Abbott Goes Over Angels’ Party Line

MILWAUKEE —  The Angels have preached patience, relying on his standout record in the past to resist the temptation to pull the trigger on a drastic move. The party line on Jim Abbott has been: “Wait, he’ll get better. You’ll see.”

Well, it’s not happening, and for the first time Manager Marcel Lachemann and General Manager Bill Bavasi acknowledged something must be done.

The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Angels, 10-5, before 16,274 Friday at County Stadium, taking advantage of Abbott’s wildness and lack of confidence.

Abbott lasted two innings, giving up four runs on two hits with six walks. He faced 13 batters. Eight reached base and four scored. He threw 67 pitches, only 29 for strikes, before he was replaced by Shad Williams.

Abbott’s earned-run average increased for the seventh consecutive start, to 7.92, the highest of any starter in the American League. He is 1-11, a loser of more games than any pitcher in the major leagues.

Now, the Angels say they must act.

“We’ve got to sit down and really look it,” Lachemann said. “I’ve got to sit down with Chuck [Hernandez, Angel pitching coach] and Jim to figure out what to do next. We need to look at everything.”

Standing pat, keeping Abbott in the starting rotation, clearly isn’t helping his confidence or the club’s record. The Angels have lost twice in the past 13 games and Abbott started both times.

Might he be helped by a stint in the bullpen or a trip to triple-A Vancouver?

And more to the point, might the Angels be better off with a more effective starter to join Chuck Finley (9-4), Shawn Boskie (7-2), Mark Langston (5-2) and Jason Grimsley (4-5)?

“I think we’ve got to take a long, hard look at it,” Bavasi said. “It’s not like we’ve been ignoring this. It’s had our attention for a while. You can’t give up on [Abbott]. There’s not enough pitching to go around. But we’re at a position where we need to regroup and find out what the best move for the ballclub is.”

Abbott has never thrown a pitch in the minor leagues, jumping from the University of Michigan and a gold medal-winning performance with the U.S. Olympic team in the 1988 Games to the Angels in 1989.

He has played five years in the majors, so he can refuse a minor-league assignment.

“Is it technically an option?” Bavasi said. “Yeah--if he wants to do it. I’m not sure it’s the best option right now.”

Abbott was asked about a possible move to the minors to restore his sagging confidence.

“It’s something I’ve never thought about,” Abbott said. “All I’ve ever done is start in the major leagues.

“But I have a lot of faith in Marcel Lachemann and Chuck Hernandez, and if they see an answer in a course of action [other than staying in the majors], I would have a tough time going against that. I don’t doubt any solution they have would be in my best interest and the best interest of the team.”

At the moment, the Angels seem to be a club clicking on all cylinders but one. They have overcome injuries to key players and made up ground in the American League West, moving to within five games of first-place Texas after a 10-3 victory over the Brewers on Thursday.

Friday’s loss coupled with the Rangers’ victory over Boston marked the first time the Angels had slipped in the standings since June 8.

Getting Abbott right seems to be their only significant stumbling block, but it’s a big one.

“I feel it’s not rearing back and giving it my best stuff and letting it happen,” Abbott said. “You have to be aggressive and take that leap of faith and trust your stuff. There’s definitely a mental aspect of it that needs to be addressed.

“What’s preventing me from throwing strikes? What’s been the impediment? That’s been my search. Really, there’s no other way to go. There’s pain there. You hate exposing yourself to feeling bad, to embarrassing yourself in the public eye. I don’t want to feel bad like this anymore.

“The answer is to keep working, to keep fighting. If I quit now, I quit on myself and I quit on this team. I don’t think that’s the answer.”