Langston Ends Angel Languishing for Now : Baseball: Rookie catcher Dalesandro and Salmon help to stop a four-game skid and frustration in 1-0 victory.

Mark Langston solemnly watched the first half of the Angels’ season unfold, camouflaging his frustration while suppressing his anger.

He has never played on a winning team in his 10-year career, but he believed this year would be different. The Angels promised the rebuilding was over, and this would be the year they crossed the threshold into contention.

“I don’t think any of us thought it would turn out like this,” Langston said. “It’s been very, very frustrating for all of us.”

So Langston took it upon himself Saturday evening to change the Angels’ fate, pitching a 1-0 shutout over the Baltimore Orioles before 47,154 at Camden Yards. The victory ended the Angels’ four-game losing streak and produced only their 11th victory in the last 32 games.

“People are saying we’re fortunate to be in this division,” Langston said. “But unless we start playing good ball, we’re going to be so far out--even in this division--it’s going to be tough to get back in it.”

The Angels may be only four games out of first place in the American League West, but when you’re 34-47 at the season’s midpoint and are on pace to finish with the second-worst record in franchise history, it’s a little silly to be talking about a pennant race.

“It’s probably the most disappointing first half since I’ve been here,” Angel President Richard Brown said. “I thought we’d be contending, but with a record far better than the one we have now.

“It’s not as if this team is not capable, the talent is there, but right now we’re underachieving.

“We (the front office) can’t hit, run and throw, but whenever you see failure, it has to be shared by all.”

Embarrassed?

“I think we all are,” Angel General Manager Bill Bavasi said. “We all expected more. If we didn’t, we’d be a group of losers.”

Yet, for at least one night, Langston (5-4) greatly eased the Angels’ frustrations. He yielded only three hits, and retired the final 16 batters he faced. The only Oriole baserunner to reach second base occurred in the fourth inning when shortstop Gary DiSarcina booted a two-out grounder by Jeffrey Hammonds.

That was the last Oriole to reach base. Langston pitched his first shutout since June 17, 1992, spanning 66 starts, and it was his first complete-game victory since April 28, 1993.

“Isn’t it funny how this game is?” Oriole Manager Johnny Oates said. “Last night, they couldn’t get a guy out. And tonight, we couldn’t get a guy to third.”

Indeed, it was crazy. Only 24 hours after the two teams combined for 11 home runs--equaling a major league record--Angel rookie catcher Mark Dalesandro produced the game’s only extra-base hit with a fifth-inning double.

Dalesandro wasn’t even supposed to play. He was at his usual spot on the bench when catcher Greg Myers bruised his thumb in the first inning. Veteran Andy Allanson, who was just called up Tuesday, discovered during batting practice that he had a broken right index finger. He’ll go on the disabled list and probably will be replaced by Chris Turner.

That left Dalesandro, who only began catching professionally last season, and never had even caught Langston in warm-ups.

What happened? The kid produced his first major league hit, scored the game-winning run and caught a shutout.

“Believe me, it was an honor,” Dalesandro said. “This is a night I’ll remember as long as I live.”

While Langston was stopping the Orioles and their 17-game homer streak, the looming question once again was whether the Angels could score.

Oriole starter Ben McDonald was matching Langston pitch for pitch until the eighth. He then made the crucial mistake of walking Dalesandro, and two outs later, he was standing at third with Tim Salmon at the plate.

Salmon, who hit two home runs Friday, became the offensive hero with a mere broken-bat single that dropped into shallow center field.

“I’ll take the broken-bat any time,” Salmon said. “It’s no secret I was very lucky on that one.

“But, hey, with the way things have been going for us, we’ll take it.”