Angels Are Facing a Familiar Nemesis

The Angels are sitting pretty--or so it seems--atop the American League West, but there are some disconcerting signs that 1995 might turn out to be nothing more than another season of discontent.

The offense is pretty much running on all nine cylinders, with hardly a sputter or slump. The starting pitching has been more than adequate. Set-up man Troy Percival is doing his job and closer Lee Smith has been perfect.

But that age-old chink in the Angel armor is beginning to crack. If the starter doesn’t last seven innings, then what?

Who in the middle can offer some relief?

Monday night’s 8-5 loss to Kansas City was a case in point. Starter Shawn Boskie had a no-hitter through five innings, but gave up three consecutive hits in the sixth and a home run to Wally Joyner as the Royals grabbed a 4-0 lead.

Mike Butcher, who gave up a pair of homers and four earned runs in his last outing, got the Angels out of the inning and they rallied for two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Butcher worked a 1-2-3 seventh, but with one out in the eighth, Vince Coleman blooped a single to left, Tom Goodwin walked and Joyner lined a run-scoring single to right.

“I didn’t give up one hard-hit ball,” said Butcher (5-1). “A jam job and a grounder.”

Manager Marcel Lachemann brought in Russ Springer. Springer struck out Gary Gaetti, but then gave up a three-run homer to rookie Jeff Grotewold.

Springer has yielded 11 earned runs in nine innings as a reliever.

“We came back, but after they scored four [in the eighth] that was just a little too much to come back from,” Lachemann said.

The Angels’ inability to hold the Royals became more than just a moot point in the bottom of the inning. Chili Davis led off with a double and J.T. Snow walked. Had they still trailed by two runs, Garret Anderson would have been able to sacrifice the tying runs into scoring position. Down by four, however, Anderson went down swinging. So did Damion Easley.

Still, pinch-hitter Spike Owen came through with a two-run double that could have tied the score And then Gary DiSarcina singled home Owen with what could have been his second game-winning hit in three games and left the Royals facing Smith and his record-setting run of 17 consecutive saves.

A spot of relief in the middle and the Angels might have had another come-from-behind victory and a two-game lead over Texas. Without it, they were left with a one-game edge on the Rangers and a bad feeling about an old trend returning to haunt.