Home Is No Haven for Abbott

The Angels rid themselves of one problem Monday afternoon, shipping that excess baggage known as reliever Lee Smith to the Cincinnati Reds. But a more puzzling problem--what to do about starter Jim Abbott?--resurfaced again Monday night.

Abbott was a shade above mediocre in the Angels’ 16-5 loss to the New York Yankees at Anaheim Stadium before 20,926, many of whom left scratching their heads, wondering if he will ever win another game in this place.

The left-hander lasted only four innings this time, giving up seven runs--six earned--on eight hits and four walks to fall to 1-8 and tie Oakland’s Carlos Reyes for the major league lead in losses.

“I feel like I’ve let the team down--that’s the hardest part,” Abbott said, fighting back tears. “I’ve tried throwing things around, I’ve tried to learn from mistakes. I don’t know which reaction is more appropriate, but it’s no fun. I wish I had a bunch of answers.”

Abbott, whose earned-run average jumped to 6.82, has given up five or more earned runs in eight of his 11 starts and has pitched beyond the seventh inning only twice.

Acquired in a trade with the Chicago White Sox last July and signed to a three-year, $7.8-million contract last winter, Abbott is 0-6 in 11 Anaheim Stadium starts since.

His last victory at Anaheim came as a member of the Yankees, when he beat the Angels on July 24, 1994. His last victory at Anaheim as an Angel was Sept. 11, 1992, when he beat the Minnesota Twins, 8-0.

“Obviously, it’s not the kind of performance we need,” Manager Marcel Lachemann said. “But we’ll keep trying things. There’s always something to try. We’ll work things out.”

Those efforts will be conducted in the starting rotation, not the bullpen, Lachemann said.

“What he needs is regular work,” Lachemann said. “There’s nowhere to hide in the bullpen. He needs to get out there and pitch, and get things ironed out.”

Making matters worse Monday night, a beleaguered bullpen gave up nine runs on seven hits and eight walks, helping the Angels tie a team record for walks (12) in a nine-inning game.

Abbott escaped a first-inning jam, after Wade Boggs and Bernie Williams, who had five hits and three runs batted in, opened the game with singles. But Abbott gave up three runs in the third and one in the fourth. Then came the fateful fifth.

The Yankees sent 13 men to the plate, scoring eight runs on six hits, four walks and two errors by right fielder Tim Salmon to turn a 5-4 deficit into a 12-5 lead.

Abbott couldn’t take blame for the entire debacle, but he set the tone by giving up a single to Tino Martinez, a walk to Jim Leyritz and a single to Mariano Duncan to load the bases.

Lachemann, hoping to shield Abbott from the big innings that have been so detrimental this season, pulled the starter for sidearm-throwing Todd Frohwirth.

Right move. Wrong guy. Frohwirth, showing why the Angels might have missed injured middle reliever Mark Eichhorn as much as starter Mark Langston in the past two weeks, was bombed.

Ruben Rivera doubled in two runs. Derek Jeter hit a sacrifice fly. Boggs doubled in a run. Williams singled in a run. Paul O’Neill walked. Ruben Sierra singled in a run.

Lachemann yanked Frohwirth for Brad Pennington, who walked two and gave up Duncan’s RBI fielder’s choice before striking out Rivera.

Tino Martinez added a three-run homer in the eighth to cap a 15-hit attack to back Andy Pettitte (7-3).