For Angels, a Sorry Start to September

The first inning Friday night belonged on the History Channel, because the Angels made a bunch of it--Darin Erstad tied Alex Johnson’s 30-year-old franchise record with his 202nd hit of the season, and Troy Glaus tied Reggie Jackson’s 18-year-old club record with his 39th home run.

The eighth inning, though, belonged on TNT--that’s when the game blew up in the Angels’ face.

Two of the team’s most reliable relievers were bombed for six runs in the eighth, and the Angels began September with one of their most devastating losses of the season, falling to the Chicago White Sox, 9-8, before 16,377 in Comiskey Park.

Al Levine gave up home runs to Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordonez to open the eighth, Glaus made a key error in judgment that helped prolong the rally, and Jose Valentin capped the outburst with a two-out, two-run, pinch-hit bloop single off Shigetoshi Hasegawa.

The never-say-die Angels may lead the major leagues with 24 multi-run comeback victories, but their six-run lead going into the bottom of the seventh was the largest they have surrendered this season.

Also lost was a chance to gain a game on Seattle and Oakland in the American League West and a chance to hold their ground against Cleveland in the wild-card race. The Angels are four games behind Seattle and 4 1/2 games behind Cleveland.

“They all hurt, but this one was very tough, no doubt,” said Angel first baseman Mo Vaughn, whose ninth career grand slam gave the Angels an 8-2 lead in the fifth inning. “We’ve been doing to other teams what they did to us.

“We were in a position to gain some ground on a lot of people, and it’s very important this time of year to capitalize on every situation you can. But we have great resiliency. We’re not going to go away.”

Erstad, who went on to break Johnson’s record with a double in the second and collected hit No. 204 with a single in the ninth, has been saying all season that individual achievements mean nothing to him, that all he cares about is winning. Never did that ring more true than Friday night.

“There’s a reason why you say that stuff, a reason why it’s true,” Erstad said. “This hurts. It’s frustrating. Our bullpen has been so great all year--I’ll take them every day of the week, twice on Thursday. But for whatever reason, these things happen. What are you gonna do?”

Levine, the Angels’ middle reliever, had a 3.36 earned-run average in 45 appearances when he replaced starter Scott Schoeneweis--who allowed three runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 solid innings--in the seventh.

The White Sox scored on Ray Durham’s RBI fielder’s choice, cutting the lead to 8-3, but Levine got out of a first-and-third jam by getting Tony Graffanino to pop to third.

Then Thomas smashed his 39th homer of the season to center, Ordonez lined his 26th homer to left, and Carlos Lee singled to center to start the eighth.

Angel Manager Mike Scioscia summoned Hasegawa, the steely set-up man/closer who had allowed one earned run in his last 22 outings, a span covering 34 1/3 innings, and entered with an 8-3 record, eight saves and a 3.26 ERA in 55 appearances.

Herbert Perry flied to center for the first out, and Paul Konerko grounded a single to left, moving Lee to third. Hasegawa struck out pinch-hitter Harold Baines looking, and lead-footed Charles Johnson, with the slow-footed Konerko at first, bounced a grounder between shortstop and third.

Glaus ranged far to his left and got the tip of his glove on the ball, but all that did was re-direct the ball past Kevin Stocker, the Angel shortstop who was in position to make the play.

Lee scored to make it 8-6, Durham slapped an opposite-field RBI double to left to make it 8-7, and Valentin, who did not start because of a bruise in his abdomen area, dumped a two-run, game-winning single to center. Levine’s ERA jumped to 3.68; Hasegawa’s jumped to 3.56.

The collapse also turned what began as a memorable game for Glaus, whose two-run homer to right capped a four-run first and put him side by side with a Hall of Famer in the Angel record books, into his own personal torture chamber.

“I made a mistake, I went too far [on Johnson’s grounder],” Glaus said. “I looked up, and Stocker was right behind me. It’s my fault.”

Scioscia defended Glaus, saying that any good third baseman goes after every ball he can get.

“Troy has tremendous range, but on this play it might have hurt him a little because Stocker was there,” Scioscia said. “But it was not a mistake. It was an aggressive play.”

The play robbed Glaus of whatever satisfaction he may have felt from tying the Angels’ home-run record. And Erstad certainly took no pleasure in breaking Johnson’s record in only 134 games.

“Statistics are nice, but you don’t play this game for statistics, you play to win,” Scioscia said. “When you don’t win, it doesn’t soothe your pain. They’re not going to take any consolation setting records on a night like this.”

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On Top

Troy Glaus is tied for Angels’ single-season home run record (Bold 2000):

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HR PLAYER 39 Reggie Jackson Troy Glaus 37 Leon Wagner Bobby Bonds 36 Don Baylor 34 Don Baylor Wally Joyner Tim Salmon Mo Vaughn

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THE RACES

* WEST: Angels are four games behind first-place Seattle.

* WILD CARD: Angels are 4 1/2 games behind Cleveland.