Reliever Valera Becomes a Reluctant Angel Hero, 7-5

Angel reliever Julio Valera knows what you are thinking, but before anyone gets used to this idea, he wants the world to know it’s only a temporary job.

Valera, who stood out among the crowd of pitchers during the Angels’ 7-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers at Anaheim Stadium on Friday night, did not give up a hit in the final three innings for the victory.

Did someone say the Angels were looking for a stopper?

“Please, don’t look at me,” Valera said. “I’ll do whatever they say, but I really would like to stay in the rotation. I’ve been a starter my whole career, I don’t want to change now.

“Let someone else do it.”

Valera, shipped to the bullpen at the season’s outset after sitting out nearly two weeks because of a tender right elbow, is expected to rejoin the rotation April 18 when they need a fifth starter.

But considering the Angels’ bullpen problems. . .

“You don’t give up your trump card unless you have to show it,” Angel Manager Buck Rodgers said. “A lot of these decisions find a way of deciding themselves.”

Valera, 8-11 last season in 28 starts for the Angels, finally brought calm to a game during which the Angels’ Scott Sanderson surrendered a grand slam and a solo homer--and was easily the best starting pitcher of the evening.

“We’ve got to find out if we need a starter worse, or a bullpen guy worse,” Rodgers said. “Right now, Julio’s going to be a man of all seasons.”

Valera’s victory was made possible when catcher Greg Myers, batting fifth because of right fielder Tim Salmon’s kidney stone problems, ended a 5-5 tie with a two-out single during the seventh against reliever Mark Leiter. Third baseman Rene Gonzales followed with his first hit of the season, providing Valera with a 7-5 lead.

Sanderson didn’t look like he would escape the first inning, let alone leave with a 5-5 tie.

He found himself in rather a precarious predicament before the crowd of 21,025 even settled into their seats in the first inning. The Tigers loaded the bases with one out, and standing at home plate was Kirk Gibson, who became a Dodger legend with his 1988 World Series homer.

Gibson hit a 3-and-2 fastball over the center-field fence, his first home run since rejoining the Tigers after a six-year absence and the third grand slam of his career. It also proved to be the Tigers’ second consecutive defeat during which they have hit a grand slam.

But Sanderson recovered from the fourth career grand slam against him, striking out Rob Deer. He went on to retire the next 13 Tigers, until Tony Phillips’ two-out double during the fifth. The Tigers didn’t score again until Cecil Fielder tied the score with a solo homer with one out in the sixth.

“I thought I’d pitched well after that,” Sanderson said of the grand slam, “but I sure pitched poorly before that.”

The Angels scored one run in the first inning on Chili Davis’ two-out double, then scored four runs without an extra-base hit against Mike Moore during the second inning.

Gonzales opened the inning by reaching first on shortstop Travis Fryman’s error, and then the Angels pecked away. Stan Javier singled, they executed a double-steal, Damion Easley walked to load the bases, and Gary DiSarcina capitalized with a two-run single to center, the Angels’ first hit of the season with runners in scoring position. Luis Polonia followed with an infield single, loading the bases again, and Chad Curtis tied the score with a sacrifice flyto left.

When J.T. Snow slapped a single to center, scoring DiSarcina for the go-ahead run, Tiger Manager Sparky Anderson strolled out of the dugout and summoned reliever David Haas, who prevented further damage. Moore, who signed a three-year, $10 million free-agent contract during the off-season, left the field carrying a hefty 12.00 ERA in his first two starts.

The Angels’ victory also stalled Anderson’s bid for 2,000 victories, but even if the Tigers finish as poorly as projected, Anderson still should catch former Dodger manager Walter Alston for fifth place (2,040).

“I told my wife I have two goals,” Anderson said, “to be able to fall asleep like Casey (Stengel) in the dugout and to be able to manage long enough so I don’t have to take road trips in spring training.”