Angels Stumble and Tumble Out of the Lead, 6-2

The lack of artistry by the Angels appalled Manager Gene Mauch. The lack of aggressiveness by Ron Romanick infuriated pitching coach Marcel Lachemann.

This was Black Friday.

The Angels lost the game to Baltimore, 6-2, and lost their American League West lead to Kansas City.

The Royals, who swept a doubleheader from Milwaukee, now lead by a half-game. They trailed by 7 1/2 on July 21 but have since registered a 29-14 record contrasted with a 21-22 mark by the Angels, who had led the division since June 21.

Mauch, the Little General, stood behind his desk. The muscles in his face were taut. Asked about the loss of the division lead, Mauch stared at the interrogator, paused interminably, then said: “We knew this was going to be a tough trip and we’ll salvage what we can out of it. I wish we could play another game right now so I can get the taste of this one out of my mouth. We’ve worked too hard for too long to play that weak--and that was weak.”

Mauch was puzzled by a lack of productivity against Dennis Martinez, who allowed only three hits over seven innings before Sammy Stewart came on to complete a four-hitter.

He was disturbed by mental mistakes that cost the Angels runs in the third and eighth innings, and he was frustrated by the continuing struggle of Romanick, who was 13-4 with a 3.02 ERA at the end of July and is now 13-7 with an ERA of 4.07.

“Not good,” Mauch said, when asked about Romanick’s performance. “He was tentative again, and I don’t know why. When you’re walking the ninth hitter and the leadoff hitter to open an inning, something’s amiss, something’s wrong.”

Lachemann suggested that what’s amiss is Romanick’s head--or heart.

“There’s nothing wrong with his delivery,” the pitching coach said with a degree of heat. “There’s no wishing, no hoping, no making excuses. He’s going to have to decide if he wants to do it and take the bull by the horns. It’s up to him. If he’s not going to get aggressive, he’s not going to get people out.”

Romanick, who left the clubhouse moments after the game ended, has made six starts since the strike and failed to go beyond four innings in five of them. He has pitched only 19 innings in the six starts, allowing 23 earned runs, 41 hits and 17 walks. His ERA for that span is 11.00.

In this one, Romanick pitched only three-plus innings. A walk, a steal and a Cal Ripken single got the Orioles a quick run in the first. A walk to the No. 9 hitter, Rick Dempsey, and another to leadoff hitter Alan Wiggins opening the third set up the first mental mistake.

John Shelby bunted. Romanick pounced on the ball. Second baseman Bobby Grich took a step toward second, then broke to cover first. Mauch said Grich got to the base ahead of Shelby, but Romanick didn’t throw. He apparently thought Grich wasn’t going to get there, so he wheeled to throw to third but saw he didn’t have a play there, either. The bases were now loaded, and Cal Ripken followed with an RBI single. They were still loaded when Eddie Murray grounded into a double play to score another run. A leadoff homer by Larry Sheets in the fourth sent Romanick to the clubhouse.

Urbano Lugo, who was activated Friday after going on the disabled list Aug. 22 with a strained left foot, replaced Romanick and shut down the Orioles until Ripken hit his 22nd home run in the seventh.

Mauch, who had been thinking about starting Lugo instead of Romanick against Kansas City Wednesday night in Anaheim, continued to think about it until Lugo made a rookie’s mistake in the eighth and re-strained the foot.

“That was the kind of play you ought to get hurt on,” the unsympathetic manager snapped.

The Orioles had runners at first and third with two out when Jim Dwyer broke from first on the front end of a delayed double steal. Lugo wheeled and threw to second, forgetting about the runner at third. Lenn Sakata broke with the throw and scored easily. The insult was compounded by the injury that Lugo suffered as he made his pivot on the throw to second. A definitive diagnosis will be made today.

The Angels scored only solo runs in the first and seventh as Martinez held them hitless from the second through the sixth. He’s 12-8 overall and 3-1 against the Angels this season, including a one-hitter June 5.

“Maybe I shouldn’t be that concerned with Dennis Martinez pitching that well against us,” Mauch said. “but I know we can hit better than that and can’t understand why we haven’t.”

There was concern among the Angels over the loss of the division lead. Juan Beniquez said his team has been worrying too much about Kansas City, watching too many scoreboards. He said it was the Royals, playing catch-up, who should have been doing the watching and worrying. Grich said it’s up to the starting pitchers to shut down the opposition as they did in the first half.

“I don’t think it’s an attitude thing,” he said of the 23-24 second-half record. “We just have to hope that we can get our starting pitchers going again. I’m not pointing fingers, but it seems like we’re giving up five or six runs a game instead of the three or four of the first half. I don’t know what it will take to turn us around, but right now, it doesn’t look good.”

Angel Notes Reggie Jackson on the loss of the division lead: “We’re not playing well, we’re not winning some games that seem like must games, but it’s not like there’s only five games to go. There’s a month left. From here on the answer is simple. You either win more than the other guy or you don’t win.” . . . Pitcher John Candelaria, who was signed through 1986 with an option for 1987 when acquired by the Angels, has been given a new contract guaranteeing his salary through 1987. Candy’s acceptance of the new terms means he is waiving his right, as a player traded with a multiyear contract, to demand and receive a trade at the end of his first season with the Angels. . . . Doug DeCinces had two injections Thursday for the lingering stiffness in his lower back and is hopeful of seeing service tonight as a DH. “Doug finally decided to take the shots because he was convinced he wasn’t going to come back enough to play in the field without them,” Manager Gene Mauch said. “Rest wasn’t going to do it. The shots may mask the pain.” . . . Testifying in the Pittsburgh drug case, Enos Cabell identified Al Holland, then of the Philadelphia Phillies, as a player with whom he shared cocaine. This wasn’t a surprise to the Angels. “We had inquired into Holland’s character, as well as his ability, before making the trade (with Pittsburgh),” Angel General Manager Mike Port said. “I think this is a situation in which we’ll hear the names of some players who may have experimented with it briefly but who had the sense to put it behind them and go on with their lives.” . . . Said Holland: “I don’t have nothing to say about anything.” . . . Mike Witt (12-7) will pitch for the Angels tonight against Scott McGregor (11-12).