Finally, Springer Is a Big Winner

Dennis Springer’s year in the Angel organization has resembled one of his best knuckleballs--he’s in, he’s out, he’s up, he’s down.

The 31-year-old right-hander began the season in the Angel bullpen but was sent to triple-A Vancouver April 16. He joined the Angel rotation May 9 but was back in the minor leagues by May 17.

The Angels recalled Springer again last weekend, but after pitching a strong 7 7/8 innings in the Angels’ 6-5 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers Friday night, it appears Springer’s yo-yo ride might be over.

An Anaheim Stadium crowd of 18,189 saw Springer give up only three runs on four hits and walk only one to earn his first major league victory, outdueling the major league’s youngest player, 20-year-old Brewer pitcher Jeff D’Amico.

“Nine years to wait for your first win--that doesn’t happen too often,” said Springer, who pitched eight minor league seasons before making his big league debut with Philadelphia in 1995. “But it was worth the wait.”

Springer only got a third chance this season because Ryan Hancock threw 4 1/3 innings of relief two days before last Saturday’s scheduled start and had to be scratched.

Springer took full advantage, throwing seven innings of five-hit ball against Seattle Saturday, and that outing, combined with Friday night’s gem, will keep him in the Angel rotation.

“He’s shown he’s tough to hit, and batters are not comfortable against him,” Manager Marcel Lachemann said. “He’s kept us in games, he doesn’t beat himself, he throws the ball over the plate and holds runners on fairly well . . . and those were some pretty good hitters who were scuffling against him.”

Springer, whose 7 2/3 innings were a career high, was replaced by Troy Percival with two outs in the eighth and the Angels leading, 4-3. Tim Salmon singled in the top of the eighth and Chili Davis followed with his 18th homer of the season for a 6-3 lead.

Those insurance runs proved very important when John Valentin hit a two-run homer off Percival with two out in the top of the ninth, but Percival got Jeff Cirillo on a game-ending pop-up for his 27th save, as the Angels moved to within eight games of the first-place Texas Rangers.

“This was definitely a shot in the arm,” Lachemann said. “Dennis has done a good job. Now we just need to get some kind of consistency going with our pitching staff and the whole team.”

The victory was the Angels’ second consecutive come-from-behind effort. Greg Vaughn had given the Brewers a 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh when he lined Springer’s full-count knuckleball into the left-field bleachers for his 29th homer and 93rd run batted in of the season.

But the Angels came right back in the bottom of the seventh when Davis opened with a walk and Garret Anderson doubled, a chopper that nicked off the glove of leaping first baseman John Jaha and went into right field, allowing Davis to go to third.

J.T. Snow followed with a one-hopper to the right of Jaha, who seemed to be fooled by the grounder, lunging with his glove hand but not moving his body quickly enough to field the ball. He couldn’t reach it, and Snow’s single tied the game, 3-3.

Milwaukee Manager Phil Garner replaced D’Amico with Ramon Garcia, who struck out George Arias with runners on first and third for the first out of the inning.

Darin Erstad, pinch-hitting for catcher Pat Borders, worked the count to 3-2 before hitting a soft liner that dropped between left fielder Vaughn, center fielder Pat Listach and shortstop Valentin for an RBI single and a 4-3 lead.

Randy Velarde walked on four pitches to load the bases, but Gary DiSarcina, whose three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth on Wednesday gave the Angels a 5-4 victory over the Brewers, smashed a liner right at Cirillo, the third baseman who gloved it and touched the bag for an inning-ending double play.

The Angels scored in the first when DiSarcina walked, Jim Edmonds, who was playing despite a stomach flu, singled, Salmon walked and Davis hit a sacrifice fly to right field.