Washburn, Wooten Find Comfort Zone

Steve Carlton had Tim McCarver. Greg Maddux has Eddie Perez. Chan Ho Park has Chad Kreuter. And now Angel pitcher Jarrod Washburn has Shawn Wooten, his own personal catcher.

Angel Manager Mike Scioscia started Wooten with Washburn against Minnesota on May 31, liked the way they clicked and paired them for Washburn’s next three starts.

In those four games, Washburn (4-4) gave up eight earned runs and 25 hits in 26 2/3 innings for a 2.70 earned-run average, with one victory and three no-decisions.

“He’s my twin--we’re attached,” Washburn said. “He’s easy to communicate with, and he learned me real quick. The first game, he had me figured out after two innings. Scioscia saw that and decided to stick with it.”

Wooten noticed an immediate chemistry as well, but he wouldn’t say he has Washburn figured out. The left-hander’s fastball has so much life sometimes, neither he nor the catcher knows where it’s going.

“He threw one in the bullpen Saturday that cut so much I didn’t even get a glove on it,” Wooten said. “It cuts in, it runs away, sometimes it goes straight. He’ll throw one at 87 mph and the next at 93 mph. That’s his game--deception.”

The Angels’ four-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the Dodgers and closer Jeff Shaw on Sunday obscured a questionable non-move by Scioscia in the eighth inning.

With the Angels trailing, 4-2, and Larry Barnes on first with two outs, Scioscia let catcher Jorge Fabregas hit instead of going to his bench for Scott Spiezio, Tim Salmon or Wooten, all of whom are far more capable of hitting a game-tying, two-run home run than Fabregas.

“If there were two on, I would have hit for him,” Scioscia said. “I was trying to hold Spiezio back for a better hitting spot. Jorge had just missed a few pitches, and he’s been swinging the bat better.”

True, Fabregas has raised his average 60 points in his last eight games . . . from .132 to .192. He has only 19 home runs in 1,602 career at-bats, one this season. Fabregas grounded to second to end the inning.

Josh Shaffer, an infielder at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga, was in serious but stable condition at UCI Medical Center after suffering fractured ribs on his right side and a punctured lung in a single-car accident late Sunday night.

The former Anaheim Esperanza High and Rancho Santiago College infielder is the son of Duane Shaffer, the Chicago White Sox’s senior scouting director. Shaffer, 21, was batting .280 with 20 runs batted in in 50 games at Rancho Cucamonga.

The Angels opened negotiations with recent first-round pick Casey Kotchman Monday during a 2 1/2-hour meeting in Seminole, Fla., between scouting director Donny Rowland, Casey Kotchman and Tom Kotchman, Casey’s father/advisor and an Angel scout and minor league manager.

ON DECK

Opponent--Texas Rangers, three games.

Site-The Ballpark in Arlington, Texas.

Tonight--5:30 p.m.

TV--Channel 9 tonight and Thursday night.

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

Records--Angels 33-34, Rangers 24-43.

Record vs. Rangers--3-3.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

SCOTT SCHOENEWEIS

(6-4, 3.71 ERA)

vs.

RANGERS’

ROB BELL

(0-5, 5.78 ERA)

Update--The Rangers are getting their money’s worth from shortstop Alex Rodriguez (.327, 20 homers, 60 RBIs), but they have the worst team earned-run average (5.96) in baseball. Bell is a hard-throwing right-hander who was acquired from the Reds for outfielder Ruben Mateo last week. Angel catcher Bengie Molina, resuming his rehabilitation from a strained right hamstring, had three hits for Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday. He hopes to rejoin the Angels this weekend in Seattle.

Wednesday, 5:30 p.m.--Ismael Valdes (4-4, 4.37) vs. Kenny Rogers (3-3, 5.28).

Thursday, 5:30 p.m.--Ramon Ortiz (4-5, 4.07) vs. Rick Helling (4-7, 6.18).