Cleveland Concedes to Angels This Time : Baseball: Indians say all the right things Wednesday, but add that it will be a different story if teams meet again.

Five games, that was all.

If the Angels and Indians, currently the two best offensive teams in baseball, are to meet again in 1995, it will have to be in the October playoffs.

The Angels, who won three of the five games including Wednesday’s 6-3 victory, are the sole team to have won a season series from the Indians. The New York Yankees are the only other team not in the hole; they are 2-2 against the Indians, with five games remaining.

If the Indians play the Angels again, that would be one of the motivational factors for Cleveland. The other is the knowledge of having lost two of three in Anaheim without two key components in their lineup--leadoff hitter Kenny Lofton and cleanup hitter Eddie Murray. Both are on the disabled list.

And not having Lofton and Murray also made it easier for the Indians to say all the right things about the Angels on Wednesday.

“I don’t think we’ve played another team that swings the bats like they have,” Cleveland Manager Mike Hargrove said. “But we knew coming in they had a good ballclub.”

“The records of both teams dictate the strong possibility we could meet in the playoffs,” said Orel Hershiser, who lost to the Angels Tuesday. “Both of us would have to stay on top of our games. But [hitting coach Rod] Carew has done a good job with their hitters, their relief pitching is strong--you gotta like [Troy] Percival and [Bob] Patterson--so you know their team is solid.”

Cleveland reliever Paul Assenmacher said: “They are a good hitting team and they’re getting big hits. We caught them at a time when they were hot, but I also think they’re for real.”

Indeed, the Indians were gracious and cautious. Yes, the Angels are the best team they’ve played. Yes, they match up well against Cleveland. Any series with the Angels, and the fans would get their money’s worth.

Keep the conversation going however, and you can hear other things between the party lines.

More than one Indian noted the Angels still have not faced much adversity, be it a losing streak, or a long stretch with a key injury. “That catches up with everybody,” reliever Eric Plunk said.

The visitors were put off, too, by some of the Angels’ antics, in particular Jim Edmonds, who watched a couple of long home runs go out of the park, and making basket catches in the outfield during the series. Said one Indians’ player, who did not want to be identified: “Most of the guys there are OK, but they’ve got a couple real cocky guys over there. You bet we want to play them again. You don’t forget that stuff.”

The Indians also feel they will have a better idea how to play the Angels if there is a next time.

“Sure this was a great series,” said Jim Thome, who hit his 20th home run of the season in the sixth. “They’re a good club. If we meet them down the line I think we’ll take them a little more serious; bear down a little more. They did the job this time.”

Paul Sorrento, who homered in the fourth, his 15th of the year, said: “There’s still a lot of baseball to be played. I think they will definitely make a run at their division, especially with their pitching. But even though we were down a couple of players, we still have a great deal of confidence.”

Perhaps more than enough.

“I would like to see them in the playoffs,” All-Star second baseman Carlos Baerga said. “And if we do, it will be a different story.”