Angels Powerless to Stop Brownout or 6-2 Brewer Win

The dogs days of July have arrived, and they are barking loud and often at the Angels lately.

Not only did the Angels have to endure a 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, their fifth defeat in six days, but they also were forced to wait 14 extra minutes for the indignity Tuesday night.

A nearby thunderstorm first doused an Anaheim Stadium audience of 28,731 and then short-circuited the lights. The initial bolt dimmed the field and later, in the fourth inning, caused play to be delayed when the bulbs grew even dimmer.

Had he known, Angel Manager Gene Mauch may have asked stadium electricians to forget any repairs and call it a day, or at least a game. But play resumed and with it, the Brewer victory over the Angels and Don Sutton (8-7), who has lost his last two decisions.

But even with the defeat, the Angels escaped any serious damage as their friends from Texas, Chicago and Kansas City lost, too. So the Angels retain their 2 1-2-game lead over the Rangers, but for how long at their current rate? Just think of the standings in the American League West had the Angels merely gone 3-3 since the All-Star break rather than a dismal 1-5.

“It’s fortunate ... they’re losing like they are,” Bobby Grich said of the Angel rivals, “but we’re not making up any ground. Going into September you want a five-game lead, not 1 1-2. We’re not hitting the ball -- no power, no home runs -- not driving the ball as a team. It’s a struggle for us right now.”

Tuesday night, the Angels got 10 hits and 6 walks but stranded 11 runners. They had leadoff men on base in the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings. Only in the fifth, when they scored their two runs, were the Angels able to make good on the hits and walks distributed by Brewer pitchers.

This didn’t help Sutton, who made history just by stepping onto the mound. His start was career No. 691, assuring him of the second spot on the all-time list behind Cy Young’s 818.

The Brewers seemed impressed enough at the outset. Sutton disposed of the first four Milwaukee batters with ease, watched shortstop Dick Schofield commit only his fourth error of the season and then took care of five more Brewers, thus reaching the fourth inning without giving up a hit.

Suddenly the Brewers were less aura stricken. Ernest Riles ended any premature thoughts of a Sutton no-hitter by doubling down the right-field line to lead off the fourth. Cecil Cooper grounded to second as Riles moved to third, and designated-hitter Gorman Thomas, back with the Brewers after stays with the Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners, promptly singled to right-center, scoring Riles.

The Angels did what they could. Grich lofted a single to left just as the lights went out in Anaheim Stadium. After the 14-minute delay, Grich returned to the field, except this time he was on second base, not first. Second base umpire Mike Reilly and Brewer second baseman Jim Gantner motioned Grich to first. He went there with a smile on his face.

No sooner had Grich returned to first than George Hendrick hit into a double play. Rick Burleson flied out to end the inning.

Things didn’t get any better for Sutton in the fifth inning. In fact, they got worse.

First, Sutton participated in a bit of Brewer glory, made possible by a home-run pitch to Rob Deer. It was Deer’s 17th homer of the season, the most by a Milwaukee player since Cooper hit 30 in 1983.

With two outs in the inning, Sutton allowed a double by Paul Molitor, which was followed by a walk to Riles and then a double by Cooper that scored two more runs and extended the Brewer lead to 4-0.

The Angels were at it again in their half of the fifth. Scofield managed a walk against rookie Juan Nieves, and Bob Boone singled to left. Gary Pettis’ fly out to right moved Schofield to third, and he scored on Brian Downing’s fly out to center. After Wally Joyner walked, Doug DeCinces singled Boone home for a 4-2 score.

Nieves was gone before the sixth inning ended. Two singles, by Hendrick and Burleson, saw to that. Another rookie, Bryan Clutterbuck, replaced Nieves and quickly got two outs. Clutterbuck walked Pettis to make things interesting and then coaxed Downing into hitting a fly ball to center.

The Angels had another chance in the seventh but again walked away with nothing.

Milwaukee scored twice more in the ninth. Cooper blooped a two-run RBI single in front of Grich to score Bill Schroeder and Molitor. Schroeder had reached on an error. A cheap way to earn RBIs?

“Call them what you want to, they make you sick,” Mauch said.