Angels’ Troubles Worsen

The Angels’ slim hopes of winning the American League West dimmed further Sunday when pitcher Mark Langston returned to Orange County because of a nerve irritation in his right leg, an injury that could be related to a potential disc problem in his lower back.

Langston, who spent Sunday morning in the emergency room of an area hospital and flew home before the Angels’ 8-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners, will be evaluated today by Dr. Robert Watkins, the team’s orthopedic consultant.

“It’s premature to say right now whether he’ll have to go on the disabled list,” Manager Marcel Lachemann said. “If he does, we’ll just have to move on. The team doesn’t stop. The game doesn’t stop.”

Angel trainer Ned Bergert said the exact source of Langston’s pain couldn’t be pinpointed Sunday. But if there is a disc problem, the left-hander with a 5-4 record and 4.88 earned-run average could be sidelined for several weeks.

Jim Abbott, demoted to the bullpen in late June because of his 1-11 record, will start Tuesday night against the Texas Rangers.

“Other teams have had similar things happen to them,” Angel shortstop Gary DiSarcina said. “Seattle has [pitchers] Randy Johnson and Chris Bosio out. The teams that win overcome things like this. . . . but it’s an uphill climb.”

Much like Sunday’s game against the Mariners, who celebrated Welcome Back Ken Griffey Day in fine fashion before a Kingdome crowd of 33,243.

Griffey, out since June 20 because of a broken hamate bone in his right wrist, had a run-scoring double in a six-run third inning and lined a two-run homer to right in the fourth to knock out Angel starter Jason Grimsley, who gave up nine hits and eight runs in 3 1/3 innings.

Seattle right-hander Bob Wells, moved from the bullpen to the rotation on June 6 because of injuries to Mariner starters, pitched a four-hitter with four strikeouts to improve to 10-2 and give the Mariners their first complete game of the season.

Seattle took three of four from the Angels in this critical series and now trails Texas by three games. The Angels remain 9 1/2 back.

“I was just trying to get hits-- I wasn’t trying to hit anything 480 feet,” said Griffey, who sat out 73 games during the 1995 season because of a broken wrist and 20 games this season.

Langston already had an operation in May to remove partially torn cartilage in his right knee, and the Angels have their fingers crossed, hoping he doesn’t need another.

Langston’s knee bothered him slightly in spring training, but there was nothing to foreshadow this injury. Langston had no problems during his workout Saturday but awoke at 4:15 a.m. Sunday in pain.

“I went out to dinner with him last night and he was fine,” pitcher Chuck Finley said. “Something must have crawled into his hotel room and stuck him in the back.”

Langston underwent a Magnetic Resonance Imaging test, which will be evaluated by Angel doctors today. Langston, who was expected to sit out six to eight weeks because of the knee injury but returned in 23 days, has had a history of overcoming injuries quickly.

The Langston injury was the larger of two jolts Sunday. Reliever Rich Monteleone also returned to Anaheim because of back spasms and was placed on the 15-day disabled list, marking the 17th time the Angels have used the DL this season, a team record.

The Angels recalled reliever Shad Williams, who had just been sent to triple-A Vancouver on Thursday but returned to pitch 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief Sunday.

Angel left-hander Mike Holtz, in his second big league appearance, retired Griffey on a grounder with the bases loaded in the seventh and added a scoreless eighth, giving the Angels an upbeat ending to a rather miserable afternoon.

In addition to the Langston and Monteleone injuries, DiSarcina left the game in the fifth inning because of tendinitis behind his left knee, an artificial turf-related injury that is minor.

And before the game, catcher Don Slaught, already sidelined because of a strained muscle in his lower back, was hit in the ribs by a ball in warmups.

“Great,” DiSarcina said as Slaught keeled over in pain, “it’s not like we don’t have enough guys hurt.”