Angels Go to Cellar With Loss : Baseball: California fails to beat Mariners even after loading the bases in the ninth and 11th innings.

Last place was staring at the Angels Sunday, but so were the basepaths scattered with teammates. What could been a fine day for a turnaround turned into a dark afternoon for the Angels.

They fell into dead last in the American League West by thwarting their own rallies inning after inning until the Seattle Mariners finally gave up and won, 5-2, on Jay Buhner’s three-run homer in the 12th inning before 27,393 at Anaheim Stadium.

Swept by the Mariners for the first time in franchise history, the Angels lost for the fifth consecutive time and for the 19th time in 27 games since July 3, barely a month ago, when they looked down on the division from first place for a single day.

Now they look up at it, from 10 games behind Minnesota, which arrives in Anaheim for a critical three-game series tonight. A victory by Kansas City Sunday sent the Angels to the cellar.

“Everybody’s embarrassed, everybody feels bad about it,” Manager Doug Rader said. “The shame of it is, it’s not because of lack of effort, not because of anything that can be controlled. That’s the part so hard to take.”

But one might say they banished themselves to the basement.

On Sunday, they stranded 12 runners, and six in the ninth, 10th, and 11th innings, when any one of them crossing the plate would have meant instant victory. They loaded the bases in the ninth, and again in the 11th. Nothing.

“We just ain’t winning, and it ain’t just one time,” said closer Bryan Harvey, who held the Mariners to one hit from the ninth to the 11th, waiting for the Angels to end it. “When you’re going good and winning, everything’s right. When you’re going down the other side of the mountain, it don’t matter what you do, it’s wrong.”

The Angels failed in a dozen little ways.

“We didn’t do the little things right at the right time,” said outfielder Max Venable. “We had lots of situations. The manager’s favorite word is execution, and we didn’t do it. To win, you have got to have execution, and not by just one person, but by everyone.

“It’s bad luck, bad something, bad karma.”

It was bad baseball.

“We left a bunch of people on late in the ballgame, twice with men on third base and less than two outs. We had numerous opportunities to win it,” Rader said. “And didn’t,” he added for emphasis.

The Angels neglected to take what lay before their eyes, and finally the Mariners did it themselves, on Buhner’s three-run homer off Mike Fetters with two outs in the 12th inning. It was Buhner’s fourth homer in four games.

The Angels went quietly in the 12th, three up, three down.

Mike Jackson (6-4) pitched a third of an inning and took the victory, and Mike Schooler pitched the 12th for his third save.

Fetters (0-3) took the loss. Starter Mark Langston held the Mariners in check for 6 2/3 innings, battling to hold a 2-0 lead and finally leaving with the score tied, 2-2, after allowing two runs on three his, walking five and striking out five.

“Mark pitched great, there’s no question about it,” Rader said.

The Angels had every opportunity to win, even without extra innings.

They loaded the bases with one out in the ninth inning, with the help of reliever Calvin Jones, who looked at second too long and had no play on Venable’s bunt, putting runners on first and second. The runners moved to second and third on Donnie Hill’s sacrifice, and the Mariners walked Dick Schofield intentionally to get to left-hander Luis Polonia, even though he typically thrives in pressure situations.

This time he didn’t, hitting a grounder to third that the Mariners turned into an inning-ending double play, getting Dave Gallagher at home and going to first to catch Polonia, in spite of his speed. The play inspired an uneventful bench clearing after catcher Dave Valle accused Gallagher of trying to hurt him on the play, which Gallagher denied.

While the Mariners mostly went quietly, the Angels kept threatening.

Wally Joyner got to second in the 10th, only to see pinch-hitter Mike Marshall ground to second to end the inning.

In the 11th, the Angels loaded the bases once again. Gallagher led off the 11th with a walk, and Venable sacrificed him to second. He took third on a wild pitch, only to watch Lance Parrish strike out swinging, lowering his average to .214..

Schofield walked, and after he stole second, Polonia was walked intentionally, loading the bases. This time, Luis Sojo flied to center to end the threat.

Angel Attendance

Sunday:27,393

1991: 1,642,582 (53 dates)

1990: 1,769,060 (53 dates)

Decrease: 126,478

1991 average: 30,992