It’s Lonely on Angel Basepaths Until Glaus Ends the Drought

Here’s an Angel not-so-fun fact you won’t find in the box scores or through some online statistical service: third-base Coach Larry Bowa went 20 consecutive innings from Wednesday through Friday without being touched by an Angel.

That amazing streak, in which the Angels did not advance a runner to third base for 20 consecutive innings, came to an end when Bowa shook the hand of Troy Glaus, whose home run in the eighth inning Friday night ended a 22-inning scoreless streak.

But Glaus’ homer merely avoided another embarrassing shutout, as the Angels lost to New York, 4-1, before 39,996 in Yankee Stadium, their fifth consecutive loss and 10th in the last 13 games.

“I know more about the third basemen and umpires in this league than I care to know,” said Bowa, who longs for some conversation with his own players. “This is unbelievable. I’ve seen slumps by teams before, but not this long.”

The Angels have scored 18 runs in the past 10 games, a span in which they’re hitting .214 (71 for 332), and they’ve been held to four runs or less in 21 of the last 23 games.

They are 0-4 on a nine-game trip through Toronto, New York and Seattle, and they now trail Texas by 10 games in the American League West.

“This reminds me a lot of the second half in 1996, when we had a good team but didn’t do anything,” said Angel pitcher Chuck Finley, who gave up three runs--two earned--on six hits and struck out seven in seven innings Friday.

“It’s very frustrating. If we keep this up for another week or two we’re going to take on a spoiler role. It’s no fun being 15 games out by the All-Star break. I’ve done that too many times.”

The Angels hit the ball harder Friday night than they had in previous games--they sent Yankee outfielders to the wall three times to make catches--and they threatened by putting the tying runs on base in the eighth and bringing the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but that one critical hit, the two- out RBI single, continued to elude them.

“We’re reeling,” Finley said. “You walk through the clubhouse and you don’t get a very good vibe. As much as you try to pump guys up, you’ve still got to do it. What’s the use in talking about it?”

The Angels have tried lengthy postgame team meetings, they’ve broken off into small groups for gatherings that looked like crisis counseling, and the skid marks only get longer.

“In this league you’ve got to score runs,” Finley said. “I don’t think anything needs to be said. We’ve pretty much said everything. Now it’s time to do. Talking gets you so far. It’s time to move the needle.”

Finley gave the Angels another credible pitching performance Friday, but his defense let him down. With runners on first and third in the fourth, Derek Jeter scored on a double steal when second baseman Randy Velarde’s throw sailed well over catcher Matt Walbeck’s head.

Center fielder Garret Anderson charged Bernie Williams’ sixth-inning liner, pulled up at the last second and missed the ball, which rolled to the wall as Chuck Knoblauch scored. Jeter then singled Williams home for a 3-0 lead.

After Glaus’ homer off Yankee starter Andy Pettitte made it 3-1, Darin Erstad’s single knocked Pettitte out. Reliever Jason Grimsley got Walbeck to fly to center, and when Manager Terry Collins sent Matt Luke to hit for Andy Sheets, Yankee Manager Joe Torre countered with left-hander Mike Stanton.

Collins replaced the left-handed hitting Luke with right-hander Steve Decker, who walked. Torre, taking no chances, went to closer Mariano Rivera, whose wild pitch allowed Erstad and pinch-runner Orlando Palmeiro to advance.

But Rivera got pinch-hitter Jeff Huson to ground out to first, ending the eighth. Tino Martinez’s RBI single made it 4-1 in the bottom of the eighth, and Rivera, after walking two in the ninth, got Glaus on an inning-ending fly out for his 18th save.

And now an Angel team picked by many to win the division needs a pair of binoculars to see first place.

“But I will not pay attention to the standings,” Collins said. “I don’t look at them. . . . All I do is worry about our team. I don’t look at the papers. If all of a sudden we start to panic . . . we’ve just got to start playing better.”