Angels Leave Bases Loaded, Miss Chances : Baseball: B.J. Surhoff hits two three-run homers and rookie pitcher Sparks keys 9-3 Brewer victory.

The Angels, who had averaged eight runs per game the last two weeks, don’t get too concerned these days when they leave a few guys on base in the early innings.

Anyway, all those high fives too early in the game can tire out your arm.

But even baseball’s most prolific offensive team can suffer from opportunities missed and the Angels, who left the bases loaded in the first and second innings, couldn’t overcome the Surhoff/Sparks Show Friday night during a 9-3 loss to Milwaukee in front of an announced crowd of 15,473.

B.J. Surhoff, who hadn’t hit a homer this year until July 4, now has four. He brought his personal fireworks exhibition into Anaheim Stadium, sending a pair of three-run rockets over the center-field fence, including one that traveled an estimated 450 feet. And rookie knuckleballer Steve Sparks doused the Angels, giving up only four hits and cutting those big Angel bats down to size.

The Angels have spent a lot of time bunched around home plate lately, congratulating each other and rolling with the good times. But the smiles weren’t evident in the clubhouse after this one.

“You have to take advantage of situations when you get them in this game,” Manager Marcel Lachemann said. “You have to score as many runs as possible. We’ve been doing an awful lot of that this year, but tonight we didn’t and then we didn’t get many opportunities after that.”

Sparks, who celebrated his 30th birthday Sunday and his 10th major league start Friday, got off to a rocky start, giving up three runs in the first inning and issuing six walks in the first two innings.

But he has considerable knowledge about patience and timing. He labored for eight years in the minors before making his big-league debut this year and might have made the Brewers’ roster last year if he hadn’t separated his left shoulder while attempting to tear a telephone book in half after a motivational speech during spring training.

Speechless in Anaheim, he settled down after two innings and ripped up the Angel lineup with slow and slower knuckleballs and even a couple of eephus pitches. He gave up only two hits and one walk in the last seven innings as the potent Angel lineup fell into full-flail mode.

“I knew I had a lot of movement tonight, but I was going to have to make an adjustment to keep the ball in the area code,” Sparks said. “I had to choke back a little bit and use my fastball to get ahead.”

Before the game, Lachemann said the Angels’ propensity to push runs across the plate had a distinctly positive effect on his pitching staff, “the other side of the coin from a guy going out there feeling like he can’t give up anything, afraid to make a mistake.”

The lack-of-fear factor may have had nothing to do with it, but starter Mike Bielecki made his share of mistakes, giving up six runs while getting only seven outs. Joe Oliver and Surhoff hit home runs that accounted for five of the runs. His mistake to Surhoff in the third ended up rolling up and over the blue tarp that covers two sections of seats in the far reaches of center field and the Brewers led, 6-3.

Milwaukee took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but Tony Phillips erased that advantage with a single swing, lining his third homer in as many games leading off the bottom of the inning. The Angels scored twice more in the first and then left the bases loaded.

The Brewers tied the score, 3-3, in the second when Surhoff singled and Oliver homered to deep center. Oliver’s shot was impressive, but Surhoff put it to shame in the third.

“You’re always concerned when the momentum shifts like that,” Lachemann said. “You leave the bases loaded and then they score. And then you leave the bases loaded again and they come back and throw a three-spot on you.”

Center-fielder Jim Edmonds wasn’t as concerned about blown chances as he was the mood in the dugout.

“I didn’t see any panic, but the guys seemed to stop having fun when we got behind,” he said. “There’s no reason playing the game has to be harder just because you’re a few runs down.”

That hasn’t been much of an obstacle for the red-hot Angel offense lately, but for one night at least, they failed to light up Sparks when they had the chance and were left in a dark mood.