Desperate Angels Accept Gifts From Royal Defense

The Angels need so much help to reach the playoffs they could qualify for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance, but the nice little care packages, like the one the Kansas City Royals wrapped for them Wednesday night, don’t hurt, either.

One slip in the outfield paved the way for a four-run Angel rally in the fifth inning, and a throwing error opened the door for three more runs in the 10th, as the Angels beat the Royals, 7-4, before 11,442 in Kauffman Stadium.

Though the Angels have virtually no chance of reaching the playoffs--the victory merely enabled them to remain 8 1/2 games behind Seattle in the American League West and six behind Cleveland in the wild-card race with 11 games left--they can at least wake up today knowing they haven’t been mathematically eliminated.

“What they do is irrelevant,” closer Troy Percival said of the teams ahead of the Angels. “We have to win every game or we’re done.”

The Royals seemed done when Percival, who recorded saves in his five previous appearances, took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but former Angel Jorge Fabregas’ single and walks to pinch hitters Dave McCarty and Gregg Zaun loaded the bases with two outs.

Mike Sweeney, who had three walks and a single in four previous at-bats, stroked a two-run single to center on the ninth pitch from Percival, sticking the right-hander with his 10th blown save. But Percival avoided the loss by striking out Jermaine Dye with his 44th pitch of the inning.

“I’ve never [complained] about an umpire before, but it’s frustrating when you throw quality pitches and don’t get the calls,” Percival said of umpire Tony Randazzo. “I’m not going to show a guy up on the mound, but that’s as close as I’ve ever come. The strike zone got tighter, and that cost me about 20 pitches that inning.”

The Angels caught a huge break in the top of the 10th when fill-in shortstop Luis Ordaz threw wildly to first on Troy Glaus’ one-out grounder, allowing Glaus to reach base.

Bengie Molina’s hit-and-run single off the glove of the diving Sweeney at first put runners on first and third, and Glaus beat Sweeney’s throw home on Adam Kennedy’s chopper to score the go-ahead run. Kevin Stocker then laced a two-run double to left off reliever Jose Santiago to score Molina and Kennedy for a 7-4 lead.

That Percival--and not reliever Ben Weber, who threw two scoreless relief innings--got the victory seemed an injustice.

Weber, the highly traveled right-hander who pitched in Taiwan the last two years and played nine professional seasons before reaching the big leagues, replaced starter Al Levine with two on in the fifth and got Joe Randa to hit into an inning-ending double play.

He retired the side in order in the sixth and got the first out in the seventh before yielding to reliever Mike Holtz. Weber, claimed off waivers from the Giants in August, has stranded all eight runners he has inherited this season.

Weber preserved a 4-2 lead the Angels built with five two-out hits in the fifth. After Stocker bounced into a double play, Darin Erstad singled. Orlando Palmeiro followed with a bloop to shallow right, but Royal right fielder Carlos Beltran slipped on his first break for the ball and couldn’t make a diving catch after a long run.

Erstad scored to pull the Angels to within 2-1, and Palmeiro reached second. Mo Vaughn grounded a ball up the middle, just beyond the reach of rangy second baseman Carlos Febles, to score Palmeiro with the tying run.

Tim Salmon smacked a first-pitch single, and Garret Anderson poked a first-pitch, two-run double to left off starter Mac Suzuki to give the Angels a 4-2 lead.