ANGELS BLOWN AWAY ROYALS' BAUTISTA IS OVERPOWERING WHILE BYRD IS NOT KANSAS CITY 6, ANGELS 2.

Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - In their efforts to scout, sign and retain pitchers, the Angels place an almost exclusive premium on powerful arms.

They dig the hard thrower the way chicks dig the long ball, but with a void at the back of their rotation entering 2005, were willing to make an exception for the finesse-oriented Paul Byrd.

On Friday night, Byrd's debut for the Angels was overshadowed by the sort of power pitcher the Angels covet.

While Byrd didn't miss many bats, Kansas City Royals rookie Denny Bautista bulldozed through the Angels lineup, leaving them amazed and confused after a 6-2 loss at Angel Stadium.

``Two words,'' Angels shortstop Orlando Cabrera said of Bautista. ``Nasty. That's it. And he's ugly, too. So there's your two words.''

Bautista, 24, was acquired last June from Baltimore for the bargain price of 36-year-old reliever Jason Grimsley. Friday, he had the look of a frontline starter, pitching eight innings, striking out eight Angels and giving up just three hits to earn his first major league victory.

He retired the first eight Angels he faced and, after Jeff DaVanon's leadoff double in the fourth inning, retired the next 14 batters before Robb Quinlan's two-out single in the eighth.

Byrd, 10 years older than Bautista, is no match physically for the young Dominican's repertoire that's topped by a 96-mph fastball. Byrd relies on location and changing speeds and a veteran's craftiness, but he was nickle-and-dimed by his former Royals teammates all night.

He gave up nine hits in his seven innings and was let down by a Chone Figgins error to start a two-run second inning. He kicked himself later for diving and barely missing Tony Graffanino's suicide squeeze bunt, which fell for an RBI single to key a two-run fifth.

By the seventh, when he gave up hard-hit back-to-back doubles to Graffanino and Mike Sweeney, a smattering of boos came down from the Angel Stadium crowd of 39,167. Byrd, ever the veteran, seems to think those sentiments will change over the next six months.

``They pay a lot of money to see us play well,'' Byrd said. ``Tonight, we didn't. We'll have to turn those boos to cheers. It's a long season. I wouldn't change the way I threw.''

Manager Mike Scioscia reiterated those sentiments, noting Byrd's defense didn't adequately support him. Third baseman Robb Quinlan made his second error in four games, and Scioscia indicated Maicer Izturis might see some playing time there this weekend to give Quinlan a chance to regroup.

``Right now, Q might be pressing a bit,'' Scioscia said.

Byrd won 17 games for Kansas City in 2002, but almost all of those players are gone from the perennially rebuilding Royals. Two who are still around, Graffanino and Sweeney, tormented Byrd.

With the Royals nursing a 3-1 lead in the fifth, Graffanino followed David DeJesus' leadoff triple with a textbook suicide squeeze bunt, which narrowly escaped Byrd's grasp for a single and a 4-1 lead.

``I'll be seeing that one over and over in my sleep,'' he said.

Sweeney followed with an RBI double to make it 5-1.

Byrd's night wasn't a total failure. He completed seven innings, giving a taxed Angels bullpen some much-needed relief, and the Angels still have high expectations he'll keep them in almost every game he pitches and win a bushel of games this year.

The Royals have similar hopes for Bautista. After Figgins popped out to shortstop to end the eighth, Bautista, his work done, paused at the dugout steps and high-fived several teammates clearly starved for a reason for hope.

Gabe Lacques, [phone]

gabe.lacques(at)sgvn.com

CAPTION(S):

photo, 4 boxes

Photo:

Kansas City's David DeJesus successfully steals second base on Friday.

Chris Carlson/Associated Press

Box:

(1) ANGELS vs. KANSAS CITY

- Gabe Lacques

(2) GAME RECAP

(3) HOW THE RUNS SCORED

(4) ALMANAC