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Angels again fall short against the red-hot Indians

Angels' Ben Revere, left, scores past Cleveland Indians catcher Roberto Perez on a fielding error by right fielder Jay Bruce during the seventh inning on Wednesday.
(Chris Carlson / Associated Press)
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The Angels have proved they can hang with the American League’s best teams. What they have yet to exhibit is that they have enough assembled talent to actually beat them.

They played another tight, tenuous game against the current class of baseball Wednesday night, and again fell achingly short. They lost to the Cleveland Indians 6-5 before an announced crowd of 38,424 at Angel Stadium, though there were far fewer fans seated throughout the night.

“We played a pretty good game,” second baseman Brandon Phillips said. “We just didn’t win. That’s the way we’ve been playing against good teams like that.”

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The Angels faced Josh Tomlin, the Indians’ control-focused right-hander, a soft tosser who has little chance of making a playoff start next month. He shut them down through 51/3 innings, true to form walking none and scattering seven hits.

The Angels started Ricky Nolasco, an altogether similar pitcher but one who probably will draw a start if the Angels make it past the Oct. 3 wild-card game.

After Nolasco induced a grounder that bounced off the first-base bag and became a double, he walked Edwin Encarnacion. There were two out in the first inning when Jay Bruce skied a pop fly to short left field.

Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons tracked it while backpedaling, dropped it, then recovered to catch it with his bare hand as he fell to the grass. The crowd oohed, and Nolasco looked on in disbelief as he retreated to the dugout.

“I’m glad he made it,” Nolasco said. “I’ll tell you that.”

In the second, Nolasco gave up consecutive doubles to Carlos Santana and Jason Kipnis. Cleveland’s 1-0 lead lasted only until the bottom of the inning, when Kole Calhoun doubled, Simmons singled and C.J. Cron singled in Calhoun.

The score remained 1-1 until the fourth, when Cleveland’s Giovanny Urshela lined a two-out, first-pitch double into left. That scored Bruce, who had singled.

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An inning later, Cron clubbed a 437-foot homer when Tomlin left a cutter over the middle of the strike zone. One out later, Phillips came within a few feet of another homer, settling instead for an off-the-wall double. Mike Trout and Justin Upton had chances to single him in but failed.

Yusmeiro Petit replaced Nolasco to start the sixth inning, manager Mike Scioscia demonstrating greater faith in his bullpen than in a veteran starter who will become a free agent at season’s end.

In the seventh, Petit lost his command. First, he hung a curveball to Urshela, who ripped it for a single. Petit’s next pitch was a fastball over the middle. Francisco Lindor landed it in the center-field seats for a two-run home run.

“I made a mistake today,” Petit said, “and I had to pay.”

Petit was later charged with another run, though rookie Keynan Middleton finished the inning for him. Fellow rookie Eduardo Paredes gave up another run in the eighth.

In their half of the seventh, the Angels stitched together a two-out rally. Pinch-hitter Ben Revere singled up the middle to start it, and Trout blooped a double to right to extend it, two runs scoring in the process.

Albert Pujols led off the eighth with a solo shot to make the score 6-5.

With star left-hander Andrew Miller unavailable, the Indians used lesser relievers to piece together the inning.

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Idling at 11/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins, who lost Wednesday, the Angels are well within reach of a wild-card spot. But they are running out of time to formulate the mini-run required.

Ninety-nine innings of regulation baseball remain in the regular season. That’s enough, they maintain.

“We’ve got a game tomorrow,” Scioscia said.

Short hops

Catcher Martin Maldonado wrote “Pray for” on his Puerto Rico hat from the World Baseball Classic, showing support for his home that sustained significant damage Wednesday from Hurricane Maria. … Left-hander Andrew Heaney, sidelined since Sept. 9 because of shoulder soreness, reported feeling well after another session of catch. The Angels have still not said when they expect him to throw off of a mound.

pedro.moura@latimes.com

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Follow Pedro Moura on Twitter @pedromoura

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