Things Look Worse for Witt and Angels Against Orioles, 8-1

Last season was far from a banner year for Mike Witt, but despite a slow start and a rather pedestrian 13-16 record, in many ways it was still the kind of performance the Angels have come to expect from their ace.

Witt led the team in victories for the fifth consecutive year. He had 12 complete games. He pitched into the seventh inning or later 28 times. And he gave up just 14 home runs while pitching more than 200 innings, the lowest total by an Angel since Nolan Ryan allowed only 12 in 1977.

This season, however, the Angels don’t know what to expect from Witt . . . except maybe the worst.

Tuesday night at Anaheim Stadium was a case in point. Witt, who had allowed 35 hits in his first four starts, gave up eight more in just 3 1/3 innings as the Orioles steamrolled the Angels, 8-1, in front of a crowd of 21,165 that included President George Bush.

That sort of a hit parade may be out of character for Witt (2-3), but what has to be of more concern for the Angels’ Witt-watchers were the three home runs he allowed, all of which were hit by players with batting averages of .208 or lower.

Manager Doug Rader is beginning to believe that this thinking man’s pitcher is thinking too much.

“Mike has a tendency to get too introspective,” Rader said. “He tries to analyze too much instead of relying on his natural ability and sometimes he loses sight of the important issues.

“The bottom line is he shouldn’t be hurt by those types of hitters.”

The 1989 Orioles are supposed to be an aggressive, youth-oriented team that will win by scraping together runs and playing good defense. But they looked a lot like an Earl Weaver team of old Tuesday night, an evening when the three-run homer was back in vogue for Baltimore.

Only the names in the lineup had been changed.

Joe Traber, Bill Ripken and Steve Finley each hit their first homers of the season and Mickey Tettleton slugged his third. Finley’s, a three-run shot in the sixth came against reliever Willie Fraser. The other three were hit off Witt.

“You can’t just chalk it up as ‘one of those nights’ or you’re doomed to make the same mistakes,” Witt said. “Any time you give up eight hits and five runs in three innings, you certainly haven’t done your job.

“And, yeah, it’s not just the home runs. It’s who hit them.”

Baltimore starter Jeff Ballard has no such early-season woes. He scattered six hits in seven innings en route to his fourth victory without a loss. He left because of a “slight strain of the left hip.” The Angels’ run production was hurting, too. They haven’t scored more than three runs in the last four games. In this one, they managed eight hits but only got two runners in scoring position. Baltimore, meanwhile, had baserunners in every inning but the seventh and ninth and, had it not been for five Angel double plays, this one might still be going.

The Orioles went ahead, 1-0, in the second inning when Tettleton sliced a high fly ball down the left-field line that dropped into the seats next to the foul pole just beyond the reach of Chili Davis. They scored again in the third when Brady Anderson doubled off the wall in right-center, took third on a fielder’s choice sacrifice and scored on a double play.

“I have no qualms about the pitch to Tettleton,” Witt said. “It was the other two that cost us the game . . . or at least a chance to stay in the game.”

Baltimore broke it open in the fourth inning. Traber, who came into the game with a .162 batting average and two RBIs, slugged his first home run of the season and this one was no Tettleton nine-iron shot. His line drive to right bounced off the second-deck facade and landed at the feet of right fielder Dante Bichette.

Witt then walked Craig Worthington (who was hitting .203) and then Bill Ripken (.188, one RBI) hit his first home run of 1989, into the seats in left. Anderson followed with his third hit of the game and Rader had finally seen enough.

The Angels got on the scoreboard in the fourth when Lance Parrish lined a single to right and Davis followed with a drive down the left-field line that caromed away from Joe Orsulak, allowing Parrish to chug home all the way from first.

But Baltimore came up with three more in the sixth, when Bill Ripken singled to left, Fraser hit Anderson in the leg and Finley slammed a 1-2 fastball into the seats in right.

Rader said it was too early in the season to use the word concern to describe his feelings about Witt, opting instead for disappointment.

“Anytime you run into an emotional derailment, those of us who aren’t professionals in the field are just guessing why it happens,” Rader said.

Angel Notes

The Angels held their first kangaroo court of the season Tuesday after batting practice and Bert Blyleven really got into his role as judge. Blyleven handed out fines to Dante Bichette (for a baserunning gaffe), Brian Brady (for rushing onto the field to congratulate teammates with his glove on after a game in which he didn’t play) and public relations director Tim Mead (for inability to carry a tune). Mead, who made a recording of Twist and Shout, made the mistake of letting assistant John Sevano get his hands on the tape. The “tune” was played over the Anaheim Stadium public-address system Tuesday afternoon while the Angels stretched. “Some people have range, up and down,” General Manager Mike Port said. “Tim’s goes sideways.”