again, 2-1.

It wasn’t long before the Angels pulled even again.

Jack Howell led off the fifth by lifting a towering drive into the Angel bullpen in right field. The home run was the 16th of the season and fourth in five games for the left-handed-hitting third baseman, who has hit his last 15 home runs against right-handed pitchers.

It also was Howell’s seventh home run in July, establishing a career high for one month, and his 12th in 35 games.

Equally as important, though, was his run-scoring double in the sixth off reliever Donn Pall, who replaced starter Richard Dotson after Dotson walked Brian Downing with one out and then gave up a single to Chili Davis.

Pall retired Lance Parrish, but Howell’s wicked bouncer glanced off the glove of Walker and carried down the right-field line.

Dick Schofield then lined a two-run single into right field, scoring Davis and Howell to give the Angels a 5-2 lead.

In the seventh, the White Sox scored twice to chase Blyleven, who gave up a single through the right side by Dan Pasqua and, two outs later, a double down the left-field line by Carlos Martinez before Guillen flared a single into left field to extend his hitting streak to 18 games.

Reliever Bob McClure came on to get Dave Gallagher, who was unable to beat a strong throw from Howell after bouncing a grounder deep to the left side.

Greg Minton took over for McClure with one on and one out in the eighth, got out of the inning and struck out Carlton Fisk to start the ninth, but then walked Walker and gave up a single to Martinez.

On came Harvey, whose first pitch was bounced back over the mound and through the middle by Guillen, scoring pinch-runner Daryl Boston.

A passed ball then put runners at second and third before Gallagher drew a walk, loading the bases. The threat ended when Lyons popped out to shortstop and Baines, one of the league’s best hitters, grounded into a force.

Angel Notes

Brian Downing scored career run No. 1,000 Thursday night in the Angels’ 8-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Also this season, Downing drew his 1,000th career walk. Downing was three for 25 before Steve Lyons took a hit away from him in the second inning. Chicago’s second baseman dove to stop Downing’s sharp grounder through the middle and, while still on his stomach, tossed the ball to shortstop Ozzie Guillen for a force at second base.

Jack Howell last hit a home run against a left-handed pitcher on April 15, when he connected against Dennis Powell of the Seattle Mariners . . . Angel starting pitchers have allowed three runs or fewer 67 times in 101 games . . . Sixteen of the Angels’ 39 losses have been absorbed during losing streaks of seven, five and four games. Otherwise, the Angels have lost consecutive games only five times this season.

HOWELL ON RIGHT TRACK

The Angels’ Jack Howell continues to feast on right-handed pitchers. Mike Reilly’s story, Page 9.