Angels Fail to Handle Pressure or Indians : Instead of Gaining on A’s, They Lose Doubleheader to Fall 4 1/2 Behind

It was crunch time, and the Angels cracked.

Oakland’s loss to Minnesota was in the books and on the Cleveland Stadium scoreboard Saturday when the Angels had a 3-1 lead in the seventh inning of the first game of a doubleheader.

But a couple of innings later, after a dropped fly ball, some horrible relief pitching and poor clutch hitting by the Angels, the Indians had a 4-3 victory.

Did the Angels choke?

Well, consider that before this game, the Angels were 73-5 when leading after seven innings and the Indians were 3-67 when trailing after seven.

The Athletics failed to beat the Twins Saturday, but thanks to the Angels--and some help from the Indians--they had their magic number trimmed to four.

Even reliable skid-stopper Bert Blyleven couldn’t right the Angel ship on this day, and Cleveland won the second game, 6-2, before 8,453 fans. Tom Candiotti went the distance, holding the Angels to seven hits, and left fielder Joey Belle hit a bases-loaded triple in the seventh inning of the nightcap.

But the Angels had been all but mathematically eliminated in the first game.

Jerry Browne, the first Indian batter in the opener, walked, stole second and scored on Joe Carter’s single. But the Angels went ahead, 3-1, after scoring solo runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings.

Pete O’Brien led off the bottom of the seventh with a single to right field, but Angel starter Mike Witt, who allowed eight hits in 7 1/3 innings, retired the next two batters and then got Cory Snyder to hit a fly ball. Right fielderTony Armas settled under it, then frantically backpedaled a couple of steps, and the ball tipped off his glove. O’Brien scored, and the Angels’ lead was cut to one.

Forget the Cleveland jokes, as far as Angel fans are concerned, Armas’ miscue will be remembered as the Mistake by the Lake.

Witt yielded three singles--and the tying run--in the eighth before Manager Doug Rader summoned Bob McClure to pitch to O’Brien. McClure walked the Indian first baseman on five pitches to load the bases.

Then Rader called on Greg Minton, who walked Brook Jacoby on four pitches to force in the winning run, and a lot of Angels probably saw the season flash before their eyes.

“I wanted the ground ball and I went out there thinking keep it down,” Minton said. “I threw the first one about halfway to home plate. The only one that was even close was the fourth one.”

Minton got Dave Clark to hit into an inning-ending double play, but by then the Angels were already sinking not-so-slowly in the American League West.

Their hopes were momentarily buoyed in the ninth, however, when Wally Joyner hit a one-out double and pinch-hitter Claudell Washington reached first on shortstop Felix Fermin’s fielding error. Pinch-hitter Jim Eppard lined to left, then reliever Doug Jones stepped up on the rubber and dropped the ball for a balk that moved the runners to second and third.

But pinch-hitter Max Venable watched a third strike flutter across the plate and the Angels went down without even a whimper.

“It was disappointing, but we played as hard as we could,” Joyner said. “We put two guys in scoring position in the ninth. What more can you ask for?”

How about a key hit. . . or some decent relief pitching. . . or a routine catch?

Armas retired to the privacy of the training room after both games, but Joyner was quick to come to Armas’ defense.

“It was pretty tough out there, the wind was really swirling around,” Joyner said. “Tony is a great outfielder. These things happen.”

Especially to the Angels, who just can’t seem to get over the hump. They were in first place for 50 days this season, but at this point, about all they can say is that it was nice while it lasted. If the Angels win their last seven games, the A’s can still win the division title by splitting their final eight games.

“There are too many things in this world that are truly frustrating to consider this frustrating,” Rader said after his team had lost the second game, making its record in doubleheaders 1-9 this season. “But it certainly is disappointing.

“These guys have busted their butts for 155 games and I for one won’t let these last three games dilute the effort and success they’ve had this year.”

That may sound a bit like an epitaph, but left fielder Chili Davis says the Angels still have a reason to come to the park and put on their uniforms.

“We have seven games left and anything can happen,” he said. “I wish I had a time machine. I’d go back and change a lot of things in my life. But that’s fantasy. This is reality and all we have to be concerned with now are the games in front of us.

“We don’t have a ‘Z’ in front of our name yet,” he said, referring to the letter sometimes used in the standings to notate teams that have been eliminated. “And as long as we don’t have that ‘Z,’ we’ve got a hell of a lot to play for.

“You know what the ‘Z’ means? It means time to go to sleep.”

The Angels aren’t asleep yet, but they’re beginning to nod off. A couple of more games like the two they played Saturday in Cleveland and they’ll be snoring like a bear who’s ready for a nice winter’s hibernation.

Angel Notes

Dante Bichette’s prodigious homer to left-center in the fourth inning of the first game Saturday was the longest Angel homer of the year and one of the longest in the history of Cleveland Stadium. Bichette’s drive landed 456 feet from home plate in the bleachers in left-center. The longest home run hit here was a 477-foot blast by Indian first baseman Luke Easter on June 23, 1950. The longest homer by an Angel this year before Bichette’s shot was hit by catcher Bill Schroeder, who slugged a 442-foot grand slam against Milwaukee at Anaheim Stadium on May 21. Cleveland pitcher Bud Black had not allowed a homer in 65 1/3 innings before Bichette went deep against him. “It was a changeup out over the plate, but I didn’t get all of it,” Bichette said, smiling. “I hit it pretty good, though.” Bichette said it wasn’t the longest homer he’s ever hit. “I hit a few farther, at least 500 feet, in college,” he said. “Of course, that was with an aluminum bat.”

The Angels had a team party after Saturday’s games, where they exchanged gag gifts. Would it be too cruel a shot to say that gag is the operative word here? “I think there are going to be a lot of no shows tonight,” designated hitter Brian Downing said after the doubleheader. . . Glenn Hoffman, a veteran of eight major-league seasons, made his first appearance ever at first base in the first game Saturday. He said he had never played first before, even in Little League or American Legion ball. Hoffman started in place of Wally Joyner, who was hitless in 17 career at-bats against Black. Joyner ended that slump with a double against Black in the ninth inning. . . . Schroeder, who had arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow Sept. 11, rejoined the team Saturday to add moral support. “I’ve got no soreness, no swelling and total range of motion,” said Schroeder, who had been home in Milwaukee. “I don’t think I’ve lost any strength, either. I think I could be ready for the World Series.” Schroeder’s cheerleading may not have helped much Saturday, but no one can doubt his optimism.