Angels Get Message, Hold Off Red Sox

With the Angels free-falling through another September, having lost seven of their last eight games in decidedly uninspired fashion, Manager Doug Rader decided to take matters into his own hands Friday evening and grabbed a bat.

With it, Rader conducted a team meeting on the outfield grass at Anaheim Stadium, brandishing the bat every now and then to make sure certain points got across.

“It was basically like the other meetings Doug has had this year,” pitcher Chuck Finley said. “Only he was a little bit more into this one.”

As for the game that followed, well, the Angels were a little bit more into this one, too. Two big hits by Claudell Washington, six strong innings by Bert Blyleven and some pressurized relief pitching by Bryan Harvey gave the Angels a 2-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox before a crowd of 32,408.

Consequently, the Angels were able to gain ground in the American League West standings for the first time since Aug. 31. With Oakland’s 5-1 loss to the New York Yankees, the third-place Angels now trail the first-place Athletics by five games and the second-place Kansas City Royals by 1 1/2.

Some of Friday’s events had been foreshadowed. Washington was hitting .351 with two home runs and five RBIs against Boston this season--a trend he continued in his first two at-bats against Red Sox starter Mike Boddicker (12-10).

Washington doubled and scored the Angels’ first run in the first inning, coming home on a single by Chili Davis. And in the third inning, Washington delivered the game’s decisive blow, a bases-empty home run into the right-field seats.

Those two hits comprised exactly half of the Angel offense--Davis and Johnny Ray had the other two hits--but for once, the Angels were able to do a lot with a little.

Blyleven ended a personal two-game losing streak and became a 15-game winner for the 10th time in his career by shutting out the Red Sox for five innings and limiting them to one run on five hits through six.

Then, Blyleven (15-4) turned proceedings over to the Angel bullpen, Greg Minton followed by Harvey. Minton worked a perfect seventh inning, and Harvey replaced him with one out and a runner on base in the eighth.

Harvey closed out that threat but found himself facing another when his shortstop, Kent Anderson, and his left fielder, Max Venable, opened the top of the ninth by colliding on a pop fly by Danny Heep. Backpedaling on the ball, Anderson was blind-sided by Venable, and the impact jarred the baseball free from Anderson’s grasp for an error.

Two outs later, Luis Rivera, pinch-running for Heep, was on second base, following Sam Horn’s pinch-single. And at the plate was Wade Boggs, the American League’s second-leading hitter.

Harvey worked the count to 1 and 2 and then crossed up Boggs on a check swing, sending the ball dribbling in front of the mound. It was as harmless a swing as Boggs takes, and Harvey pounced upon the ball.

His throw to first base wasn’t great, skipping in the dirt, but Wally Joyner made the scoop, and the Angels finally had September victory No. 2.

“If we have to have someone catch that last one,” Rader said with a sigh, “I’m glad it was Wally.”

Joyner’s catch enabled the Angels to win for only the sixth time in their last 19 games. It also enabled Harvey to become the Angels’ first reliever to save 20 games in a season since Donnie Moore saved 21 in 1986.

The team’s course has yet to be completely corrected, but for one evening, the Angels’ actions counted as loudly as Rader’s words.

Rader’s address, in the view of more than one witness, was a formidable call to arms.

The theme, punctuated by polished ash, was: Don’t ruin five good months with one last, lousy one.

“Doug wanted us to think about how we’ve played most of the year and then how we’ve addressed the games the last few days,” Finley said. “He said the overall play of the team hasn’t been good, and ‘It’s up to you guys to kick yourselves in the butt. Don’t let everything we’ve worked for go down the drain because of one bad road trip. Keep hustling.’ ”

Finley said Rader then opened the meeting up for player comment.

There were none.

“When Doug has the floor,” Finley said with a smile, “he has the floor.”

Signs of life were subsequently spotted in the Angel outfield--Tony Armas and Venable both made fine running catches--but nothing helps a slumping team as much as nine innings of one-run pitching.

Blyleven had a no-hitter through 4 2/3 innings, retiring 14 of the first 15 he faced. The only blemish was a first-inning walk to Nick Esasky.

He started to waver in the fifth and sixth innings, leaving the bases loaded in the fifth before yielding three hits, a walk and a run in the sixth. Heep’s two-out single accounted for the run, scoring Mike Greenwell from second base.

“It was really a battle for Bert because his breaking pitch was inconsistent,” Rader said. “But he perservered and made something out of nothing.”

And that, with a twist, remains the Angels’ objective the rest of the way. Why let another September slip away and make nothing out of something?

Angel Notes

Every game he sits out--Friday was his third straight--Angel catcher Lance Parrish is reminded of Glenn Braggs, the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder who plowed into Parrish at the plate on Aug. 5. Parrish limped away with two separated ribs and a bruised left knee that continues to hurt. Fearing a cartilage tear, the Angels had Parrish’s knee X-rayed Thursday and a bone bruise was revealed. Parrish received a cortisone injection that could sideline him through the remainder of this series.