Abbott Gets a Head Start, Beats A’s, 4-2

Having been presented a lead, that rare and valuable gift, Jim Abbott wasn’t about to let it slip away.

The Angel left-hander kept the Oakland Athletics from spoiling his day--and from ruining a successful home stand--by getting Lance Blankenship to ground into a force play with the bases loaded in the second inning. Later, while savoring the 4-2 victory that represented his first triumph over the A’s in eight starts, Abbott cited that second-inning jam as the turning point in his triumphant day.

“That was a big inning, because the guys go out and score a run in the first inning, and it was big for me to get out of that inning with no runs,” Abbott (3-9) said after recording his second victory in his last 13 starts. “That gave the guys some confidence in me.”

Abbott struck out four over 7 2/3 innings, yielding to Joe Grahe after a two-run home run by Jose Canseco and a single by Mark McGwire in the eighth. Grahe retired all four batters he faced to earn his third save and help the Angels win a series from the A’s for the first time since Oct. 1-3, 1990, and the first at Anaheim Stadium since July 25-27, 1988.

“I can’t do much about what’s happened in the past, but I think the guys still have confidence when I go out there, and I feel part of this pitching staff,” added Abbott, who received a standing ovation from the crowd of 38,505 as he walked to the dugout in the eighth inning.

“I never really lost confidence in myself, but things that have happened over the past couple of weeks have been frustrating. I’ve seen things I’ve never seen happen in the world. You get down, do a lot of introspection, a lot of thinking. Maybe I started thinking too much.”

He didn’t have to think long when asked if he could get used to pitching with a 4-0 lead, the margin the Angels built against a shaky Mike Moore (7-6). “I’ll try,” said Abbott, for whom the Angels scored an average of 1.9 runs per game before Sunday.

“Beating Oakland was one of the goals I’ve set this year for myself. I believe they were the last team in the AL I had to beat, and I’m really happy I could do that. We had a damned good home stand against good caliber teams. Winning as many as we did was great. It could have gone the other way.”

The result has often gone the other way this season for Abbott, but on Sunday, the Angels played flawless defense and turned three double plays. They provided him a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Luis Polonia’s double and two ground outs, increased that to 2-0 in the fourth on a walk, an error and Gary Gaetti’s RBIsingle and added two more in the fifth on a wild pitch and Junior Felix’s sacrifice fly.

“I feel so good,” interim Manager John Wathan said after the Angels’ seventh victory in the nine-game home stand raised their home record to .500 (17-17) for the first time since they were 8-8 on May 13. “Not only for the home stand and the win today, but because Jim Abbott battled so hard for this. We did a lot of good things today . . . and Jim Abbott pitched much like he has in the past--but came out on top this time.”

“He pitched as good as he can pitch, and this isn’t one of his favorite clubs,” said Buck Rodgers, a visitor for the first time since the May 21 bus crash. “This was a great home stand.”

Angel Attendance

Sunday: 38,505

1992 (34 dates): 974,328

1991 (34 dates ):1,042,292

Decrease: 67,964

1992 average: 28,657