Club Sees Ortiz Coming Along, but There’s Work to Be Done

The education of Angel right-hander Ramon Ortiz continues tonight, when he is due to make his fourth start, and his second in a row against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

And while the organization is pleased with Ortiz’s physical progress, particularly in light of his slightly torn right labrum, the strategy and psychology lessons have come along more slowly.

Ortiz, 24, has thrown 64 big-league innings. Every one, it seems, brings new experiences, new situations and new outcomes. In three starts, he is 1-1 with a 5.51 earned-run average.

For one, the Angels hope to give the fiery, emotional Ortiz a cooler side when the baseball becomes complicated.

“What makes him who he is is his passion to pitch, his passion to play,” Angel pitching coach Bud Black said. “Within that, with all his strengths, he can counteract that by becoming too excited and too erratic with his delivery at times. He gets too pumped up. Now, it’s a process with him to balance that out.”

Ortiz’s tendency has been to overthrow in times of crisis. Partially as a result, he has issued 11 walks and given up four home runs in 16 1/3 innings.

There is no doubting the strength of Ortiz’s arm, barring further shoulder complications. Black, however, hopes to have Ortiz think his way through a jam.

“It’s a daily conversation, a daily process, talking about what all pitchers have to do,” Black said. “It’s not only him. It’s Greg Maddux and Pedro Martinez, what they do. What’s going through their minds at certain points in the game?”

“This doesn’t happen over night. It’s a process. He has to discover for himself and experience for himself through game situations.”

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The likable Ortiz had a disappointing winter in the eyes of the club, which hoped to teach him customs of the United States and the English language, and help him obtain a driver’s license over a program of several months.

Instead, Ortiz remained in his native Dominican Republic, and in early March fired his agent, Scott Boras, who had hoped to be instrumental in the orientation project. He hired Boston’s Pat Rooney, then was seen lunching with agent Jim Bronner last week in Chicago.

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Notes: The commissioner’s office probably will wait until Friday before handing down punishments for the weekend’s Detroit-Chicago brawl. As many as 11 players and personnel are expected to be effected. . . . Tim Belcher, recovering from off-season surgery, is scheduled to start again for triple-A Edmonton Sunday. It would be his fourth rehab start.

ON DECK

* Opponent--Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

* Site--Edison Field.

* Tonight--7.

* Record vs. Devil Rays--1-2.

* TV--Fox Sports Net 2 tonight, Friday and Saturday on Fox Sports Net.

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

* Records--Angels 11-11, Devil Rays 7-13.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’ RAMON ORTIZ (1-1, 5.51) vs. DEVIL RAYS’ DWIGHT GOODEN (1-0, 5.40)

* Update--The Angels lost two of three to the Devil Rays last weekend in Tampa, where they hit six home runs and scored 18 runs in two games, then were shut out in the third.

* Friday, 7 p.m.--Esteban Yan (0-1, 7.89) vs. Jason Dickson (2-1, 2.84).

* Saturday, 7 p.m.--Dave Eiland (1-0, 6.28) vs. Ken Hill (2-3, 7.30).

* Sunday, 1 p.m.--Steve Trachsel (1-1, 6.08) vs. Kent Bottenfield (1-3, 4.80).

* Tickets--(714) 663-9000.