Angels Still Can’t Get Cooking in Ninth Loss in a Row, 3-1

The Angels went beyond frustration about five games ago. They skipped past exasperation last weekend. Their ninth consecutive defeat, a 3-1 loss to the Indians Tuesday at Cleveland Stadium, brought them into new territory.

“Right now, it’s to the point of embarrassment,” Von Hayes said.

Another listless offensive effort by the Angels enabled Dennis Cook to add his name to the list of left-handers who have defeated the Angels with ease. Cook (2-5) gave up four hits and struck out a season-high six over 7 1/3 innings, his longest outing in a season dotted by inconsistency and a detour to the bullpen.

“There’s no way Dennis Cook should beat us. No way,” shortstop Gary DiSarcina said after the Angels’ record against left-handers fell to 2-16.

Cook, a former Dodger, found a way to beat the Angels and spoil the sharpest performance of the season by Chuck Finley (2-9), who lost his fourth consecutive decision but recorded his first complete game since last Sept. 1.

Cook preyed on the Angels’ undisciplined hitters by tempting them to swing at breaking balls early in the count in the first few innings and later mixing in changeups and split-finger fastballs. Not once did the Angels get the first hitter in an inning on base; they scratched out their run on a one-out single by Rene Gonzales and a two-out double by Mike Fitzgerald in the fifth.

“Getting that first guy is the key for any pitcher,” said Cook, whose victory Tuesday was saved by Steve Olin’s 1 2/3 hitless innings. “If you can get that leadoff guy and be pitching with one out, it takes a lot of pressure off you and limits what the other team can do.”

The Angels have been limited to 45 hits during their losing streak and have been outscored, 48-14.

“These pitchers are not as good as we’re making them out to be,” Hayes said. “When you’re having trouble scoring runs, the important thing is to get the leadoff hitter on base. I’m not saying everyone has to walk, but the leadoff hitter, to me, is the most important guy in the inning. If we can just concentrate on those situations, maybe getting the leadoff guy on base four times in the nine innings we bat, we’ll have a chance.”

Getting the leadoff hitter on base four times in a game would be a bonanza, since they have done it a total of four times in their last three games. Cleveland’s leadoff hitters reached base five times against Finley, including the eighth-inning homer by Glenallen Hill that set off fireworks in the bleachers and cheers from a crowd of 9,796.

Hill’s walk leading off the bottom of the first started the Indians’ two-run flurry. Mark Lewis beat out a grounder to short to put Hill into scoring position, and Carlos Baerga sent Hill home by lining a 2-and-0 pitch to center. A wild pitch by Finley moved Lewis to third and Baerga to second, and Lewis scored when Albert Belle came back from and 0-and-2 count to rap a 3-and-2 pitch to center.

The defense helped Finley keep it close--Chad Curtis threw Baerga out at home trying to score on Belle’s single, and Hayes made a diving stab of Sandy Alomar’s blooper in the fourth inning with runners taking off from first and second--but Finley helped himself, too. After flailing through the 23-pitch first inning, he found a comfortable rhythm, but his teammates couldn’t support him.

“Runs are hard to come by these days,” Finley said after recording the staff’s league-leading 14th complete game--and eighth complete-game loss.

Still, he doesn’t believe the situation calls for a repeat of the tirade Bert Blyleven loosed two seasons ago, when Blyleven blasted the Angels’ hitters for not backing the pitchers. Ranting and raving, Finley said, would be simply repeating the obvious.

“I’m sure just about everybody on this team has come to the point of being ready to yell, but if anybody on this team doesn’t realize we stink, somebody ought to turn the light on in their room,” said Finley, who hasn’t registered a complete-game victory since June 4, 1991, over Boston.

“We’re losing a lot of games in a row and we’re playing bad baseball, which makes it worse. I don’t think too many guys in this room have to be reminded what type of ball we’ve been playing. I can go home after a game like this knowing I did the best I could, but you play this game to win, and when you don’t win, it isn’t so much fun.”

(Orange County Edition) The Angels, Then and Now

Key Angel individual and team statistics through first half (81 games) of 1991 vs. first half of 1992:

PITCHING

Player/Category 1991 1992 Chuck Finley 12-4, 4.10 ERA 2-8, 5.63 ERA Jim Abbott 7-6, 3.45 ERA 4-11, 2.97 ERA Mark Langston 12-3, 3.84 ERA 8-6, 4.02 ERA Bryan Harvey 1-1, 0.92 ERA, 22 saves 0-4, 2.83 ERA, 13 saves, on DL Team ERA 3.99 4.07 Strikeouts 527 451

OFFENSE

Category 1991 Leading hitter Wally Joyner, .326 RBI leaders Joyner, Dave Winfield, 57 Home run leader Winfield, 18 Team average .264 Runs 369 Home Runs 60 Total Bases 1,072

Category 1992 Leading hitter Luis Polonia, .285 RBI leaders Junior Felix, 41 Home run leader Hubie Brooks, Rene Gonzales, 7 Team average .240 Runs 287 Home Runs 53 Total Bases 925

MISCELLANEOUS

Category 1991 1992 Errors 44 70 Overall record 44-37 32-49