Bullpen Fails as Rangers Whip Angels

Mike Fetters came up as a spot starter for the Angels, but on Friday night he simply put them in a spot.

Fetters, who filled in for Kirk McCaskill against Toronto May 19 after the birth of McCaskill’s son, had made only two appearances since, both in relief.

He came on to replace Jim Abbott with the score tied in the seventh inning against the Texas Rangers Friday.

Three outs later, the Angels trailed by four, and Fetters was on his way to his first decision in a 10-6 loss to the Rangers before 43,431 at Anaheim Stadium.

Willie Fraser came on to relieve Fetters after the seventh, and gave up three more runs, two of them earned, in the eighth.

The Angels had led, 3-1, after four innings, and the score was 3-3 when Abbott left after six innings.

Then came the failure of a rusty bullpen. While Mark Eichhorn and Bryan Harvey have done most of the work this season, earning all the Angels’ saves between them, others have languished. Fetters had pitched 12 innings this season, Fraser 15. But with Harvey troubled by a painful elbow and Eichhorn overworked, Manager Doug Rader said he had few options Friday.

“In all fairness to Mike and Willie, they haven’t had as much work as they needed,” Rader said. “They both battled.”

But while the Angels struggled with their relievers, Texas stuck with 42-year-old knuckleballer Charlie Hough (6-4), who gave up four runs on seven hits and faced one batter in the eighth.

Fetters threw only 38 pitches, but he gave up four runs on four hits. Three of the runs were earned, the fourth helped by Max Venable’s fielding error in center.

The Rangers needed only one hit to take the lead. Fetters walked the first batter he faced, Jeff Huson, who was batting for Jeff Kunkel. Gary Pettis sacrificed, and Huson took third on a groundout before coming home on Julio Franco’s single to center, giving the Rangers a 4-3 lead.

Ruben Sierra followed with a two-run homer to center, his eighth. Pete Incaviglia singled, as did Harold Baines, with Incaviglia coming home on Venable’s error.

Fetters put an end to the inning when Mike Stanley grounded out, but he had also all but put an end to the Angels’ hopes of a fourth consecutive victory.

“The bottom line is I just didn’t get the job done,” Fetters said. “When I get the ball up, I get hit. That’s what happened.”

Fraser came on in the eighth and gave up three runs, including two on a home run by Rafael Palmeiro, his seventh. Palmeiro went four for five with four runs batted in.

One of the runs was unearned.

The Angels scored two runs in the eighth and one in the ninth, but they were only drops in the bucket.

The Angels had led, 3-1, after four innings on solo homers. Lance Parrish, making a second consecutive appearance at first base, gave the Angels a 1-0 lead in the second.

Texas scored its first run in the third inning, when Pettis walked with two outs, stole second and scored on Palmeiro’s single to right.

Dave Winfield led off the Angels’ fourth inning with a home run into the Texas bullpen in left field, his second homer in three games and his sixth of the season.

One batter and one out later, Schu hit his second homer of the week, his third of the season. That gave the Angels a 3-1 lead.

But the Rangers came back in the fifth inning. Steve Buechele led off with a double to left field, scoring on Pettis’ one-out double, also to left.

With the Angels leading, 3-2, Pettis stole third, his second steal of the game and 16th of the season. Palmeiro then sent a full-count pitch back up the middle to second baseman Donnie Hill, who made a back-handed stop but had no play. Pettis came in, making the score 3-3.

Palmeiro went to third when Julio Franco grounded up the middle, the ball glancing off Hill’s glove as he attempted a backhanded stop.

But Abbott got out of the inning without losing the lead when Sierra grounded into a double play, the Angels’ fourth of the game.

The Angels had an opportunity to re-take the lead in the sixth, when Hill doubled with one out. He took third on a wild pitch with Schu at bat. But Schu’s pop to left was far too shallow for Hill to score, and John Orton flied out to end the inning.

Abbott gave way to Fetters after that failure, ensuring Abbott’s fifth no-decision in 12 starts.

Abbott gave up three runs on six hits.

Abbott’s way has been particularly difficult at Anaheim Stadium, where he is 0-2 with four no-decisions and a 4.10 earned-run average. He is 3-4 overall.

Angel Notes

Third baseman Jack Howell, who suffered a sprained left knee in a game May 21, said he thinks he might be activated as soon as today. “It’s their decision. I told them I’m ready,” Howell said Friday after taking ground balls. “They want to be sure, but it’s kind of hard. There’s no way to tell until you get in a game. It felt real good today.” Howell was on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 22.