ANGELS : Harvey Got Harsh Lesson in ’90

Had he chosen to deceive himself, Angel reliever Bryan Harvey could have blamed last year’s shortened spring training for the wildness that plagued him early last season.

Instead, Harvey was honest enough to take responsibility for his failings and has resolved to avoid repeating them this season.

“You could say that the lockout hurt me, but regardless, I have to do my job,” he said. “I think this season is going to be better. Last season, I didn’t have Lach (pitching coach Marcel Lachemann) to work with, and it was all rush-rush once we got here. This year, I was in Anaheim throwing since January, and I’ll have more preparation.”

Nothing could have prepared him for the emotional extremes he experienced last season. He recorded a victory and a save in his first four outings, but his control abruptly deserted him. By May 24, he had issued 12 walks and allowed 10 earned runs in 23 innings, inflating his earned-run average to 3.91. While he struggled, Mark Eichhorn replaced him as the Angels’ closer. “There were some tough times,” Harvey said.

With help from Lachemann, Harvey’s performance improved dramatically. In 32 appearances from May 28 through Sept. 14, Harvey allowed four earned runs over 37 innings, reducing his ERA to 2.13. In that stretch he walked 17, struck out 51 and earned 19 saves, launching him to his second successive 25-save season. With his 66th career save on Sept. 24, he passed Dave LaRoche to become the Angels’ all-time save leader.

“I had a lot of ups and downs early, but I stayed pretty consistent after the first month and a half or two months,” said Harvey, who had a slight groin muscle pull Sunday but participated in every drill except the daily running.

“You’ve got to accept that you can’t do the job the way you want to do it every day. If you consistently throw strikes, you’ll get it done. . . . I learned that last season. This year, I’d like to be more consistent. So far, everything feels good.”

Angel Notes

John Orton will be the Angel backup catcher because of his defensive ability, which Manager Doug Rader deems “as good as they come.” Now Orton is trying to hone his offensive skills so they more nearly match his prowess behind the plate. “At the big league level I should be in the .260s, .270, with some RBIs,” said Orton, who has a .187 batting average and 10 RBIs to show for 47 games with the Angels over two seasons.

Rader, who is closely monitoring Bert Blyleven’s recovery from shoulder surgery, lauded Blyleven’s flexibility and strength Sunday. Blyleven also was pleased. “I’ve got to keep strengthening it,” he said. “There’s been no soreness, which is good.”

Infielder Kent Anderson, who was idled by a hamstring pull late last season, credited a running regimen devised by conditioning specialist Kevin McNair for getting him into condition. “I remember in the past being a lot more sore than this,” Anderson said. “The running has really helped.”