McDowell Has Stuff of a Winner

The Angel front office was virtually paralyzed before the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline, its only move the acquisition of journeyman catcher Charlie O’Brien, but as far as trade-offs go, Jack McDowell for Allen Watson has worked out quite well.

The new-look, practically reinvented McDowell, who replaced Watson in the rotation last week after a 2 1/2-month stay on the disabled list, gave up only two runs on six hits in seven innings Monday night, leading the Angels to a 7-3 victory over the New York Yankees before 19,297 in Yankee Stadium.

Garret Anderson (two-run home run) and Gary DiSarcina (two-run double) keyed a five-run seventh off Yankee left-hander Andy Pettitte, as the Angels came from behind to win the first of a crucial five-game series in the Bronx and maintained their 2 1/2-game lead over Texas in the American League West.

“That guy has got the biggest heart I’ve ever been around,” Angel catcher Phil Nevin said of McDowell, whose only blemish was a two-run fifth. “If he had been healthy all year, I don’t even want to think about how good a season he would have had. He’s been a great pickup to this team.”

McDowell, who threw seven shutout innings in a 2-0 win over Detroit Wednesday, hardly resembles the right-hander whose nasty split-fingered fastball helped garner the 1993 American League Cy Young Award.

He’s not exactly a right-handed version of Tommy John--McDowell’s fastball hasn’t softened to that extent, and his splitter acts more like a changeup. But the Angel pitcher’s control has been impeccable, with one walk in 14 innings since he returned last week.

“That just shows how effective a well-spotted fastball is,” Nevin said. “He’s only in the mid- to upper-80-mph range, but he’s locating it real well.”

McDowell (3-2) said his split-fingered pitch “has been a put-away pitch in the bullpen, but for some reason I can’t make the adjustment and bring it into the game. But I’m doing well with it, and it will eventually be a put-away pitch. When that happens, I’ll be more effective.”

Manager Terry Collins is not one to complain.

“To see what Jack is doing in clutch situations, making the quality pitches he’s making, it’s important for the young pitchers to see that,” he said. “If you take his competitiveness, his command and put it with better stuff, he can win a Cy Young Award. With what he has now, he gives you quality innings.”

Pettitte (14-8) gave the Yankees six quality innings Monday night, limiting the Angels to three singles and not allowing a runner to reach second base, but the usually reliable left-hander went haywire in the seventh.

Tim Salmon opened with a double off the right-center field wall, and Anderson drilled a hanging curve off the facing of the upper deck in right for his 13th homer of the season--and first since Aug. 2--to tie the score, 2-2.

“Oh my God, that was a bomb,” Collins said. “If there’s any question whether he has power, it was answered tonight.”

Troy Glaus then singled to center, and Yankee third baseman Scott Brosius was unable to backhand Nevin’s grounder, the ball skipping into foul territory behind the bag for a double.

With runners on second and third and an 0-2 count on DiSarcina, Pettitte inexplicably grooved a fastball that the No. 9 hitter lined into the left-field corner for a two-run double and a 4-2 lead.

“He threw two hard cutters inside, but the third one stayed over the heart of the plate,” said DiSarcina, who had three hits, including a single in a two-run ninth. “It was a good pitch to hit, no doubt.”

DiSarcina took third on Reggie Williams’ fly ball and eventually scored when Darin Erstad legged out an infield single up the middle, making it 5-2.

Randy Velarde’s RBI single, his third hit, and Salmon’s RBI single provided two insurance runs in the ninth, as the Angels handed baseball’s best team only its 10th loss of the season in Yankee Stadium.

“This time of year, you learn something about your team when you play someone like the Yankees,” Collins said. “Do you have the ability to pick your game up? To get after it the way we did tonight against a very good pitcher like Pettitte is huge.”