Maybe Perisho Is Angels’ Answer, but Not in Detroit

DETROIT —  He hardly rode off the mound on a white horse, and no one proclaimed him a savior, but Matt Perisho showed in a 6-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night that he has the potential to solve some of the Angels’ pitching woes.

And with Mark Langston out for an estimated six to eight weeks because of elbow surgery Tuesday, and Mark Gubicza weeks away from a possible return because of a sore shoulder, the Angels, who have lost three in a row after winning 10 of 11, definitely have some long-term pitching problems.

“We need to see how we do with the guys we have [before we consider a possible trade],” Angel Manager Terry Collins said before the game. “And we have to be patient with Matt [Perisho]. We can’t get real carried away if he throws a shutout or too worried if he doesn’t pitch well.”

Perisho, a 21-year-old left-hander recalled from double-A Midland on Friday, was Mr. In-Between in his major league debut, witnessed by 8,042 in Tiger Stadium.

He struggled with his control, walking four and hitting a batter. He made some mistakes, particularly the fastball Travis Fryman whacked for a bases-empty home run in the third inning, the double Melvin Nieves lined in a two-run fourth and the pitch Brian Hunter drove for a triple before scoring in the fifth.

But Perisho, a third-round pick in the 1993 draft, also worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning, striking out Tony Clark and Melvin Nieves. He gave up five runs but only six hits and struck out six in five innings.

“I thought it was a quality start, considering he’s 21,” Angel catcher Chad Kreuter said. “He showed poise and got out of some jams. He made some mistakes, but he also had command of his pitches. If he throws like that he’s going to win some games.”

Perisho, who needed 31 pitches to escape the first inning, said his biggest mistake was trying to pitch too well.

“I wasn’t real nervous, but I was trying to do too much, be too fine, too perfect,” Perisho said, “That’s not my game, and that’s not how you win games. I knew if I made good pitches I’d get them out, but I tried to make too many good pitches.”

Was Perisho particularly happy about any one thing?

“Yeah, that it’s over,” he said. “The first one is always the hardest, but I think I can pitch here. I didn’t throw the way I know I’m capable of, but as far as getting the feel for the game and getting to know the hitters, I’m pretty happy about the way things went.”

Except for the result. But a sagging Angel offense was also to blame. Jim Leyritz’s two-run home run off reliever Doug Brocail in the top of the ninth inning broke up the shutout, and it also snapped the Angels’ 19-inning scoreless streak.

The Angels managed only five hits off Detroit starter Justin Thompson and relievers Todd Jones, Brocail and Mike Myers, and two of them, Dave Hollins’ seventh-inning bunt and his ninth-inning dribbler, went a combined 35 feet.

The Angels had 44 runs on 60 hits, including nine homers, during their four-game win streak last week, but have mustered only five runs on 15 hits--and no homers--in their three-game skid.

Having a particularly tough time is lead-off batter Tony Phillips, who is hitless in his last 15 at-bats; and right fielder Tim Salmon, who is hitless in his last 13.

Detroit had only seven hits Tuesday night, but the Tigers scored four of their runs on outs--two RBI groundouts and two sacrifice flies. Second baseman Damion Easley, a former Angel, contributed a triple, an RBI single and diving catch of Kreuter’s sixth-inning liner.

Collins stacked his lineup with right-handed batters against Thompson, the Tigers’ left-handed ace, but Thompson still struck out six in seven innings. The Angels put two on to start the seventh, but strikeouts of Leyritz and Eddie Murray helped Thompson out of the jam.

“The way we’re swinging,” Collins said, “we’re making everybody look tough.”