Holtz Works 2 Sides of Plate

Angel reliever Mike Holtz had Ken Griffey on his mind even before Saturday’s game began. As a left-handed specialist, you know in advance what will be expected of you.

The idea of the right-handed, and dangerous, Edgar Martinez never entered his head.

Still, when Holtz’s brief outing was over, he had taken care of Griffey and Martinez to end the seventh inning and quell the Seattle Mariners’ last threat in a 5-3 Angel victory.

“You dream about facing Ken Griffey,” Holtz said. “I prepare for it.”

One man’s nightmare can be another men’s dream.

Martinez was another matter.

“My job is to get left-handers out,” Holtz said, “and right-handers once or twice a season.”

The Mariners had runners on first and second with one out. Holtz, who spent August with triple-A Vancouver, got Griffey to tap a 2-1 pitch to first baseman Mark Johnson, who fired to shortstop Gary DiSarcina for the force out.

It made Griffey one for eight against Holtz.

Normally, Holtz could call it a night. But Manager Terry Collins left him in to face Martinez.

“Edgar has 27 home runs against right-handers this season,” Collins said. “I was more concerned about him hitting a home run. If he was going to do it, it was going to be off a curveball.”

A few moments later, Collins had no concerns. Holtz caught Martinez looking with a changeup on the outside corner for the third out.

It finished off another in a string of solid performances for Holtz, who was Collins’ left-arm out of the bullpen last season. But Holtz’s effectiveness diminished earlier this season. By the time he was farmed out, he had a 5.33 earned-run average.

“When you have confidence, it’s easy to pitch,” Holtz said. “When you don’t have confidence, it’s difficult to go out and strut your stuff.

“I had this loopy curveball that wasn’t doing anything. Mostly my mechanics were messed up. I was disappointed to go to triple-A, but it gave me a chance to work on things.”

Like his changeup, which he used to get Martinez out.

“I think that caught him by surprise,” Holtz said.

Holtz’s return when rosters were expanded on Sept. 1 wasn’t an immediate success. That same day, Cleveland’s David Justice lunged at a low curve and dumped a single into right that tied the score in an eventual Angel loss. Two days later, he gave up a single to Hal Morris, who later scored, hanging Holtz with a loss to Kansas City.

Since then, he has retired seven consecutive hitters, stranding six runners.

On Friday, Holtz was brought in to face Griffey and did his job--by about three feet. Griffey launched a fly ball that center fielder Jim Edmonds caught in front of the fence.

“I’d rather have those long outs instead of those clinkers like Justice hit,” Holtz said. “I pitched in a pennant race last season. I had that on my mind when I got sent down. I wanted to get back for this one. Now is the time to bear down.”

Holtz is.

“I am already thinking Ken Griffey,” he said, “and about tomorrow’s game.”