BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Numbers Don’t Work for Nelson

The Angels continued firming up their plans for next season by releasing relief pitcher Gene Nelson on Friday. In the end, Nelson’s salary--a base of $350,000 plus incentives--and his age, 32--hurt his chances of returning next season more than his mediocre pitching.

Nelson, the Angels’ highest-paid reliever, had earned $642,000 this season and would have received an additional $101,250 if he appeared in 55 games. The Angels let him go after 46 appearances this season. He was 0-5 with four saves and a 3.08 earned-run average. In 52 2/3 innings, he gave up 50 hits, 25 runs--18 earned--23 walks, three home runs and had 31 strikeouts.

He said he was surprised by the move, but added, “I have all the respect in the world for this organization. They gave me the opportunity to re-establish myself, and they didn’t have to.”

Paul Swingle, a 26-year-old right-hander, replaced Nelson on the roster. Swingle was 0-3 with a 15.43 ERA as a starter with triple-A Vancouver. He was 2-6 with a 4.70 ERA as a reliever.

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Toronto Manager Cito Gaston on the Blue Jays’ lineup: “This is a great lineup, it really is. I guess that justifies why I took so many of them to the All-Star game.”