Angels Lose Pair: Game, 3-1, and Pettis

KANSAS CITY —  Gene Mauch believes that the only thing natural about synthetic playing surfaces is his hatred of them.

A baseball purist who began his professional career when artificial grass was produced only in laboratories, Mauch contends that the synthetics dilute the game. He notes the way in which some teams are constructed, the changes in defensive alignments and the array of strange and comic bounces on the turf.

Mauch gathered new evidence Sunday.

It wasn’t so much a 3-1 loss to Kansas City that frustrated the Angel manager.

It was more the fact that Gary Pettis got no bounce at all when he attempted another of his spectacular diving catches on a drive to left-center by Lonnie Smith in the eighth inning.

Pettis had raced about 30 yards the other way to deprive Smith of extra bases and an RBI in the third. This time, however, his acrobatic effort failed. The hooking drive seemed to knuckle under his extended reach. Pettis hit the artificial turf with wicked impact and came to an immediate stop.

Smith wound up at third with a triple. Pettis wound up at St. Luke’s Hospital for X-rays of his left wrist.

Dr. Paul Meyer, the Royals’ physician, said there was no break. He fitted the severe sprain with a soft split and sling. The injury will be re-evaluated before the Angels open a three-game series at Texas tonight. Meyer refused to predict the duration of Pettis’ absence but said that a sprain might linger for two to three weeks. The disabled list is a possibility.

Said Mauch, alluding to mid-July: “I’ll be very grateful if he’s ready by the time of the All-Star Game.”

Juan Beniquez will replace Pettis in center--if that’s possible.

“Gary faces (stops) about one run every two games,” Angel second baseman Bobby Grich said. “Playing as many tight games as we do, he’ll be missed.

“Beniquez isn’t as spectacular, but we’re lucky to have that kind of depth.”

Said Mauch, who paced the clubhouse for an hour after the game waiting results of the X-rays:

“I’m naturally relieved that it’s not broken. It didn’t look good. I was very apprehensive. I mean, you think about a lot of things when there’s a chance of losing a player of his ability. Then you think how fortunate you are to have a Beniquez.”

In addition to his amazing glove, Pettis has 9 assists, 30 of the Angels’ 50 stolen bases and a .255 average, up 28 points from last year. He had been playing with strained tendons in his left wrist, the result of his frequent dives on steals and pick-off throws, and it is Mauch’s belief that the weakened wrist was vulnerable to a severe injury.

He and Pettis agreed, however, that it wouldn’t have happened on a softer, natural surface.

“Hit this turf and you stop,” Mauch said, “but you can’t change your style. If Gary doesn’t try to capitalize on the gifts he’s got, then he’s just another player.”

Pettis returned to the clubhouse long after his team had left for the airport and a charter flight to Texas. He said he thought the wrist was broken when he first hit. He held up his right hand and displayed a rug burn.

“I don’t think this would have happened if it had been grass,” he said, “but with the game on the line I was just going for the ball.

“I landed with my wrist bent under and I couldn’t get my hands out from under me because there was no give to the surface, no slide.

“I still don’t know what happened on the play because I thought I was going to catch it. I thought I’d tipped it at least.”

Ron Romanick, who delivered the pitch, said:

“Gary makes that catch nine times out of 10, but it was hit kind of funky. It was hit off the wrists and it just kind of ducked under him.”

Romanick (8-4) had won six of his last eight decisions. He pitched well enough to win this one, allowing just three hits through seven innings.

A single by Frank White, a hit batter and a bunt single by John Wathan had helped the Royals take a 1-0 lead in the fifth.

It was the game’s only run until the eighth when Willie Wilson collected a two-out single and scored on the Smith triple that was almost the third out. Left-hander Pat Clements was called on to face George Brett for the second time in the series, and for the second time Brett delivered a key hit, a single that scored Smith with the third run.

Had Pettis preserved a scoreless inning, Ruppert Jones’ lead-off homer off Dan Quisenberry in the ninth, his 11th, would have tied the game. Quiz still led by two, however, and he reeled off three quick outs for his 14th save.

The Angels had awakened to hit .294 over their previous 12 games, but Mark Gubicza limited them to three singles through eight innings, after which he left with a tightness in his left thigh.

“Give the kid credit,” Mauch said of sophomore Gubicza, who struck out seven en route to his fifth straight win and a 6-4 record. “He knows where he’s effective and he keeps it there. All the strikeouts were on balls, sliders in the dirt.”

Said Gubicza: “If they’re going to keep swinging at it, I’m going to keep throwing it there. I can only get hurt if I hang it.”

The loss left the Angels with a June record of 15-12. Their AL Western Division lead was cut to 2 games over Oakland, 3 1/2 over the defending champion Royals.

Kansas City Manager Dick Howser sat at his desk later and marveled at Pettis, citing the third-inning catch in right-center and the near-catch of the eighth in left-center.

“I’ve seen some great players,” Howser said, “but I’ve never a guy go so far in two directions when the same hitter was involved. There’s no way you can cover all four areas--up, back, left and right--but Pettis seems to do it. He’s made a believer of me. I agree with Gene (Mauch). I haven’t seen anyone better.”