Indians’ Pitching Surrenders Victory to Angels

In the end, all the Angels’ Dick Schofield had to do was watch as Cleveland’s Jeff Shaw threw four balls in a row with the bases loaded, the score tied, and two out in the ninth.

With Schofield’s walk, the Angels scored the winning run, capping a four-run ninth for a 5-4 victory over the Indians in front of 24,560 Thursday at Anaheim Stadium.

It was a game the Angels had every opportunity to lose, and it would have been a heartbreaking loss. Jim Abbott pitched well, only to end up with another no-decision.

Bryan Harvey, the Angels’ closer, nearly blew a game for the second time in a week. He came in in the ninth and watched three runs score. Instead of the goat, he ended up the winner.

The Angels mounted their rally off reliever Shawn Hillegas, making it 4-2 when Wally Joyner singled to right after a single by Luis Polonia and a walk to pinch-hitter Donnie Hill.

Hillegas walked Dave Winfield to load the bases before being relieved by Jesse Orosco, who came onto face Dave Parker.

The Angels made it 4-3 when Hill scored on Parker’s grounder to third, the first out of the inning.

The Indians walked Gary Gaetti intentionally, once again loading the bases, and brought in Shaw to face Lance Parrish, who delivered a sacrifice fly to center for the tying run.

The Indians then walked pinch-hitter Max Venable intentionally to get to Schofield.

It was a rally that was too late to save Abbott, who once again failed to win despite a fine outing. He had a two-hitter through seven innings, and left after giving up six hits in eight-plus. He was charged with three runs.

Harvey has been one of the best of the best this season. The Angels’ closer has 22 saves, and made the All-Star game for the first time in his career.

But he has had a bad week. He entered the game Thursday with the score tied, 1-1, in the ninth, and runners on first and second.

He gave up a single to Albert Belle that allowed the tie-breaking run to score. Then, with runners on second and third, Mark Whiten doubled to right, scoring two more runs.

When the Angels came to bat in the ninth, they trailed, 4-1.

Monday, Harvey gave up a two-run homer in the ninth inning for a 2-1 Angel loss to Baltimore.

Despite pitching very well recently, Abbott has been the victim of the bullpen’s unsteadiness, getting four no-decisions when the bullpen blew save opportunities.

There were two outstanding pitching performances Thursday, by two pitchers who knew they needed to be sharp, the way their offenses have been playing.

Abbott had given up only two hits into the eighth inning. Still, he led only 1-0, on an unearned run off Greg Swindell in the fifth inning, set up by Belle’s error.

Swindell could hardly have been better either, giving up two hits in seven innings, striking out nine and walking one.

Abbott’s troubles began in the eighth, when the Indians put runners on first and second with two out after two singles, and Abbott suddenly faced trouble. He got ahead of Glenallen Hill, recently acquired in the Tom Candiotti trade with Toronto, but then saw Hill work back to a full count. Finally, Hill hit a sharp grounder to third, but it short-hopped Gaetti and got past him, allowing pinch-runner Alex Cole to score the tying run from second.

The first hit Abbott gave up was a single up the middle by Felix Fermin with one out in the third. The runner was quickly taken care of, when the next batter, Hill, grounded into a double play.

Beginning with Hill, Abbott retired 12 in a row before Carlos Martinez hit a line-drive single to right with two out in the seventh inning. Belle made a bid to make up for his error, hitting a fly ball sharply to left-center, but Luis Polonia caught it, ending the inning.

Swindell entered the game with a 2.90 earned-run average, sixth best in the league, but a 6-7 record. In his seven losses, Cleveland had scored only 10 runs, or an average of 1.4 a game.

He didn’t allow a baserunner until the fifth inning, when Winfield lofted a high fly ball to left that looked like it would have a chance to get out.