ANGELS : Weather Not So Hot, but Joyner Is Feeling, Hitting Better

PALM SPRINGS â€”  Wally Joyner doesn’t usually warm up at the plate until the weather does. But if he waited until the end of this damp and chilly spring to get his offensive game together, he might never thaw out.

So, although the elements are conspiring against him, the Angel first baseman is combatting the cold with hot hitting. He was two for two with two walks and two runs batted in Wednesday in the Angels’ 5-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs, a strong follow-up to his two doubles in four at-bats Tuesday.

In two exhibition games against the Cubs, Joyner raised his batting average to .333 and lifted his confidence level immeasurably.

“Coming off of an injury, I probably put too much pressure on myself,� said Joyner, who had a stress fracture in his right kneecap last season and didn’t play after July 11. “Before I got hurt, I was swinging the bat well. I’m healthy now, therefore I should swing the bat well again.

“It was hard to get to the point where I am right now, where I’m not trying to swing too hard and do too much. The key was (Tuesday’s) game. The wind was blowing in, and it was almost impossible to hit a home run. Therefore, to get something out of the day, I had to try to hit line drives and put the ball in play. I hit the ball hard, got the doubles. It was a real big key.�

The acquisition of Dave Parker from the Milwaukee Brewers was a major factor in getting Joyner to relax.

“Physically, psychologically, anything you can say, is how he helped,� Joyner said. “If we have him, Dave Winfield, Luis Polonia and Luis Sojo hitting well, like they’re doing right now, I look for a very successful season for all of us.

“Knowing Dave Winfield, Dave Parker and Lance Parrish are behind me eases my burden mentally. I don’t think, ‘If I don’t do it, it’s not going to happen.’ It’s time to have fun again.�

Not only has backup outfielder Dave Gallagher invented a device that helps hitters, he has invented his past.

Gallagher holds a patent on the Stride Tutor, which enables hitters to maintain a consistent and comfortable stride by encircling their ankles in Velcro straps separated by a chain. He has sold between 8,000 and 10,000 at $16.99 each, with colleges and youth leagues providing much of his clientele.

But Gallagher’s cleverness doesn’t end there. Asked to provide biographical information for the Angels’ media guide, Gallagher said he was an All-American in soccer at Mercer County (N.J.) College and is a member of the New Jersey Inventors’ Hall of Fame. Sounds good--but neither is true.

“You’ve got to look more well-rounded,� Gallagher said in confessing his fibs. “(Coach Bruce Hines) told somebody the other day, ‘Gallagher must be a good athlete. He was an All-American soccer player in college.’ It’s on the back of a baseball card, too. I enjoyed that.�

Gallagher’s only regret is that he didn’t fabricate anything more fanciful. “I had to come up with stuff quick,� he said. “If I’d known in advance, I could have come up with a lot more.�

The Angels have asked an architectural firm to study changes they would require before moving their spring base to Tempe Diablo Stadium, increasing the likelihood that Tempe, Ariz., will be their new home by 1993.

“Should the City of Tempe agree to make those changes, we just about have a deal,� Angel President Richard Brown said. “We are different from any other team in Arizona in that we don’t need a major and minor league complex. We just need a major league complex (because they would continue to use Gene Autry Park in Mesa). . . . I’ve given the state of Arizona four to six months to come in with a commitment.�

Tempe Diablo’s current tenants, the Seattle Mariners, haven’t found a new site. Should they follow the Cleveland Indians to Florida, the Cactus League would be reduced to six teams. However, the Angels have thought of that.

“Any deal we agree to in Arizona would have an out, that if the Cactus League falls below six teams, we can get out without any further liability,� Brown said.

The Angels and the Cleveland Indians will play extra innings Friday to give their pitchers additional work. A similar arrangement will be made with the San Diego Padres next Tuesday, a day that could decide whether Scott Lewis or Joe Grahe takes Bert Blyleven’s spot in the starting rotation.

“It may be a B game, and if not, Lewis and Grahe, head to head,� Angel Manager Doug Rader said. “Whether it’s an actual B game or if San Diego is going to provide an offensive club for us to play against remains to be seen. . . . It would be one inning Grahe, one inning Lewis.�

Jim Abbott gave up four runs in six innings Wednesday, including a two-run home run to Luis Salazar that gave Chicago a 4-2 lead and delighted the many Cub fans in the crowd of 4,741 at Angels Stadium. Aside from the home run and a wild pitch, Abbott was satisfied with his day.

“I’m really happy with this spring and the way I’ve been throwing,� he said.

Angel Notes

Scott Bailes pitched a perfect eighth inning, keeping his earned-run average at 0.00. . . . Mike Fetters, in his first A game after pulling a hamstring, allowed Chicago’s final run, in the seventh inning. . . . Dave Winfield extended his hitting streak to 13 games. He is batting .457, with 21 hits in 46 at-bats. . . . Dave Parker, however, is zero for 14 since a seven-for-11 start.