Bullpen Moves On With Success

One constant over the last three years of Angel baseball, from the highs of the World Series championship and American League West title to the low of a third-place finish, has been having the league’s best bullpen.

Only now Troy Percival, the franchise’s all-time leader in saves, is swathed in Detroit Tiger blue, the most prominent departure from a corps of relievers that opened the season Tuesday night at Angel Stadium with three new faces and one considerable void.

“A guy like Percy, he’s a special player, a special guy that was part of the history that we’ve had here,� Angel Manager Mike Scioscia said. “It’s certainly someone you’re going to miss, there’s no doubt about it. Hopefully, we’ll be able to do the things as far as getting the last outs of the ballgame as well as we did when he was here.�

That wasn’t a problem Tuesday night during the Angels’ 3-2 victory over the Texas Rangers. Francisco Rodriguez recorded the last three outs with characteristic panache in his debut as the Angel closer, needing only 10 pitches to set down the Rangers in order for his first save.

Rodriguez struck out Rod Barajas on three consecutive sliders, induced a fly ball off the bat of Alfonso Soriano and retired Hank Blalock on a groundout to first baseman Darin Erstad. Rodriguez, celebrated for his electric fastballs, threw only two in an effort to keep the Rangers off balance.

“I tried to mix it up,� Rodriguez said. “The next time, they don’t know what’s coming.�

Said Scioscia: “Frankie was ready. It’s good to get that first one out of the way and move on from there.�

When it comes to Percival, the Angels will miss more than a power arm. Though the soothing influence he provided as a clubhouse leader may have been more difficult to quantify than his 316 saves, it was certainly no less significant for a bullpen that finished last season with a 3.47 earned-run average.

“I don’t know if anybody is going to come out and be the leader like Percy was, but I think everyone will hang on to each other,� reliever Scot Shields said. “As a group, I think we’re going to have to rely on each other a little more.�

The tag-team approach worked fine Tuesday night in relief of starter Bartolo Colon, who limited the Rangers to one run in 6 2/3 innings. Shields wriggled out of a two-on, two-out jam he helped create in the seventh, then shook off a homer he yielded to Mark Teixeira leading off the eighth to retire the side without further damage before handing the ball to Rodriguez.

While holdovers Shields, Rodriguez and Brendan Donnelly make up a formidable late-inning combination, with Donnelly and Shields serving as setup men for Rodriguez, the front end of the bullpen is less established.

Bret Prinz and rookie Jake Woods are expected to handle the middle innings, with Esteban Yan, a former closer with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, capable of filling a variety of roles.

“All of them fit in our bullpen mentality-wise pretty good,� Shields said of the newcomers. “I don’t think any of them are afraid to go into any situation and do the job.�

Said pitching coach Bud Black: “Time will tell, but I think we’re all happy with the names down there. I think our bullpen is going to be just fine.