Twin Killing Keeps Angels Off the Pace

Teams in contention near the All-Star break don’t concern themselves with other teams in their division until late July or August, when scoreboard-watching begins to intensify, but it’s hard to ignore what’s going on up the coast from Anaheim.

Oakland reeled off nine straight wins before Saturday’s loss, Seattle has won eight of 11, and suddenly the Angels, who lost to the Minnesota Twins, 11-5, before 28,917 in Edison Field Saturday night, are five games behind the A’s after trailing by a game two weeks ago.

“You hear the same cliches this time of year, that you can’t worry about anyone else, but you do notice that Oakland is playing some great ball,” Angel right fielder Tim Salmon said.

“Everyone was wondering when a team in the [American League] West would step up. They have, and they’ve opened a little gap. But I don’t think Oakland has the pitching to run away with the division.”

Do the Angels have the pitching to remain in contention? And if so, is that pitching in Anaheim or Canada?

One day after sending young but effective right-hander Seth Etherton (3-1) back to triple-A Edmonton, veteran right-hander Kent Bottenfield came off the disabled list and was unimpressive, giving up six runs and seven hits in five innings.

Bottenfield, sidelined since June 8 because of shoulder tendinitis, struck out four and walked four. He was unable to put away several batters after getting ahead in the count, and he did not pitch inside effectively.

Bottenfield was especially disgusted with three pitches, all on the outside part of the plate, that resulted in opposite-field hits, Marcus Jensen’s two-run double in the second, Jacque Jones’ two-run homer in the fourth and Corey Koskie’s solo homer in the fifth.

“A lot of guys were diving across the middle of the plate, and that’s got to stop,” Bottenfield said. “I didn’t back guys [off the plate]. I’ve given up 16 home runs this season, so guys have been comfortable against me for two months.

“Guys get their feet set, they dig in. . . . If a guy like Bob Gibson or Don Drysdale saw that, they would have knocked the guy down with their first pitch. I have to pitch inside.”

That’s something Twin starter Eric Milton usually does well, and he did again Saturday after giving up three consecutive homers in the second. Milton recovered and went seven innings, giving up four runs and nine hits and striking out six, to improve to 7-2 this season and 3-0 lifetime against the Angels.

Milton tossed a no-hitter in his last start against the Angels last Sept. 11 in the Metrodome, but that was against an Angel junior varsity team that included the likes of Jeff DaVanon, Steve Decker, Bret Hemphill and Trent Durrington, as then-interim Manager Joe Maddon gave all his regulars except Troy Glaus the day off.

Angel Manager Mike Scioscia sent out the “A” team Saturday night, and Benji Gil immediately ended any chance of a repeat, doubling in the first to end Milton’s 12 2/3-inning hitless streak against the Angels.

After the Twins scored three in the top of the second on Denny Hocking’s RBI double and Jensen’s two-run double, the Angels ended Milton’s 21 1/3-inning scoreless streak against them with back-to-back-to-back homers in the second.

Garret Anderson led off with his 19th homer of the season, a solo shot that gave the Angels four players with 50 RBIs (Anderson, Glaus, Mo Vaughn and Darin Erstad) before the All-Star break for the first time in franchise history.

Glaus, who was pulled in the eighth because of lower back spasms, ripped a 440-foot bomb to left for his team-leading 23rd homer of the season, and Scott Spiezio lined a homer to left for a 3-3 tie, the second time this season the Angels have hit three consecutive homers. (Glaus probably will sit out tonight’s game.)

Anderson broke the tie in the third when he followed Gil’s double with a two-out RBI single, but Bottenfield gave the lead right back in the fourth when Jensen walked and Jones lofted a homer over the wall in left for a 5-4 edge. The Twins blew the game open with two in the seventh off Mike Holtz and three in the ninth off Shigetoshi Hasegawa.