How the West Was Tied

There were so many newspaper clippings on the bulletin board in the Angel clubhouse Wednesday night you would have thought you walked into the high school locker room of a decided underdog.

Highlighted in stories previewing the Angel-Ranger series were excerpts citing Angel shortcomings: “Texas has the better team,” one scout said. Closer Troy Percival “can get goofy on you,” the scout added. “Anaheim still lacks an effective left-handed reliever,” one story proclaimed.

“I hope it ticks them off,” Angel Manager Terry Collins said. “You’ve got to play this game angry.”

So much for pop psychology. How about a little pop?

An Angel offense that has had two decent innings this entire trip continued to sag in a 5-3 loss to Texas before 37,481 at The Ballpark in Arlington, dropping the Angels into a first-place tie with the Rangers in the American League West with 11 games remaining.

Pitcher Todd Stottlemyre, who had hindered as much as helped Texas’ playoff hopes since his arrival in a July 31 trade from St. Louis, came through with his best performance as a Ranger, limiting the Angels to one run on six hits in eight innings, striking out seven.

Left fielder Greg Jefferies had three of the hits, including a solo homer in the fifth, but Stottlemyre had the final word, striking out Jefferies on a nasty full-count curve with runners on second and third to end the seventh.

The Angels mounted a consolation rally in the ninth, as Mark Johnson reached on a strikeout/wild pitch and Matt Walbeck homered off Ranger closer John Wetteland. Gary DiSarcina singled with two out, but Wetteland got Jefferies to fly to left to end the game.

The Angels are 1-5 on the trip and batting .224 with 20 runs in the six games, an average of 3.3 a game.

“We know we’re capable of playing good baseball, but everyone has to do their job, we can’t expect everyone else to pick you up,” Angel center fielder Jim Edmonds said. “We’re not moving guys over, driving guys in. We’re not doing the little things.”

Case in point: Jefferies doubled to open the game, but Randy Velarde popped to shallow right-center, failing to advance the runner. Edmonds struck out and Tim Salmon flied out to end the inning.

“I don’t think we’ve moved a guy over [from second to third] on this whole trip,” Edmonds said. “I was told by veteran players it doesn’t matter that you’re trying to get guys over. You have to get it done.”

Collins said he never considered asking Velarde to bunt, and he couldn’t fault him for his effort--he did hit the ball to the right side.

“We’ve got to score some runs,” Collins said, “but if you start playing for one run early, you’re just going to score one run.”

That’s all the Angels had through eight innings Wednesday, and it wasn’t enough to offset the Rangers’ four-run second, which came at the expense of Chuck Finley, the Angels’ big-game pitcher who has been victimized recently by the big inning.

Finley, who was tagged for two, four-run innings by Baltimore Friday night, grooved a fastball to Will Clark, who smacked his 23rd homer to right to open the fourth.

Ivan Rodriguez lined a single to center, Mike Simms chopped a one-out double over third baseman Craig Shipley’s head, and Royce Clayton, Texas’ No. 9 batter, went the opposite way for a two-run double to right, making it 3-0.

Clayton eventually scored on a fielder’s choice. Todd Zeile added an run-scoring double in the fifth, as the bottom third of the starting order--Zeile, Simms and Clayton--combined to go six for 11 with three runs batted in.

The loss dropped Finley’s career record against Texas to 7-14, and he is 3-9 with a 6.85 earned-run average in his last 12 starts in Arlington.

“Whether it’s Texas or any team, you get behind in the count, you’re swimming with sharks most of the time,” Finley said. “I’m disappointed I didn’t win the game, but I did everything I could. . . . I’ve got two more starts this season, that might make a difference.”

So might a few early runs.

“Once in a while you’ve got to give the pitcher something to work with,” Collins said. “We had a chance in that first inning, and he shut us down.”

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* HELP ON THE WAY? Darin Erstad could be back in the starting lineup tonight for the Angels. C5