Bad Times Continue for Angels’ Abbott

Jim Abbott sat slumped in front of his locker, head in hands, after his latest shoveling effort. Instead of digging himself out, the hole got a little deeper.

His six less-than-acceptable, better-than-before innings resulted in another loss. The Mariners, on the strength of Ken Griffey Jr., beat Abbott and the Angels, 6-2, Sunday at Anaheim Stadium.

It meant Abbott, 1-13 this season, was moving ever more into Anthony Young territory. Young finished 1-16 in 1993 with the New York Mets, which was part of a major league record 27-game losing streak.

“There’s a point when the streak I’ve been on loses its significance,” said Abbott, who has lost his last nine decisions.

That checkpoint was passed long ago. Abbott only evaluates now. He gave up eight hits and struck out five Sunday, but was left to sift through another loss.

“You can’t be too hard or too soft on yourself,” said Abbott, who is 4-13 lifetime against the Mariners. “You say, ‘I did this well,’ and ‘I didn’t do that well.’ Anything beyond that is taking it too far.”

The things Abbott did really well Sunday were reflected in the 10 consecutive batters he retired in one stretch.

The things he did really wrong were the two pitches Griffey hit for home runs.

Abbott, who returned to the starting last week when Mark Langston went on the disabled list, walked only two. A marked improvement for a guy whose walks-to-strikeout ratio is 62-43.

But both runners scored.

“Ken Griffey hitting home runs is going to happen to a lot of people,” Manager Marcel Lachemann said. “It’s the sequences that happen before the home run that is the problem.”

Abbott walked Rich Amaral on four pitches to start the game. Alex Rodriguez followed with a single and Griffey hit a home run. Abbott retired the next 10 batters.

In the fifth, Abbott walked Rodriguez and Griffey homered again. Abbott retired the next six.

“There were times when Jim was rolling along,” Lachemann said. “The ball was moving and he was making good pitches. But there were times when he didn’t throw. I don’t know what it was. You have to ask him.”

Abbott had few answers other than the obvious.

“I gave up a ground-ball single to Rodriguez after I walked a guy, and it hurt me,” Abbott said. “I walked Rodriguez and it hurt me.”