Angels Don’t Let Bad News Cloud Vision

The dark clouds floating over Tiger Stadium before Monday’s game carried only thunderstorms. They hadn’t traveled with the Angels from Chicago, as it might have seemed.

Dave Hollins went on the disabled list Sunday; Darin Erstad followed him Monday. Two more injuries in a season where the team’s medical staff has been as vital as its pitching staff.

By game’s end, after closer Troy Percival blew away three Detroit Tigers to finish a 6-2 victory in front of 15,928, things didn’t look so bad.

Sure you wouldn’t have blamed the Angels if they viewed those dark clouds as being permanently over head. But they showed again that they are numb to their brand of luck.

“It doesn’t even phase me any more,” Percival said.

Gary DiSarcina and Orlando Palmeiro both drove in two runs in the Angels’ four-run second inning. Omar Olivares pitched seven solid innings and picked up his first victory since June 17. Even Chris Pritchett, recalled from triple-A Vancouver to play first base, got into the act with a key defensive play and a single.

“We can’t get caught up in the big picture,” said Tim Salmon, who had two hits and scored two runs. ‘You start thinking about all the guys who are hurt and it gets depressing. Our focus has to be on who we have here playing today.”

That would include Pritchett, the fifth player to start at first base for the Angels this season. His day began with a 1:30 a.m. flight from Edmonton. He arrived in Detroit at 11:30 a.m. and stepped into the lineup.

Pritchett squelched a Tiger rally in the bottom of the second. With two out and Gabe Alvarez on first, Pritchett knocked down Paul Bako’s sharp grounder, then fired to Troy Glaus at third base to nail Alvarez, who was trying to take the extra base.

“I wanted to come here and do something right away and not hurt the team,” Pritchett said. “Now I’m ready to hit the hay.”

He and the Angels hope to wake to better news. With Hollins and Erstad out, five of the nine projected starters have been on the disabled list. Add to that three starting pitchers who are, or have been, on the disabled list.

“They have to do something during the off-season to take the hex off this team,” Erstad said. “To be 1 1/2 games out of first place after all we’ve been through is amazing. You start feeling that if we everyone gets back in September, we can make a run.”

The guys playing Monday weren’t all that bad.

DiSarcina had a bases-loaded double to give the Angels a 2-1 lead in the second. It gave him 43 runs batted in, five short of his career high.

Palmeiro, playing left field in place of Erstad, followed with a two-run single.

In the fourth, Pritchett singled and later scored on Alvarez’s error. Glaus, who also spent much of the year in the minor leagues, then drove in a run in the fifth.

“Once again, we bounced back,” Manager Terry Collins said. “They hear the news about Darin and Dave, but they have faced this all year.

“It has reached the point that it’s a challenge to them.

“There could have been a let down today. You can talk all you want and try to motivate.

“The players have got to want to do it.”

Olivares was determined, as he was 0-6 with a 7.62 earned-run average in his last eight starts. He gave up six hits--two solo home runs by Luis Gonzalez--before turning things over to the bullpen.

Percival then closed out a day that started with dark clouds with some lightning.

“You can sense things getting better,” Olivares said. “You can feel it in the guy sitting next to you. You can feel it when you come into the clubhouse. Everyone is right here.”

* RANDY HARVEY: Jeff Juden’s a character, but not a Disney character. C2

* FETTERS IN THEIR CAP: Angels acquire pitcher Mike Fetters from Oakland. C4