Abbott’s Troubles Continue

They walked from the field, cheers ringing in their ears, the same questions running through their minds. What do we do now? What haven’t we tried? Can this get any worse? Is this the end?

Perhaps only in Anaheim Stadium would there be applause for Jim Abbott and Manager Marcel Lachemann as they walked to the Angel dugout in the third inning Sunday afternoon.

Abbott lasted only 2 1/3 innings, gave up six runs on five hits with one strikeout and two walks in the Angels’ 14-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles in front of 33,704.

“I really don’t know what to tell you,” Abbott said after the Angels’ winning streak was halted at four. “The results speak for themselves. I have a great manager and a great pitching coach [Chuck Hernandez]. The opportunity is there [to rebound]. All the fault falls squarely on my shoulders.”

It was another horrid pitching display and when it was over, Lachemann made sure Abbott didn’t walk off alone.

In most cities, the boos would have been thunderous, especially considering this wasn’t the first time Abbott had been terrible. Perhaps only Angel fans would be willing to accept Abbott’s 1-9 record and 7.38 earned-run average. Perhaps they understood Abbott’s career might be at a breaking point and felt pity for one of the most beloved Angels of all time.

“They were very gracious,” Lachemann said. “They understand what he’s going through. The core of our fans are very knowledgeable. They know what he’s going through.”

That doesn’t mean they have any better clue what to do to snap Abbott out of his season-long funk, however. Sunday’s loss was his fourth in a row and put him into the lead for losses among major league pitchers.

Moreover, Abbott’s ERA in his last four starts is a hefty 14.04.

Abbott says he’s not injured. Lachemann says Abbott’s pitches have the same velocity and the same movement as in the past.

“He’s not throwing as hard as he used to,” said Baltimore first baseman Rafael Palmeiro, who hit a two-run homer in the first inning. “His breaking stuff is not as sharp.”

Sparky Anderson, providing commentary on Sunday’s telecast, offered another theory.

“I think he’s aiming [the ball],” Anderson said. “He’s not throwing, not pitching, not letting his stuff work for him. His velocity isn’t as good, but whose is when you’re pressing and tense. There’s nothing free and easy about [his delivery].”

The Orioles hit Abbott as if he were throwing batting practice. Abbott faced 14 batters, seven reached base and six scored. The Orioles built a 5-0 lead by the time Lachemann replaced Abbott with rookie Shad Williams with one out in the third inning.

Williams couldn’t keep the Orioles quiet either, and the lead soon swelled to 10-1 by the fourth. Baltimore’s scoring rampage continued with a four-run sixth that pushed the lead to 14-0.

The Angels at last broke up Scott Erickson’s shutout bid on catcher Jorge Fabregas’ run-scoring single in the seventh.

This was Erickson’s 10th consecutive victory over the Angels and improved his record to 11-1 overall against them. He is 5-0 with a 2.87 ERA in his career at Anaheim Stadium.

“I’m not a pitching expert, but Erickson’s ball, when it’s down, moves. [Abbott’s] flattens out [and is easier to hit],” Angel shortstop Gary DiSarcina said. “The only thing I can see, and I’m looking at it from a different perspective, is that [Abbott’s] home run pitches seem up in the strike zone.”

Said Fabregas: “When he’s good, he’s down in the zone. I would have to block 10 to 12 pitches in the dirt. That’s a typical Abbott outing.”

How many of Abbott’s 54 pitches did Fabregas have to dig out of the dirt Sunday?

“A couple, not too many,” Fabregas said.

Lachemann said the next likely step is perhaps to skip Abbott’s next turn in the rotation, which is scheduled to be Friday at Cleveland, against the defending American League champions.

“I think you have to give him a breather,” Anderson said. “He’s probably putting too much pressure on himself. He needs to sit back and catch his breath [and miss a start or two]. He needs to get away so he can see what it looks like without saying to himself, ‘God, I’ve got to go out there in another four or five days.’ ”

Abbott’s lone victory this season was May 2 against the Oakland Athletics, last in the AL West. Only once, in a no-decision May 12 against the Indians, did he appear to have a shot to win. The Orioles tormented him for the second time in 11 days.

“There’s an answer in there somewhere,” Abbott said. “I guess the answer is to keep battling, keep working.”

Sunday, he even had the Orioles feeling sorry for him.

A reporter asked Manager Davey Johnson if the Orioles “got what they expected against Abbott.” Johnson bristled.

“What kind of a question is that?” he said. “That’s a bad question. The guy’s going through a bad time. I’m not going to answer that.”

Added Palmeiro: “I want to beat him when I’m playing against him, but otherwise I want to see him do well. When you see a guy struggling that way obviously you want to jump on him. It’s nothing personal.”

Sunday’s loss overshadowed what had been a standout nine-game home stand against Boston, New York and Baltimore. The Angels, after losing six of eight on the road against those teams, won six of nine at Anaheim Stadium.

“This was a pretty good home stand,” DiSarcina said. “Those teams usually come in here and do whatever they want to us.”

The Angels begin a nine-game trip to Minnesota, Cleveland and Kansas City tonight, hoping to improve their 8-16 road record, one of the worst in the majors.

“We’ve got to put together a good road trip,” Lachemann said. “We can’t go out on the road and play like we have been. We’ve got to be better on the road.”