Anderson Can't Hide After Loss

By MIKE DiGIOVANNA

Sept. 12, 1998 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

BALTIMORE —

There are lessons in almost every loss, and for Garret Anderson and the Angels on Friday night it was this: Any lack of hustle will not be tolerated by Manager Terry Collins, and violators will be apprehended and prosecuted.

Anderson’s punishment came in the fourth inning of an 8-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles before 46,832 in Camden Yards, when Collins yanked the Angel right fielder from the game for not running hard to first on a comebacker to end the third.

The Angels had staged an impressive two-out, three-run rally against Oriole starter Scott Erickson and had runners on first and second when Anderson grounded to the pitcher and jogged to first.

Erickson’s high throw pulled Rafael Palmeiro well off the bag, but the Baltimore first baseman had time to retrieve it and take two steps back to the base to force Anderson. Had Anderson sprinted, he probably would have beaten the throw to load the bases.

Anderson headed for his right-field spot after the play, and Collins chose not to totally embarrass him by pulling him at that point.

But after the Orioles scored four runs against Chuck Finley to take a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the third, Collins took Anderson into the tunnel leading from the dugout to the clubhouse--away from television cameras--and had some stern words for his player.

“I had to send a message to everyone,” Collins said. “He made a mistake and said it wouldn’t happen again, and I know it won’t.”

Anderson pleaded no-contest.

“I told him I had no excuse, that I messed up,” Anderson said. “What it did was cheat my teammates, but I accept full responsibilities for my actions on the field. There’s no reason to sugarcoat it.”

Anderson’s play probably didn’t affect the outcome of the game--the Orioles added four more runs in the sixth, Eric Davis and Palmeiro combined for six hits, including a homer each, and seven RBIs, and Erickson went the distance on a nine-hitter, the sinker-ball specialist inducing 19 ground-ball outs. But it cut right to the heart of what the Angels have been all about this season.

They lead the American League West by two games, thanks to Texas’ 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay Friday, because they grind, they play hard, they never let up--because guys such as Tim Salmon go from first to third on singles despite a foot ligament that is more than 70% torn. Not because they dog it on grounders.

“When you’re in a pennant race you can’t afford to not go 100% because everything counts now, that’s the bottom line,” shortstop Gary DiSarcina said. “That play happens once a year, where there’s a comebacker, a bad throw, and if you ran hard you’re safe.

“It’s unfortunate for Garret, because the one time it happens, it looks so bad you can’t hide from it. But I guarantee you Garret will run out every ball hard the rest of the year and the rest of his career.”

Added Finley: “We got this far by hustling, and if you don’t hustle, you get what you deserve. That’s out of character for this team.”

Friday’s performance was also out of character for Finley, who hardly resembled the left-hander who shut out Kansas City for eight innings in his last start. Finley gave up eight runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings, hanging consecutive forkballs to Davis, who hit a three-run homer to right, his 27th of the season, and Palmeiro, who hit a solo shot to right, his 42nd, in the third.

A walk and a hit batter contributed to Baltimore’s sixth-inning rally, which reliever Mike Fetters fueled by replacing Finley and giving up a two-run single to Davis and an RBI single to Palmeiro.

Finley threw 147 pitches against the Royals on Sunday but said he felt fine Friday. “They basically kicked my butt,” he said. “You make bad pitches to good hitters, sooner or later they’re going to get you. . . . Three runs should be enough for me. I’ve got to do a better job than that.”

The Angels did not lose any ground because of the Rangers’ loss, “but I don’t pay attention to Texas,” Finley said. “Everything is in front of us. In the past, we looked over our shoulders, and whatever was in front of us slapped us in the face. I would hope no one is doing that. If you are, you have your priorities in the wrong place.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Stretch Drive

AL WEST RACE

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Team W L GB ANGELS 80 66 -- Rangers 78 68 2

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WILD CARD RACE

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Team W L GB Boston 83 62 -- ANGELS 80 66 3 1/2 Toronto 79 68 5 Texas 78 68 5 1/2

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TODAY

* ANGELS at Baltimore