BASEBALL : Willis Warms to the Idea of Putting Out the Fires

Travis Willis has difficulty seeing himself as a closer for a major league pitching staff because he lacks a 90 m.p.h. fastball or another dominant pitch.

But after being switched from a starter to a reliever about three-fourths of the way through last season, Willis has been effective out of the bullpen this season for Winston-Salem, the Chicago Cubs’ affiliate in the Class-A Carolina League.

Willis, a 22-year-old right-hander who played at Camarillo High and Cal, is 5-3 with a 3.92 earned-run average and a team-record 25 saves.

Willis was 10-11 with a 3.26 ERA in 22 starts and had six complete games last season at Peoria (Ill.) in the Class-A Midwest League when he was called into the manager’s office a few days after throwing a 1-0 shutout.

“I was doing so well at the time, I didn’t understand why they were making the move,” Willis said of his move to the bullpen. “I don’t think I got an out the first three times I pitched in relief.

“They sat me down and said, ‘We’re not doing this to demote you, we need to see what you can do in terms of the future.’ ”

Willis, 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, said it took time to adjust mentally to his new role. Willis’ effectiveness as a starter was due in large part to his ability to spot hitters’ weaknesses and exploit them as the game wore on. As a reliever, he faces most batters only once.

“At the beginning of this year, I was trying to make the perfect pitch every time,” Willis said. “But then I talked with (teammate and former Westlake High standout) Matt Franco. He said, ‘Look at the hitters like you’re in the game, and then when you come in, you’ll know what they can’t hit.’

“Since then, I’ve done great.”

On the rise: Former Saugus High pitcher Roger Salkeld, the third pick overall in the 1989 amateur draft, has made two impressive starts since his promotion to Calgary, the Seattle Mariners’ affiliate in the triple-A Pacific Coast League.

Salkeld, 20, made his first start Aug. 16 against Edmonton. He allowed three runs and five hits, walked one and struck out eight in 7 1/3 innings but did not figure in the decision.

Earlier this week, Salkeld earned a victory against Edmonton, allowing one unearned run and three hits and striking out seven in five innings.

“Both times I’ve pitched I felt like I’ve done all right,” said Salkeld, the youngest to ever play for Calgary. “Basically, it’s just facing guys that are better all-around players.

“I just try and go out and learn something new every day and keep putting forth everything I’ve learned when I go out on the mound.”

Return to form: Veteran knuckleballer Rick Odekirk, who is attempting a comeback from arm surgery after playing in triple A in 1989, was named pitcher of the week in the Class-A California League last week.

Odekirk, 31, gave up three hits in Reno’s 1-0 victory over High Desert. The win improved the former Glendale College left-hander’s record to 3-12.

Over his past six starts, covering 40 innings, Odekirk is 2-2 with a 1.80 ERA.

Missed opportunity: Just as the senior national team finished third in the recent Pan American Games in Cuba, the United States took the bronze medal in the World Junior championships earlier this month in Canada.

The U.S. team was handicapped somewhat by the unavailability of outfielder Jacob Cruz, who recently graduated from Channel Islands High, and second baseman Michael Metcalfe of Orlando, Fla., both of whom were sent home for violating team rules. The two players were slated to bat first and second in the U.S. lineup.

Recommended reading: Warren Cromartie recently hit a home run for the Kansas City Royals, thus setting a major league record for the longest period between home runs.

Cromartie played eight years in the major leagues before he became a free agent in 1984 and was signed by the Tokyo Giants.

“Slugging It Out in Japan: An American in the Tokyo Outfield,” (Kodamsha International, $19.95) is Cromartie’s account of his seven years in Japan.

The book is written in collaboration with Robert Whiting, who authored the highly acclaimed “The Chrysanthemum and the Bat,” and “You Gotta Have Wa,” both of which deal with Japanese baseball.

Cromartie flirted with .400 one season, turned Japanese etiquette upside-down when he slugged an opposing pitcher and also played for and became close friends with his manager, Japanese home run king Sadaharu Oh.

Cromartie’s book details all of those experiences along with his life off the field and provides a telling glimpse of a talented player and Japanese baseball.