Angels Get Help From Above

Just when the Angels figured things were about to spin completely out of control, they managed to pull off a most improbable 8-7 victory over Cleveland Tuesday night with a ninth-inning rally that featured three walks, a stolen base, a ball caroming off a shoulder and a 120-foot sacrifice fly that should have been allowed to drop harmlessly in foul territory.

The whole evening was best summed up by a mysterious voice on the Anaheim Stadium public address system that proclaimed the single word “spooky” as the remnants of a crowd of 21,012 filed out of the stadium while trying to make sense of what they had just seen.

With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Rickey Henderson worked a walk off Indian reliever Eric Plunk. With the count 2-1 on Tony Phillips, Henderson took off for second and catcher Sandy Alomar’s throw hit Henderson in the side as he slid into second. Henderson jumped to his feet and scampered to third as the ball ricocheted into the outfield.

Plunk walked Phillips and Darin Erstad intentionally to load the bases. Tim Salmon then fisted a little popup down the right-field line. First baseman Jim Thome, running with his back to home plate, made the ill-advised decision to try and catch the ball.

Right-fielder Dave Justice, who might have been trying to make Thome miss it, slammed into him and knocked the ball loose . . . but not before first base umpire Larry Young had signaled Salmon out and Henderson had raced across the plate.

“If the infielder is going to catch the ball with his back to me,” Henderson said, “then I’m going to go. You’d have to make a perfect throw to get me.”

So, the Angels, who had lost 10 of 15 and just put their best pitcher, Chuck Finley, on the disabled list because of a broken wrist that will keep him out of action four to six weeks, salvaged a victory and hung two games behind first-place Seattle in the AL West.

“Injuries happen in the middle of the year and you deal with it, but the last month of the season when it happens and you look up and you’re in a dogfight, you just start shaking your head.”

Finley’s 10-game winning streak is only a memory now. Jason Dickson’s All- Star first half is nearly forgotten, the topic these days centered on how to keep his shoulder from getting stiff in between innings. Allen Watson keeps throwing a hundred-something pitches every five days, but his elbow apparently isn’t very happy about it.

Another sore shoulder here and tender elbow there and the Angels might begin their September pennant drive with a starting rotation something like this: Dennis Springer-Dennis Springer-Dennis Springer-Dennis Springer.

The good news for the Angels? Springer probably could keep tossing up those 50-mile-per-hour knuckleballs night after night with no more risk of injury than a guy who plays catch with his 10-year-old every day after work.

The bad news? Springer--who was making his fourth start in 13 days after having given up just three earned runs over 25 1/3 innings in the previous three--has off nights, too. This time, the Indians hit two home runs against him and pushed him around for seven runs in six innings.

But a well-rested--thanks in no little part to Springer--Angel bullpen held Cleveland at bay after Springer’s departure. Mike Holtz, Mike James and Darrell May combined to allow one hit over 2 1/3 innings with May picking up his first major league victory.

The Indians made the most of two walks and a hit batsman in the sixth, taking a 6-4 lead with some help from a pair of Angel defensive lapses. Cleveland loaded the bases with two outs on two walks and a high fly-ball single to center by Thome. Jim Edmonds started back and then came racing in as the ball fell at his feet. Matt Williams cued a roller to third, Dave Hollins’ throw to first was wild and two runs scored. Springer hit Alomar and then Tony Fernandez stroked a two-run single to right.

The Angels tied the scored in the bottom of the inning when Salmon slugged a solo shot to right--giving him a career-high 106 RBIs--Garret Anderson and Hollins singled and Edmonds brought home Anderson with a groundout.

Marquis Grissom homered off a piece of heavy construction equipment well beyond the wall in left-center to put Cleveland ahead, 7-6, but the Angels came back again, tying the game on Erstad’s home run to right. It was Erstad, fifth RBI and sixth extra-base hit in his last 34 at-bats.

In the early innings, Springer’s knuckler was floating up to the plate and the Indians couldn’t keep from hitting underneath it. Only two of the first 14 batters to face Springer didn’t hit the ball in the air . . . and they both walked.

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* A BAD BREAK

Chuck Finley’s injury, worse than feared, is a broken wrist that will keep him out four to six weeks. C6