His Return Is a Ray of Hope for the Angels : Baseball: Johnny Ray, who was nursing a sore shoulder only two weeks ago, extends his hitting streak to nine games.

All Johnny Ray really wanted Friday afternoon was to grab a snack and some peace and quiet before the Angels’ game with the Milwaukee Brewers.

But Ray was in demand. A television station wanted the Angel second baseman to appear during its newscast. Live.

A newspaper reporter had been badgering him for a few moments of his time.

It’s that way when you’ve had a dramatic two-week turnaround the way Ray has. Score the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning one night, then drive it in the 11th the next, raise your average 41 points in two weeks and hit in nine consecutive games and people want to know how you’ve done it.

Two weeks ago, Ray’s shoulder hurt when he threw a ball. It was sore when he tried to swing a bat. A dull numbness had invaded Ray’s right shoulder and rendered him useless to the club.

Suffering from bursitis, Ray missed four consecutive games and his batting average bottomed out at .200.

“Bursitis, tendinitis . . . it all feels the same, it hurts,” Ray said. “It’s a sore numbness.”

Rest was the only cure. Ray lifted weights, which helped strengthen the muscles in his shoulder, and that also helped his recovery.

Gradually the pain has subsided, Ray has returned to the lineup and been rapping singles and doubles and playing steady defense at second base since.

A single in the first inning Friday at Anaheim Stadium extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

“It’s just been a matter of catching back up with his strength,” said Angel trainer Ted Bergert, who also has had to tend to injured infielders Kent Anderson, Jack Howell, Mark McLemore and Dick Schofield.

“I can’t (pinpoint) an exact day or hour, but it feels better,” Ray said.

Certainly psyche is in good shape. Since returning to the lineup on May 12, Ray’s confidence has soared. He came into the game with six RBIs in his last four games and nine in the last nine games.

On Thursday, he drove in the winning run in the 11th inning of the Angels’ 4-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. The night before, he scored the game-winner in a 5-4 win.

“The thing it boils down to is consistency,” Ray said.

And, as he pointed out, you can’t be consistent if you’re injured.

“It’s tough enough to play 162 games when you’re healthy,” he said.

Ray is feeling good these days, particularly when he comes to bat in crucial situations such as in Thursday’s game.

“Nobody’s going to be able to come through 100%, or even 90% or 80%, of the time, but you have to believe in your ability,” he said. “You can have all the talent in the world, but you have to believe you can do it in certain situations.”

For a change, Ray wasn’t the Angels’ hitting hero Friday. A two-run home run by Chili Davis in the third and solo homers by Dave Winfield and Lance Parrish provided the Angels’ offense.

Winfield’s homer, a high drive into the stands near the left-field foul pole, was the 361st of his career, tying him with Joe DiMaggio.