Port Is Shown the Bright Side of Season, 8-1 : Angels: Before game against Milwaukee, angry general manager says he will make trades if necessary to achieve improvement.

The Angels’ only consistency this season lies in their inconsistency, a trait that prompted General Manager Mike Port to say before Tuesday’s game that unproductive players must “flat out start showing results,” and add that he is open to trade offers.

His players didn’t hear of his statements until after they had beaten the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-1, exhibiting the talent Port believes they have--but don’t always exploit. But they agreed that consistently good pitching and consistently respectable production are essential if they are to make any kind of push toward the top of the AL West.

“Consistency is what separates the good teams from the mediocre teams,” Brian Downing said. “We still haven’t been consistent and at this point, we can’t even settle for consistent. We’ve got to be awesome. Consistent isn’t going to do the job.”

Angel starter Kirk McCaskill (7-6) did his job, ending a personal three-game losing streak thanks to an adjustment in his delivery that had him ducking his head less and seeing the strike zone better. McCaskill, who lasted seven innings, gave up only four hits and an unearned run, in the fourth inning.

“I hadn’t done well against Milwaukee in the past, and I really had to focus,” he said. “And the lead helped a lot.”

That lead was built largely by Downing, who hit his eighth home run of the season in the seventh; Lance Parrish, who hit a two-run double in the third; and Dante Bichette, who hit a three-run home run to deepest center in the fifth against starter Ted Higuera (6-4).

Rookie Lee Stevens got his second major league RBI in his second game to complete the Angels’ turnaround from Monday, when they scored one run in support of Mark Langston.

“Against Toronto, we stayed with a club that’s contending in the other division and on other nights we’re non-productive,” Port said. “We’ve got a couple of weeks left in July before the trading deadline, and we’ve got a couple of guys who are not being productive. Maybe they’re too comfortable in California.”

Port declined to identify the players or say whether he has conducted trade talks. “We’re ready to do business with other clubs and get somebody who will help us the rest of this year,” he said.

“We’ve been very, very patient, and I’m not saying we want to do something that’s going to turn everything asunder. But if some people are going to underachieve, maybe they can help somebody else and we can get back somebody who can help us climb the steep hill we face.”

Port said the organization is disappointed with the club’s seasonlong inability to challenge the A’s and White Sox.

“It’s frustrating when you know a guy has the ability and has shown it but for some reason just doesn’t employ his abilities consistently,” said Port, who is considered a conservative trader.

“If you rate clubs on ability, we’re right near the top of the standings. The question becomes, have we employed those abilities and gotten results? That’s where we’ve fallen down and substantially underachieved.

“There’s a lot of talent and capability on this club, but it’s got to manifest itself in the form of scoring runs. I want to make clear that none of our problems have come from lack of effort. . . . We go around the clubhouse position by position and, on the basis of ability, say, ‘We’d be hard-pressed to do better.’ But in terms of productivity, maybe we’d better start thinking of something else. . . . Potential unrealized becomes a worthless commodity.”

Manager Doug Rader said the addition of Stevens and the change in direction from individual feats to team goals could bring about better results.

“The injuries, we can’t do anything about. It’s time for people to respond,” Rader said. “We have people who have done the job for us and we have people who have given us limited production. It’s important they know they will be called upon to increase their production.

“This might be a very important time for the overall mood of this team to change.”

If not the personnel. “I don’t think it’s out of the question for us to make some moves,” said Parrish, whom Port singled out as fully playing to his potential. “We’re struggling offensively and if we want to stay in contention, we’re going to have to consider it. Tonight was a good night (offensively), but on the whole, we’re just not consistent.”

McCaskill agreed. “We’re not consistent enough,” he said, “and until we can correct that . . . “

He left his sentence unfinished. The season is far from finished, too, Luis Polonia noted. “We’ve been up and down a lot, but I haven’t seen this team up-up,” he said. “I think we can do that. Always, in the first half (of the season) you try. The second half is not to try out anymore--it’s to produce.”

Angel Notes

Although the standard 10-day requirement has not passed, Devon White was eligible to be recalled from triple-A Edmonton because a disabling injury opened a roster spot. The Angels chose to bring up Ron Tingley, a third catcher behind back-up Bill Schroeder, who has had arm trouble. “We sent Devon White out for a reason, and that was to recapture the consistency that can make him a great player,” Manager Doug Rader said. White was sent down July 6 and reported July 12, after the All-Star break.

Mark Langston, speaking Tuesday of losing his 11th game of the season Monday night, 3-1: “It gets to me a little bit the night I pitch, but then I try to get rid of it. I refuse to let it get to me. I’ve got a loving, caring family that cares for me at home, good or bad.”