Langston’s Effort Falls Short : Angels: He pitches a complete game, but Red Sox win, 2-1.

As the Angels have watched their record sink to the wrong side of .500, Mark Langston has been one of the few people able to slow the trend.

He was the winning pitcher in the only two games the Angels had won in their past 11 before Thursday night. But his strong performance didn’t save them in a 2-1 loss to Boston in front of 23,843 at Anaheim Stadium.

The Angels, who are fifth the American League West, lost for the eighth time in nine games, the 12th in their past 15, and fell five games below .500 for the first time this season.

They have lost five of six since the May 21 bus accident in which Manager Buck Rodgers and 12 others were injured.

“I don’t think the accident has any bearing at all right now,” interim Manager John Wathan said. “We can’t use that for a long period of time as an excuse.”

Boston’s three-game sweep marked its first against the Angels since 1984.

Boston starter Joe Hesketh (1-2) earned his first victory, and became the ninth left-handed starter of 10 faced to defeat the Angels. He allowed one run on six hits over seven innings.

The Angels ended up with eight hits, but stranded eight runners.

Jeff Reardon pitched the ninth to earn his 12th save of the season and the 339th of his career, two shy of Rollie Fingers’ major league record.

Langston (5-2) had won his past five decisions, not losing since opening night, when he gave up seven runs in three-plus innings. Since then, he has found his stride. In his past four starts before facing Boston, he had allowed no more than two runs, and pitched at lease seven innings each time.

This time, Langston’s presence on the mound wasn’t enough. He pitched a complete game, gave up two runs and eight hits, struck out seven and walked three.

Boston took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, as Jody Reed led off the game with a double, took third on a groundout and scored on Jack Clark’s sacrifice fly.

The Angels put runners on first and third with two out in the first, but stranded them when Hubie Brooks went down swinging and Gary Gaetti flied to right.

Brooks, usually the team’s designated hitter, made second of what might be three consecutive starts at first base against left-handers, and Wathan gave Brooks good early reviews.

“He played first very well,” Wathan said. “He’s played in the infield--third and short--in his career, so there’s no reason he can’t play first.”

One indication that the position is new to Brooks, though, came when he nearly collided with catcher Mike Fitzgerald as he caught a pop fly while trying to hold Brooks off.

The Angels tied the score in the second, 1-1, when Mike Fitzgerald singled to drive in Rene Gonzales, who doubled and took third on a groundout. Fitzgerald reached third on catcher Tony Pena’s throwing error on his steal of second, but Luis Polonia popped to short, stranding him.

Langston didn’t encounter any more trouble until the fourth, when he had runners on first and third with two out, but squelched the threat by striking out Tim Naehring.

He wasn’t able to hold the Red Sox off in the fifth, though. Luis Rivera led off with a single to right. Von Hayes charged the ball, then seemed to realize he had misjudged it and pulled back as it bounced. Rivera took second on a single by Reed, then scored on Mike Greenwell’s single to center. Reed was safe at third on the play, but Langston held the lead to 2-1 by striking out Tom Brunansky and retiring Jack Clark on a fly to left.

He squelched the Red Sox again in the sixth, when the Red Sox put runners on second and third with one out after Bob Zupcic singled and Naehring doubled. But Langston struck out Rivera looking and got Pena on a grounder to third.

Langston held Boston in check, but the Angels had trouble catching them. Reed stole one opportunity with two outs in the fifth, when he scrambled back from second base to make an over-the-shoulder catch in shallow right field, leaving Gary DiSarcina on second.

The Angels attempted a ninth-inning rally. Alvin Davis, hitting for Fitzgerald, hit a two-out single to right. But Lee Stevens, batting for DiSarcina, struck out to end the game.