ANGELS : Gene Nelson’s Arm Comes Back to Life

Gene Nelson sat home all winter wondering whether the phone would ring. He knew he was coming off two lousy seasons, but was this really the end of his baseball career?

“Everything was going through my mind,” Nelson, 32, said. “I didn’t know what was going to happen, or even whether I could be successful again.

“The last two years (4-6, 6.64 earned-run average) were pretty bad. I didn’t have any feeling in my arm. It felt like it was dead.”

It’s still early, but after two outings Nelson has emerged as the most pleasant surprise on the Angel pitching staff.

Nelson, bidding for one of the openings in the Angel bullpen, pitched two perfect innings Wednesday in the Angels’ 3-2 defeat to the Chicago Cubs. He has yet to give up a run in four innings, yielding a .133 batting average.

“I can’t believe how good I feel right now,” said Nelson, who was a setup man for Dennis Eckersley at Oakland. “I finally feel like I’m throwing the ball again. I have a fastball.

“The last two years, I was just throwing the ball down the middle and hoping something good would happen. You can’t pitch in the major leagues that way.”

Nelson certainly proved his point. He was 3-1 with a 6.45 earned-run average when he was released Aug. 17 by the Athletics.

“I went home and started lifting some light weights,” Nelson said. “Then, over the winter, I picked up a football and threw it around. I couldn’t believe how good my arm felt.

“I’m still not quite sure what happened, but, hey, I’ll take it.”

Angel outfielder Jerome Walton, still bitter about his release from the Chicago Cubs, faced his former teammates for the first time Wednesday.

“I want to prove them wrong,” Walton said, “that they made a mistake letting me go. I want to show them I can still play in the big leagues.

“They didn’t do me right. It was like they hoped I would fail.”

Walton was hitless in his only at-bat, but he continues to draw rave reviews from Angel Manager Buck Rodgers.

“So far, I think everybody in camp has been impressed with him,” Rodgers said. “He’s got to do everything well to make this club, but he’s shown he’s capable of doing that.”

If the Angel coaching staff was to pick the biggest surprise of the early spring, third baseman Gary Gaetti would be it. He’s batting .333 this spring with three runs batted in and has consistently hit the ball hard.

“I’ve been impressed with what he’s brought back this spring,” Rodgers said. “He’s quick in the field again and not shying away from the ball. He’s definitely upgraded his status.”

Rodgers on utility infielder Torey Lovullo, who is trying to make the big leagues out of spring-training camp for the first time since 1989: “Water sinks to its own level, even in a mudhole. I hope his level is utility and not triple-A.”

Second baseman Damion Easley was examined Wednesday and still has tenderness in his shins. He’s expected to be examined this weekend by Dr. Lewis Yocum and probably will not begin playing until Sunday, at the earliest. . . . Rodgers was irritated at his team’s baserunning in Wednesday’s game. Chad Curtis and Luis Polonia were doubled up at first base on fly balls hit to right field, and Rene Gonzales was thrown out trying to steal third with one out. . . . Cub non-roster outfielder Don Wade drove in the game-winning run in the ninth inning with a single off Chuck Crim, who continues to struggle. Crim has yielded eight hits in 3 2/3 innings with a 9.19 ERA.