Langston Issues a Free Pass : Angels: He gives up career-high eight walks in Baltimore’s 9-1 victory.

One day after they teased their fans with a superb display of power and pitching, the Angels on Wednesday night reverted to the dismal form that has characterized their struggles throughout the first month of the season.

Mark Langston, who has yet to consistently display the fearsome fastball and precise control that brought him $16 million in the free-agent market last winter, matched a career-high Wednesday by issuing eight walks to the Baltimore Orioles, whose patience balances their weak hitting.

Although they produced only one extra-base hit before Cal Ripken’s two-run home run in the ninth, the Orioles walked off with a 9-1 victory at Anaheim Stadium, leaving the Angels with a double-digit deficit (10 1/2 games) for the first time this season.

The memory of Chuck Finley’s exemplary effort in a 6-0 shutout of the Orioles Tuesday was obscured by the Angels’ latest loss, their sixth in seven games and 15th in 21. They were shut out by Pete Harnisch (3-0) until the seventh, when Mark McLemore doubled and Luis Polonia singled.

Langston (2-3) lasted six innings, giving up seven hits and four earned runs to equal his season-highs in both categories. He had allowed eight walks once last season while with the Montreal Expos and once in 1985 while with the Seattle Mariners.

Mark Clear, making his second appearance for the Angels since being summoned from triple-A Edmonton, gave up three walks and three more runs to the Orioles, who lead the American League in walks with 134.

Langston labored through the first three innings, walking four and continually working with runners on base. Only through a slick pickoff did he escape harm in the first inning, and he was helped in the third when Lance Parrish caught Phil Bradley stealing second.

After leaving five on base in the first four innings, the Orioles capitalized on their scoring opportunities in the fifth. Four hits and two walks resulted in four runs for the Orioles and scattered boos for Langston. Baltimore, which entered the game with a league-low .226 batting average, sent nine to the plate in the inning.

Bill Ripken led off with a single to center and went to second when Bradley walked. Parrish got the lead runner at third on Devereaux’s fielder’s choice, but when Cal Ripken grounded to first, Bradley and Mike Devereaux moved into scoring position. They came home on Randy Milligan’s sharp single to center, off a 1-0 pitch.

Langston walked Worthington and fell behind, 1-and-0, to David Segui. That brought Angel pitching coach Marcel Lachemann to the mound, but the advice didn’t do much for Langston. Segui blooped a single to center, scoring Milligan. Bob Melvin rapped a single to right, scoring Worthington, and only a quick dive by Jack Howell kept Brad Komminsk’s grounder from going through the left side and prolonging the inning. Howell turned the ball into a force play, keeping the Angels’ deficit at a still-formidable four runs.

It remained at four even after Parrish led off the fifth with a double to right-center. Howell, battling a three-for-25 slump, struck out, Mark McLemore grounded out to short and Luis Polonia flied out to center.

Two more walks in the sixth increased Baltimore’s total to eight in the game and 131 for the season, by far a league high. Those walks also emphasized how far off Langston’s location was: In his previous five starts, he allowed a total of 16 walks.

Angel Notes

Jimmie Reese, who suffered a mild heart attack last week, was released from St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica and is resting at home. The 85-year-old conditioning coach is not expected back in uniform until after the All-Star break.

Shortstop Dick Schofield is scheduled to undergo another Magnetic Resonance Imaging test today at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood to determine how his strained hamstring is healing. Schofield incurred the injury during spring training and has yet to play this season. Reliever Bob McClure, on the disabled list because of a sore left elbow, threw for 15 minutes Wednesday--including six minutes off the mound--and reported no discomfort. He will continue to throw if no problems arise today.

Cal Ripken’s home run was the 200th of his career. Only two other major league shortstops, Ernie Banks and Vern Stephens, have hit that many. . . . Jack Howell’s fielding error in the first inning was his fourth of the season. He committed only 11 last season.

And if all medical remedies fail, he could try Oriole reliever Gregg Olson’s cure for blisters on his fingers. According to the team, he uses Crazy Glue.

Several Anaheim Stadium employees said they had heard Wednesday that Brian Downing had retired and was to be paid $500,000 by the team. In truth, the retiree was pitcher Mike Smithson, who was released by the Angels the weekend before the season opened.

Downing’s home run Tuesday was the longest of the season, at 425 feet. . . . Dante Bichette’s assist Monday was his ninth, seven short of the club record shared by Leroy Stanton and Devon White.