Angels’ 4-1 Victory Is Overshadowed : Baseball: Wathan leaves for Iowa to be by father’s bedside after he suffers brain hemorrhage. Valera beats Brewers.

The Angels’ enjoyment of Julio Valera’s three-hit performance in their 4-1 victory over the Brewers Monday was dimmed by another sad note in a season already marred by two serious accidents and the death of bench coach Deron Johnson.

Interim manager John Wathan, who has filled Buck Rodgers’ role since Rodgers suffered multiple injuries in the team’s May 21 bus accident, learned before Monday’s game that his 80-year-old father, Jim, had suffered a brain hemorrhage and collapsed at home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Jim Wathan, who was found by a neighbor, was in intensive care Monday night at a Cedar Rapids hospital and was listed in critical condition.

Wathan left Anaheim Stadium for his father’s bedside immediately after the game, leaving pitching coach Marcel Lachemann in charge of the team.

“It’s just one more item,” Lachemann said of Wathan’s misfortune, adding that to the bus accident, Johnson’s death from lung cancer and the life-saving brain surgery pitcher Matt Keough required in March after being struck in the head by a foul ball.

Rodgers, still dependent on a cane because of a broken kneecap and still undergoing therapy on his smashed right elbow, said he wasn’t ready to reassume his job during Wathan’s absence. Rodgers has set Aug. 28 for his return.

“Right now they have a better idea of what’s going on than I do,” Rodgers said of Lachemann and the other coaches. “If I come in for a day or two days with us going on the road, it makes no sense. Right now I trust them more than I trust myself.”

Valera (6-9) pitched a personal-best three hitter and spared Wathan the risk of going to his exhausted bullpen. Luis Polonia and Luis Sojo took care of the offense, as Polonia stole two bases to take the American League lead with 40 and scored twice, each time after Sojo singled against Bill Wegman (10-9).

Polonia and Sojo made it easier for Wathan to concentrate on the task at hand.

“John’s an amazing guy. He was into the ballgame,” Lachemann said. “He was watching the clock, because he knew he had to catch a plane, but he’s got an amazing attitude and sense of humor.”

Valera, who got his first complete game since June 20 and only his second victory in his last 10 starts, said he didn’t know of Wathan’s crisis until after the game. He only knew he had to go as long as he could, because Wathan had used every reliever during Sunday’s 14-inning, 12-8 loss to the White Sox.

“It was on my mind that I had to go seven at least,” said Valera, who yielded Milwaukee’s only run during the sixth on a double by Scott Fletcher, a single by Pat Listach and Darryl Hamilton’s double-play grounder. “Everybody needed this win tonight because (Sunday) we played a 14-inning game and lost. We needed it bad and I needed this game bad because it was a month since I got a win.”

Valera, who had struggled in his previous nine starts, compiling a 5.14 earned-run average, struck out three and walked one.

“He pitched very well tonight,” Lachemann said. “He’s pitched some pretty good ballgames and gotten no-decisions. . . . Obviously, this was a big boost for us to get a complete game and a well-pitched game against that club. They’re second in the league in hitting, second in the league in pitching and they’re in the race.”

During the fifth, Polonia’s opposite-field double to left and steal of third put him in position to score the Angels’ second run on Sojo’s single to center, and Sojo went to third when Junior Felix doubled to right. Wegman hit Gary Gaetti on the left arm to load the bases, and Sojo scored on Von Hayes’ double-play grounder. Rene Gonzales scored Felix with the fourth run on a double to left.

“Our offense was taking a breather tonight,” Brewer Manager Phil Garner said.

Polonia had his 10th multiple-steal game.

“(Listach, who has 39 stolen bases) got me going. He steals one, I steal one. He stole two, I stole two,” Polonia said. “This was something really good for the team today, after the sad story (Sunday) when we played 5 1/2 hours and didn’t win the ballgame.

“It’s been a really bad year for us, not just one the field but away from the field. We’ve gone through so much. It wasn’t to be the year for the California Angels, I guess. We have to hope nothing else bad happens and soon it will be over and we can head into ’93.”