Angels Have a Blunderful Day on the Basepaths

Moose Stubing, Angel third base coach, is as big as his name implies. At 6-feet 3-inches and 250 pounds, Stubing doesn’t so much flash signs as he does billboards.

Sunday, in the first inning of the Angels’ game against the Oakland A’s in Anaheim Stadium, Stubing held up his arms and screamed with enough power to stop a truck. Brian Downing was barreling toward Stubing after a one-out double by Reggie Jackson.

Downing never saw Stubing’s stop sign, so he continued toward home plate, where Oakland catcher Mickey Tettleton was waiting with the ball.

“When I picked up Moose,” Downing said. “I saw him wave his hand, then I looked down to see the bag. That must have been when he flashed the stop sign. By the time I went by the base, I knew I was dead.”

Downing was out, and the Angels were on their way to running themselves out of an inning, something they did several times Sunday.

Moments after tagging Downing, Tettleton saw Jackson wandering off second base. Jackson--who had done a little locker room break-dancing Saturday night, complete with a moonwalking exhibition--looked lost in space as he wandered off second, deaf to his teammates who hollered for him to get back.

Tettleton ran at Jackson. Jackson froze. Seconds later, he was tagged out by A’s shortstop Alfredo Griffin.

It wouldn’t be the last baserunning blunder for the Angels Sunday. Wally Joyner singled home Gary Pettis in the third inning to give the Angels a 2-1 lead. But Joyner attempted to stretch his single into a double, which was not a good decision.

Oakland’s Bruce Bochte cut off the throw home by Mike Davis and threw to Griffin at second base. Griffin ran toward Joyner, who dived beneath the shortstop’s tag, but the Angel rookie was only halfway to second. Griffin recovered to throw the ball back to second baseman Donnie Hill, who made the tag on Joyner.

“These things happen,” Angel Manager Gene Mauch said. “We hurt ourselves a couple of times today. You don’t get upset about what makes them happen. Sometimes you don’t like the results, but the drive that makes them happen doesn’t disturb you.”

Perhaps Mauch could be so understanding because the Angels eventually beat the A’s, 7-2, due mostly to the exploits of Gary Pettis.

Unlike his teammates, Pettis seemed at ease on the bases. He stole second in the first inning--his 32nd of the season--and scored the Angels’ first run when Downing, who broke out of a mild 1-for-10 slump by going 2 for 3, singled.

Sunday, Pettis was 3 for 3 with three runs scored. He raised his batting average to .258. It had been close to .200 earlier this season.

“I always try to play aggressively,” Pettis said. “I’m confident with all parts of my game. I’m not doing anything now that I didn’t know I could do all along.”

Maybe Pettis knew what he was doing all along, but that wasn’t the case for other Angels.

“You can’t explain these things,” Downing said. “I wasn’t trying to run through any signs. I know I’m not a jack rabbit. But things happen in a split second, so you can’t always avoid them.”

No matter where you run.