Angels Lose Way Home

What little momentum the Angels derived from two Freeway Series victories over the Dodgers last weekend dissolved quicker than a lead in Coors Field.

On Monday the Angels were flattened by news that their teammate and close friend, Jim Abbott, had been released. And Wednesday came the sobering news that second baseman Randy Velarde would be out for the season because of a partially torn elbow ligament.

Was this any way to start the season? If you’re the Angels, yes. These guys dealt with adversity all spring, coping with injury after injury to key players, and they found themselves in the thick of more turmoil Wednesday night in the season opener against the Boston Red Sox.

The Angels had a three-run lead in the ninth inning and one of baseball’s best closers on the mound, but Troy Percival couldn’t hold it, walking in two runs and hitting a batter to force in a third run.

Troy O’Leary’s RBI infield single off reliever Pep Harris then gave the Red Sox a stunning, 6-5 victory before 30,874 in Anaheim Stadium.

“Two outs, three-run lead, Troy Percival on the mound, I’ll take that every night,” Angel Manager Terry Collins said. “He threw the ball great. His velocity was 96-98 mph. He just overthrew, and some balls got away from him. [But] I’ll take my chances every night in that situation.”

Said Percival: “I was doing what I was supposed to do, trying to get them to chase a ball out of the zone,” Percival said, “but with that kind of lead, that’s not what you should be doing. You have to go after them. That’s my game. I’ve got to be a little more focused than that.”

The Angels threatened off Heathcliff Slocumb in the bottom of the ninth when Dave Hollins walked, Garret Anderson reached on an infield single and Eddie Murray walked with two out.

Jorge Fabregas, who entered in the ninth inning to catch Percival, worked the count full before flaring a ball to left field, but Wil Cordero raced in to make the game-ending catch.

Percival struck out Darren Bragg and Nomar Garciaparra to open the ninth, then gave up a double to Valentin. Vaughn walked, and Reggie Jefferson followed with an infield single to load the bases.

Percival got two quick strikes on Tim Naehring but then threw four straight balls, walking in Valentin to make it 5-3. He then walked Cordero on a full-count pitch, forcing in Vaughn to make it 5-4. An inside fastball hit Rudy Pemberton, forcing in the run that made it 5-5.

Collins yanked Percival for Harris, and O’Leary greeted him with a chopper to third that he easily beat out for a single and a 6-5 lead. Harris finally got Bragg on a popup to end the inning.

The Angels held a 5-2 lead on the strength of starting pitcher Mark Langston, who went six innings, giving up only three hits and striking out six, and Luis Alicea, who had a clutch two-run single in the sixth inning.

But reliever Mike James gave up a run in the seventh on Valentin’s RBI single, and Percival simply fell apart in the ninth.

The Angels took the 5-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh when Hollins singled, took third on Anderson’s single to right and scored on Murray’s sacrifice fly, career RBI No. 1,900 for the 41-year-old designated hitter.

Langston, who teamed with Mike Witt to no-hit Seattle in the Angels’ 1990 home opener, had early control problems, walking four in the first three innings, but the left-hander wriggled his way out of first-and-third jams in the first and third innings.

He retired the side in order in the fourth and fifth, but Naehring poked a low, two-out fastball just over the 362-foot mark in left for a solo home run that sliced the Angel lead to 2-1.

But the Angels responded in their half of the sixth, loading the bases on consecutive singles by Murray, Jim Leyritz and Gary DiSarcina, the latter coming after a failed sacrifice bunt attempt.

Darin Erstad grounded into a fielder’s choice, pitcher Vaughn Eshelman forcing Murray at home, but Alicea sliced a two-run single to right to push the lead to 4-2.

The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the first when Jim Edmonds, after fouling off two full-count pitches, drilled a home run into the right-field seats off Boston starter Tom Gordon.

Edmonds also played a significant role in the Angels’ third-inning rally, following Alicea’s one-out walk with a perfectly placed, hit-and-run single through the vacated shortstop hole, sending Alicea to third.

Tim Salmon walked to load the bases, and Hollins followed with a potential double-play grounder up the middle.

Valentin, who has moved from shortstop to second this season, fielded the ball near second and stepped on the bag for one out, but his relay pulled Mo Vaughn off the bag at first, allowing Alicea to score for a 2-0 lead.

* RIDING OUT THE STORM: Mo Vaughn is the bellwether in Boston and the Red Sox will need all of his leadership in the wake of an off-season fraught with turnover and turmoil. C7