Pitchers Work on Hitting

The Angels could start a bonfire with all of the broken bats being flung by pitchers out of the batting cages at their Tempe complex, but at least there have been no broken fingers.

Such injuries are a major concern for Oakland Manager Art Howe, who has not included batting practice in the spring regimen for A’s pitchers.

Angel pitchers, on the other hand, have been spending 20 minutes a day in the cages and also will take part in baserunning drills in preparation for interleague play.

But is it all necessary, considering the Angels this season will play only eight games in National League parks, without the designated hitter?

“If those games are going to make or break our season, I’d rather risk injury in spring training and know what I’m doing,” Chuck Finley said Saturday. “Because if I don’t know how to bunt or run, the chances of me doing well in those situations are slim. I think this is going to pay off.”

Pitchers are taking precautions, wearing thumb guards, shin guards and batting gloves, and most of their hitting has been off machines.

Manager Terry Collins plans to drill pitchers on offense throughout spring training, stop once the season begins, and start them up again about two weeks before interleague games begin in June.

“I don’t want to say two weeks before interleague play, ‘Here, this is how you bunt,’ ” Collins said.

There has been only one complaint among the pitchers: hitting balls off the handle. “It’s like 1,000 bees sting your hands,” Finley said. “I’m going to have to see my guru Rod [Carew, Angel batting instructor] and have him light some candles and start humming for me.”

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Collins said his No. 1 priority this spring is to make sure his starting pitchers are healthy when the Angels break camp. “If a guy has a tender arm, we’re going to give him extra rest,” Collins said. “It’s like Chuck [who has a sore shoulder]. He could have thrown [Saturday] but we’re going to hold off until [today]. What’s another day here?” If holding pitchers back means some starters are able to throw only 70-80 pitches come April--but are sound--Collins said he would likely go with a 12-man staff instead of 11 for the first few weeks of the season.

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Pitcher Steve Ontiveros, 36, who spent the entire 1996 season on the disabled list because of elbow problems, is back in camp on a minor league contract, but the right-hander is not looking at this as an opportunity to tend to unfinished business. “Business never got started,” said Ontiveros, who is 33-30 in an injury plagued, nine-year career. “I feel in my heart I wasn’t ready to quit. I still feel OK, but my [elbow] ligament was shot last year. I had surgery [his fourth] and I’m going to give it another chance, because when I’m healthy I feel I’m one of the better pitchers out here.”