Farrell Can’t Get Out of First

In the nine days since his last start, John Farrell tinkered with his delivery, studied videotapes and pondered his future. In the end, they were the last acts of a man desperate to keep his spot in the Angels’ rotation.

But extra preparation and rest couldn’t save Farrell in the Angels’ 6-5 loss to the Texas Rangers Tuesday night at Anaheim Stadium. And after the shortest start of his career, he appears headed to the bullpen, to be replaced in the rotation by rookie Russ Springer.

Farrell lasted only two-thirds of an inning, hit for five runs, including a long three-run home run by Juan Gonzalez. He gave up two doubles and four walks in a 39-pitch performance. His comeback from a two-year layoff after two elbow operations must continue from the bullpen.

“It was a long one to watch,” Farrell said. “I fell behind in the count and walked some guys. They’re a good fastball-hitting club.

“I felt I had good stuff. Granted, I was throwing more balls than strikes.”

When Manager Buck Rodgers came to the mound to replace Farrell, the right-hander walked to the dugout with boos ringing in his ears.

Rodgers had hoped for so much more.

“What I’m expecting is a solid performance,” he said before the game. “I’d like to see seven innings, two or three runs, a good aggressive delivery, pitches crisper than they have been and a better command.

“That may be too much to ask, but that’s what’s on my wish list.”

He didn’t get his wish. After the game, Rodgers said: “He was good in the bullpen. When he crossed the line, he struggled. He couldn’t throw strikes and got behind the hitters. No one can pitch like that.

“We’re going to have to see what we do next.”

Farrell lost for the third consecutive start and the fifth in his past seven. His last victory was April 5 when he defeated New York, 6-2, at Yankee Stadium.

Rodgers’ faith dwindled considerably after Farrell gave up eight hits and five runs in 2 1/3 innings of an 11-4 loss to Detroit June 5. And he made it clear that Farrell needed an impressive outing Tuesday to remain a starter.

But Farrell, 2-8 with a 7.09 earned-run average, was in trouble from the start against the Rangers.

Leadoff hitter David Hulse hammered a Farrell pitch into left-center for a double. He was caught trying to steal third for the first out.

Farrell walked Dan Peltier and Jose Canseco, then gave up a towering three-run home run to left field by Gonzalez. It was Gonzalez’s 17th homer and snapped a 0-for-18 slide. Left fielder Luis Polonia barely moved as the ball went about 10 rows deep in the stands.

The next batter, Rafael Palmeiro, sent Polonia to the warning track for the catch.

Dean Palmer and Gino Petralli walked and the crowd began booing Farrell. Pitching coach Chuck Hernandez went to the mound to talk with Farrell. It didn’t help.

Doug Strange followed with a two-run double that rolled to the fence in left-center and Rodgers had seen enough, replacing Farrell with Darryl Scott. Scott struck out Billy Ripken, the ninth batter, to end the inning.

The Angels were down, 5-0, and hadn’t come to bat.

Springer replaced Scott to start the third and blanked the Rangers in five solid innings of work. Springer, called up from Vancouver on June 3, gave up four hits, had two strikeouts and did not walk a batter in his longest outing since joining the Angels.

He retired the final 10 batters he faced, before he was replaced by Jerry Nielsen in the eighth.

The Angels managed little against Texas starter Charlie Leibrandt (7-3) for eight innings. Their only runs off Leibrandt came on Gary DiSarcina’s run-scoring sacrifice fly in the second, J.T. Snow’s RBI single in the sixth and his RBI double in the ninth that made it 6-3 and brought in Tom Henke, who gave up a run-scoring single by DiSarcina and Polonia’s RBI groundout.