Angels Are Left Thinking What If

Tim Salmon was called out twice at the plate and looked to be safe both times. Angel Manager Mike Scioscia has even filed his first protest.

It didn’t matter to Scott Schoeneweis. “I feel like I’ve been shot in the stomach,” he said.

Maybe Mo Vaughn could have thrown to second instead of third in the 11th inning when the bases were loaded because it looked like he might have been able to get the third out of an almost-triple play if he had thrown to second instead of third.

It didn’t matter to Schoeneweis. “I feel sick to my stomach, just sick to my stomach.”

Should Shigetoshi Hasegawa have pitched to Brian Daubach with men on second and third after that almost-triple play?

First base was empty. Daubach had hit a game-tying two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth. So, yeah, now we can say Hasegawa should have walked Daubach, since Daubach sneaked a two-run, game-winning base hit in front of Orlando Palmeiro.

The debate? It didn’t matter to Schoeneweis. “I’m in shock,” he kept saying Monday night after the Angels’ 7-6 loss to the Boston Red Sox. “I’m in shock. It’s all my fault. I’m in shock. My stomach just hurts right now.”

Football has started and the Angels are still playing baseball games that matter.

The problem with playing games that matter in late August is that it hurts so bad when you blow them.

Schoeneweis bent over in despair when Daubach slammed that ninth-inning home run. Scioscia patted Schoeneweis on the back but Schoeneweis wanted to run away.

The Fenway Park fans were hailing Schoeneweis, waving their thanks for that mighty gopher ball.

So close to a complete-game, 5-3 victory. Troy O’Leary grounds out to second. Bernard Gilkey grounds out to short. People were leaving Fenway. They weren’t happy.

But four pitches later, Jason Varitek had a walk. Three pitches after that, Daubach had his home run.

This is the fear of every Angel fan. Young pitchers.

What happened with Varitek? Did the mind wander? No, Schoeneweis said. Absolutely not. “I wouldn’t be here if I lost my concentration with two outs and that close to a complete game,” he said. But isn’t it possible that a 26-year-old starts the celebration a little too soon?

“No way,” he said. “No way. I threw good pitches.”

The Oakland Athletics had lost. By beating the Red Sox, the Angels would have gained ground on two of the teams ahead of them in the wild-card race, the race the Angels really shouldn’t be in.

Behind a steam table full of chili and pasta and potatoes and bread, Schoeneweis looked as if he might never eat again.

“It’s all my fault,” he kept saying. “I can’t explain what happened. I was in the ninth inning. I had given up three runs. I’ve got two outs and Daubach hits that pitch out. I can’t explain it. I can’t believe it.”

This is twice in a row now. Schoeneweis feels tortured. The Angels were also ahead in the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays last week. If Schoeneweis had cleanly fielded a sharp ground ball, he could have turned a double play and ended an inning. He didn’t. Only one out was recorded, a two-run homer was hit and the game was lost.

“That was all my fault too,” Schoeneweis said.

It would be nice if umpires were so eager to accept blame.

If television replays are at all accurate, this loss wasn’t Schoeneweis’ fault.

Bengie Molina hit a shallow fly ball with the bases loaded in the fourth inning that dropped in front of the sliding Carl Everett. Jose Offerman picked up the ball and threw to third. The ball might have beaten Salmon to the base but Red Sox third baseman Lou Merloni wasn’t standing, ready for the catch and tag.

Unfortunately no umpires saw this play. One only said he did. The third base umpire, Jerry Meals, had run out to watch whether Everett was going to catch Molina’s pop fly.

Though he was nowhere near being able to see what happened, second base umpire Derryl Cousins called Salmon out. It took Cousins a minute to make the call. He must have been playing heads, safe, tails, out, in his head because Cousins certainly hadn’t looked at the play.

In the eighth, Salmon tagged and tried to score on a Molina fly ball. It certainly looked as if Salmon sneaked his foot under the tag and onto home plate. But Salmon was called out. Again.

The umpires don’t have to stand in front of a locker and explain themselves.

So a young pitcher is left distraught.

Every time you want to write the Angels off, something good happens. Every time you start to think the Angels might do something extraordinary, something bad happens.

Monday’s game was like that. So many bad things, then good things, then bad things.

It was hard not to want to find someone to give Schoeneweis a hug and tell him things would get better. It was hard not to want to bring a couple of umpires into the Angel clubhouse and make them watch Schoeneweis in very public agony.

Fair is fair after all, though not always when the Angels are involved.

*

Diane Pucin can be reached at her e-mail address: diane.pucin@latimes.com