Angels: Right Moves but Wrong Result

When Jose Cruz drove in two runs with two-out, bases-loaded single in the eighth inning to give the Toronto Blue Jays a 4-3 victory over the Angels Thursday night, it was a reminder of a July trade a year ago.

Cruz had been considered untouchable by the Seattle Mariners, who were desperate to put the fire out in their kerosene-like bullpen. They finally relented, sending Cruz to the Blue Jays for relievers Mike Timlin and Paul Spoljaric.

It couldn’t be considered a sweet trade for either side right now. Timlin and Spoljaric have provided little relief. And Cruz was sent to triple-A Syracuse in June.

The Angels were really burned on the deal, at least on Thursday.

On a night when 26,481 in SkyDome saw Manager Terry Collins make all the right moves, from using pitcher Chuck Finley on three days of rest to sending up Todd Greene as a pinch-hitter to chess-like work with a recently reliable bullpen, that trade beat the Angels.

Cruz lined a 1-1 forkball into right field off reliever Mike Fetters to erase a 3-2 deficit. When reliever Dan Pleasac struck out Randy Velarde to end the game, the Angels’ four-game win streak was over and a chance to slip past Texas and into first place in the AL West was wasted.

“Baseball is a weird game,” Fetters said. “My forkball was good in the bullpen. I got to the situation where I like to use it. If I get it down, it’s a ground ball or he misses it. I left it up.”

This wasn’t the first time the Angels have felt the sting of Cruz’s bat. He hit a game-winning homer off Rich DeLucia for Seattle last season. He has three home runs and nine runs batted in against the Angels.

But Cruz was also one for 13 with the bases loaded this season.

“I didn’t get a good swing, but I got good wood on the ball,” said Cruz, who is 14 for 39 with 11 RBIs since being recalled.

Collins was using Finley on three days’ rest for the first time this season.

Finley, who pitched seven shutout innings against Chicago Sunday, gave up a two-run homer by Shawn Green on a 3-2 pitch in the first inning.

Finley’s only other bad moment came in the fifth, when Alex Gonzalez hit a line drive off his left knee. Finley, who has left games twice this season after being smacked by line drives, may now be immune. He threw one warm-up pitch and went back to work.

He scattered five hits through seven innings.

“Basically, I just pitched,” Finley said. “I kept the score close and gave us a chance to win.”

The Angels got successive singles by Matt Walbeck and Gary DiSarcina in the seventh inning. Toronto Manager Tim Johnson brought in left-hander Steve Sinclair. Collins countered with Greene.

He whacked a two-strike pitch over Cruz’s head for a 3-2 Angel lead.

“I’m a hacker. I go up there swinging,” Greene said. “I don’t want to get the reputation as a good pinch-hitter, you know what I mean? Maybe one as a good pinch-hitter on my days off.”

That left it with the bullpen, which had not given up an earned run in four games. Pep Harris got the first two outs in the eighth, then gave up a double to Green.

Collins went with percentages. Right-hander Shigetoshi Hasegawa appeared to get the Angels out of it when he shattered Jose Canseco’s bat. But Canseco hit a high chopper to third and beat it out. Left-hander Greg Cadaret then hit Carlos Delgado, loading the bases.

That brought up Cruz and brought in Fetters.

Fetters had saved a game against the Blue Jays on Friday and blew one on Saturday, both as a member of the Oakland Ahletics. He was acquired in a trade got the win for the Angels on Tuesday.

Thursday, the pendulum swung again.

“This is no time for us to hang our heads,” he said. “We can feel bad about it now, but forget about it tomorrow.”