Angel Notebook : Abbott’s Future May Rest on Petry’s Shoulder

PALM SPRINGS —  Will it be Jim Abbott’s left arm or Dan Petry’s right shoulder that ultimately determines whether the Angels’ No. 1 draft choice begins the season in Edmonton or Anaheim?

And if it’s Anaheim, will it be in the Angel bullpen or the starting rotation?

Abbott, who makes his Palm Springs debut today against the Cleveland Indians, can only do what he can do. So far, that has been enough to keep Angel Manager Doug Rader’s mind--and a spot on the Angel pitching staff--open.

But Abbott’s immediate future could hinge on the shoulder of Petry, who began spring training penciled in as one of the club’s five starting pitchers. A rotator-cuff strain has left Petry more than a bit behind the rest of the Angel starters, as evidenced by Petry’s rocky 2 2/3-inning stint in Sunday’s 12-7 loss to the San Francisco Giants.

Petry, scheduled to pitch the final four innings, was unable to complete three. He gave up a hit for every out he recorded--eight--and served up a two-run home run to Will Clark. He surrendered a total of seven runs, turning a 4-4 tie into a 11-7 Giant runaway.

Finally, Rader interceded and summoned reliever Bob McClure from the bullpen.

Later, Rader wondered aloud about the condition of Petry’s shoulder and whether it was up to the task of throwing baseballs past big-league hitters.

“It looked to me like he didn’t have enough arm speed to make a good pitch,” Rader said. “It didn’t look like he had enough strength.

“He’s still a little bit behind and he still has to build up some strength and velocity. . . . (But) no matter who you are, if a guy gets hit hard, you’ve got to be concerned. It’s not to the point of us having to do something, but it’s like a hitter going into a slump. You get concerned.”

Petry agrees that he is behind the rest of the Angel rotation. A glance at the stat sheet tells anyone that. While the other four starters each have made four appearances and pitched at least 15 innings, Petry has worked only two A games, completing just 5 2/3 innings. His earned-run average is 12.70.

Petry had one outing scratched because of a tired shoulder and lost another varsity turn when he pitched in a B game against the San Diego Padres last week.

“I’m not as strong as I should be,” Petry conceded. “But last spring, I was a bigger mess than I am now (because of a back injury).

“I don’t have any pain, but at the same time, I still need to build up some arm strength. If you’re asking me if I’m behind, yeah, I guess I am. I’m behind in arm strength. But, that’s what spring training is for.”

The speed gun clocked Petry’s best fastballs at 88 m.p.h. during his first two innings, before indicating a dropoff to 85 in his final inning.

“That’s a combination of his shoulder being a little weak and Dan occasionally overthrowing the ball,” Angel pitching coach Marcel Lachemann said. “But he had good arm speed the first two innings.”

For that reason, Lachemann suggested patience and not panic should be preached.

“If I hadn’t seen anything at all, if I saw his arm dragging the whole time, then there’d be cause to be concerned,” Lachemann said. “But the stuff I saw with the first seven hitters was excellent.

“He still has three more starts (in spring training). I think he can be ready in two weeks.”

So, for at least the time being, time remains on Dan Petry’s side.

Angel Notes

The Second Base Race, Cont’d: Johnny Ray’s pulled right hamstring keeps bothering him, but because there’s a starting second base job to be won, Ray keeps wrapping the leg tightly and keeps going out there. Sunday, on only one good leg, Ray had two more hits and two more RBIs, raising his spring batting average to .428. And that keeps him more than 100 points ahead of the competition, Mark McLemore, who’s batting a mere .324. This, apparently, is one race that won’t be won by default. “It’s going to go right down to the end,” Angel Manager Doug Rader said. “I may not decide until the day before we open. Right to the end.” Ray, coming off a .306, club co-MVP season, would appear to hold the upper hand, but Rader remains noncommittal. “I’d love to fill you in,” he told reporters. “I might be leaning one way, privately, but publicly, I’ve got to stay neutral on it.”

Roster Moves: Because of injuries to Wally Joyner (ankle sprain) and Claudell Washington (sore right shoulder), the Angels recalled outfielders Mike Ramsey and Brian Brady from their minor league camp to help fill out Rader’s bench. At the same time, the Angels optioned left-handed relief pitcher Sherman Corbett to Edmonton and returned the contract of right-handed relief pitcher Carl Willis to their minor-league camp. Corbett was 0-0 with a 5.79 ERA in 4 2/3 innings this spring; Willis was 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA in three innings. “It’s unfortunate for both Carl and Sherman, but there was no way they could get the work they needed here,” Rader said. “We want them to get some innings in, in case we have to call someone up in a hurry.”

Kirk McCaskill pitched the first five innings for the Angels, trailed, 4-1, after two innings and then finished up with three shutout innings.