Angels Hurt On, Off Field

The Angels’ 2-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox Saturday night was painful for Manager Marcel Lachemann to watch, but not only because the Angels wasted Jim Abbott’s fine pitching effort and Mike Aldrete’s bases-loaded liner went right to Chicago left fielder Tony Phillips for the final out.

Lachemann took a tumble in the runway between the Comiskey Park dugout and clubhouse before the game and pulled a hamstring. He spent an hour on a training table icing his leg, needed crutches to hobble around the clubhouse and was in considerable pain after the Angels’ seventh consecutive one-run decision.

“I felt a hurtin’ and still do,” Lachemann said. “It wasn’t a very sophisticated move on my part.”

The players weren’t sure about Lachemann’s status. “We were all wondering if they were going to call up [manager] Don Long from triple A,” first baseman J.T. Snow said.

But Lachemann gutted his way through the wintry evening, as did Abbott, who escaped two early jams with minimal damage and went on to his best start of what has been a disappointing season, allowing two runs on five hits in seven innings.

Abbott, though, fell to 0-4, matching his worst start, because Chicago’s chillmaster, right-hander Alex Fernandez, was simply better on a 46-degree night.

Fernandez (4-1) gave up five hits and struck out six in eight innings, improving his career record to 8-1 with a 1.45 earned-run average when game-time temperatures are 50 degrees or less.

“I’m from Miami and I like hot weather, so I don’t think [my success] has anything to do with the cold,” said Fernandez, who surrendered Chili Davis’ bases-empty homer in the second inning. “But I’ll take it.”

White Sox closer Roberto Hernandez nearly gave it away. Hernandez began the ninth by walking Tim Salmon and Chili Davis, both on full-count pitches. Salmon and pinch-runner Rex Hudler advanced on Snow’s sacrifice bunt, and Garret Anderson was walked intentionally to load the bases.

A Jack Howell drive into the left-field corner bounced a few feet foul, drawing a collective sigh of relief from the crowd of 18,139. Howell then struck out on a nasty Hernandez fastball.

Aldrete, batting for catcher Jorge Fabregas, then drilled a liner to left field. “I thought it had a chance,” Lachemann said.

Aldrete knew better. “I thought . . . it was right at him,” he said. “I think I took a step out of the box and pretty much knew I was out.”

Hernandez’s eighth save in his last eight opportunities made a winner of Fernandez, who dominated the Angels in an 8-4 White Sox victory in Anaheim Stadium on April 6 and allowed only one runner past second after Davis’ homer Saturday night.

Abbott was hurt by his inability to throw strikes--and his ability to throw one ill-timed strike--early in the game. White Sox third baseman Chris Snopek homered on Abbott’s first pitch of the second inning.

“Not a very smart pitch, knowing he’s a first-pitch hitter and aggressive swinger,” Abbott said. “That was a mental mistake.”

Abbott walked Ozzie Guillen and Phillips to start the third. Ray Durham flied to right and Abbott struck out the always-dangerous Frank Thomas after falling behind, 3-0, on the count. But Lyle Mouton grounded an RBI single to right field to give the White Sox, who have won five in a row, a 2-1 lead.

Abbott got out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth and retired the next nine batters before giving way to reliever Lee Smith, who pitched a scoreless eighth--including a strikeout of Thomas--in his first appearance since April 4.

“It’s a very tough pill to swallow,” said Abbott, who recovered from his 0-4 start in 1991 and had his best season (18-11, 2.89 ERA) of his career. “Unfortunately, in this game you can have a positive outing and a negative result. It’s not fun, but that’s the way the game is. Sometimes it works the other way too.”