BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Darling Happy to Be in Oakland

Pitcher Ron Darling, who was acquired by Oakland for two low-level minor leaguers after the Angels passed up a chance to get him from the Mets and Montreal, is happy he finally landed with the A’s after being squeezed out of the Mets’ starting rotation.

Darling pitched seven shutout innings Monday against Seattle in his Oakland debut. He will start against the Angels tonight.

Darling had heard he was bound for any of a half-dozen teams, including the Angels. “When they called me on Wednesday night (July 31), the trading deadline, I had no idea where I’d be going. It could have been anywhere,” he said. “It was, ‘Ron, you’re traded to . . . ‘ That’s when I knew,” he said.

For infielder Chris Cron, recalled Wednesday from triple-A Edmonton, merely being in an Angel uniform was a dream come true. He was summoned to back up first baseman Wally Joyner and give Dave Parker a rest against left-handers.

“I’d drive by here--I used to work (at a golf and tennis club) right down the street--and say, ‘Someday, I want to play there,’ ” said Cron, who attended El Dorado High and Rancho Santiago College. “I don’t expect to play a great deal. I’m here to get experience and see what it’s all about.”

Determined to milk his first visit to the majors for all it’s worth, Cron represented the Angels in a pregame cow milking contest in the annual Dairy Night festivities. Cron and A’s coach Rene Lachemann each coaxed four pounds of milk out of their cows.

Left-hander Floyd Bannister is working out with the Angels between starts for Class-A Palm Springs. . . . Athletics’ left fielder Rickey Henderson left Friday’s game after 3 1/2 innings because of a sore left elbow. The injury incurred when he was hit by a pitch Monday against Seattle. He was replaced by Willie Wilson. . . . Angel catcher Lance Parrish extended his strikeout streak to 16 consecutive games. . . . Luis Polonia’s inside-the-park home run Friday produced his first RBI at home since July 4.