Rangers Welcome Angels’ Valera, 3-2

He knew Texas’ Ruben Sierra and Juan Gonzalez from winter ball, but Julio Valera knew little else about what to expect in his Angel debut Wednesday.

“I just wanted to go six or seven innings and keep the team in the ballgame,” said Valera, who was acquired from the New York Mets on Sunday and patched into the rotation in place of the injured Chuck Finley. “I was a little bit scared, because it was my first game in the American League, but after my first inning, it was just another ballgame.”

It was a well-pitched ballgame, both by Valera, in his first major league start since Sept. 11, 1990, and by the Rangers’ Bobby Witt. Valera gave up three runs in seven innings, but Witt gave up only two runs, walked one and struck out eight to lead the Rangers past the Angels, 3-2, at Arlington Stadium.

Texas scored all of its runs in the third inning, bunching together three singles, a walk and a double by Jeff Huson.

“I was getting the ball up, and I was falling behind in the count,” Valera said. “After that, I just went back to the dugout, and the pitching coach (Marcel Lachemann) said I should get confidence in my pitches because tonight I had good stuff. He said I should just let it go, and that’s what I did the last four innings.”

He recorded half of his eight strikeouts in those last four innings and gave up only one hit, an infield single by Dickie Thon. Valera won praise from both managers.

“He pitched pretty good. He just had a little trouble in that third inning, and he just couldn’t get out of it,” Angel Manager Buck Rodgers said after his team’s four-game winning streak had ended. “Otherwise, he didn’t get into too much trouble.”

Said Texas’ Bobby Valentine of Valera: “I don’t know how many guys I’ve seen throw the ‘split’ as consistently well. He’s got great command with it.”

Witt’s command helped him record his first victory over the Angels at Arlington Stadium since Oct. 3, 1986, a span of four losses. To put his one-walk performance into perspective, only once in his previous 80 starts in which he lasted seven or more innings had he walked only one batter.

“He was throwing the ball pretty decent,” said Angel catcher Lance Parrish, whom Witt struck out twice. “He was just wild enough to keep everybody on their toes. I thought the umpire was giving him some high pitches early, but other than that, he was mixing his pitches well and making his pitches when he had to.”

Witt’s lone mistake was an 0-and-1 pitch to Lee Stevens, which the Angel first baseman slammed into the right-field stands in the fourth inning for his first home run of the season. The Angels prodded another run out of Witt in the fifth, on Bobby Rose’s infield hit, Rene Gonzales’ hit-and-run single to left and Gary DiSarcina’s sacrifice fly.

The inning might have been more productive but Luis Polonia--the only Angel to get a walk from Witt--was called out for running out of the basepath after he danced away from second baseman Huson’s half-hearted tag attempt on Junior Felix’s grounder. Huson then threw to first to complete a double play.

Rodgers didn’t consider Huson’s swipe to be a tag, an argument he unsuccessfully pressed with first base umpire John Shulock.

“You have to make an attempt to tag the guy. Huson just went up and threw to first,” said Rodgers, who has seen his team fall short by one run in four of its five defeats this season. “Huson didn’t do anything and Shulock called him out. It was obvious Luis went out of the baseline, but you have to make an attempt to tag the guy. . . . Some umpires will call it, some won’t.”

Rodgers wouldn’t make any promises about whether Valera would remain with the team when Chuck Finley (who has a sore big left toe) and Mark Langston (sore left hip) are fit to pitch. “I don’t know what our situation is,” he said. “Right now, it’s too early to even think about making decisions like that. Right now, we’ve got Langston still lame, and Finley won’t be ready until Oakland. I don’t want to get ahead of things.”

Valera believes he came out ahead in the trade that sent him to the Angels for shortstop Dick Schofield. He was pleased with his performance Wednesday, especially with holding Sierra and Gonzalez hitless.

“I was surprised that they traded me,” he said, “but I’m happy because it seems like these guys are going to give me a chance I never had in New York. I’m just going to go out and do my best.”