McDonald Bests Grahe at a Major Level : Angels: Two rival collegians take their games up a notch, the Orioles coming out a 6-2 winner.

The last time Joe Grahe opposed Ben McDonald, Grahe upheld the honor of the University of Miami against the highly touted McDonald and Louisiana State in the 1989 College World Series.

“I beat him that time,” Grahe said, “but I don’t think that makes much of a difference right now. That’s history. He got me this time.”

Grahe, who signed with the Angels in September, 1989--a month after McDonald signed with the Orioles--is learning things he was never taught in college. Grahe’s education as a major league pitcher is progressing nicely, but McDonald was the star pupil Friday when the Orioles defeated the Angels, 6-2, at Memorial Stadium.

McDonald (6-4) ended his four-game losing streak and stopped the Orioles’ six-game losing streak by striking out six and holding the Angels to two runs in eight innings. Only Brian Downing, who followed Lance Parrish’s walk with a 370-foot home run into the left-field bleachers in the seventh, could best the 6-foot-7, 212-pound rookie.

“He has a very fine arm,” Angel Manager Doug Rader said. “That’s probably the thousandth reiteration.”

But no less true for being repeated. McDonald got all three outs in the first inning on called strikes and faltered only in the seventh in winning for the first time since Aug. 13.

“I had a pretty good fastball in the early innings and I just stayed with it,” said McDonald, who became the first rookie since Fernando Valenzuela in 1981 to win his first five major league starts. “The guys really did the job offensively tonight and allowed me to make a mistake (to Downing) and get away with it.”

Downing’s home run tied the score, 2-2, but that lasted only until the bottom of the inning. Grahe (1-3) was relieved by Bob McClure after yielding a one-out double to Rene Gonzales, and Steve Finley got to McClure for a soft single to right. Gonzales hesitated and got only to third. Bill Ripken hit for Brady Anderson and lofted a fly to right, but first base umpire Tim McClelland called a balk on McClure, ruling McClure hadn’t made the required complete stop in his stretch. Gonzales scored the go-ahead run and Finley went to second.

Mike Fetters inherited a 2-and-0 count on Ripken, but Joe Orsulak batted for Ripken and worked out a walk that was charged to McClure. After Cal Ripken fouled out, Sam Horn hit an opposite-field homer to left for three runs.

The Angels protested McClelland’s balk call to no avail.

“I looked at the film, and if they’re going to call that a balk, the game is going to take six hours to play,” McClure said. “They’ve been playing baseball with these rules for 50, 60, 70 years, and now they want to change them? You do something illegal, fine. But you don’t call something like that in a 2-2 game in the seventh inning.”

Grahe, who lasted three innings last Saturday in losing to the White Sox, was vastly improved Friday because he got his breaking ball over for strikes. The Orioles’ first run was unearned, the result of an error by third baseman Jack Howell and a double by Horn in the fourth inning, and they produced another in the sixth on a single by Horn, a double by Mickey Tettleton and a ground out by Craig Worthington.

“You can’t play textbook baseball all the time and go with offspeed pitches when you’re ahead and fastballs when you’re behind. It doesn’t work that way. The hitters are too good here,” Grahe said. “Throwing changeups when I’m behind in the count is something I’ve got to learn to do at this level.”

Angel Notes

Any combination of Angel losses and Oakland victories equaling seven will eliminate the Angels from the pennant race and make the inevitable official.

Mark Langston, who left Thursday’s game because of a back strain, is likely to skip his workout today. However, trainer Ned Bergert said Langston should be ready for his next start, on Tuesday. “I’m going to get some gravity boots and hang upside down like a vampire and see if that helps,” Langston said.

Cliff Young was missing Friday, three days after he joined his wife in Texas for the birth of their child. He didn’t report to Baltimore and team officials haven’t heard from him. . . . Devon White left Friday’s game after 2 1/2 innings because he ripped his right contact lens. His spare was in his left eye. . . . Kent Anderson, who felt tightness in his right hamstring Thursday, is nearly able to play.

The back woes that kept Chili Davis out of his third consecutive game could limit him for the rest of the season. Davis’ back hasn’t been 100% in four years, but he didn’t blame it for his 1-for-25 slump.

“Basically, I have to try to get it better, finish out the year and stay on it all winter so I can come back next year pain-free,” said Davis, who may hit today. “If I can play and I’m not risking injury, I will. I don’t see the urgency if we’re not in a pennant race.”