Angels Take Air Out of Metrodome, Twins in 10-3 Victory

MINNEAPOLIS â€”  The Minnesota Twins’ noisy fans like to call it the Thunderdome. And every pitcher in the league knows it’s often referred to as the Homerdome.

However, the Angels didn’t have to hit any home runs to bring peace and quiet to the Metrodome Thursday night. Brian Downing did slug one out in the ninth inning, but the Angels already had 14 hits by then, were feeling quite at home in the Dome and were well on their way to a 10-3 rout of the Twins before a crowd of 22,422.

The weather outside was almost frightful--80 degrees with winds gusting to 30 m.p.h.--but under this inflated roof, the Angels were happily inflating their batting averages and runs batted in totals.

It used to be that the Angels hated to play in this cloth-topped edifice. They lost their last four games here last season, but considering the kinds of weather they’ve faced on the road this season, they’d rather play the Twins in the Metrodome than face the elements.

After all, they’ve been rained out five times already and were almost rained out and blown out of this week’s two-game trip to Cleveland.

“It’s nice to come into a place knowing you’ll be dry and the wind won’t be blowing 1,000 m.p.h.,� Manager Doug Rader said.

And if you make your living with a bat, it’s nice to play in a facility where the ball skips across the carpet like a quarter on a smooth pond and sails through the still, dry air as if it’s under its own power.

Just ask Downing. Or Tony Armas. Or Jack Howell. Or Johnny Ray. To name a few.

Downing had four hits, drove in four runs and scored three times. Armas had three hits and an RBI. Howell was two for three with two RBIs. And Ray had three hits and scored twice.

Downing, who boosted his average to .307 and his homer total to eight, with 31 RBIs, said he is swinging the bat as well as he ever has in a career that spans 17 seasons.

“It was just one of those nights when you go up there feeling in control, feeling really great,� he said.

That’s probably not exactly how Twin starter Mike Dyer would describe his feelings on this evening. Twin Manager Tom Kelly decided to have the 22-year-old right-hander, recalled Wednesday from triple-A Portland, make his major league debut instead of starting Francisco Oliveras, who has spent nine seasons in the minors. By the sixth inning, however, both had come . . . and gone.

Dyer failed to get an out in the third and left after yielding six hits and six runs. Oliveras fared slightly better, giving up seven hits and “just� three runs in 3 2/3 innings of work.

The Angels scored twice in the second inning on two singles, two walks and a wild pitch. They scored four runs in the third on five hits and a walk, two more in the fifth on three hits and a walk, and solo runs in the sixth and ninth.

Angel starter Mike Witt (6-7) thrived in the controlled environment, picking up his third victory in as many outings. He survived a shaky second inning--when he gave up three hits but only one run due to the fact that Randy Bush lined into a double play with two on and none out--but he settled down to allow just two hits in the next five innings.

Witt tired in the eighth, however, hanging a curve that Tim Laudner hit into the left-field seats and giving up two more hits and one more run before giving way to Rich Monteleone, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Witt, who had losses in four of five starts before embarking on this mini-winning streak, continues to regain his form and, maybe just as important in Rader’s mind, his confidence and composure.

“Mike threw really well,� Rader said. “He really made just the one bad pitch to Laudner. I’m very happy to see him steadily regaining his confidence. It’s evident in the way he projects himself on the mound.

“That’s something you can’t fake if you don’t genuinely feel it. It’s something that’s very difficult to mask.�

Witt isn’t as worried about how he looks on the mound as he is about how long he lasts out there. This time out, he stuck around for eight innings. And he was the first to point out that an eight-run lead after five innings played a significant role in his longevity.

“My curve wasn’t as good as last time out, but it was good enough for an eight-run lead,� he said. “But I’m pitching well and I still would have felt good about that if we had lost, 3-1. Anytime you win three in a row, you’re confidence is going to be up.�

The Angels, who managed a total of just three runs in the two games in Cleveland, should have a bit of offensive momentum going after this one, but you can’t save runs for tomorrow.

“You start over every day, and a lot of it has to do with the opposing pitcher,� Downing said. “What we’ve got to do is break out against left-handers.�

They’ll have plenty of chances soon. The Angels, 13-15 against left-handed starters, will face at least two in the next three days. And Kelly is considering starting southpaw Frank Viola Sunday, which would make three in a row.

So all this fun in the Dome could turn into a case of the indoor blues in a hurry for the Angels.

Angel Notes

With Claudell Washington still out because of a shin infection, Dick Schofield was in the leadoff spot for the fourth consecutive game Thursday night. Schofield is hitting just .212, but Manager Doug Rader said he thinks that Schofield is the next best choice after Washington to hit in the No. 1 position, even though Brian Downing has considerable experience batting leadoff. “I don’t want to hit Brian there and I don’t want to hit Devon (White) there, and there aren’t many alternatives after that,� Rader said. “I think Brian is better-suited down in the RBI situations. And besides, it’s good for Dick. It’s good for him to learn how to go about doing it.� Schofield has had five hits in 19 at-bats during the last four games. “I have been swinging the bat better the last week, but I take pretty much the same approach whether I’m hitting ninth, first, third or fifth,� he said. “But anytime you’re struggling and they put you in a position where you know you’ll get four or five at-bats a game, it certainly helps your confidence.�

Schofield was almost knocked out--literally--of the lineup before Thursday night’s game when Jim Eppard, just recalled from triple-A Edmonton, hit him in the back of the head with a line drive during batting practice. Schofield, who didn’t see the ball but spun around when he heard someone yell, “Look out!,� got his hand up, and the ball struck him in the right thumb and the back of his head. “That doesn’t say much about Ep’s power,� Rader quipped. “He didn’t even knock him down.� . . . When trainer Rick Smith leisurely jogged out to Schofield’s aid, Rader said, “If I ever get hurt, tell them to send a trash truck out there to help me. It’d be faster than Smitty.�

The Perils of Pitching Dept.: In the ninth inning, Chili Davis drilled a line drive off the left knee of Randy St. Claire, sending the Twin right-hander sprawling. The ball ricocheted back past catcher Tim Laudner. “That’s one of two balls I’ve hit hard all year,� Davis said. “But I’d rather hit the ball where (Downing, who homered to deep right-center) did. I’d rather trot than watch a guy get hurt.� St. Claire, who left the game with a bruised knee, will have X-rays taken today.