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 dilemma--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 in front of 20,926 in Anaheim Stadium, many of whom left scratching their heads, wondering if Abbott will ever win another game here.

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 earned runs or more in eight of 11 starts and has pitched beyond the seventh inning only twice.

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

His last victory in Anaheim came as a member of the Yankees, when he beat the Angels on July 24, 1994. His last win in 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 in Anaheim and in the starting rotation, Lachemann said, not in the Angel bullpen or the minor leagues, where Abbott has never thrown a pitch.

“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.”

He could use a little help, too, but got none Monday night from a beleaguered Angel bullpen that combined to give 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 RBIs, opened the game with singles. But Abbott gave up three runs in the third and one in the fourth. Then came the fateful fifth.

Abbott has been involved in his share of ugly innings this season, but the top of the fifth Monday night was the topper. The Yankees sent 13 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 the blame for the entire debacle. Todd Frohwirth was bombed, then yanked for Brad Pennington, who gave way to Mark Holzemer and finally Mike James.

Tino Martinez added a three-run homer in the eighth to cap a 15-hit attack, which helped starter Andy Pettitte, who went seven innings, improve to 7-3. Chili Davis and Tim Wallach each homered for the Angels, who fell 7 1/2 games behind Texas in the American League West.