Angels Can’t Catch Athletics, 12-8

Fighting to prolong the weeklong surge that had restored their confidence, the Angels on Friday night made a late-inning comeback against the Athletics but still fell, 12-8, before 30,513 at Anaheim Stadium.

With four runs in the eighth and two in the ninth, the Angels forced the A’s to bring in Dennis Eckersley to record the final two outs in a game Oakland had led, 12-2.

Terry Steinbach drove in three runs with a home run off Chuck Finley (2-6) and Walt Weiss and Mark McGwire each drove in two as the A’s bested the Angels for the 15th time in the teams’ last 17 meetings. Oakland starter Dave Stewart (6-5) pitched seven strong innings to record his third consecutive victory, his longest winning streak of the season.

The Angels, who had won six of their previous seven games, fell to sixth place in the American League West. The A’s pulled out to a four-game division lead, matching their largest margin of the season.

Home runs by Gary Gaetti and Rene Gonzales accounted for the first two Angel runs. Stewart left with a 12-2 lead, but the Angels made inroads against reliever Kevin Campbell on two-run doubles by Chad Curtis and Lee Stevens. Goose Gossage relieved Campbell and snuffed the Angels’ comeback hopes.

Finley labored through five innings, giving up four runs and six walks. The Angels faced a 4-1 deficit, but that grew to 10-1 when the A’s scored six runs off Chuck Crim in the sixth. Finley has yet to win two successive games this season and has one victory in his last 10 starts. He has pitched into the seventh inning only three times in 12 starts, a feat he managed in 18 of 34 starts last season. Finley, Jim Abbott and Mark Langston combined for 55 victories last season but have 11 this season, including seven by Langston.

McGwire’s two RBIs increased his season total to 55, tops in the major leagues. In 30 games at Anaheim Stadium during his career, he has collected 23 RBIs.

Finley’s early-season vulnerability was again evident Friday, when he gave up a three-run home run to Steinbach in the first inning. Finley had been tagged for 13 homers in his first eight starts but hadn’t given up any in his three previous starts.

Steinbach ended Finley’s streak when he smashed a 3-and-2 pitch into the seats in left, a drive measured at 385 feet. He drove in Carney Lansford, who had doubled, and Jose Canseco, who had walked. Steinbach has had notable success against Finley in previous encounters, with nine hits in his previous 24 at-bats against the Angels’ left-hander.

The A’s kept the inning going when Willie Wilson walked, bringing up Mike Bordick. Although he entered the game with a .333 batting average, second in the AL, Bordick struck out against Finley.

The Angels got one run back in the second, when Gary Gaetti hit his first Anaheim Stadium homer of the season and first since last Oct. 6. With two out, Gaetti powered an 0-and-1 pitch to left, his fifth homer of the season.

Only through an outstanding defensive play at third by Gaetti did Finley escape the third inning with only one run scored against him. Canseco led off the third by lining a double off the wall in left-center, missing a homer by a few feet. He scored when McGwire lined an 0-and-2 pitch past the mound and up the middle, McGwire’s major league-leading 54th RBI.

Finley then walked Steinbach, the fourth walk he had issued, but struck out Wilson. Bordick’s bloop to short right loaded the bases for Weiss, who hit a smash toward third that appeared destined to rocket between Gaetti and the bag. But with a quick move, Gaetti corralled the ball, stepped on third for the force on Steinbach and threw to first in time to get Weiss by a step.

Two more walks in the fourth, to Rickey Henderson and Canseco, got Finley into trouble again. Facing McGwire with Henderson on second and Canseco on first, Finley fell behind 3-and-1 before McGwire powered a high fly to deep center, which was caught on the warning track by Junior Felix.

Stewart gave up a one-out single to Polonia in the fifth, but the Angels took themselves out of the inning when Rene Gonzales popped up to first baseman McGwire in foul territory and McGwire lobbed to Stewart covering first to double off Polonia.

A single to left by Felix--who stole second--and a high chopper Stewart deflected but couldn’t field gave the Angels runners on first and third with two out in the fourth. This time, though, Gaetti popped to second and ended the inning. Demonstrating their short memories, the fans booed Gaetti.

Finley was taken out of the game after five innings and 100 pitches, an excessive number for so short an outing. The A’s jumped on reliever Crim for six runs and sent 11 batters to the plate.