The Mo Drains Out of Angels

Day One A.M. (After Mo) showed that no matter how resilient the Angels are, no matter how many shots to the solar plexus they think they can absorb, they cannot afford to go too long without their slugging first baseman, not to mention their hard-hitting center fielder.

With Mo Vaughn sidelined because of a sprained ankle and Jim Edmonds on the disabled list because of groin, back and shoulder injuries, the Angels mustered four hits in a 9-1 loss to the Cleveland Indians in front of 21,689 in Edison Field.

Indian starter Dave Burba did not seem as overpowering as a Roger Clemens or a Curt Schilling, but the right-hander struck out 10 and gave up three hits in six innings for the victory over Ken Hill (4 1/3 innings, six hits, four runs, two earned).

Of course, there was a noticeable void in the middle of the Angel lineup.

Vaughn, injured when he crashed into the first-base dugout pursuing a popup Tuesday night, underwent an MRI test Wednesday that showed a bone bruise with sprained ligaments in his left ankle.

Angel athletic trainer Ned Bergert said the bone bruise shouldn’t prolong Vaughn’s absence, but it would increase his discomfort.

“He’s a large man,” Bergert said, “and every time he comes down on his ankle he’s going to pound on the bone.”

Vaughn will continue therapy and is listed as day to day, but it sure didn’t appear Wednesday that he would be playing any day soon. Vaughn entered the clubhouse on crutches, and he later emerged from the training room with an air cast on his lower left leg.

“I have no idea how long he’ll be out,” Manager Terry Collins said. “I’m not sure if it’s going to be a week, two weeks or a day.”

One shouldn’t underestimate Vaughn’s healing powers or pain threshold, though. He played a high school football season with a broken ankle, he played most of 1996 with a broken finger that required numerous cortisone shots, and in 1997, he returned to the lineup 16 days after surgery to repair a torn lateral meniscus ligament in his knee.

“I don’t know about MRIs; just give me some ice and flexibility and I’ll be ready to go,” Vaughn said. “To me, if it’s not broken, that’s a positive. . . . As soon as I can move around at half speed, I’ll be ready to play.”

Bergert, who said he would have a better idea about Vaughn’s progress after 48 hours or so, wasn’t sure if that would be a wise idea.

“It will be up to the coaching staff to determine whether he is able to perform his job, but you also have to look at the long term,” Bergert said. “We’re in the second day of a marathon. Do you try to suck it up for the Gipper and end up possibly tweaking a back or a knee?”

Vaughn didn’t seem concerned about the ankle sprain nagging him for a month or two. “Nothing nags me,” Vaughn said. “When I’m sitting here when I should be on the field, that’s nagging.”

In Vaughn’s absence, Collins moved left fielder Darin Erstad to first base and the third spot in the batting order and Orlando Palmeiro to left field and the leadoff spot.

Isn’t it ironic how things turn out? Throughout spring training, the burning question surrounding the Angels was how Collins was going to squeeze four outfielders into three positions. With Erstad at first and Edmonds out, now the Angels barely have enough outfielders.

And as successful as Palmeiro has been in a reserve role, the Angel lineup is simply not as imposing when he replaces Vaughn.

The Angels’ lone run, in the first inning, was essentially a gift. Palmeiro opened with a strikeout that catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. couldn’t handle. Alomar’s low throw to first bounced past Jim Thome, allowing Palmeiro to take second.

After advancing to third on Erstad’s fly ball, Palmeiro scored when Tim Salmon’s beat out an infield dribbler to third.

The Indians, who scored in the first on Thome’s RBI double, added two unearned runs in the second on Omar Vizquel’s two-out, two-run single, which followed Angel shortstop Andy Sheets’ error on Kenny Lofton’s grounder.

After Travis Fryman’s run-scoring single in the fifth, Cleveland bombed reliever Scott Schoeneweis, making his major league debut, for five runs on four hits.