The String Runs Out

By MIKE DiGIOVANNA

July 19, 1997 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Neither Roger Clemens, Pat Hentgen nor Juan Guzman would be pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays this weekend, and you can bet one word was spinning through the minds of Angel players:

Sweep.

“Anyone can beat you on any night, but when you miss those pitchers your chances improve immensely,” Angel Manager Terry Collins said. “Roger Clemens has ended a lot of streaks, and so has Pat Hentgen.”

You can add Woody Williams to that list. In classic, who-woulda-thunk-it fashion, the unheralded Blue Jay right-hander stifled the Angels during Toronto’s 2-1 victory before 26,087 in Anaheim Stadium on Friday night, ending the Angel win streak at 10 and dropping them 1 1/2 games behind Seattle.

Williams, who entered with a 4-8 record and 4.49 earned-run average, gave up one run on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. He was hardly overpowering--he had no strikeouts--but he walked only one and had the Angels swinging under many of his offerings.

Eighteen Angel outs came on fly balls, 16 of them against Williams. Paul Spoljaric threw 1 1/3 innings of hitless relief and Kelvim Escobar, a 21-year-old rookie from Venezuela who was recalled from double-A Knoxville on June 28, struck out two of three in the ninth for his second save.

“It’s the same thing with Williams every time, he always works the top of the strike zone and makes you get under his pitches,” Angel right fielder Tim Salmon said. “But he also gives you good pitches to hit. You walk away feeling you let him off the hook.”

Williams and the Blue Jay bullpen had little room for error because Angel left-hander Allen Watson was nearly as good. Making his third start on three days’ rest in the Angels’ new four-man rotation, Watson gave up four hits and struck out seven in eight innings.

But two of those hits were mistakes. Shortstop Alex Gonzalez hit a home run in the third inning and catcher Benito Santiago homered in the seventh.

Santiago, who has been disappointed with his lack of playing time this season, broke a 1-1 tie with his first home run since May 10, a span covering 36 games.

The Angels, who have been outhomered, 12-3, on this home stand, threatened in the bottom of the seventh on Jim Leyritz’s two-out single and Spoljaric’s walks to Chad Kreuter and Gary DiSarcina. Tony Phillips fouled off three 1-2 pitches before grounding into an inning-ending fielder’s choice.

Salmon walked to open the ninth and, after Garret Anderson struck out, appeared to get a great jump on a stolen-base attempt. But the ball from Santiago’s throw and Gonzalez’s tag arrived just as Salmon reached the bag, and umpire John Hirschbeck called Salmon out on a close play.

Aggressive baserunning may have cost the Angels in the first and second innings as well. Two hit-and-run plays were thwarted when Dave Hollins lined out in the first and Darrin Erstad was doubled off first, and Anderson flied out to right in the second and Salmon was doubled off first.

“We didn’t get any breaks,” Salmon said. “It’s disappointing to lose, but we really didn’t do anything wrong to lose it.”

The Angels suffered another loss after the game. Reliever Rich DeLucia, who has done a fine job filling in for injured setup man Mike James, was put on the 15-day disabled list after experiencing numbness in the middle finger on his pitching hand, a condition that has flared up several times in recent weeks.

An examination showed abnormal blood flow in his right shoulder, which could be related to the numbness. The Angels recalled right-hander Shad Williams, who was 3-0 with a 3.27 ERA in 33 games at triple-A Vancouver.

The Blue Jays took a 1-0 lead in the third inning Friday when Gonzalez, the No. 9 batter, lined a 1-0 pitch over the left-field wall, but the Angels tied it in sixth with the kind of situational hitting that was the hallmark of their win streak.

DiSarcina opened with a double and Phillips, trying to sacrifice him to third, instead dropped a perfect bunt between the mound and third base for a single.

With the infield back and conceding a run, all Erstad had to do to tie the score was put the ball in play. He did just that, grounding past the mound and into a 6-3 double play, with DiSarcina scoring.

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END OF THE LINE

HEAVENLY STREAKS

Longest winning streaks in Angel history and their final record:

11--June 16-26, 1964 (82-80)

10--July 5-17, 1997

10--April 11-21, 1979 (88-74)

8--June 21-29, 1987 (75-87)

8--July 25-Aug. 2, 1995 (78-67)

THE LAST 11

July 5, Beat Seattle 5-4

July 6, Beat Seattle 8-0