The Californian from Temecula, California • 18

B-6 The Californian Monday, June 3, 1991 Padres keep Astros frustrated Fernando may be back this week Astros shortstop Eric Yelding gets set to tag out Padres runner Scott Coolbaugh, who was attempting to steal second base. and out and then came with his screwball or curve, and those were some nasty pitches," said third baseman Fran-kie Abreu. "He knows how to pitch," said left-fielder Mike Fiore, who led off the seventh with a double, one of only two balls hit hard off Valenzuela. "He did the things he had to do to get back to the big leagues." Valenzuela threw 78 pitches 47 for strikes. In 17 innings against minor league opposition, he has not allowed an earned run.

Released by the Los Angeles Dodgers near the end of spring training and signed to a free-agent contract by the California Angels, Valenzuela struck out five Saturday night and issued two walks both to John Sellick. Valenzuela said he used his fastball early and then went to his curve and screwball. Sellick managed to lay off the screwball. "It is a nasty pitch, and he keeps it just outside the plate," Sellick said. "He is just so consistent.

Too bad we couldn't get to him, but it was fun going against Valenzuela and play- "V- The Associated Press outing in Little Rock may have date with the Angels. Abbott keep Angels ases of the West. The names, to Winfield, are untouchables, although he played for a time with McCovey while with the San Diego Padres. The West is not. "Year to year, I want to know where I stand compared to the players I'm playing with," Winfield said.

"That's what's impor- 4 i The Associated Press SAN DIEGO For the Houston Astros it was more of the same Sunday at San Diego's Jack Murphy Stadium. Their 3-1 loss to the San Diego Padres was their 33rd in their last 40 games here. "Their personality has changed," Houston pitcher Jim Deshaies said about the Padres. "And ours has certainly changed. But the one thing that doesn't seem to change is we don't play worth a damn out here." Adam Peterson (2-1) and two relievers combined to two-hit the Astros.

Peterson worked the first six innings, allowing Steve Fin-ley's lead off homer. He left with a muscle strain in his lower back. Craig Lefferts worked the final 1 2-3 innings to earn his 12th save. In the series, the Astros were also two-hit by Jose Melendez in his first major-league start. Asked why his club has so many problems playing in San Diego, Astros manager Art Howe said: "I don't know.

For a lot of these guys, it's their first trip in here. We have a lot of new faces so there shouldn't have been any carry over." For the Padres, who had the worst home record in the National League before the Astros came to town, it was their first sweep of a four-game series against anyone, anywhere since June 20-23, 1985 when they beat the San Francisco Giants in San Diego. The Padres hadn't swept a four-game series against Houston since June 10-13, 1982. Even after the series, the Padres 11-15 home record was still the worst in the league. Asked about his club's continued problems at home, Padres manager Greg Riddoch said: "Why can't we win at home? I guess we just can't win at home.

What did we do today?" Peterson, promoted from Class AAA Las Vegas on May 10, struck out four and walked two in matching his longest outing of the season. Mike Maddux went 11-3 innings before Lefferts finished. Benito Santiago hit a solo ho- WRITE We offer you a choice of elements (optional). Just add the one you want to use. i I1 only $7-QgJ I 1 Hi mer in the second, his sixth of the year, and also doubled in helping the Padres hand the Astros their seventh straight loss in San Diego.

Houston starter Xavier Hernandez (0-6) allowed three runs on four hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked six. The Padres scored once for a 2-1 lead in the third, but Hernandez could have escaped the inning unharmed except for an error by shortstop Eric Yelding on an apparent double play. After a one-out walk to Tony Fernandez, Tony Gwynn lined a hit-and-run single to put runners at first and third. Fred McGriff then hit a bouncer to first baseman Jeff Bagwell, who threw to second, but Yelding mishandled the ball with Fernandez scoring and runners safe at first and second.

Hernandez walked leadoff batter Shawn Abner in the seventh before giving way to Al Osuna. Give Dad With your ad to Day Page to HARRY KINQUcia(prf Press LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -This was a different kind of crowd. Trailing 4-0, the Arkansas Travelers started the last inning with a double and a walk. The scoreboard operator asked for noise.

He got some, not what you'd expect from a record turnout. Three fly balls later, it was over and the crowd gave the winning pitcher from Midland a standing ovation. He had produced right on cue a nifty two-hitter. No matter that the opposition was the worst hitting team in Class AA. Most of the 12,246 wanted to see former Cy Young winner Fernando Valenzuela on his way back to the major leagues.

