Blyleven Puts Smiles Back on Angels, 7-0

When they’re feeling a little low and things just don’t seem to be going their way, the Angels see Bert Blyleven’s name on the lineup card and they put on a happy face.

Blyleven might be baseball’s premier prankster, but he not only specializes in hotfoots, he also has this thing about shutting down hot teams. So, while the Angels may laugh at his practical jokes all week, every fifth game they’re usually smiling for a different reason.

The veteran right-hander is the Angels’ No. 1 losing-streak stopper. When they lost seven in a row in mid-June, he beat the Tigers, 9-4, in Detroit. When they suffered five consecutive defeats in mid-July, he pitched a complete-game, five-hitter for a 1-0 victory in Toronto.

And he’s still riding high in August.

Wednesday night in the Kingdome, Blyleven was up to his old tricks, putting the brakes on a three-game Angel skid and the whammy on the Seattle Mariners for a 7-0 Angel victory in front of 11,460.

It was Blyleven’s 58th career shutout, tying him with Don Sutton for eighth on the all-time list.

“The guy is too much,” Angel Manager Doug Rader said. “He can do remarkable things for a ballclub. I don’t think godsend is too strong a word, when you consider his production both on and off the field.

“He’s a joy to be around. He has a tremendous sense of humor, but he also has been terrific on the field, and that’s vitally important to make it all wash.”

Blyleven also whitewashed the Mariners the last time he faced them, coming out of the Kingdome with a 10-0 victory April 16.

This time, he gave up only six hits while recording six strikeouts and improved to 11-2. He also lowered his earned-run average to 2.31, second best in the American League, and boosted his league-leading winning percentage to .846.

While Blyleven was taking care of the Mariner batters, the Angel hitters went back to their favorite weapon--the home run--to take care of three pitchers.

Designated hitter Tony Armas, filling in for slumping Brian Downing, and catcher Bill Schroeder, replacing Lance Parrish, added their names to the Angel long-ball list. And Jack Howell, who leads the team in homers, hit his 17th of the year.

But this was Blyleven’s night to shine. He has six no-decisions in his last 11 starts and could “very easily have 15 or 16 wins without even stretching it,” according to Rader.

“It was an important game,” Blyleven said, “and you do dig a little deeper, go a little harder in a game like this. But it shouldn’t be pressure, it should be fun.

“And when you get seven runs and some big double plays like we did tonight, that makes it fun.”

Twice, the Angels turned double plays to clear the bases before the Mariners’ hot-hitting first baseman, Alvin Davis, came to the plate. But Blyleven never gave up more than one hit in an inning and Seattle managed to push get only one runner as far as third base. Mike Kingery got to third with one out in the ninth, but Blyleven struck out Jim Presley and pinch-hitter Dave Cochrane to end the game.

“I wanted the shutout there,” Blyleven said. “I just tried to pitch Presley a little differently than I had in his first three at-bats.”

The Angels got two unearned runs off starter Jerry Reed in the second inning. Wally Joyner started the inning with a sharp ground ball to first that took a wicked bounce off the edge of the turf around the bag. The ball deflected off Davis’ glove and was ruled an error.

Armas followed with a double that skipped past third and ended up in foul territory down the left-field line, Joyner scoring from first. Chili Davis slapped a line-drive single to right, moving Armas to third. Armas scored to give the Angels a 2-0 lead when Schroeder hit into a double play.

Armas made the score 3-0 in the fourth with his eighth homer of the season, a line drive that landed well beyond the fence in center field.

The Angels blew it open in the seventh when the first four batters ended up crossing it in a hurry. Armas doubled, Davis beat out a grounder to third and Schroeder pounded a drive deep into the second deck in right. Howell also went to the opposite field, belting a home run to left.

Blyleven did the rest.

“Anything nice you want to write about Bert Blyleven is fine with me,” Rader said. “Just put my name next to it because it applies.”

Blyleven wanted to make sure Rader got some of the credit for holding a short, informal pregame meeting during which he told his players to relax, have fun and just play the game. It’s a philosophy the 38-year-old Blyleven has thrived on during his 20 years in the majors.

“I look at baseball as fun,” he said, “and I’m fortunate to be playing it. Despite what Hank Aaron says, there are people who still love this game. I love this game.”

Obviously deciding that was far too serious a note to end an interview with, Blyleven quickly added:

“Actually, I’m playing this game because I couldn’t be a brain surgeon. I would have loved doing brain surgery, too, but I didn’t finish high school.”

Angel Notes

Designated hitter Brian Downing, who has four hits in his last 40 at-bats, got Wednesday night off after a pregame talk with Manager Doug Rader. “He wants to work on his stroke,” Rader said. “He’s all out of whack and the best thing to do is keep him out and let him clear his mind. He came in, we talked and both decided the best thing is to back off and let him clear his mind.” Rader said that Downing has been trying to make adjustments during games and that it’s better to take extra batting practice, attempt to isolate the problem and then work on it. “Sometimes, you feel like you’re in a whirlpool that keeps pulling you down and down,” Rader said. “You just can’t go up there trying to make 15 adjustments and have any success.” . . . Catcher Lance Parrish, who slightly hyper-extended his left knee Monday night and aggravated the injury Tuesday night, also got a rest Wednesday. Trainer Ned Bergert said Parrish was be available if needed.

Center fielder Devon White, who had seven home runs by May 25, has hit only two since and has not hit a homer since June 24. “He’s been pressing, like Wally (Joyner) was earlier,” hitting instructor Deron Johnson said. “He just needs to get back in the groove where he’s hitting the ball in the air instead of hitting the hard ground ball.” Johnson says that it’s important to remember that White is still somewhat of a raw talent. “He’s got so much ability, you just figure he should do so much,” he said, “but he’s still learning.” One thing the free-swinging White clearly needs to learn is the strike zone. “He has to get more disciplined up there,” Johnson said. “He has at-bats where he never swings at a strike. The pitcher doesn’t get him out as much as he gets himself out.”

Joyner and Parrish were the Angels’ hottest hitters last month. Joyner hit .333 with five home runs, 25 runs batted in and scored 18 runs. Parrish hit .325 with six homers, 16 RBIs and 14 runs. The Angels’ top two relievers were considerably less successful in July. Bryan Harvey was 2-2 with five saves and a 3.64 earned-run average. He struck out 12, but gave up eight walks and four home runs in 12 1/3 innings. Greg Minton had one save, and a 5.68 ERA. He struck out four, walked five and gave up 12 hits and eight earned runs in 12 2/3 innings.

SHUTOUT LEADERS MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL’S ALL-TIME SHUTOUT LEADERS:

1 Walter Johnson 110 2 Grover Alexander 90 3 Christy Mathewson 80 4 Cy Young 76 5 Eddie Plank 69 6 Warren Spahn 63 7 Tom Seaver 61 8 Don Sutton 58 8 *Bert Blyleven 58 10 Mordecai Brown 57

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