Lost Weekend Continues for the Angels, 9-6

Gene Mauch sat in his office in the depths of Anaheim Stadium Sunday and contemplated the impact of what might best be described as his team’s Lost Weekend. In three forgettable days, the Angels gave back the ground they had made up in the American League West, leaving their manager to ponder the rubble.

Said Mauch: “We spent two days digging a hole, then we pushed ourselves into it today,” Mauch said. “Now, we’ve gotta make . . . sure the dirt doesn’t get thrown on top of us.”

The Angels will have to do some serious digging after Sunday’s 9-6 loss to the Oakland A’s in front of 40,547 spectators in Anaheim Stadium. The defeat drops them back to the .500 mark for the season at 59-59, pushes them 5 1/2 games behind the division-leading Minnesota Twins and 1 1/2 behind the second-place A’s, and left strong doubts as to whether they are capable of contending for a division championship.

The Angels will be glad to conclude a four-game series with the A’s tonight. In three games, they have given up 29 runs, a great many of which have simply been given away.

Mauch was particularly disgusted with the sixth inning of Sunday’s loss. One error and two botched double play chances helped the A’s send nine batters to the plate and come away with three runs and a 7-5 lead. It was a disaster that got a harsh review from Mauch, who found it professionally substandard.

“It was ugly . . . ugly,” he said. “Amateurish errors.”

Officially, the Angels were only charged with one error. That came when shortstop Dick Schofield had a ball hit by Tony Bernazard bounce off his glove and into left field. But that play was the least of Mauch’s worries.

Left-hander Chuck Finley replaced Angel starter Willie Fraser to start the sixth, and was immediately shoved into a hole. Reggie Jackson welcomed Finley by hitting a line drive to the warning track in left field that Brian Downing got a glove on before plunging headlong into the outfield fence, without holding on to the ball. Jackson was credited with a double. Finley hit Terry Steinbach with a pitch to put runners on first and second and leave himself in dire need of a double-play ball.

He got it when Alfredo Griffin hit a sharp grounder back to the mound. Finley pivoted and threw to second to try to start the double play. Schofield took the throw, but did a little tap dance around second base before finally finding the bag. The Angels had to settle for a force of Steinbach. Schofield’s error on the Bernazard grounder followed, enabling Jackson to score and Griffin to take second.

Up walked Mike Davis to see if he could get in on this giveaway. Davis hit a ground ball to first that Wally Joyner fielded and threw to second to force Bernazard. Schofield made the return throw to first, where Finley and Joyner were both waiting. Finley took the throw but Davis was ruled safe in a traffic jam at first base. As Finley began to question the call of first-base umpire Tim McLelland, Griffin raced around third base and scored the A’s sixth run.

That brought up Jose Canseco, who, in the third inning, hit a home run for the second straight game. This time, Canseco hit a drive to center that Angel center fielder Devon White stepped in for, only to watch the ball sail over his head and to the wall. Canseco was credited with a double. Finley issued an intentional walk to Mark McGwire and an unintentional walk to Dwayne Murphy to load the bases.

Mauch then came out of the dugout for a rare trip to the mound. He pulled Finley and brought in right-hander Greg Minton. Later, Mauch wouldn’t say that the unusual visit to the mound--a duty he usually entrusts Angel pitching coach Marcel Lachemann with--was a reflection on Finley.

“I wanted to talk to Minton,” he said.

Minton got Mike Gallego to ground out to end the inning, but considerable damage was done. The Angels had dug themselves in too deep.

“You never like to beat yourself like that,” Downing said. “They still got the hits, but we gave them six or seven outs.”

The timing couldn’t have been much worse for the Angels. The Twins won for the eighth time in their last 11 outings Sunday, beating Seattle, 5-1, and putting more distance between themselves and the rest of the AL West.

“That’s why these three days are so disgusting,” Downing said. “This is certainly no the time to play poorly.”

Angel Notes

After giving up five runs and five walks in 1 innings Friday night, right-hander Jack Lazorko learned Saturday morning that he was being reassigned to the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate in Edmonton to make room on the roster for left-hander Jerry Reuss. Reuss was eligible to come off the disabled list Sunday after being placed there because of strained left calf muscle. Lazorko was called up from Edmonton on May 28. He returns there after going 4-5 with a 5.19 earned run average. . . . Catcher Darrell Miller was hit on the right hand by a foul tip in the top of the seventh and was having trouble throwing. X-rays revealed a possible fracture of the middle finger. Miller left the clubhouse Sunday with the finger in a splint and will undergo a bone scan today. For Miller, it was a dismal end to an otherwise pleasing afternoon. He hit a solo home run in the second inning, his first homer since May 8 at Boston. . . . Brian Downing extended his hitting streak to a career-high 16 games with a bloop single to left in the fourth. Downing continues to be bothered by a sour right shoulder that severely hampers his throwing.