BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Turner, Fabregas Sent Down as Team Trims Roster to 37

Catchers Chris Turner and Jorge Fabregas, both of whom spent a significant part of the 1994 season with the Angels, were optioned to triple-A Vancouver as the club trimmed its spring training roster from 51 to 37 players.

Right-hander Julio Valera, who had expected to contend for the starting rotation but struggled to regain his arm strength after 1993 elbow surgery, was sent to the team’s extended spring camp at Mesa, Ariz.

Outfielder Rob Deer and infielder Rene Gonzales, major league veterans bidding for reserve roles, have been invited to play in the team’s farm system.

Manager Marcel Lachemann has decided to go with veteran Andy Allanson, who has spent parts of seven seasons with four major league teams, and versatile rookie Mark Dalesandro, who can play infield and outfield, as backup catchers to starter Greg Myers.

Lachemann said he wants Fabregas, who hit .283 in 43 games for the Angels last season, to catch every day in Vancouver, and Turner, who hit .242 in 58 games, to play some first base, third base and outfield at Vancouver.

“I’m going to catch in the big leagues eventually,” said Turner, who went five for five and stole home in a July 5 game at Boston last season. “It might not be for the Angels, but it will be for someone. I tried to talk Lach out of (Tuesday’s move). But what the boss wants, the boss gets.”

In other roster moves:

--Pitcher Phil Leftwich, recovering from off-season shoulder surgery, was placed on the 15-day disabled list.

--Pitcher Ken Patterson, recovering from elbow surgery, was placed on Vancouver’s disabled list and sent to extended spring training at Mesa.

--Pitchers Bill Simas, Jeff Schmidt, Shad Williams and Mark Ratekin and outfielder Luis Raven will report to extended spring camp.

--Outfielders Steve Hosey and Marquis Riley were sent to Vancouver.

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Second baseman Damion Easley had five hits, including a double to drive in the go-ahead run in the top of the 12th inning, but the Chicago Cubs scored twice in the bottom of the 12th to defeat the Angels, 8-7, at HoHoKam Park in Mesa.

Chicago second baseman Cris Colon, who also had five hits, scored on Scott Bullet’s single to make it 7-7, and Angel pitcher Erik Bennett walked Howard Johnson intentionally to load the bases with one out.

Todd Pratt grounded to third baseman Dalesandro, who forced Mike Hubbard at the plate. But Allanson’s relay to first hit Pratt in the lower back. The ball squirted past first baseman Carlos Martinez, allowing Bullet to score and the Cubs to improve to 6-0 this spring.

Easley, who had four hits in the exhibition opener last week, improved his spring average to .526 (10 for 19). The Angels had 18 hits, including two each by J.T. Snow and Chili Davis, and Myers hit a two-run home run in the third.

Angel starter Chuck Finley showed considerable improvement over his first start, allowing two runs on seven hits in four innings. But five relievers combined to walk eight batters, three of whom scored, and the Angels committed four errors.

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Lachemann, who must cut the roster to 28 by next Wednesday’s season opener against the Detroit Tigers, was impressed by Deer in the 10 days he was in camp.

“I love the way he plays the game,” Lachemann said. “He’s the ultimate professional. He works hard every day, runs every ball out. He plays the way the game should be played. He was just a little rusty because he hasn’t faced live pitching in about 10 months.”

Deer, 34, who had 226 major league homers--and 1,379 strikeouts--in nine major league seasons, played in Japan last year, but his season was cut two months short by a thumb injury. He also had slight hamstring injuries this spring and got only one hit in nine at-bats.

“The short spring definitely hurt,” said Deer, who probably will report to Vancouver.