Notes on a Scorecard - Aug. 8, 1995

The Angels spoil you. . . .

They lose three out of four games and you wonder why they are going so bad and what the solutions might be. . . .

A case was made for Manager Marcel Lachemann to give some of his best players the day off Monday. . . .

Tim Salmon and Jim Edmonds had played in 92 of the Angels’ first 93 games, and J.T. Snow and Tony Phillips had played in 91. . . .

Was fatigue setting in during a stretch of 27 games in 27 days? . . .

But Lachemann put them all in the lineup against the Texas Rangers, anyway. . . .

Each responded with a home run during the 9-2 victory. . . .

Edmonds, Snow and Phillips also contributed fielding gems. . . .

“They’ll need some rest along the way; it’s just a matter of when and where and what situation,� Lachemann said. “It’s something I’m new at. I’ll get input from my coaches about what to do.� . . .

Many other managers, who lack stars and 11-game leads, wish they had the same problem. . . .

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If the Dodgers don’t overtake Colorado in the National League West race, they won’t be able to blame it on the schedule. . . .

L.A. has only one game left against Cincinnati, Aug. 17 on the road, and none against Atlanta. . . .

Colorado has six games left against each of the teams with the two best records in the National League. . . .

The Dodgers got a break in the matchups when the first 18 games of the season were canceled because of the strike. . . .

They will play the Reds and Braves a total of 16 times. The Rockies will play them 25 times. . . .

Colorado is 1-6 against Atlanta and 3-3 against Cincinnati. L.A. is 4-5 against Atlanta and 3-3 against Cincinnati. . . .

No list of the best-pitched games this season would be complete without Atlanta left-hander Tom Glavine’s shutout of the Rockies on June 16 at Coors Field. He gave up only six singles. The ball must not have been carrying in its usual fashion that night because the Braves scored only two runs. . . .

Hideo Nomo’s biggest compliment this season came from Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer, who stood in the ABC broadcasting booth and applauded Nomo after his one-hitter against San Francisco Saturday night at Candlestick Park. . . .

You remember Baltimore Oriole right fielder Bobby Bonilla as a New York Met and Pittsburgh Pirate, but probably not as a member of the Chicago White Sox. He played the first 75 games of his rookie season in 1986 with Chicago before being traded to Pittsburgh for pitcher Jose DeLeon. . . .

Somehow, I don’t miss that extra time between innings since the rule change. . . .

The only pitchers in the Hall of Fame with losing major league records are Satchel Paige and Rollie Fingers. . . .

Paige, who was 28-31, didn’t enter the majors until he was 41 or perhaps even older, and was recognized primarily for his achievements in the Negro Leagues. Fingers, who was 114-118, was a relief pitcher, and saves, not won-loss records, are what count. . . .

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Rafael Ruelas’ first bout since his loss to Oscar De La Hoya will be against George Scott in the Bahamas on Oct. 7. . . .

Pep rallies are being planned at De La Hoya’s alma mater, Garfield High, and Genaro Hernandez’s alma mater, Roosevelt, for Sept. 5. Their football rivalry annually draws sellout crowds of 20,000 at East L.A. Stadium. On Sept. 9, it will be the former Bulldog vs. the former Roughrider in the ring at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. . . .

James Toney has a new manager, Stan Hoffman, who replaces Jackie Kallen. . . .

Dennis Finfrock is out as director of special events at the MGM Grand, where he handled boxing promotions. . . .

Youth movement: Hector Camacho, 33, is talking about fighting Roberto Duran, 44, then Sugar Ray Leonard, 39. . . .

Trainer Bobby Frankel, who was inducted into racing’s Hall of Fame Monday, can take one look at a horse 100 feet away and tell you what’s wrong with it. . . .

The appeal of NFL exhibition games must be declining when the Browns draw 45,045 at Cleveland, the Broncos 48,526 at Denver and the Seahawks 35,607 at Seattle. . . .

How much clout does the Notre Dame football program have? The Irish will qualify automatically for a spot in one of the alliance bowls--Fiesta, Orange or Sugar--if it is ranked among the top 10 in either the Associated Press or CNN/USA Today polls.