Black in Dark Mood After Strong Outing : Cleveland Starter Frustrated After Losing on Unearned Run, 1-0

Bud Black could only look at the statistics and shake his head.

Three hits.

One run, unearned.

Four strikeouts and no walks.

And a 1-0 loss to the Angels.

Black could find only one word to describe his fifth complete game of the season for the Cleveland Indians Sunday in front of 32,640 at Anaheim Stadium.

“Frustrating,” he said. “I pitched a hell of a game. But things like this happen. Sometimes you’ll pitch good and win. Sometimes you’ll pitch good and lose.”

Cleveland’s loss lowered Black’s record to 9-10 as well as his earned-run average to 3.98. He gave up two singles in the fourth and a triple to Bobby Rose in the eighth.

Black’s performance was reminiscent of two games he pitched against the Angels this season. On June 5, he scattered six hits in a 7-3 complete-game victory. In a 2-1 10-inning loss on June 27, he gave up only one run in 7 1/3 innings and wasn’t involved in the decision.

“It’s just one of those things where I always seem to pitch well against the Angels,” said Black, a left-hander who helped San Diego State to the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Mideast Regional finals in 1979. “I like pitching here.”

Angel Manager Doug Rader said he can’t remember Black pitching a bad game against the Angels.

“What’s he got, a 9-10 record and a four-something ERA?” Rader said. “Someone is beating him up, but it’s not us.”

Cleveland Manager Doc Edwards said Black “pitched outstanding.”

“He pitched about seven or eight games in a row like that this season,” Edwards said. “He was very crisp. He was firm in his motion and stayed in command of his pitches.”

Black had been struggling lately. He was 2-2 with an 8.14 ERA in his five previous starts.

“I try to be as consistent as I can be,” Black said. “Hopefully, I can get some runs when I pitch well.”

Cleveland managed only four hits, all singles, off Angel starter Kirk McCaskill (13-7).

“It’s frustrating from a team standpoint,” Black said. “We always seem to fall short.”

The Angels’ only run came in the seventh when Cleveland third baseman Brook Jacoby committed a two-base error. He allowed Kent Anderson’s grounder to skip through his legs and trickle down the left-field line.

“I anticipated the ball coming up and it stayed down,” Jacoby said. “I should have knocked the ball down in that situation. If anything, he would have been on first instead of second.”

Johnny Ray’s bunt moved Anderson to third before Wally Joyner lifted a fly ball to medium center field. Anderson beat center fielder Joe Carter’s throw to the plate by a step.

“You can’t blame the loss on (Jacoby’s) play,” Edwards said. “He doesn’t miss too many like that. He’s one of the best in the league when it comes to that play.”

Earlier, the Indians’ defense bailed Black out of a jam.

Black had a no-hitter going until the fourth inning when Devon White led off with a single to left field and moved to third on a base hit by Anderson. After Ray popped to second, Joyner drove a fly ball to right-center field.

As right fielder Joey Belle made the catch, White took off for home and Anderson tried for second but tripped about 15 feet from the base. Anderson recovered, but Belle’s throw beat him to the bag to end the inning.

Black said the double play gave the Indians a lift, but it wasn’t enough.

“It helped a little bit but it was still fairly early,” he said. “I assumed it would be a 1-0 game, one way or the other.”