Washburn Throws In a Little Variety

While Jarrod Washburn cites improved health as the primary reason he has already matched his 10 victories of a season ago with about 15 starts remaining in 2004, his Angel coaches and teammates say the left-hander’s mental makeup and ability to vary his pitches also have helped.

“He’s throwing a lot of fastballs still -- that’s his game -- but he’s also making pitches behind in the count, changing speeds, changing locations,” veteran pitcher Aaron Sele said. “He looks very strong, and the results he’s throwing up are mirroring that.”

Washburn (10-4) followed his first shutout with a sharp seven-inning outing Thursday against the Boston Red Sox and has not given up an earned run in 16 innings. He has not yielded an earned run in four of his last five starts, though he left after two innings June 20 against the Houston Astros because of upper neck and back spasms.

The spasms are no longer an issue, Washburn said, and the discomfort in his left shoulder that bothered him most of last season is only a distant memory. Now pain-free, Washburn can concentrate on refining an approach that has made him difficult to hit over the last month.

“He probably has as much in-game instinct and thought process as any pitcher I’ve been around that I’ve coached,” pitching coach Bud Black said. “He understands right when that game starts how it’s going to go, whether it’s going to be a low-scoring game and he has to pitch to it. He has the knack for winning.”

There is also the matter of Washburn’s split-fingered fastball.

“It’s a pitch a lot of guys don’t realize he has right now and some of them are putting funny swings on it because it’s a really good pitch,” Sele said.

Said Washburn: “For the most part, all of my pitches have been improving. When you get ahead and have all your pitches working, good things happen.”

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If reliever Ben Weber makes a successful recovery from the carpal tunnel syndrome that has caused him to lose some sensation in the fingertips of his pitching hand, he might have General Manager Bill Stoneman to thank.

Stoneman, whose wife, Diane, also suffered from the disorder, recently told Weber about a health-food supplement that helped alleviate the problem.

“Web got some of the stuff and he said, ‘You know, I think this stuff works,’ ” Stoneman said.

Nevertheless, there remains no timetable for the return of a reliever who was a critical component of the Angels’ bullpen for three years before going 0-2 this season with an 8.06 earned-run average in 18 appearances. Weber was demoted to triple-A Salt Lake on June 5 but has not pitched for the Stingers since June 16 and has only begun a rehabilitation program at the Angels’ minor league complex in Mesa, Ariz.

Weber has seen a hand specialist but opted against surgery that might sideline him for an extended period, Stoneman said. It is highly unlikely Weber could return by July 31, when the Angels might need another reliever if they pluck one from their bullpen to include in a trade, but he might be able to come back on or after Sept. 1, when rosters expand to 40 players.

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Raul Mondesi is scheduled to return to Southern California to be examined by Dr. Lewis Yocum on Monday after re-injuring his right thigh Friday night while playing for Salt Lake. The outfielder, who went on the disabled list June 9 with a torn thigh muscle, was removed in the fourth inning after his second at-bat.