BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Pitching Rotation Gets Adjustment

The Angels are going with a four-man rotation for the rest of the season, and that will mean added pressure for Manager Marcel Lachemann as well as Mark Langston, Chuck Finley, Jim Abbott and Shawn Boskie. Barring inclement weather, each of the four pitchers will have to work on three days’ rest once during the next three weeks.

“I’ll have to keep a pretty close track on pitch counts,” Lachemann said. “There will have to be some kind of balance between the first start and the second. In Mark’s case, he threw just 98 pitches and went seven innings [Friday] night, so he’s in pretty good shape.

“The judgment of how long a guy goes will depend on the game, of course, but complete games are not a priority at this point. Winning, and keeping the guy ready for the next start, are.”

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Tony Tavares, president of Disney Sports Enterprises, has been reluctant to talk about the eventual takeover of the Angels’ day-to-day operations, but acknowledges Disney is planning for the future.

“We’re in the middle of a competitive pennant race and hopefully we’ll be involved in a competitive World Series,” he said. “I wouldn’t want anything to distract from the race.”

Tavares, however, is maintaining close contact with Jackie Autry, the Angels’ executive vice president.

“We’ve had a lot of hypothetical discussions,” Tavares said. “We’re not supposed to be involved in the day-to-day business, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t been to Anaheim Stadium and brainstormed about how to do things in the future.

“I’ve talked to Jackie Autry as often as you might expect, but, again, I don’t give her suggestions on how to run the team.”

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Before Saturday night’s game, the bulletin board outside Lachemann’s office had the Angels’ magic number (15) and the inscription, “This is when boys turn into men.”

“It was some of the players’ idea,” Lachemann said. “Just to remind them that they are in first place.”