Farrell Feels at Home on Mound : Angels: Right-hander, just up from Vancouver, pitches 7 2/3 innings in his first major league start this season.

John Farrell stood on the Anaheim Stadium mound Thursday, carrying a great weight on his shoulders. There was a lot riding on this performance, perhaps more than any Angel start this season.

He knew that, but he also believed he wasn’t the same pitcher he was the last time he pitched here. He still had to prove it to Angel management and the 20,595 fans.

If Farrell fared poorly in his first major league start since Sept. 26, 1993, it would appear to be another setback for him and for the faltering Angel rotation.

After all, he was called up from triple-A Vancouver to bolster new Manager Marcel Lachemann’s staff.

If he failed, as he did so often last season, what would the Angels do next? After two days of intense criticism revolving around the firing of Buck Rodgers, how would the Angels explain away a poor outing by Farrell?

In the end, there was no need to explain anything, no need to worry. Farrell was “outstanding,” according to Lachemann.

“I couldn’t be happier for him,” reliever Joe Grahe said.

“He is back,” catcher Jorge Fabregas said.

Said Farrell: “I think I’m a different pitcher than I was last year. I guess what I’m trying to say was that I wasn’t all the way back. I thought I was, but I had nothing to compare it to. I can see where things have improved over last year. The biggest difference was my fastball was tailing back over the plate to lefties.”

In 7 2/3 innings, Farrell deflated the Kansas City Royals, giving up two earned runs and six hits with eight strikeouts and two walks in the Angels’ 5-4 victory.

He left only after Wally Joyner lined a single off his foot with two out and the Angels ahead, 5-3, in the eighth. He was taken to St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, but X-rays were negative.

Back in the clubhouse, teammates raved about Farrell’s performance.

Fabregas, who caught Farrell this season in Vancouver, said Farrell’s fastball had the same zip he’d seen in the minors and that his location improved as the game went on.

“He was pumped up,” Fabregas said. “All the motors were going. He did get stronger as the game went on and his location was better.”

Last season, Farrell, a right-hander, was 3-12 with a 7.35 earned-run average, struggling to avoid big trouble in the first inning of games. He allowed opponents to bat .318 with seven homers, seven doubles, one triple and 12 walks in his first innings.

The Angels felt Farrell--recovering from elbow surgery that forced him to miss all of 1992--wasn’t ready for the majors this spring.

They released him, then signed him to a minor-league contract after he cleared waivers. Later, that turned out to be a stumbling block in his promotion from Vancouver.

There were potential openings in the rotation, as Rodgers pointed out after Sunday’s 9-5 loss at Seattle. But the Angels would have to pay Farrell $200,000 when he made the major league roster, then $45,000 for each start after his seventh start.

If Thursday is any indication, it will be money well spent.