Angels Can’t Buy a Run, so Washburn Pays Price

The Angels, in the words of Manager Mike Scioscia, tried to “steal” a run in the fourth inning Tuesday night when they attempted a risky double steal with runners on first and third, two out and a 1-and-2 count on batter Scott Spiezio.

They might have had better luck begging or borrowing.

Troy Glaus was thrown out at the plate on the play, and that was as close as the Angels came to scoring in a 2-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox before 13,187 in Comiskey Park.

Wasted was a brilliant performance by Angel left-hander Jarrod Washburn, who lost a no-hitter, a shutout and a game in the span of two seventh-inning pitches, both changeups.

Paul Konerko grounded the first past the glove of diving shortstop David Eckstein for a single, Chicago’s first hit of the evening, and Carlos Lee drove Washburn’s next pitch down the line in left for a double.

Lee’s hit knocked in Magglio Ordonez, who had walked with one out, and Ray Durham added an insurance run with an eighth-inning homer, as the Angels missed a chance to gain ground on Seattle in the American League West.

White Sox right-hander James Baldwin, who had a 2-6 record and 5.65 career earned-run average in 14 starts against the Angels, threw a complete-game nine-hitter with two strikeouts, and of his 124 pitches, 80 were strikes.

But Washburn was the sharper image on the Comiskey Park mound, giving up only three hits and striking out six in eight innings for his first career complete game.

Washburn had a perfect game through five innings and a no-hitter through 6 1/3 innings. Of his 125 pitches, 81 were strikes. He threw first-pitch strikes to 22 of 30 batters. One was intentionally walked.

“Those first-pitch strikes are huge,” Washburn (1-4) said. “When you start a guy with a strike, you put him in a hole right away. It makes guys uncomfortable in the box.”

If the White Sox were uncomfortable, the Angels were downright squirmy. They had nine hits off Baldwin, many of them lined sharply, but put runners in scoring position only twice.

When Glaus and Wally Joyner singled with two out in the fourth to put runners on first and third, and Spiezio fell behind in the count, Scioscia decided to gamble.

Joyner took off for second and stopped when catcher Josh Paul threw down. Glaus broke for home, but Chicago shortstop Royce Clayton made a strong throw to the plate to nail Glaus, who did not slide.

“I got a bad jump and thought I was going to have to take [the catcher] out,” Glaus said. “I got there quicker than I thought, and by then it was too late to slide.”

After scoring 28 runs during a four-game winning streak last week, the Angel offense has downshifted to its April gear, scoring five runs in the past three games.

On the flip side, the Angels have given up only four runs in the last two games, both with new catcher Jose Molina behind the plate.

With Bengie Molina and Jorge Fabregas on the disabled list, the bulk of the catching duties will now fall to Jose Molina, Bengie’s younger brother, a 25-year-old who had 10 games of big league experience when the Angels called him up over the weekend.

But Jose has an advantage Bengie didn’t have--an older brother to guide him through the rigors of his first extended major league stint. Bengie Molina, who will miss about a month because of a strained right hamstring, is on the trip and is in constant contact with Jose.

So what if Jose was so comfortable he hit .300, handled the pitching staff with aplomb and won Bengie’s job?

“I’d be so happy for him,” Bengie said. “I wouldn’t be mad if he does better than me.”