Angels Continue to Sink as Red Sox Cruise Through Anaheim

Midway through Tuesday evening’s Angel game came an announcement over the public address system. The gist of it was this:

If you’re interested in luxury cruises, the Angels have one planned in November. Through the Caribbean you’ll go, next to the Panama Canal and finally on to Acapulco--all in the company of Manager Cookie Rojas and a handful of players. Some trip.

Then again, you can try the current season cruise on the Badship Angel. This one meanders ever so slowly to the bottom of the AL West standings . . . and stays there, taking on water and losses as if the bilge pump gave up long ago.

Docked at Anaheim Stadium the last nine days, the Badship Angel was hoping for an overhaul. Instead, it got six losses in eight games, the latest, a 4-3 defeat by the Boston Red Sox in front of 24,005 fans.

The Red Sox won 2 of 2 before departing.

And for those keeping count of this cruise to nowhere, the Angels have now dropped 8 of their last 10, with a trip to Milwaukee and then Texas beginning Thursday.

Not much of a promising itinerary, considering the way things are going. Already 16 1/2 games behind the division-leading Oakland Athletics and it’s only June 1.

These are odd, sad times for the Angels. The team with supposedly so much promise is now one with so many problems.

Take pitcher Willie Fraser. He began the season with a 3-0 record as a starter. That was April. In May, Fraser is 0-4 after four starts. You figure it; the Angels can’t.

Rojas has tried everything. He placed Fraser firmly in the starting rotation. He took him out of the rotation and stuck him in the bullpen, in hopes that would help. It didn’t. After being reinserted into the rotation May 22, Fraser was beaten around by these same Red Sox.

Tuesday evening’s defeat wasn’t as ugly, but it was a loss, nonetheless. Not that the Angels helped his cause. Before exiting the game in the seventh inning, Fraser had received zero runs and three hits to support his cause. And even when there was a hit--such as Brian Downing’s second-inning double--no one paid much attention.

In Downing’s case, a strip-o-gram performed in the upper deck attracted the crowd’s attention more than his line drive to left.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox were busy scoring runs. One came in the first, when Brady Anderson led off the inning with a walk and later crossed the plate, courtesy of a Dwight Evans double.

Another walk by Fraser came back to pester him, this one to Evans in the fourth inning. Evans scored on a Todd Benzinger double and Ellis Burks, who follows Evans and singled, later scored on a Spike Owen sacrifice fly.

“We got to make them earn those runs,” Rojas said.

A fourth Boston run was added in the seventh and again Fraser was to blame. He struck out Rich Gedman, only to see the third strike skip wildly past catcher Darrell Miller, allowing Gedman to safely reach first. An RBI-double by Anderson got him home not long after.

And so it went until the eighth inning, when the Angels struck for three unexpected runs off high-priced Red Sox reliever Lee Smith.

It wasn’t supposed to work this way. For seven innings, the Angels could manage next to nothing off journeyman pitcher Mike Smithson. Smithson last won a game June 23, 1987 . And in his first start this season with the Red Sox, Smithson lasted just 2 innings and allowed 7 earned runs.

But Smithson, whose longest appearance in 1988 was 3, began to tire. In came the heralded Smith, and out came the Angel runs.

A chopper over third by Dick Schofield began the eighth inning. That was followed by Johnny Ray’s single to right. And that was followed by Wally Joyner’s grounder past Evans’ glove at first, which scored Schofield.

An error by the shortstop Owen allowed Ray to score. And Jack Howell’s sacrifice fly (after a sacrifice bunt by Chili Davis) let Joyner tag at third and cut the Red Sox lead to 4-3.

There was a chance to tie the game in the ninth, but Ray’s line drive was caught by Anderson, stranding pinch hitter Chico Walker at third. And leaving the Angels listing even more.

“We haven’t given up,” Rojas said, “That’s definitely encouraging. We battled to the end, but we just couldn’t manufacture any more runs.”

Angel Notes

Up to his disabled list with injury problems, Manager Cookie Rojas at last is receiving some encouraging news. He already knew that pitcher Kirk McCaskill’s right forearm, which was struck by a line drive in Sunday’s game, was bruised, not broken. But now come reports that McCaskill won’t miss his next start, scheduled for Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers and Teddy Higuera. McCaskill will throw today on the sidelines and continue treatment in something called a Cryotemp, a machine which helps promote blood flow to the injured area. “A high-tech ice bag,” trainer Ned Bergert said. Whatever is, Rojas said he hopes it works. The Angels can’t afford an opening in the rotation.

Reliever Donnie Moore was back at Anaheim Stadium Tuesday after a one-inning appearance the previous night with the Palm Springs affiliate. Moore walked one batter, struck out another and didn’t allow a hit or run. Even more encouraging to the Angels was the condition of Moore’s bothersome right knee the day after; it was fine. Moore will pitch again for Palm Springs tonight, and possibly one other time before Rojas decides whether to take him off the disabled list.

Outfielder Devon White, who is recovering from May 7 arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, will join the Angels on their upcoming trip to Milwaukee and Texas. Don’t read too much into the decision, Rojas warned. The disabled list will continue to be White’s home for several more weeks. “He’s made a lot of progress, but I’m still going by what the doctors told me: 6-8 weeks,” Rojas said. If the doctors are right, White won’t return to the lineup until at least June 18.

Roger Clemens, who earned a complete-game victory against the Angels Monday evening--all while receiving occasional updates on the condition of his very pregnant wife, Debbie, can rest easy now. It’s a boy: Kory Allen, which differs from Clemens’ earlier choice, Kevin Anthony.