Angels Can’t Quite Hold On Against Twins

The Minnesota Twins hit three sacrifice flies and then hung on--literally, as catcher Terry Steinbach withstood a bone-crushing, eighth-inning collision with Todd Greene--for a 3-2 victory over the Angels before 20,466 in Edison Field on Monday night, amid the backdrop of negotiations on a contract extension for Angel Manager Terry Collins.

Angel President Tony Tavares confirmed Monday that team executives and Collins are progressing toward a deal that a source pegged at two years with a possible option for a third year--the same terms of the original contract Collins signed with the Angels before the 1997 season.

“Things are moving along in a positive fashion,” Tavares said before Monday’s game, in which the Angels wasted an outstanding pitching performance by Tim Belcher (seven innings, two runs, six hits) and let a 2-0 lead against one of baseball’s worst teams slip away.

“We don’t make announcements before they happen, but I don’t anticipate any problems. We’ve talked to Terry. He knows where he stands, and he’s not worried. We have no intention of changing horses, I know that.”

Word of an extension for Collins comes at a time when one of his key players is disappointed with one of the manager’s recent decisions.

Second baseman Randy Velarde entered Monday night’s game with a career-high eight stolen bases, but after getting picked off with Mo Vaughn batting in the seventh inning Saturday night, Collins retracted the green light Velarde has had.

The reason: If Velarde, who bats second, steals second base, opponents will pitch around Vaughn, walking the slugger and denying the Angels’ most dangerous offensive threat a chance to drive in a run.

“I understand what he’s saying, and I don’t disagree with it, but if [Mo] hits a ground ball it’s an automatic double play,” Velarde said. “This irritates me. Without [Tim] Salmon and [Jim] Edmonds we’ve got to manufacture runs. To me, he’s taking away my aggressiveness. Telling me I can’t run is like telling Mo he has to bunt.”

Velarde, whose RBI single scored Darin Erstad to give the Angels a 2-0 lead in the third inning Monday, went on to steal his ninth base, but that was after Vaughn had flied to right field.

“There’s nothing more boring than watching a team go 90 feet at a time,” Velarde said. “We can’t rely on Mo for 162 games. If Erstad and I get on base we have to push the issue. We’ve got to get into scoring position.”

Collins said he doesn’t mind if Velarde steals, “but it all depends on the situation,” he said. “I’m not going to tell you when it’s OK for him to go, because I’m not going to give you a scouting report. But [Saturday] night was not the best time.”

Collins has a reputation as an aggressive manager--he loves when players steal bases and go from first to third on singles--but Velarde believes he’s being too passive in this case.

“You like to plant seeds in the advance scouts,” Velarde said. “When they know we can run, that divides the attention of the pitcher and the infielder. I know as a second baseman that, when a guy’s a threat to steal, I’ve got to watch the runner, the ball off the bat. . . .

“If he goes or even bluffs it creates tension. That’s what you want. When you’re on offense, you want to be offensive. You want to put the other team on its toes.”

This isn’t the first time Collins has been criticized. Some players have complained that he yells too much, some have questioned his lineup choices, and though he has been criticized for overworking relievers, those claims are muffled because the Angels have the best bullpen earned-run average (2.83) in baseball.

General Manager Bill Bavasi has acknowledged that players have come to him with complaints about Collins, “but from what I can see, everything looks fine,” Tavares said. “Neither Bill nor I see any problems in that locker room. It’s not hard to figure out when a manager has lost a team.

“As an owner, you can never let yourself get into a position where one or two players dictate what you do with a coach.

“You’ve got to look at the big picture.”