BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : ANGELS

One of the victims of David Howard’s inside-the-park homer in Game 2 of Tuesday’s doubleheader was reliever Mike Butcher, who hadn’t allowed a run in 9 2/3 innings since joining the club. He was charged with two of the three runs that scored on Howard’s homer after left fielder Chad Curtis lost the line drive in the lights and the ball rolled to the wall.

“I’d like to talk to the official scorekeeper,” said Butcher, whose ERA went from 0.00 to 1.69. “(But) I know the ball was in the lights. There was nothing Chad could do about it.”

Butcher said he thought the Angels should have had a play at home after center fielder Junior Felix retrieved the ball and threw it to Gary DiSarcina.

The jarring collision that the Royals’ Kevin McReynolds instigated with second baseman Luis Sojo to successfully break up a double play during the seventh inning of the first game Tuesday came at a price to McReynolds. He was placed on 15-day disabled list Wednesday because of a right shoulder separation.

Former major league veteran Doug Bair hasn’t pitched in the majors since 1990 and has spent most of this season pitching in Cincinnati city league games on Sunday afternoons. But Tuesday, Bair, 42, a right-hander, started for the Angels’ triple-A team after signing with Edmonton Monday.

“We’re out of pitchers. We were down to nine,” said Bill Bavasi, director of minor league operations. The staff was short-handed because Cliff Young and Chris Beasley are on the DL.

Bair, who pitched in 13 games for two triple-A teams last season, played for Pittsburgh, Oakland, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Detroit, Oakland and Philadelphia during his 15-year career. His career record is 55-43 with 81 saves.

In Tuesday’s start, he got a no-decision, allowing two runs in four innings of a 6-4 victory over Portland.