ANGEL NOTEBOOK / JOHN WEYLER : Butcher Gets Off to Flying Start

It’s very early in the season, but some bizarre trends are starting to take shape at Anaheim Stadium:

* Mark Langston jogged off the mound Wednesday night to a chorus of boos after walking six and allowing five runs in 4 2/3 innings. Angel fans used to be too afraid of what was coming out of the bullpen to make a vocal critique of a starter.

* Chuck Finley is 0-2. Mike Butcher is 3-0. Go figure.

Butcher, who spent most of last season bouncing between Vancouver and the Angels because he had no clue where his pitches were going, seems to have found a groove. He has inherited four runners this season and none have scored.

“I feel really great,” he said. “I’m really putting the ball where I want it. But then I guess location is the key for everybody.”

Butcher, who always had good velocity and decent stuff, worked hard during the off-season with pitching coach Chuck Hernandez on his mechanics. The diligence seems to be paying off, but it’s a long season. And Butcher, who has eight victories in the majors, beat the Yankees twice in three days when he was called up in August, 1992, and his three victories this season came on April 28 and April 30 in Toronto and Wednesday night in Anaheim.

So he’s 3-3 in the other two years and 11 days of major league service.

* The Angels seem to have quality depth in the bullpen for the first time in a long time.

Bob Patterson has inherited five runners and allowed only one to score. Mitch Williams hasn’t allowed a run in two outings. Mike Bielecki struggled Wednesday night, giving up two runs while recording just two outs, but was sharp in his first outing against Toronto.

Russ Springer and Mike James got off to rocky starts, but both pitched reasonably well Wednesday night. Springer gave up two hits but struck out two in 1 1/3 innings and James retired five Oakland batters in a row before walking Terry Steinbach in the ninth.

* Troy Percival, the Angels’ designated closer of the future, was impressive Tuesday night, giving up one hit and striking out two in two innings. His fastball was in the 95-96 m.p.h. range on the speed gun.

“You get the feeling guys aren’t going to be really comfortable standing up there against him,” said Manager Marcel Lachemann, smiling. “And his curve has fooled a couple of people, too.”

* And then there’s Lee Smith, one of the game’s few bona fide closers, who has three saves in four appearances. Smith’s presence has changed Lachemann’s approach to bullpen management.

“It makes it a lot easier,” Lachemann said. “The indecision you would have with a starter who’s doing all right, but there’s a question of whether or not to try and get another out or two out of him, that’s gone.

“When you have a quality closer like Lee, those kinds of decisions are made before you start the game.”