And he may be back this week. Valenzuela left Little Rock for California on Sunday, but was uncertain when the California Angels planned to call him up. When they do, he's expected to replace rookie Scott Lewis in the Angels' rotation. On Saturday, even the victims appreciated Valenzuela. "He threw his fastball in 5f X'.

Mi! I I Fernando Valenzuela's strong moved him closer to a pitching ANGELS: Winfield, Continued from Bl Tris Speaker and Rogers Horns-by. "I had no idea he was climbing by the immortals," Angels manager Doug Rader said. Probably because Winfield has been busy enough attempting to climb by the Oaklands and Tex- mi V- I' fi fa 4 ''Sm The Associated Press Abner advanced to second on a sacrifice and scored on Gwynn's second single of the game. Notes: Right-hander Ed Whitson (tendinitis, right elbow) was administered a cortisone shot prior to the game. Riddoch said Whitson, who missed his last start and has not pitched since May 26, would be placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday.

Whitson will become the 10th Padre to be placed on the disabled list this season, six of them pitchers. Padres center fielder Bip Roberts was removed from the game in the sixth inning with recurring spasms in his lower back. Roberts said he would undergo tests Monday to locate the reason for the problem. Finley has opened games with hits 11 of the 17 times he has hit in the No. 1 spot.

He has hit safely in 23 of his last 27 games. Hernandez lost his fourth straight start and now has a 6.16 ERA. Howe said after the game that he is mulling dropping him from the starting rotation. LMlLlIMBJiXaii as It' Is I Ltd I It It IK His Due! Dad on our Father's be published in DAD! -PHONE. -STATE.

-ZIP- ing in front of so many fans." Valenzuela said his fastball had more zip against Jackson on Monday night, but that he may have sacrificed control for velocity. He threw 91 pitches in six innings against Jackson and walked three, all in the first inning. He was pleased with the location of his pitches against the Travelers and said he was surprised he could get through seven innings on less than 80 pitches. "I used all my stuff and it was working fine," Valenzuela said. "He throws everything tight and spots them well," Arkansas catcher Jose Fernandez said.

"That's what he has to do is paint the corners. He doesn't have the power like before. He has to paint." Free general admission tickets were available for Saturday night's game because of another promotion and a couple of hundred people were in place an hour before the gates opened since general admission seats are first come-first served. After Midland confirmed that Valenzuela would pitch, the Travelers put 1,000 reserve seats on sale and they went fast. The Travelers' single-game attendance record was 11,018 on a Bank Night on Aug.

4, 1967. Almost an hour before the game began, the Travelers opened access to some rarely used bleachers down the left field line. Eventually, fans were allowed onto the field in a roped-off area behind the visitors bullpen. They were only a few feet from Valenzuela when he jogged into short left to loosen up with his teammates and were hard behind him when he warmed up. Down the right field line, fans were six to eight deep behind a wire fence.

The aisles were still clogged during the national anthem. Shortly before the game began, the crowd took over the warning track from both foul lines to the green background in straightaway center. Time after time, the P.A. announcer had to warn those crossing in front of the center-field fence that they were distracting the hitters. When Valenzuela was pitching, it mattered little.

in thick of things tant. "I challenge myself with what's tangible. Right here. Right now." The Angels have won seven consecutive series. Five times they have lost the first game and have won the series.

Five of the series have been on the road and the club is 15-7 since landing in Cleveland on May 10 to start the streak. Since that day, Abbott has not lost. He has pitched five times. "Jimmy Abbott's really throwing well," Rader said. "I haven't seen too many pitchers in this league over the past four or five starts pitch any better than him.

"There's really not much else he can do. And (pitching coach Marcel Lachemann) tells me he can get better. I tend to believe it." Abbott broke five Blue Jays bats Sunday and, in a mild upset, none fell for hits. "I'm not upset by it," Abbott said with a laugh. "Today's was a game I had to work through a little bit." The Blue Jays, who started the game mere percentage points behind the Boston Red Sox in the Eastern Division, managed two runs and nine hits.

Ed Sprague singled home a run in the fourth and Joe Carter led off the sixth with his eighth home run. By the time Sprague's hit fell, however, the Angels already had tagged Toronto starter Jim Acker for six runs. In the second, Wally Joyner doubled home Jack Howell. A batter later, with two on, Winfield lined a fastball over the left-field wall for a 4-0 lead. Max Venable looped a two-out single in the fourth inning and kept going when Howell yanked an 0-and-l pitch over the wall in the right-field corner.

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