Angels’ Promotion a Big Hit, but They Don’t Get Any, 5-2

The Angels put on another lifeless, punchless show at Anaheim Stadium on Saturday night. The only difference this time was that there was a paid sellout crowd of 61,082 on hand to watch the latest belly-flop.

After a 5-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, the Angels’ lead in the American League West is still a relatively safe 7 1/2 games.

But it won’t hold up much longer if they continue to play in the listless fashion they did Saturday night on “Turn Back the Clock Night.” They lost for the fifth time in the past six games and the seventh in the past 10.

The Angels, the top scoring team in the majors, suddenly can’t seem to score. Or hit.

One night after managing two runs and six hits against Baltimore’s Scott Erickson, the Angels put together another anemic attack with two runs and five hits.

The Angels had been averaging six runs and almost 11 hits per game.

“We’re not playing very well,” Manager Marcel Lachemann said. “We’re not backing up bases. We’re not throwing out runners on pitchouts. We’re just not playing well and that’s my fault.

“If we keep playing like we’ve been playing we’re not going to beat very many teams. Right now, we’re being outplayed, outmanaged, outhustled and everything else.

“We’ve just got to get it together.”

It would be one thing if the Angels’ flat performances came only occasionally, but they have bunched some real duds together during the first 10 games of this 11-game home stand.

Saturday’s ranked as one of their bigger clunkers, particularly when you consider Baltimore starter Kevin Brown hadn’t won since June 2, losing six of 12 starts since then.

But Brown went 7 2/3 strong innings, giving up one run and four hits.

“I don’t know if was him or us,” center fielder Jim Edmonds said. “We’re just not playing as well as we should be. Everyone’s dragging. It’s one of those times.”

Going into the game, Brown (6-8) seemed like the kind of struggling pitcher the Angels would have hammered before the current home stand began Aug. 17.

What’s more, Baltimore hardly rated as a hot club, falling from contention in the AL East in recent weeks and posting a 10-16 record in August. And their team batting average is the lowest in the league.

But the Angels seem to have lost their way.

Certainly, they haven’t been able to match their contagious hitting of earlier this season.

Their pitching has been only so-so, including Brian Anderson, Saturday’s starter.

And their play in the field has been sloppy enough for normally reserved Manager Marcel Lachemann to speak out publicly.

However, the most noteworthy problem has been the Angels’ failure to deliver the timely hits needed to spark a big inning, the kind that seemed to come so easily until lately.

The second inning Saturday was a case in point. After Chili Davis and J.T. Snow singled, Garret Anderson grounded into a double play. Davis scored on the play, but a promising inning fizzled.

In the fourth inning, the Angels again had two runners on base. But with one out, Snow flied out and Anderson grounded into a fielder’s choice to end that threat.

They scored their second run on Tim Salmon’s 30th homer, off reliever Doug Jones in the ninth.

Chris Hoiles’ fourth-inning solo home run off Anderson, his third homer in three games against the Angels, tied the score at 1-1. Jeff Huson then gave the Orioles a 2-1 lead with a run-scoring, slow-rolling single through the drawn-in infield.

Anderson gave way to Mike James after giving up a one-out, bases-empty homer to Bobby Bonilla and a single to Rafael Palmeiro in the seventh. James then gave up a run-scoring single to Mark Smith and the Orioles led, 4-1. In the ninth, Palmeiro hit his 30th homer, pushing the lead to 5-1.

After winning five consecutive starts, Anderson is winless in his past five. Anderson, 6-6 with a 5.26 earned-run average, gave up four runs and a season-high 10 hits with three walks and two strikeouts in 6 1/3 ineffective innings.

In his last three starts, Anderson has given up 25 hits and 17 earned runs in 16 2/3 innings for a 9.18 ERA.

“I can’t say anything negative about our offense,” Anderson said. “They score a ton. There are going to be games when we don’t score. You have to suck it up. You can’t let them get too far ahead. You can’t let it get out of hand.”