Angels’ Descent Continues With Loss to Blue Jays, 9-2

With half the season behind them, the Angels find themselves on a roller coaster that’s careening off course.

“It’s been like that since Day 1 of spring training,” Manager Doug Rader said. “We don’t seem to stabilize to the point where we can stay on an even emotional or physical keel for any length of time. That’s the way the year has been--so up and down.”

Their downward plunge continued Thursday in a 9-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, the Angels’ third consecutive defeat, fifth in six games and eighth in their last 10. With a 39-42 record, they are clinging to fourth place in the American League West, 11 1/2 games out of first. They were 49-32 halfway through last season and led the division by a half-game.

“We’re going to go through ups and downs in a season, but we have enough talent to eliminate some of those streaks we’ve been through this year,” said Angel starter Kirk McCaskill (6-5), who departed after yielding a two-run double to Nelson Liriano in the sixth inning that put Toronto ahead, 5-0.

“You can talk all you want--and believe me, there’s not a guy in this room happy with what’s going on. After every game we talk. We’re not sitting and enjoying this. We’re trying to fight our way out. It’s not an easy thing. Momentum is a mysterious weapon.

“We’re not showing a whole lot of life. I think every facet of this game ties into each other. If you’re not hitting, sometimes the pitching suffers and so does the defense. You’ve got to be consistent in every facet of the game, and we as a team have not done that.”

Establishing a consistent lineup was Luis Polonia’s suggestion for righting the club. The Angels have used 80 lineups in 81 games.

“This team has got good ballplayers, but we don’t have a regular lineup. Guys are sitting around who don’t have to,” Polonia said. “We’ve got so many good ballplayers, it’s hard for everybody to perform if they don’t know if they’re going to be in the lineup the next day. I see it in myself, in Dante (Bichette), in Maxie (Venable). You do good and then you’ve got to sit down and give other guys a chance.

“It’s time to look for a regular lineup and put it out there. Everything else hasn’t been working. Why not try that? We’ve got to start doing it now before it’s too late because the season is almost over. The second half means it’s almost over.”

Polonia doesn’t fault Rader, saying the manager “is doing the best he can. Something should happen. Some move can be made (by the front office). You see the Oakland A’s have got a regular lineup, so everybody knows who’s going to play. We’ve got guys sitting around who should play, and it’s hard to handle trying to figure out what to do everyday with all those ballplayers.”

Injuries and inconsistency have prevented Rader from setting his lineup. What worries him now is that his regular defensive lineup continues to commit errors that cost runs. The pitchers and hitters react by putting extra pressure on themselves.

“Everybody wants to hit a three-run home run with nobody on base, and pitchers want to throw a shutout without going seven, eight innings,” said McCaskill, who had won his previous three starts.

Thursday’s game was an example of the Angels’ defensive malaise, although hardly the worst. Dick Schofield’s error on John Olerud’s grounder, the first of two by Schofield, contributed to a two-run Toronto second inning that effectively put the game out of reach for the Angels, who were shut out by Dave Stieb (11-3) and Duane Ward before Venable stroked a two-run triple off Willie Blair in the ninth.

Schofield’s errors increased the Angels’ total to 76, the second-highest total in the American League. Their defense last season ranked second in the league.

“I’m very worried about our defense, I can tell you that,” Rader said. “You can only carry one emotion at a time. And, in our case, to a certain degree it’s shame and embarrassment that’s happening to these people. The ballclub looks flat or fails to respond in a positive way because they’re not carrying a positive emotion. It’s not often that good things happen in that case.

“We need to address that, and as that process changes, so will the progress of this ballclub. When it goes flat, it’s not for lack of effort. More often than not, it’s because they’ve become inhibited and lose the joys of the experience. When those things happen, you run into problems like we’ve been having. But we’ve been there before, and we’ll get out again.”

There’s no easy answer, but Dave Winfield had one good remedy. “I think we need to go fishing for a day,” he said, “and then start again.”

Angel Notes

Johnny Ray, who missed Wednesday’s game to be with his wife when she into labor, rejoined the club Thursday after after his wife, Tammy, gave birth to a daughter, Jasmine Rashae. Mother, baby and father are all fine, but Ray didn’t arrive until after 5 p.m. and didn’t play. Donnie Hill, who missed two games because of a bruised left foot, started at second base.

Pitcher Greg Minton’s activation off the disabled list has been pushed back again and probably won’t occur until after the All-Star game. Minton was scheduled to pitch in another simulated game today in Milwaukee. “It’s Lach’s call,” Manager Doug Rader said, referring to pitching coach Marcel Lachemann. “In effect, he’s going through spring training. Until he’s emotionally and physically ready, he’s not going to be put out there.”

Toronto starter Dave Stieb, who had lasted 1 1/3 innings in his previous two appearances, struck out a season-high eight over seven innings Thursday. . . . The SkyDome crowd of 49,838 was the Blue Jays’ 24th consecutive sellout.

Chili Davis returned after missing two games because of back spasms. He was hitless in three at-bats and walked. . . . Dave Winfield’s second-inning double extended his hiting streak to seven games. He’s 10 for 26 (.385) in that stretch. . . . Catcher Bill Schroeder made his 1990 debut when he replaced Lance Parrish in the bottom of the seventh. Schroeder was on the disabled list until July 2 because of problems relating to surgery on his right elbow. He last played last Sept. 4.