Angels Lose in the 13th on Bases-Loaded Balk

Cookie Rojas’ frustration over losing another player to the disabled list paled in comparison to his frustration over another Angel loss Wednesday night.

The Cleveland Indians emerged with a 4-3 victory in 13 innings when rookie pitcher Bryan Harvey was called for a balk with the bases loaded, allowing the winning run to score.

Rojas waged a heated debate with second base umpire Derryl Cousins and was ejected, compounding his pregame dejection over the loss of Donnie Moore, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list, making room for the return of fellow relief pitcher Greg Minton.

Moore sprained his right knee when he slipped in the outfield during batting practice Sunday. There is a possibility that he will have to undergo exploratory surgery for cartilage damage if the two weeks of rehabilitation fail to relieve his discomfort.

Frustrated?

“Sure,” Rojas said. “You lose Brian Downing. You lose Greg Minton and Devon White for a long time. Now you lose Donnie Moore. I don’t know what’s going to happen next.”

Rojas, by now, should know better than wonder.

The manager saw his Angels take a 3-0 lead in the first inning, then fail to hold it or add to it, ultimately losing for the sixth time in the eight games of a home stand on which they scored an average of 3.3 runs a game and batted just .208.

They were limited to seven hits Wednesday night by Rich Yett, who carried an 8.10 earned-run average, and Doug Jones, who was 0-1 with a 5.59 ERA.

An Anaheim Stadium crowd of 23,713 saw Yett work nine innings, shutting out the Angels on three hits after the first, in which two walks and a two-run single by Jack Howell contributed to the early lead.

Jones allowed only two singles in the final four innings and struck out four.

Wasted was another strong performance by Mike Witt, who virtually repeated his nine-inning, six-hit effort of last Friday, when he lost to the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-2.

This time, he scattered six hits in 10 innings, striking out nine, only to have his record remain 1-4.

A winner of only 2 of his last 17 starts dating to Aug. 17, 1987, Witt allowed single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings as the Indians scuffled back, forging the tie that Harvey protected in the 11th and 12 innings.

At that point, Harvey had allowed only one run in 17 innings of 10 appearances. But Julio Franco, who had earlier driven in two runs with a double and a triple, opened the 13th with an infield single, and Harvey then made a throwing error on Willie Upshaw’s sacrifice bunt to put runners at first and third with no outs.

The bases were loaded with one out when Mel Hall flied to center, only to have Cousins call the balk.

There was confusion, for the Angels thought they had doubled Franco off third, but Franco later said he had heard the call and was merely trotting home, knowing he could walk in.

Franco’s nonchalance may have helped fuel Rojas’ fury, leading the Angel manager to believe he had an inning-ending double play. Otherwise, his protest was academic, since Franco would have scored on Hall’s fly to center if the balk hadn’t been called.

Harvey got Hall to pop up and Brook Jacoby to fly out, but the damage had been done.

“I don’t know if I balked, it was close,” Harvey said. “It’s a tough way to lose a game.”

It was the 18th balk call against the Angels this season. Their previous high was 14 in 1978.

Now the Angels, still 11 1/2 games behind Oakland in the American League West, face a treacherous Eastern trip, playing nine games in New York, Baltimore and Boston, against whom they were 14-22 last season.

Angel Notes

The decision to put Donnie Moore on the disabled list came after he was examined by Dr. Lewis Yocum Wednesday morning. “Yocum mentioned there could be a cartilage tear but the only way to find out would be to scope it,” Moore said. “I’m not a fan of exploratory surgery, so we’re going to try rehab first. At this point, I can’t pivot or turn on it and would probably tear something if I did.” . . . Moore, 2-2 with a 6.97 ERA and 1 save, has now been on the disabled list four times in his three-plus seasons with the Angels and three times since last May 29. The current cartilage problem is in the same area that was operated on in 1984, when Moore was found to have a tear. Moore is optimistic that surgery won’t be necessary. “Frustrating? Sure. Who the hell wants to be hurt?” he said. “But at least I feel this will be all right. With my back and side, I couldn’t be sure.”

Greg Minton had been on the disabled list with a sprained elbow ligament since March 28. He made 65 pitches in the 4 innings of his 2 starts with the Angels’ class-A affiliate at Palm Springs, allowing 3 hits and no runs. He pitched Tuesday night and said there was nothing more than normal soreness Wednesday. . . . Angels General Manager Mike Port said he talked with former Dodger Ken Landreaux again Wednesday and told him the Angels weren’t prepared to make an offer. Port said the Angels priority centered on an attempt to fill their roster opening at Edmonton via the signing of a free agent pitcher. He said the pitcher was a triple-A prospect as opposed to an experienced veteran with a familiar name. If unsuccessful? “Then we would have to decide between making an offer to Ken Landreaux or advancing a player from Midland,” Port said.