Angels Defeat Orioles : Baseball: Valenzuela has rough outing in return to Anaheim Stadium.

“Fernandomania III: The Final Chapter” came to a ballpark near you Friday night, and it bore a striking resemblance to “Fernandomania II: The Sequel.”

There was an abundance of curious Southern California fans, eager to see if Valenzuela could recapture the glory of his Dodger days, plenty of pitches that could be compared to Fernando’s 1981 collection, and plenty of baseballs rocketing through the air in Anaheim Stadium.

Only this time the Angels were the beneficiaries of Valenzuela’s fat offerings, roughing up the left-hander for three home runs, six runs and seven hits in an 8-4 victory in front of 37,162 in Anaheim Stadium.

Chad Curtis, Tim Salmon and Chili Davis homered for the Angels, Rene Gonzales added three singles and an RBI, and Curtis tied a club record with four walks, equaling a mark set by Brian Downing against Chicago on July 30, 1988. Curtis also stole two bases, bringing his league-leading total to 25.

The Angel bullpen provided some more harrowing moments, as reliever Ken Patterson gave up a single to Mark McLemore and walked Harold Baines in the seventh before being replaced by Scott Lewis, who allowed RBI singles to Leo Gomez and Chris Hoiles. Suddenly, a comfortable 6-2 lead was 6-4.

But Steve Frey retired David Segui on a fielder’s choice with runners on first and second to end the threat, and the Angels gave him some breathing room in the eighth, scoring on RBI singles by Gary DiSarcina and Luis Polonia to push the lead back to four runs, 8-4.

Frey retired the side in order in the eighth but needed help in the ninth from Gene Nelson, who struck out Hoiles with runners on first and second for his first save since Aug. 11, 1990, when he was a member of the Oakland Athletics.

The Angel victory, coupled with losses by Chicago, Texas and Kansas City, gave the Angels sole possession of first place in what is shaping up as a relatively weak American League West.

“It’s almost June and we haven’t solved all the problems we had hoped to solve after 40 games,” Angel Manager Buck Rodgers said. “That’s the bad news. The good news is that neither has anyone else. Oakland, Seattle, Minnesota, Chicago, Kansas City, they’re all having problems.”

Much like Valenzuela has had in Anaheim Stadium.

Valenzuela hadn’t pitched around these parts since 1991. He was in an Angel uniform then, making a comeback bid with two objectives--shore up the home team’s No. 5 starter spot and help boost sagging attendance in Anaheim Stadium.

Well, one out of two wasn’t bad.

The fans came, and they saw Fernando get conquered. Valenzuela lasted only 6 2/3 innings in two starts against the Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers, allowing 14 hits and 10 runs, and was released shortly thereafter.

Valenzuela spent the 1992 season playing in his native Mexico, but with the Orioles so desperate for pitching, they took a chance and signed Valenzuela to a minor league contract this spring.

He surprised Oriole coaches and management by, first, making the team, then pitching respectably in several of his first seven starts. He entered Friday’s game with a 1-4 record and 4.09 earned-run average, but Baltimore had scored only 17 runs for him.

Valenzuela, 33, showed flashes of the old Fernando early Friday, using his patented screwball to strike out Davis in the first inning and John Orton in the second, but he looked more like Fernando circa-1991 in the third.

Curtis, who had singled, stole second and third, and scored on Gonzales’ single in the first inning, hit Valenzuela’s first pitch of the third into the left-field bleachers for his second home run of the season and second in his last 17 at-bats, giving the Angels a 2-0 lead.

Salmon then walked on four pitches, and Davis followed with a towering fly ball down the left-field line, which just cleared the glove of leaping Oriole outfielder Brady Anderson.

Anderson wound up in the lap of a spectator in the first row, Davis wound up with a two-run homer, his fourth of the season, and the Angels wound up with a 4-0 lead.

The Angels continued to pressure Valenzuela in the inning, as Gonzales singled to right, J.T. Snow bounced into a fielder’s choice and Damion Easley singled to center, putting runners on first and second. But Valenzuela escaped further damage by getting DiSarcina to hit into a double play.

Baltimore cut the deficit to 4-1 on McLemore’s RBI double to right-center field, but when Salmon blasted a solo homer into the left-field bleachers and Davis walked, Oriole Manager Johnny Oates pulled Valenzuela.

Gonzales then singled to left, Cal Ripken’s error on Snow’s sharp grounder to the hole loaded the bases, and DiSarcina hit a sacrifice fly to deep center.