Langston’s Win Starts a New Era

Early-season statistics can exaggerate both success and failure. But no matter how you looked at it, Angel pitcher Mark Langston didn’t look right with an 8.44 earned-run average in the first week of May.

Langston’s four-hit performance in eight-plus innings Wednesday night against the New York Yankees in a 3-2 victory before 23,079 at Anaheim Stadium suggested solidly that the Angels’ pitching staff is on the mend.

Langston is making progress toward putting his statistics more in line with his prowess. His ERA is coming down, and now stands at 6.75.

Granted, much of the damage was done when he gave up seven runs in three innings in the first game of the season. And granted, because he was slowed by hip and groin injuries, there had been only three subsequent starts to make up for that outing before Wednesday’s game.

“He was super tonight. He just cruised,” Angel Manager Buck Rodgers said.

Through the first eight innings, Langston gave up only two hits, and the Angels held a three-run lead. But that lead became perilously thin in the ninth, when the Yankees scored two runs and had the tying run on first when Bryan Harvey ended the game by getting Mel Hall on a pop foul to third for his ninth save.

Through the first seven innings, Langston (3-1) held the Yankees to one hit, Jesse Barfield’s second-inning single to left. Otherwise, Langston retired them mostly on ground balls, pop flies and his six strikeouts.

Jim Leyritz led off the eighth with a single to right. Barfield flied out for the first out, and then first baseman Lee Stevens ended the uprising with a leaping stab of Mike Stanley’s sharp liner, doubling up Leyritz to end the inning.

Langston glanced skyward after the play, and tapped Stevens with his glove in thanks.

“That picked me up, big,” Langston said. “I was starting to get a little tired.”

Langston came back out for the ninth, but Charlie Hayes led off with an infield single. The Yankees broke through for their first run when rookie Dave Silvestri tripled to deep right-center.

Harvey came in, and shortstop Gary DiSarcina made a diving catch of pinch-hitter Kevin Maas’ line drive for the first out. Don Mattingly’s groundout allowed Silvestri to score from third, and Roberto Kelly singled before the game ended on Hall’s foul pop.

Before it was over, Rodgers was thinking about the eighth inning, when the Angels left Von Hayes standing on third after he led off with a double.

“I thought that runner we left in the eighth inning was going to come back and haunt us,” Rodgers said.

The Angels finished with 10 hits, but only the three runs to show for them. The victory was only their third in 11 one-run games this season.

“We needed good pitching tonight, because our offense was a little bogged down,” Rodgers said.

The Yankee starter, Melido Perez, who is 2-3 despite a 2.74 ERA, retired the first seven batters in order. But the Angels struck with one out in the third.

Rene Gonzales lined a single past diving Yankee shortstop Silvestri. DiSarcina then lofted a fly ball that fell in shallowest right-center. Barfield fielded it and gunned for Gonzales at third. The throw was five feet ahead of the runner, but third baseman Hayes was off the bag and Gonzales appeared to beat the tag. Gonzales also slid a little past the bag, but third-base umpire Ken Kaiser ruled him safe despite a Yankee argument.

Luis Polonia’s bouncer up the middle went off Silvestri’s glove and into the outfield, scoring both runners with a single.

The Angels added what turned out to be the deciding run in the seventh, when DiSarcina’s two-out single drove in Gary Gaetti, who had doubled.

Langston says he has turned the corner in what has been a spring of fits and starts, particularly for him and Chuck Finley.

Rodgers, too, is looking forward to a staff at full strength.

“When we get a couple more starts for Finley, he’ll be caught up,” Rodgers said. “I think Mark’s back.”