Victory Slips From Angels’ Grasp at Texas

That stomach virus wasn’t the only contagious thing around the Angels the past few days. After watching Oakland and Texas commit 11 errors against them in six games, the Angels caught the bug-a-boot in Wednesday’s 5-4 loss to the Rangers before 42,863 at the Ballpark in Arlington.

Shortstop Gary DiSarcina’s fielding error contributed to the Rangers’ tying run in the sixth inning, and reliever Mike Holtz’s throwing error led to an unearned run in the ninth as the Angel winning streak ended at six and the Ranger losing streak ended at seven.

Holtz’s wild throw past first on Mickey Tettleton’s full-swing tapper toward third allowed Tettleton to take second, and a sacrifice bunt and two intentional walks later, former Angel Mark McLemore slapped an RBI single to center off Shigetoshi Hasegawa to snap a 4-4 tie.

“We don’t do that--we pride ourselves on execution,” Manager Terry Collins said of the Angels, who rank sixth in the American League in fielding and hadn’t made an error in five games. “I’m as surprised as anyone.”

Another shocker: The Angel bullpen, considered a strength with a 17-12 record and 3.60 earned-run average, suffered its 17th blown save when Pep Harris gave up Domingo Cedeno’s tying RBI single in the sixth.

“Is that right?” Collins said when informed of the statistic. “I am surprised.”

A non-surprise: The Pain Gang suffered another injury Wednesday, but at least it’s not serious. As Jim Leyritz reached first on a two-run single that gave the Angels a 4-1 lead in the fifth, his right groin cramped and he had to leave the game.

Leyritz was suffering from dehydration--he lost 11 pounds Tuesday night, gained most of it back and lost another nine pounds Wednesday. After trainers revitalized him with two bags of IV fluid, he said he’ll be ready for a crucial four-game series in Seattle beginning tonight.

As banged up as the Angels are--center fielder Jim Edmonds did not play Wednesday, and first baseman Darin Erstad was limited to designated hitter--it figured that Collins replaced Leyritz with the injured Jack Howell.

“I thought, this is just perfect,” Collins said. “We’re replacing a guy with a bad groin with another guy with a bad groin.”

Is this any way to start a critical series against the division’s first- place team? DiSarcina, asked what would be a good outcome in the four-game set, said, “To come out of it with 25 players.”

Closer Troy Percival wants a little more.

“I feel like we need to win all four,” he said. “If we split, no one will be real upset, but I think we can win them all. I’m not sitting here thinking we have to hang on. I think we’re the best team in the league. . . .”

Better than Baltimore? “Sure,” Percival said. “If you don’t think that, you have no business being on the field.”

DiSarcina said the Angels should know if they’re serious contenders by this weekend.

“It will be good to see where we stand against the best lineup in the league,” DiSarcina said. “It should determine the pecking order of the division. It’s going to be exciting.”

A split may not be imperative, but Collins, who shuffled his rotation so Jason Dickson could start tonight and Chuck Finley on Friday, said the Angels must avoid disaster.

“You don’t want to get swept and be 7 1/2 games [out] at the all-star break,” he said. “But we have the guys pitching who we think can get it done.”

The Angels got decent pitching Wednesday, as Matt Perisho gave up three runs on seven hits in five innings. Tim Salmon’s third-inning homer off Bobby Witt and Leyritz’s hit in the fifth gave them a three-run lead.

But McLemore’s double and RBI singles by Juan Gonzalez and Will Clark keyed the Rangers’ two-run fifth, which cut it to 4-3. DiSarcina dropped catcher Chad Kreuter’s throw on Damon Buford’s stolen-base attempt in the sixth, allowing Buford to take third, and Buford scored on Cedeno’s hit.

DiSarcina, who had only five errors going into the game, also made a throwing error in the seventh, but it didn’t cost them.

“That,” Collins said, “is not something you see happen much.”