Angels Bedeviled Again by Bullpen in 6-5 Loss

The Angels’ latest casualty was Manager Terry Collins, though it was more duress than physical pain.

His stress didn’t come from his pitchers having been used for target practice recently or from the continuing saga of outfielder Tim Salmon’s foot. Collins was concerned about what the Angels should be doing in the face of adversity.

They were doing little to ease the manager’s mind Wednesday night when their weary and ineffective bullpen blew a 5-3 lead in a 6-5 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

“I know we’re banged up, but it hurts when you don’t win games you’re supposed to win,” Collins said. “We let the last two games slip away. You can’t get those back. They’re gone.”

Wednesday’s problems came on the heels of a 6-5 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Monday and a 13-11 loss to Toronto on Tuesday. The Angels used eight relievers in those games and blew leads.

That parade continued Wednesday night, much to the displeasure of the 17,392 at Edison Field. Shigetoshi Hasegawa gave up a two-run homer to Shawn Green in the seventh inning, tying the score, 5-5.

Hasegawa gave up a double to Mike Stanley in the eighth.

Greg Cadaret relieved and threw a wild pitch, allowing pinch-runner Juan Samuel to move to third base. He scored on a grounder by Tony Fernandez.

It wasted a solid pitching performance by Omar Olivares, who was making his second start in place of the injured Jack McDowell, who has elbow problems.

“Olivares is going to put the ball over the plate,” Collins said before the game. “If we can catch the ball behind him, he will give us some innings. We have to get five out of him, because there is no one else to pick him up.”

Olivares responded with six innings, despite giving up two home runs and being hit on the knee by a one-hopper by Green in the fifth. It was the third time in a week that an Angel pitcher has stopped a ball with something other than a glove. Chuck Finley took a line drive off his elbow last Friday, and one ricocheted off Allen Watson’s heel on Monday.

It didn’t seem to faze Olivares, who remained in the game.

Olivares squirmed out of trouble often, stranding five runners in the second and third innings. The Angels also turned two double plays behind him.

“He needed to get us late into the game where we could pick and choose with our bullpen,” Collins said.

That’s where the trouble started.

The Toronto bullpen had no such problems. Kelvim Escobar relieved starter Eric Hansen with a runner on first base and no outs in the seventh inning. He struck out the side.

The Angels also had a runner on second with no outs in the sixth and didn’t score, as Hansen struck out two of the next three batters.

Those problems were on top of the Angels’ growing casualty list.

Things have gotten to the point at which the guys filling in for injured players are being injured. Outfielder Damon Mashore, who has hit .302 since Salmon was hurt, jammed his shoulder sliding into second base Tuesday and will need at least two days off.

“If another team thinks we’re feeling sorry for ourselves, they’ll come in here and step on our necks in a heartbeat,” shortstop Gary DiSarcina said. “I’m tired of hearing about injuries. You play with what you have.”

DiSarcina, playing with a sore wrist, singled home the Angels’ first run, tying the game in the second inning. By the time the inning was over, the Angels had five runs.

Garret Anderson bombed a Erik Hansen pitch to center field. Shannon Stewart and the ball arrived at the fence at the same time, only Stewart didn’t bounce as well off it.

The ball rolled back toward the infield, with DiSarcina and Darin Erstad scoring. Stewart tried to get up, but collapsed. He remained in the game, a fate better than Angel players recently.

“I try not to worry about injuries,” Edmonds said. “Someone always steps in and picks us up.”

Edmonds did. He followed Anderson’s tripled with a two-run homer to right field to make it 5-1.

Edmonds also robbed Stewart, who crushed an Olivares pitch to center field in the third inning. Edmonds first turned left, then right before making a one-handed catch on the warning track.