Angels Show They’re Not History Yet

The Angels are not just battling Texas for the American League West championship. They’re waging an all-out war against the skeletons in their closet--the late-season fade of 1997, the collapse of 1995, the combined 53-92 record in the last seven Septembers, their failure to reach the World Series.

That’s why Saturday night’s 5-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners, which pulled the Angels to within a game of the Rangers with eight games to play, was so significant.

Not only did a sellout crowd of 42,833 in Edison Field see the Angels play their most complete game in weeks, combining the gritty starting pitching of Jack McDowell, the superb relief trio of Mike Holtz, Mike Fetters and Troy Percival, several spectacular defensive plays and just enough clutch hits to end a four-game losing streak.

They may have also witnessed the revival of a team that had lost eight of 10 previous games, their monthlong hold on first place, and seemed to be free-falling out of the playoff picture.

“It’s real easy to talk about 1995 and the September slides, but someone has to step up and say this reminds me of the 1986 team,” Collins said, referring to the Angels’ last division championship.

“When things are going bad, it’s human nature to say, ‘Here we go again.’ But there are two sides to the story. If we win the next five, everyone will say we are a team of destiny. After eight more days, we’ll either be good enough or not good enough.”

They were plenty good enough Saturday night, beginning with McDowell, the sore-armed right-hander who gutted out a 6 1/3-inning, three-run, eight-hit performance, relieving pressure on a ragged relief corps that combined for 14 1/3 innings and 193 pitches in the previous two games.

And there was Holtz, who replaced McDowell with two on and one out in the seventh and Ken Griffey Jr., with a resume that includes 53 home runs and 137 RBIs, at bat.

Holtz, who was demoted to triple-A Vancouver in early August, got Griffey to ground into a fielder’s choice, the seventh time in eight career at-bats he has retired Seattle’s All-Star center fielder. Holtz then caught cleanup batter Edgar Martinez looking at a third strike to end the inning.

There was also Fetters, a bullpen bust since his Aug. 10 trade from Oakland who may have revived his Angel career with a hitless eighth, and Percival, who struck out two of three in the ninth for his 41st save.

“The way things have been going, any win would have been invigorating,” Percival said. “But we’ve been a streaky team all year, and maybe this kind of win will turn things around.”

McDowell, who has an 11-1 career record and 2.73 earned-run average against Seattle, was supported by three defensive gems, two by a left fielder who is hardly noted for his glove work.

Gregg Jefferies made a leaping grab of Rico Rossy’s drive before smashing into the left-field wall in the fourth, and he raced to the wall in left-center to flag down John Marzano’s long fly ball in the sixth. Jim Edmonds made a diving catch of Russ Davis’ liner to right-center in the sixth.

The Angels broke a 3-3 tie with two runs in the sixth, as Tim Salmon walked, took second on a wild pitch and scored on Matt Walbeck’s two-out single to the left.

Walbeck took second on the throw to the plate and raced home on Troy Glaus’ looping single to left. Shane Monahan rifled a perfect one-hop throw to the plate, but the ball popped out of Marzano’s mitt, and Walbeck was safe.

McDowell got off to a shaky start, giving up a solo homer to Alex Rodriguez in the first, a drive that earned Rodriguez membership into baseball’s exclusive 40-40 club.

With 40 homers and 43 stolen bases, Rodriguez is the third player in major league history to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases, joining Jose Canseco (1988) and Barry Bonds (1996).

The Mariners padded their lead on Griffey’s two-run double in the third, but the Angels countered with two in the third and one in the fourth to tie the score, 3-3.

“We came from behind, got good pitching, did some things right,” Collins said. “This was a huge win.”

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DODGERS LOSE BIG

The Giants, with wild-card hopes, used three big innings in an 18-4 victory. C3

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Floundering Angels

The Angels have lost seven of nine games and have averaged 3.6 runs since their last day off, Sept. 10. What they’ve done since: *--*

Date Opponent Result Score Sept. 11 Baltimore Lost 8-3 Sept. 12 Baltimore Lost 3-2 Sept. 13 Baltimore Lost 12-7 Sept. 14 Tampa Bay Won 4-2 Sept. 15 Tampa Bay Lost 8-1 Sept. 16 Texas Lost 5-3 Sept. 17 Texas Lost 7-6 Sept. 18 Seattle Lost 5-3 Sept. 19 Seattle Won 5-3

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