Angels Fold at Home Again, Fall to Mariners, 4-1

It was a pie in the sky, but even Angels have their dreams. And a week ago, after 11 straight road wins, the Angels had their eyes trained on that four-game, mid-month series in Oakland--four games that would shake the American League West, making it a race again.

Unfortunately for the Angels, the road to Oakland had to lead back through Anaheim Stadium. First, they had to tend to matters at home--and home is where the Angels are seven games under .500.

The Oakland series is still on for Thursday, but by the time the Angels get there, the Athletics may be all but out of sight.

Tuesday night, Seattle handed the Angels their third straight defeat at home, 4-1.

The losing streak began with a loss to the Chicago White Sox, the sixth-place team in the AL West, and it has continued with back-to-back losses to the Mariners, the last-place team in the division.

Today, the Angels trail Oakland by 13 1/2 games, losing 4 games in the standings in 7 days.

More than that, the Angels also lost third place. Tuesday, Kansas City moved back past the Angels, dropping Cookie Rojas’ 57-56 club into fourth place.

Could it be that the Angels, the Don’t-Look-Back Gang of ‘88, were, for once, guilty of looking ahead?

“Like I said before,” Rojas said again, “until we get to Oakland, we can’t play them. We first have to play Seattle . . . and we haven’t played Seattle too well.

“You hate to lose a couple of games to a last-place team like Seattle, but they got good pitching at the right time.”

Monday, the Mariners got it from Mark Langston, who limited the Angels to four hits through eight innings en route to a 4-3 victory.

Tuesday, it came from a more unlikely source. Mike Moore, he of the pregame 4-13 record and 4.62 earned-run average, held the Angels to 6 hits and 1 run during his 7 innings. Before giving way to reliever Mike Jackson, Moore came within a home run pitch to Jack Howell of shutting out the Angels.

In the process, Moore outpitched Mike Witt (8-11), who allowed 10 hits, including a two-run home run by Alvin Davis and a run-scoring triple to Jay Buhner.

And now Moore is 5-13.

Jim Snyder, manager of the Mariners, says his pitcher deserves better.

“He’s a premier right-handed pitcher in this league,” Snyder said. “If you don’t believe me, ask the right-handed and left-handed hitters over there.”

Snyder gestured toward the Angels’ clubhouse.

“He’s pitched like this in almost every game this year,” the manager said. “We were (averaging) 1.2 runs a game for a while and he was right in the middle of it. He threw 23 consecutive scoreless innings--and only got one decision.

“He’s pitched good baseball. We just haven’t scored any runs for him.”

Moore limited the Angels to five hits and one run through the first six innings, with Jack Howell’s bases-empty home run in the bottom of the fifth accounting for the only run.

The Angels also had scoring opportunities in the third, fourth and sixth innings, but succeeded only in making the least of them.

Howell led off the third with a single and, one out later, moved to third base on a single by Dick Schofield. But there Howell stayed, with Devon White striking out and Johnny Ray flying out to the warning track in right field to end the inning.

In the fourth, Thad Bosley deposited a bloop double down the right-field line with two outs. He, too, was stranded when Moore struck out Jim Eppard for the third out.

After Howell’s 11th home run of the season, a drive over the center-field fence in the fifth inning, Ray opened the sixth with a single to right. One out later, Chili Davis walked to move Ray into scoring position.

And when Bosley forced Davis, Ray advanced to third base. But Eppard followed suit with another force play and another Angel threat was snuffed.

Seattle used the quick strike for all its runs. Davis hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning before the Mariners added two seventh-inning runs on a double by Scott Bradley, a triple by Buhner and a single by Rey Quinones.

Davis’ home run, coming with Mickey Brantley on first base, was notable--at least as notable as a Seattle Mariners home run can get. The homer was Davis’ 106th as a Mariner, establishing him as the franchise’s leader in that department.

It was also Davis’ 14th home run of the season, but his first since June 25. Before that at-bat, Davis had managed just 4 hits in his last 27 at-bats.

But then, this was a night to end Seattle slumps. Bradley, who was 6 for 46 going into Tuesday’s game, got things started in the seventh inning with his one-out double to left. Then Buhner, batting .205 at game time, tripled under White’s glove in center field for a 3-1 Mariner lead.

One out later, Quinones, Seattle’s No. 9 hitter, beat out a roller to third base to score Buhner.

It all added up to another loss, and first place grows further away by the day.

Angel Notes

The Angel bullpen was down to three healthy bodies by game time Tuesday, with Greg Minton joining Donnie Moore on the active-but-unavailable list. Minton sustained a badly bruised right foot Monday night when Seattle’s Harold Reynolds stepped on his foot during a ninth-inning play at first base. The foot was so swollen Tuesday that Minton had it examined by Angel team physician Dr. Lewis Yocum. X-rays proved negative, which brightened Minton’s mood enough to joke about the injury. “I’m glad it was that little second baseman who stepped on my foot,” Minton said. “If it had been Steve Balboni, they’d probably have to amputate.”

The Angels are listing Minton’s status as “day-to-day”--”He should be ready in a day or two,” Manager Cookie Rojas said--but Angel catcher Bob Boone suspects it could be more like week-to-week. Sitting next to pitching coach Marcel Lachemann in the Angel dugout before the game, Boone asked “Who are we calling up for Minton?” Lachemann said no one, Minton should be back any day. Boone frowned. “He’s a pitcher, isn’t he?” Boone said. “You know what they say about foot injuries (to pitchers)--if the foot isn’t all right, then you risk hurting the arm (by altering the pitching motion).” At least that’s what the Angels have been saying about Dan Petry for the past two months. “He’ll be back Sept. 1,” Boone predicted. “I saw his ankle. It looked like something you’d put in formaldehyde.” . . . Without Minton and Moore, Rojas’ current bullpen options are limited to Bryan Harvey, Stewart Cliburn and Sherman Corbett.