Drought Finally Over for Abbott

Jim Abbott has never doubted himself, so perhaps he can’t comprehend why others would doubt him. And as long as Abbott’s faith doesn’t waver, pitching coach Marcel Lachemann will believe in the young left-hander as strongly as Abbott believes in himself.

While Abbott considered recent talk that he might profit from a visit to the minor leagues to be “frustrating,” Lachemann considered it insulting.

Abbott’s 5 2/3-inning performance in the Angels’ 6-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles Sunday might not silence his critics, but Lachemann’s emotional defense of Abbott should answer any questions about the Angels’ esteem for Abbott.

“I told him, ‘I’ll sink or swim with you,’ ” Lachemann said after Abbott ended an eight-game winless streak that stretched to last Sept. 10. “It may cost me my job, but they’d have to send us both out.

“It bothers me more than it bothers him. People don’t know the work he does, the things he does.”

The crowd of 41,103 at Anaheim Stadium saw Abbott fall behind, 3-0, after 3 1/2 innings before he was carried to victory by a six-run outburst in the fourth, the Angels’ biggest inning of the season.

Only four times in his 33 starts last season did the Angels score six runs for Abbott while he was in the game.

Although admittedly relieved to get his first victory of the season, Abbott (1-4) was realistic enough to know the offensive support had much to do with the favorable outcome.

“If we score six runs every game, that’ll turn it around,” said Abbott, who was 0-6 with two no-decisions since his last victory, over Minnesota. “Today was my worst game of the year, to be honest. I was struggling all day.”

His curveball broke no better, his fastball was no faster and he experienced some of the same problems he had in his previous starts in issuing three walks and giving up eight hits. The difference was he had especially strong backing from left fielder Luis Polonia.

Not only did Polonia hit a two-run triple in the fourth, he placed his lucky voodoo doll, Joe Vu, in Abbott’s locker Saturday night.

“I may steal it before my next start,” Abbott joked.

Gary Gaetti, whose three-run home run in the fourth off Baltimore left-hander Jeff Ballard (2-3) tied the score, contended the Angels let Abbott down by not supporting him strongly in his previous starts.

There were no such lapses Sunday: The six-run fourth gave Abbott the license “not to have to be so fine,” and the defense and bullpen took care of the rest.

Gaetti made a fine play in the eighth on a liner by Chris Hoiles and the bullpen contributed 3 1/3 shutout innings to balance the Angels’ record at 12-12 and move them within three games of division-leading Oakland.

Mark Eichhorn, who has found success in a setup role, pitched 2 1/3 hitless innings and Bryan Harvey finished with his sixth save in as many opportunities.

“I’d still like to be able to get (Abbott) a lead where he can relax,” Gaetti said. “He battles hard. We haven’t really played that great behind him, either. He’s a good pitcher and he’s going to win his share if we support him.

“He worked real hard today, real hard. And he made some great plays himself.”

Gaetti, hitting cleanup against a left-hander as he did so often with Minnesota, hit a first-pitch fastball from Ballard 406 feet to center for his third homer of the season.

“I’ll take it,” Gaetti decided.

Abbott took Sunday’s victory gladly.

“It was a big relief,” he said. “It gets a pretty heavy monkey off my back. It weighed on me. It was a long week (since his previous start). Everybody gave me difference pieces of advice. . . . You just have to fall back on yourself and throw the ball over the plate and let things fall where they may.”

He didn’t mind leaving for Eichhorn in the sixth inning, but Abbott doesn’t intend to leave for triple-A Edmonton.

“It kind of gets to you a little bit. I know I’ve thrown some awful good ballgames this year and the results haven’t been there,” he said. “It’s frustrating to hear people talk like that (that he should be sent to the minors), but the people who know the most had faith in me.

“I don’t see any benefit in (going to the minors) at all. I feel in my heart I’m a quality pitcher in this league. I don’t have the best stats in the world. The stats seem to go against me in a lot of instances but I don’t think I’m as bad as the stats read.”

ANGEL ATTENDANCE: Sunday 41,103

1991 (15 dates) 437,993

1990 (15 dates) 481,065

Decrease 43,072

1991 Average 29,200