Angels Have Perfected Losing : Baseball: They drop eighth in a row, 5-3 to Rangers. Quest for Aguilera continues.

Manager Marcel Lachemann looked across the clubhouse Friday night when he walked in after the Angels’ 5-3 defeat to the Texas Rangers and made one simple request:

“If I ever call a team meeting again,” Lachemann said, “I want you to kick me in the (butt) and tell me to shut up.”

Lachemann, who called a 57-minute team meeting Tuesday in an attempt to inspire the Angels, instead is helplessly watching his team crumble before his eyes, dropping out of the American League West race.

The Angels managed to erase any anxiety of being victimized by back-to-back perfect games, but it did nothing to ease their pain, losing for the season-high eighth consecutive time.

They now have managed to lose in virtually every way during this streak--no-hitters, three-hitters, ninth-inning home runs and just plain routs. And the latest gem was finding a way to lose to Ranger starter Roger Pavlik, who began the game with a 1-5 record and an 8.67 earned-run average but limited the Angels to four hits and two runs in 6 2/3 innings.

It has left them a season-high 8 1/2 games out of first place, and with only 11 games remaining before the Aug. 12 strike date, the Angels might be all but mathematically eliminated from the race they vowed they could win.

“We haven’t played consistent enough baseball where it was going to make that much difference anyway, to tell you the truth,” said Angel starter Mark Langston (6-7), who gave up six hits, five runs, and a season-high six walks.

“We needed to win three out of four from Texas, and now this puts us in a serious hole. We’re not going to get too many opportunities to be in this situation and still having a legitimate chance to be in contention.

“We haven’t taken advantage of it, and that’s the most frustrating thing of all.”

The Angels are now setting their sights on 1995 and are boldly trying to acquire a high-priced closer before Sunday’s trade deadline.

The Angels have intensified trade talks with the Minnesota Twins in an attempt to acquire All-Star closer Rick Aguilera, who would be their first legitimate closer since Bryan Harvey.

The Twins, according to high-ranking sources, informed the Angels that they will trade Aguilera in return for a package deal involving three pitchers. They are asking for either starter Brian Anderson or Andrew Lorraine; triple-A reliever Troy Percival; and a pitching prospect, either Ryan Hancock or Jeff Schmidt.

The Angels are balking at the price, but the sides still are talking. The Twins, in fact, have sent Terry Ryan, vice president of player personnel, to scout the Angels in Texas, and the Angels sent scout Rick Schlenker to Kansas City, where the Twins are playing.

“We’re not afraid to make a deal involving pretty young kids, and we’re not afraid to spend money,” General Manager Bill Bavasi said. “But we’re not prepared to tear apart the club. We have some things we can get done, but we’d have to overpay to a degree.”