Major mission drives Howell

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He has been around the block a couple of times in baseball, working his way up from the minors to the majors and back again.

He won a World Series ring with the 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers, but it’s not enough.

51s pitching coach Ken Howell still has a passion for the game, and the 46-year-old has his sights set on another stint in the majors.

“The whole thing with this is getting back to the big leagues,” said Howell, in his second year as pitching coach for Las Vegas after a year at Double-A Jacksonville, Fla., and two at Class-A Vero Beach. “From the lowest level to the highest level, all of our goals are to get back to the big leagues. I had a pretty decent career up there, I loved it and I want to go back.”

The 51s, who lost 7-6 to Portland at Cashman Field on Friday night, have struggled to throw strikes this season, leading the Pacific Coast League with 201 walks. They also entered with a 5.15 ERA — second worst in the league — but a few pitchers on the staff have enjoyed some success and attribute much of it to working with Howell.

“He’s had a huge impact on me,” said D.J. Houlton, who leads Las Vegas in wins at 5-2 and has a 2.91 ERA. “In spring training we worked on stuff every morning, on a little drill he made up. We did it for about six weeks, and it’s been paying off for me.

“He takes so much time with all the pitchers and he really cares about every single one of them. He’s the kind of guy who, on his own time, will think about how he can help a guy. That’s what we need here, because most of us are pretty close (to the majors).”

51s reliever Matt White, who has a 3.13 ERA in 26 appearances, also likes working with Howell.

“Kenny’s from the old school. He lets guys go out there and pitch,” he said. “I spend more time with Kenny talking about pitching than mechanics. We’ve talked about different kinds of approaches. He’s been a big help to me, and I know he’s been a big help to other guys, too.”

Howell’s efforts were rewarded Friday when he was picked to represent Las Vegas at the Triple-A All-Star Game, scheduled for July 11 in Albuquerque, N.M.

Howell, who will serve as pitching coach for the PCL, played for the Albuquerque Dukes before getting called up to the Dodgers in 1984.

He went 38-48 with a 3.95 ERA in seven seasons with the Dodgers (1984 to 1988) and Philadelphia Phillies (1989 and 1990).

“The money is really great, but there’s nothing like walking around having that championship ring. That’s what you play for,” Howell said.