Blyleven, Keough Pitch Off the Cuff : Angels: Both are rehabilitating from shoulder surgery and hope to make the major-league roster this season.

Bert Blyleven will be 41 by opening day, and Matt Keough is 36. Both are in the Angels’ training camp, less than a year after undergoing rotator-cuff surgery.

Keough squinted into the morning sun as he thought about it.

“The miracles of spring,” he said.

Keough was invited to the Angels’ camp last spring as a nonroster player after spending four seasons in Japan. But his arm bothered him during spring training, and he had the surgery last April. Manager Buck Rodgers has watched him throw twice this spring and is pleased enough to say that Keough might eventually work his way into the competition for the starting rotation.

Blyleven is another case. His operation last April was the second such surgery in a year, after a more conservative attempt to repair his rotator cuff in October, 1990, didn’t work. His road back is longer, and his age is against him. But he is 21 victories from 300, and he is going to try.

On Monday, Blyleven threw live batting practice against professional players for the first time since his second surgery. Mick Billmeyer, a minor league catcher, stood in the cage and walloped the ball, hard and far.

“Play deep! Get back!” Blyleven screamed at his shaggers in mock disgust. “Let’s go!”

Chuck Finley, one of the shaggers, yelled back. “Geez,” he said. “We’re running out of balls.”

Blyleven is prohibited from playing for the Angels in the major leagues before May 1 because the club bought out his contract last fall. The issue is moot, though, because even if Blyleven makes it back, Rodgers says he couldn’t be ready until midsummer.

“Bert is rehabilitating,” Rodgers said. “He’ll work out and do his throwing. Then we’ll offer him a minor league spot and he’ll make the decision at that time as to where he thinks he is.

“We’ll offer him a job to continue to build toward 100%. Then if he thinks he can do it, he’ll probably accept it. If he doesn’t, he’ll probably call it quits. Bert isn’t going to embarrass himself. He’s told me he’s not. But if anybody can rehabilitate, Bert can.”

His spring appearances will probably be in B games.

“If they had a C game, maybe I’d pitch in the C game,” Blyleven said. “Maybe junior college. I saw Mesa High is getting going, maybe there. Maybe Little League.”

Keough, who is 58-84 in seven years in the majors, mostly with Oakland, was in spring training with the Angels last year when his arm started bothering him. He talked to pitching coach Marcel Lachemann about it.

“I said ‘I don’t know what it is. My arm doesn’t hurt. It’s just dead.’ ”

Four or five days later, he pitched in an intrasquad game.

“That night, I was trying to sleep and it started hurting bad,” Keough said. “I came to talk to (trainer Ned Bergert.) There’s something about tearing your rotator cuff that you tend to have night pain. As soon as I told him that, I could see the look on his face was like, uh-oh.”

This is not Keough’s first trouble with his rotator cuff. He had an arthroscopic procedure in 1985.

“The only difference is this is a longer rehab,” he said.

His goal now is to push his arm, and build strength. Rodgers watched Keough the first day he threw, and had him make adjustments to let his legs do more work and take the strain off his arm.

Rodgers says he’s confident about one thing. There won’t be any pressure in the decision-making on these cases. They are going to make themselves.

“(Keough) has worked hard to be back. I don’t think he’s going to try and fool anybody, especially himself,” Rodgers said. “If he’s not satisfied with his progress and his ability to be successful, I imagine he’ll go ahead and do something else.”

Keough agreed.

“I’ve been through this before. I’m not afraid,” he said. “If my arm holds up, well, fine. If it doesn’t, I’ve given it my best shot. I’m not going to second-guess myself.”