Sparks’ Knuckleball Sharp Against Cubs

The games don’t count in March, but they still have meaning, especially when you pitch as well as Steve Sparks did Friday against a lineup of Chicago Cub regulars.

The knuckleballer gave up one hit--a single by Sammy Sosa in six shutout innings, struck out five and walked one in the Angels’ 5-1 exhibition victory before 12,633 in Mesa, Ariz.

“This sets the tone for your mind-set going into the season,” said Sparks, who has a 2.12 earned-run average in four spring starts. “When you’re scrapping in spring training, you start to change things that you may not need to change. Pitching like this makes you feel confident, and you can work on location more than mechanics.”

Perhaps it’s coincidence, but Sparks had his best spring outing Friday with Phil Nevin behind the plate. Nevin caught all but one of Sparks’ 20 starts in 1998, when the right-hander went 9-4 with a 4.34 ERA, but he hadn’t caught Sparks this spring until Friday.

“We clicked last year, we both thought alike and it was easy to get back into that groove,” Nevin said. “When he gets ahead of the hitters, like he did today, you see what happens. You get a lot of balls off the end of the bat, a lot of weak popups and ground balls from big guys.”

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Tim Salmon, looking more and more comfortable in right field after spending most of 1998 as a designated hitter, made a sliding catch of Glenallen Hill’s drive toward the line in the second.

“It’s like riding a bike,” Salmon said. “It’s almost like I never missed a year out there. I’m sure it will be different with the crowd noise in big league parks trying to communicate with the other outfielders, but I’ve been getting good jumps, and my arm feels great.”

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Outfielder Matt Luke, hampered because of a strained back, was returned to minor league camp for rehabilitation purposes. . . . Center fielder Jim Edmonds (tight groin) and third baseman Dave Hollins (tight hamstring) were scratched from Friday’s game. Hollins has not played since Sunday, and the longer he’s out, the harder it will be for him to beat out Troy Glaus. . . . Left-hander Mike Magnante, a screwball specialist bidding for a bullpen spot, struck out Sosa and Hill during a scoreless seventh inning. . . . Third baseman Tim Unroe hit his second homer of the spring, and Pritchett had a double and a single.