Langston Falls, 2-1, Again

He has seized the word baffled as though it were a life preserver, a connection to a rational world in which good efforts bring good results.

Still, when he analyzed his performance Wednesday, Mark Langston knew he couldn’t blame a lack of support for his 2-1 loss to the Mariners in the Kingdome. Nor could he point to the unfairness of the Angels having to travel to Seattle three times to make up three games lost to the spring-training lockout, an injustice Seattle Manager Jim Lefebvre acknowledged after his club had swept the spread-out series.

Certainly, those were factors, but Wednesday’s game came down to Langston’s own faltering in the seventh inning. That’s when the Mariners scored the game-winning run on two walks, a hit batsman and a fielder’s choice grounder to spoil the 29-year-old left-hander’s return to the stadium he once called home in the city in which he still owns a home.

“I have to look to myself,” Langston said after his record fell to 4-10, including three losses by 2-1 scores. “I’m frustrated with the results. All I can do is go out and give my best. I’m very positive going into the second half. I’m not going to let the first half get to me. Obviously, tonight I couldn’t turn it around.”

His loss Wednesday was an echo of so many he absorbed in the first half. In addition to his three 2-1 defeats, he also took a 2-0 loss and started a game the Angels lost, 2-1, although the score was 1-1 when he left.

“Obviously, the results aren’t what I want. I’m a little baffled,” he said after losing for the seventh time in his past 11 starts.

Again, Manager Doug Rader maintained that Langston “pitched well enough to win,” and a four-walk, four-strikeout, five-hit effort over eight innings should be sufficient. Lefebvre agreed. “He pitched a heck of a game coming back here, so this is a good win for us,” said Lefebvre, whose club has won nine of its last 12 games. “Mark’s a great pitcher, but our guy (Erik Hanson) was just a little bit better.”

That little bit meant the difference.

Hanson (10-6) held the Angels to four hits and struck out eight in 7 1/3 innings, yielding their only run in the second inning on a walk to Chili Davis, a single by Lance Parrish and Dante Bichette’s sacrifice fly. “It was a pitching duel tonight and we came up short,” Bichette said. “Sure, it’s not easy to come up here three times, but you’ve got to do it. You’ve got to lock in and get ready to do it.”

Parrish, who had an even tougher road because he played in Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Chicago, didn’t use travel as an excuse. “It actually isn’t that tough, just a little inconvenient,” he said. “Mark has pitched very well. We can’t seem to score runs for him. The bottom line is that we’re not a very good offensive ballclub, and Mark’s just getting stuck with our worst performances. Until we start doing better, the whole team is going to suffer, and that’s just the way it is.”

Seattle scored its first run in the third inning on Harold Reynolds’ single and stolen base and Ken Griffey Jr.’s double to right-center. “That one run was a pitch I shouldn’t have thrown him, good young hitter that he is,” said Langston, who had intended to get the pitch farther inside.

And Langston knew he shouldn’t have fallen behind in the seventh inning to Pete O’Brien, whom he walked; or hit David Valle when Valle squared to bunt. Omar Vizquel sacrificed to put both runners in scoring position, and, after Reynolds walked, O’Brien scored when Henry Cotto’s grounder to the right side became a force play and not a double play. Second baseman Johnny Ray played the ball and flipped it to shortstop Dick Schofield, who slipped before Reynolds came in.

“He (Cotto) didn’t hit it hard and he runs pretty good, so you don’t know if there’s a way to get the double play,” Schofield said. “It’s just too bad. Mark has pitched too good for whatever his record is. There’s about seven or eight games we scored a total of 10 runs and his record could easily be reversed.

“Coming up here is tough, but you’ve got to do it. There’s no sense groaning and moaning. This one, more than any of them, could have been (made up as) a doubleheader in July. If we would have won, it would have been great. When you lose, you try to make excuses, and there aren’t any.”

Langston offered reasons, not excuses: “Omar laid down a good bunt. Then, I was looking for a ground ball and got it (by Cotto), but he hit it off the end of the bat and Henry can run. They don’t call him ‘Turbo’ for nothing. . .

“The bottom line is wins. The results are still not there, but I’m not going to let it get to me. I’m still going to work hard and stay as positive as I can.”

Angel Notes

Angel catcher Lance Parrish was still running on adrenaline Wednesday after scoring the second run in the AL All-Stars’ 2-0 victory over the NL. Parrish caught an early flight to Seattle and was in the starting lineup.

“I’m not really that tired. I do feel like I just took this stuff (his uniform and equipment) off a little while ago,” said Parrish, who singled and scored on Julio Franco’s double. “It was fun and I really enjoyed it. I’m sure the fans were looking for a little more excitement, and it wasn’t fun to watch on TV, but it was fun to be part of it.”

Chuck Finley, who pitched the eighth inning Tuesday, skipped Wednesday’s game and flew from Chicago to California. Kirk McCaskill also was excused Wednesday. He’s scheduled to pitch tonight.

Reliever Bryan Harvey was back after going to North Carolina to be with his father, Stan, who had a heart attack July 5. . . . Infielder Rick Schu, who was hampered by a muscle strain in his upper back before the break, is healthy again. Infielder Mark McLemore continues to receive therapy for his sprained right wrist and is hitting and throwing on alternate days. However, he’s not close to returning. . . . Pitcher Bob McClure (sore left elbow) is long-tossing but no timetable has been established for his return.