Angels Are Thrown a Curve, 4-1 : Baseball: Candiotti fools them with breaking pitches early, then gets them to knuckle under to Indians.

CLEVELAND — Gatherings of major league knuckleball pitchers could be held in a phone booth, so drastically have their numbers dwindled.

But Tom Candiotti is upholding the honor of knuckleballers past and present, compiling a microscopic earned-run average that would be the envy of any fastball pitcher.

“It’s definitely an advantage that there’s only two of us left, and I’m rooting for Charlie Hough, because I don’t want him to leave and be the only one left,” Candiotti said after striking out nine Angels and allowing only three singles in the Indians’ 4-1 victory Sunday at Cleveland Stadium.

“I still get calls from Phil Niekro and Joe Niekro,” Candiotti said, speaking of two of the best knuckleball pitchers of recent years. “Some games I’ve thrown it 80 or 90%. But those games don’t happen every time out.”

His knuckleball didn’t behave in the early going, forcing Candiotti (4-1) to mix in a tantalizing but almost untouchable curveball that added to the Angels’ frustration.

“I was sitting on his curveballs today, and I couldn’t hit those either,” catcher Lance Parrish said. “I’m just glad we don’t have to see this guy for a while. Good riddance. I hope he goes to the National League.”

Candiotti would lead the NL with his 1.02 ERA, but he is second in the AL to Boston’s Roger Clemens (0.73) after his second successive nine-strikeout mastery of the Angels.

The 33-year-old native of Walnut Creek, Calif., was a 5-1 victor May 1 at Anaheim Stadium, and he improved on that Sunday by not allowing an earned run. The Angels scored in the second inning Sunday on a walk, a single by Max Venable, shortstop Felix Fermin’s error and Dick Schofield’s fielder’s choice, but Candiotti baffled them the rest of the way to record his second complete game of the season.

“You know what’s coming, but that doesn’t make it any easier,” Venable said.

Candiotti’s job became easier when the Indians scored in the third inning, putting them in position to earn their first come-from-behind victory this season.

Carlos Baerga’s drive off Angel right-hander Scott Lewis (1-3) barely cleared the 320-foot sign in right field for a three-run home run, and Mark Lewis added a run-scoring single in the sixth to ensure the end of the Indians’ four-game losing streak.

Although Scott Lewis has yielded seven home runs in six starts and has three losses and one no-decision in his last four outings, Angel Manager Doug Rader lauded the rookie’s effort Sunday.

“He pitched good enough to win,” Rader said. “He gave up a two-out home run that beat us. He got behind in the count a little bit, but other than that, he did a good job.”

Lewis, who has yet to start a game with three scoreless innings, gave up nine hits in 5 2/3innings Sunday. In his last three starts, he has given up 24 hits and 12 earned runs in 14 innings.

“I haven’t really felt I’ve pitched the way I can,” Lewis said. “I’ve been trying to do too much, and I’m not having fun out there.

“It’s almost like life and death sometimes. I was talking to Kirk (McCaskill) about it, and he reminded me it’s just a game of catch. . . .

“I haven’t given up this many home runs since the Texas League. Other than today, the pitches were mistakes. Today, (Baerga) just went down and got it. The next time he came up, I struck him out. . . . It was a tough game and it’s not fun pitching with guys on second and third all the time. I kept my head. I don’t feel so bad about it today other than we lost. You always want to win.”

Candiotti won because he was able to fall back on his curveball until his knuckler started to flutter. He struck out every Angel except Schofield, and got Dave Parker twice. Parker’s bloop single in the sixth inning and Wally Joyner’s single to right in the ninth were the only hits he allowed after Venable’s second-inning single.

“He pitched a good beer-league game with those big, hump-backed pitches,” Dave Winfield said.

Candiotti is smart enough to know he’ll never overpower people, and resourceful enough to win even when he lacked command of his knuckleball.

“Before I was ever a knuckleball pitcher, my curve was my best pitch,” he said. “One of the luxuries I have is that I still have a pretty good curveball I can throw to keep myself in the game. I started getting locked in with my knuckleball about the fourth inning and started throwing it more.

“For whatever reason, I’ve been locked in with that pitch for a while. I just hope it continues.”