Olivares Wins Dance With Disaster

As pitcher Omar Olivares tip-toed through Sunday’s game, Angel Manager Terry Collins walked a fine line between love and hate.

He loved the scoreless innings but hated watching every second of them and considered yanking his pitcher.

“About three times,” Collins said. “But one thing about him is his ability to get ground balls. He might walk a guy and then get a double-play ball. He made some huge pitches to get out of some huge jams.”

Olivares went six-plus innings, artfully dodging one problem after another. When it was over, he had his ninth victory after the Angels defeated the Seattle Mariners, 3-1.

Olivares gave up eight hits and walked three. He stranded nine runners and pitched six shutout innings before leaving with no outs in the seventh. He left with runners on second and third in the seventh. Only one scored as Angel relievers retired nine consecutive batters--something Olivares was unable to do.

Still, he dangled on the brink seemingly with ease, while his manager sweated it out in the dugout.

“You got to be careful about jumping the gun,” Collins said.

Nothing better demonstrated Olivares’ ability to escape than the play he made in the second.

The Mariners had two on with two outs when Alex Rodriguez hit a chopper that bounced off first baseman Chris Pritchett. Olivares, who was on the move toward first, scooped up the ricochet and beat Rodriguez to the bag.

“He was like a cat getting over there,” Pritchett said. “He picked the ball up before I even had a chance to get to it.”

Collins, though, saw it as more than luck. He remembered a play last season, when Olivares--then with the Detroit Tigers--barehanded a throw from first baseman Tony Clark while covering first. “Omar is a great athlete,” Collins said.

David Bell and Rodriguez opened the game with back-to-back singles. Ken Griffey--who has 53 more home runs than sacrifice bunts this season--attempted to bunt, but popped up to catcher Matt Walbeck.

After an Edgar Martinez single to load the bases. Olivares struck out Paul Ibanez and got Russ Davis to fly out. It set the tone for Olivares, who spent the day pitching from the stretch

He got back-to-back force outs to strand two runners in the fourth. In the sixth, he walked back-to-back batters with one out but caught Ryan Radmanovich looking and caught a break when center fielder Jim Edmonds made a head-first dive to catch Monahan’s looper.

“I’ve seen Omar when he’s good,” Mariner Manager Lou Piniella said. “I’ve seen him when he’s bad. The secret is: When you put people on base, you have to get them in.”