Left-Hander Bolsters the Angels’ Bullpen

It wasn’t that the Angels were opposed to having a left-hander in the bullpen, even though, after going nearly 2 1/2 years without one, it seemed they were immune to the idea.

They just didn’t want a mediocre left-hander, a long-in-the-tooth veteran with marginal stuff or a strong-armed kid with little experience. With Francisco Rodriguez, Scot Shields and Brendan Donnelly effective against left-handers, why sacrifice a power right-handed arm just for the sake of having a left-hander?

Then, in December, a veteran left-hander with creditable stuff, a 29-year-old who held left-handers to a .225 average over the last three years, fell into their laps.

A long-simmering feud between J.C. Romero and Minnesota Twin Manager Ron Gardenhire boiled over on the Metrodome mound Sept. 28, producing a last-straw kind of incident that secured Romero’s ticket out of Minneapolis.

The Twins had no choice but to trade Romero after the pitcher stormed off the mound, dropping the ball in the manager’s hand as he walked by, when Gardenhire came out to make a pitching change.

And the Angels, knowing Minnesota had little leverage, got him for the bargain-basement price of Alexi Casilla, a Class-A infielder.

“I don’t know who we traded for him, but we got a good deal out of it,” Shields said. “He has a quality arm and a track record. He likes to joke around, he’s a good guy.... He’s going to fit right into the bullpen.”

Romero didn’t fit very well into Gardenhire’s bullpen last season. After emerging as one of baseball’s best left-handed relievers in 2002, with a 9-2 record and a 1.89 earned-run average in 81 games, Romero struggled with a hamstring injury in 2003, when he had a 5.00 ERA in 73 games.

Though he was 7-4 with a 3.51 ERA in 68 games in 2004 and 4-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 68 games in 2005, Romero allowed 40 of 87 inherited runners to score in that span. As Gardenhire’s faith in him waned and relievers such as Juan Rincon and Jesse Crain passed him on the depth chart, Romero’s role diminished.

One day he was a setup man, another a left-handed specialist, another a long man. Sometimes, he’d go a week without pitching.

“The last two years, I had no clue when I would pitch or if I would pitch,” Romero said. “I got out of my groove. My role changed. I couldn’t adjust.”

Romero’s frustration came to a head in the Sept. 28 game against Kansas City. After Romero hit two batters, Gardenhire headed for the mound, and Romero went into his act of defiance. When he reached the dugout, Romero got into a shouting match with bench coach Steve Liddle.

Gardenhire and Romero had a lengthy closed-door meeting the next day, “and the air was cleared,” Romero said. “But I knew it was my last year in Minnesota.”

The Angels did their background checks on Romero, and after deciding they wouldn’t have another Jose Guillen on their hands, they made the trade.

For the Angels, Romero is a missing ingredient, a reliever they can summon to face the league’s toughest left-handers but who also can pitch multiple innings if needed. For Romero, it’s a much-needed fresh start.

“All I can tell you is I’m happy to be here,” said the barrel-chested Romero, 5 feet 11 and 203 pounds. “When the incident took place, I had to be a man and face it. I hold no grudges against Ron. I’m thankful the Twins gave me the chance they did. But now, I’m starting another chapter with a team that likes to win and have fun.”

Angel Manager Mike Scioscia doesn’t condone the behavior that doomed Romero in Minnesota, but he understood the root of it.

“Like any pitcher, J.C. wants to pitch,” Scioscia said. “How much he’s used here will be dictated by situations, by who’s fresh, but as the only lefty in the bullpen, with his arm, getting into enough games shouldn’t be an issue.”

Nor should Romero’s attitude, the pitcher said.

“I never had a reputation as a troublemaker in Minnesota,” Romero said. “I might be very competitive, and under the heat of battle I might speak my mind. But I’m not a lazy guy.”

With Romero and right-handed reliever Hector Carrasco, the Angels have added quality depth to a bullpen that was effective but still tailed off a bit after Rodriguez and Shields. The two newcomers should take some pressure off Shields, who has thrown 197 innings, more than any major league reliever over the last two years.

“We had a pretty good bullpen last year,” Shields said. “Romero takes it to another level.”

Romero mixes a 93-mph fastball with a sinker, slider and changeup. When he’s on, “You’ll see a lot of broken bats from left-handers and a lot of foul balls from right-handers,” Romero said. “That’s when you know my ball is moving.”

And when he’s off?

“You’ll see me backing up third base too many times,” Romero said.

Romero can deal with success and failure. It’s the uncertainty of an undefined role that troubles him most. But barely two weeks into spring training, Romero already has bonded with his new bullpen mates and is feeling comfortable in his surroundings.

“The energy this bullpen carries all year -- I’ve seen it from the other side,” Romero said. “Now that I’m a part of it, it’s exciting. All I can think of is positive things.”

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Mismatch

How Angel pitchers fared against left-handed batters in the last four seasons (and their rank in the AL) and how J.C. Romero did against left-handed batters:

*--* Season Angels Team Rank Romero 2005 263 Sixth 198 2004 271 10th 261 2003 253 Second 214 2002 238 First 216

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