Kreuter’s Years of Toil Finally Start to Pay Off

Catcher Chad Kreuter will walk into the Angel clubhouse today with a feeling he hasn’t often experienced in his seven-year career--he knows he will be in the lineup for tonight’s game against the Cleveland Indians.

“I wish I’d had this kind of feeling my whole career--it’s great,” said Kreuter, who assumed the starting job when Todd Greene broke a bone in his right wrist Wednesday.

“It’s nice knowing if you go 0 for 4 you don’t have to wait two weeks until your next start. A lot of times on the bench, you don’t know when your next at-bat is going to come. The guy in front of you can get hot and you might not see the field for a while. . . . This is certainly a welcome change.”

Kreuter can’t hit the way Greene does but it’s no coincidence that left-hander Allen Watson began pitching better after Kreuter was acquired from the Chicago White Sox on May 18.

“I’m a classic throwback to what catchers are supposed to be--guys who help out pitchers, throw guys out and play good all-around defense,” said Kreuter, who is batting .227 with three homers and 14 RBIs. “I can help win games from behind the plate, and whatever I do offensively is a plus.”

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What a great month this has been for pitcher Dennis Springer. A few weeks ago, he feared he would be sent back to triple-A Vancouver. The other day, Manager Terry Collins called him “without question, the most important player on the team right now.”

“I’ve never considered myself that kind of guy,” said Springer, who has had three consecutive superb outings. “I’m just glad they look at me that way. Hopefully I can continue to pitch well. You never know when something is going to come to an end, so you’ve got to take it and run with it.”

Lately, Springer has been baffling batters with his knuckleball, having yielded only three earned runs in 25 1/3 innings of his last three starts, two of them against the powerhouse Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees.

Springer, who will start tonight, thought he would lose his roster spot when Mark Langston returned from elbow surgery, but he seems a lock to stay in the rotation.

“At the beginning of the year, it was like, ‘How long am I going to be here?’ ” Springer said. “That’s not something you want to worry about . . . but it’s definitely off my mind now.”

TONIGHT’S GAME * Opponent--Cleveland Indians, two games.

* Site--Anaheim Stadium.

* Tonight--7.

* TV--Fox Sports West tonight and Wednesday.

* Radio--KTZN (710).

* Records--Angels 71-60, Indians 67-60.

* Record vs. Indians--6-3.

ANGELS’ DENNIS SPRINGER (8-6, 4.83 ERA) vs. INDIANS’ CHARLES NAGY

(12-9, 4.08 ERA)

* Update--The Angels have lost 10 of their last 15 games but are still within striking distance of first-place Seattle. First baseman Darin Erstad has been hot, going 13 for 34 (.382) with five doubles and five RBIs in his last eight games, and second baseman Tony Phillips is six for 16 with five RBIs in four games since returning from a drug suspension Thursday night. Left fielder Garret Anderson’s average slipped under .300--to .299--for the first time this season in Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox. With several off days in the next two weeks, Cleveland Manager Mike Hargrove has gone to a four-man rotation of Nagy, Orel Hershiser, John Smiley and Jaret Wright. Indian left fielder David Justice is batting .340 with 28 homers and 82 RBIs.

* Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.--Allen Watson (11-7, 4.54) vs. Wright (4-2, 4.75).