Another Left-Hander Beats Angels and Langston, 2-0

Mark Langston was merely being tidy when he threw Greg Gagne’s bat to the backstop in the seventh inning Monday, after Gagne’s suicide squeeze gave the Twins their final run in a 2-0 victory over the Angels.

“The bat was on the field, so I just moved it off the field,” said Langston (7-5), who fielded Gagne’s bunt and whipped a throw across his body, only to see the ball carom off catcher John Orton’s bare hand.

“I was trying to help out. I made sure it was in an area where the bat boy was able to retrieve it,” Langston said. “It was just right there in front of me. I wasn’t frustrated or mad.”

He had every right to be frustrated after the Angels opened a trip with their fourth shutout loss of the season and 12th loss in 13 games against left-handed starters. Minnesota’s John Smiley (7-3) had an impressive outing, striking out seven over 8 1/3 innings for his seventh victory in his last eight decisions, but the Angels had runners on base in every inning but the seventh and eighth.

“I don’t know what the answer is,” interim manager John Wathan said of the Angels’ inability to beat left-handers. Their lone victory in a game started by one was April 16, when they defeated the Texas Rangers, 3-2, in a game started by Brian Bohanon.

“I guess it’s a lack of seeing many left-handers,” Wathan said. “The biggest thing we don’t do is go the other way. They throw us the changeup away, and we hit grounders to short (instead of going to the opposite field).”

Smiley, who was acquired from Pittsburgh for pitcher Denny Neagle and minor league outfielder Midre Cummings on March 17, relied on his curveball in the early innings Monday and later spotted his fastball and changeup.

“It was a little tough going into the season, learning new teams and all new hitters,” Smiley said. “I’ve been mixing my pitches well. Sometimes you don’t have to throw a strike to get a strikeout.”

The Twins gave Smiley a 1-0 lead in the first inning, when Chuck Knoblauch singled, stole second and scored on a single by former Angel Chili Davis.

Langston survived a bizarre sixth inning in which Davis lofted a pop-up that hit the Metrodome’s Teflon-coated ceiling and fell behind the mound, beyond the outstretched glove of shortstop Gary DiSarcina.

Kirby Puckett, who had reached on a force play, chugged to third and Davis was credited with a hit.

“I saw it up until it hit the roof,” DiSarcina said. “I lost it after that. It could have hit me in the head and I wouldn’t have known it.”

Langston got out of that inning when Davis was caught trying to steal second, but the Twins caught up to him in the fifth.

Brian Harper drew a leadoff walk and made it to third when Pedro Munoz doubled down the left-field line. After Scott Leius struck out, the Angels walked Gene Larkin intentionally to create a play at every base and bring up Gagne.

He bunted in front of the plate. Langston fielded the high hopper and looked to first; seeing no one covering, he threw to Orton.

“We had him at the plate. He made a great play getting the ball and he came up throwing,” Orton said. “It hit me in the hand, and I just dropped it. I didn’t see it real good, and I couldn’t react to it.”

The Twins needed reliever Rick Aguilera--and an outstanding play by third basemen Leius--to preserve their victory. Aguilera relieved Smiley after Rene Gonzales doubled to right-center field, and former Twin Gary Gaetti greeted Aguilera with a smash to third. Leius made a diving stop and a good throw to first, drawing a cheer from the 22,936 fans in the Metrodome and a tip of the cap from Gaetti. “Why not? It was a great play,” Gaetti said. “If that’s a double, we get a run and we’ve got a couple of lefties on the bench and who knows what might have happened?”

Said Chili Davis: “It was an excellent-pitched ballgame by two really good pitchers. I know the kind of pitching staff the Angels have. They’re just not getting too many runs scored. They have three guys who are potential 20-game winners. You add any of those guys to our pitching staff, and you’d probably have the ultimate pitching staff in baseball.”