Entire Bullpen Providing Needed Relief

Pitching Coach Dick Pole has his hands full. There’s Ken Hill, who leads the American League with 41 walks. There’s Tim Belcher, whose earned-run average, 8.23, is more than double his career ERA, 3.97. And there’s Steve Sparks, who has sent out a search party to look for the handle on his knuckleball.

But there also is closer Troy Percival, who is like that A+ student at the head of the class, the well behaved kid who always has his homework done and never causes the teacher a minute’s worry.

“The best thing I can do now with Troy is ask him how his golf game is,” Pole said. “I don’t want to ruin his karma. You just keep your mouth shut and don’t point out how well he’s doing.”

Percival has been so good the last 2 1/2 weeks that he has not allowed a hit in his last nine appearances, a span in which the right-hander has seven saves, 12 strikeouts and has walked none.

In fact, Percival has been outstanding all season with the exception of a five-run blown save against the Chicago White Sox on May 1. In 18 appearances not including that loss, Percival has allowed one run and three hits in 17 1/3 innings, with 22 strikeouts and four walks.

Percival, who is 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA and 11 saves, said the key has been an aggressive approach.

“I have all my pitches to work with, and that’s the biggest thing,” he said.

The 95-mph fastball is his primary weapon, and Percival has been able to throw it on both corners of the plate, but he has also been throwing his curveball for more strikes and has revived his split-fingered pitch, the one he experimented with in 1998 but scrapped.

“I have confidence I can throw it for a strike in a game now,” Percival said. “Before, I’d just throw it in the bullpen. . . . I’ve told myself to throw some kind of off-speed pitch every inning.”

*

No other Angel reliever can dominate an inning as Percival does, but the bullpen has quietly put together a marvelous first quarter, combining for a major league-leading 2.89 ERA--41 runs in 127 2/3 innings--and a 9-5 record, allowing only 14 of 69 inherited runners to score.

*

Todd Greene threw out two runners trying to steal second Saturday night in Tampa Bay, and Angel coaches clocked one of his throws at 1.9 seconds, the time it took for the ball to go from Greene’s mitt to second.

By comparison, Gold Glove catcher Ivan Rodriguez’s times are usually in the 1.8-second range.

“That’s very good,” Manager Terry Collins said of Greene. “That tells me his arm strength is fine.”

ON DECK

* Opponent--Baltimore Orioles, three games.

* Site--Edison Field.

* Tonight--7.

* Record vs. Orioles--2-1.

* TV--Fox Sports West tonight, Wednesday and Thursday.

* Radio--KLAC (570), XPRS (1090).

* Records--Angels 21-23, Orioles 16-27.

* Tickets: (714) 663-9000.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’ OMAR OLIVARES (4-3, 3.31 ERA)

vs.

ORIOLES’ SCOTT ERICKSON (1-5, 6.17 ERA)

* Update--The good news is, the Angels don’t have to face Oriole ace Mike Mussina, who has an 11-3 career record and 3.24 ERA against Anaheim. But Erickson is no treat. The sinkerball specialist has a 14-3 record and 3.56 ERA against the Angels.

* Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.--Tim Belcher (3-3, 8.23) vs. Sidney Ponson (4-3, 4.53).

* Thursday, 7 p.m.--Ken Hill (1-3, 4.91) vs. Juan Guzman (1-4, 5.70).